Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

It has been many years since Rinko was carried like this. Makijuro would occasionally carry him, but not in this position. Muzan would also carry him, but not like this.

Arms resting on arms, supporting half of the upper body, the scenery along the way changes before your eyes, and the long distance is just a few breaths and a few words of chat.

"Speaking of which, there's an extra person at my place. Little Rinko, you better hide your eyes and don't scare her—"

"Humanity?"

Rinko raised his head. Douma was looking at the road in the distance, not at him. But the resonance in his chest vibrated behind him, and he heard a low "hmm".

"Don't you always have a group of humans there?"

"She's quite different from those people... She's not from the church, nor is she religious. She just hid with me because she had nowhere else to go. She's a very different woman. If Rinkou sees her, he'll definitely like her."

A ghost who has been supporting a group of people and now takes in a woman who comes from nowhere, on what basis does he say that it is strange for him to make friends with humans?

"I'm different from Xiao Lingguang. Didn't Xiao Lingguang always think that humans were just food?"

Douma does have this ability. Even without looking at him, he knows what he is thinking.

But Rinko remained silent, not refutating, because Douma was right.

He did think so in the past, and he still thinks so now. To ghosts, humans are food, just like other animals are food to humans.

But it's also like humans will raise some animals, become friends with those animals, and maybe not eat them in the future. Lin Guang felt that he was just like that, making friends with some different foods, and food that could talk.

Perhaps it was because she had spent so much time with Muzan that she realized there was a difference between humans and ordinary cattle and sheep, or perhaps it was because Makijuro was so unique, or perhaps it was simply because every time Rinko met Makijuro, she was not hungry. In short, one coincidence after another led to a story that could be called fate.

Lin Guang didn't want to delve into the reasons behind this, but when the story came to an end, he felt that it was actually quite good.

"It's definitely different."

Rinko's incoherent answer finally made Douma look at him, but the boy had already turned his head away.

The words that seemed to be answering him seemed to have nothing to do with his inquiry.

What's the difference? But even if he asked, the boy, who was already looking at the scenery, would definitely not answer him.

It doesn't matter, he will always find the answer himself, just like before.

----

----

The world outside is changing in many ways, but the changes here in Douma are not very obvious.

The lights were brighter, the house was a little taller, the exterior walls were brighter in color, and the roof seemed to have been repaired, but for the most part, it was still the same as Lin Guang remembered.

He was put down by Douma, his feet touched the ground, and the next second after his hands left his body, he began his journey of exploration.

The dirt ground was embedded with smooth stone slabs. Lingguang jumped over the stone slabs that were a little far away from him and explored this territory according to his memory.

There is a forest ahead, and behind the forest is a house. That is where believers kneel to worship. After that is where Douma works. Further back, there is a yard where Douma once lived.

Moonlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating the small, dark forest and outlining the visitor.

The little boy walked closer, seemingly walking, but his movements were undisciplined, with each step a hop, a leap. His feet restlessly landed on the smooth stone slabs, one step on flat ground, the next on grass. His hands never stayed at his sides, always raised high, touching passing tree trunks, swatting at passing bushes, leaping high, and landing with a green leaf in his hands, from whichever branch he chose.

The man lagged behind a little, with his hands clasped in front of his chest, one hugging his arm and the other holding a folding fan. The folded fan tapped against his arm as he walked. The man was tall and had long legs, so every step he took could easily be placed on the stone slabs. He walked steadily, and would not be left behind by the lively boy.

A thin ray of light occasionally illuminated that face, revealing only the corners of his mouth curled up in a gentle smile. His eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight, not enough to illuminate the face, but enough to serve as bait for a trap.

After passing through the woods, the road ahead was an open plain with no obstructions. The moonlight stretched the shadows of the two people very long. Rinko turned around and saw Douma looking at him with a smile.

When Douma looked at him, he looked somewhat similar to Muzan.

The face was smiling, the voice, the expression, everything seemed to be smiling, but the eyes were not.

"Want to compete?"

"What are you competing for?"

Douma's smile grew even wider, and his voice became higher pitched, showing pure happiness.

But Rinko couldn't tell that he was happy. Rinko knew what it looked like when ghosts were happy. Akaza would laugh happily when fighting with some powerful ghost hunters. That smile couldn't be hidden. It was the expression of satisfaction and joy that filled his chest and overflowed from his mouth and eyes.

That tone of voice, that expression, the emotions revealed in those eyes were different from what Rinkou saw now.

"Let's see who can get to your yard first."

Lin Guang pointed forward. The distance was neither too close nor too far, and he couldn't jump over it in one step, but in fact, the outcome of the game was just a matter of a breath.

"Okay."

Douma happily agreed.

"Then, let's begin."

The boy took a step forward after the voice fell, and Douma also took a step forward, but he did not show any intention of competing seriously.

He just chased after the boy. The moonlight stretched their shadows very long, and his shadow was taller, so it completely covered the boy's.

So Lingguang exerted force on his feet, suddenly created some distance, and escaped from his shadow.

Like a kitten.

In his eyes, Rinkou is like a kitten on the street. The kitten is small, and Rinkou is also small. The kitten is soft, and so is Rinkou. But Rinkou pleases him more than the kitten, because Rinkou smells delicious, and because Rinkou always does something interesting.

When he put Lingguang on the ground, the boy was like a kitten that had been away from home for a long time and was brought back home. He held his head high, wagged his tail, and like a victorious general, proudly patrolled this familiar territory, exploring every inch of land.

When it was bored, it turned to look at its owner who had been following it, wagging its tail and meowing, inviting him to play together.

How could the owner refuse the kitten's plea?

Of course he could defeat Rinko, but if he won, how could he see Rinko's proud look when he stepped into the courtyard first?

The boy stood there, looking at him in the moonlight, with a smile on his lips that he was not aware of, and his tone of voice was higher than usual.

"I won."

The tail note floated slightly upwards, suppressed by the speaker, but not completely hidden.

"Well, you win."

Douma bent down and smiled gently.

"Wow."

The sound came from a baby with its mouth open. When Lin Guang turned around, he saw a woman. It was undeniable that the woman was very beautiful and Daki would definitely like her.

"Ah, it's Douma-sama who's back. I was wondering who it could be so late."

"Good evening, Kotoha. Sorry to bother you. This is Rinkou, the one I told you about. Rinkou, this is Kotoha, the one I told you about."

Rinko raised his head and looked at Kotonoha, then at Douma, blinked, and turned his gaze back.

"My name is Rinko. Hello."

"What a smart child! He's so polite at such a young age. That's amazing, little Rinko, this is Inosuke—Inosuke, look, this is Brother Rinko."

The baby still in the cradle could not understand what his mother was saying, nor did he recognize the stranger in front of him. Rinkou tilted his head and stretched out his hand under Qinye's encouraging gaze. The boy grabbed his fingers and babbled, but no one knew what he was trying to say.

"Inosuke seems to like you, Rinko, that's great!"

Qinye's smile was pure, hearty, and straightforward. Rinkou didn't understand why she was so happy, but he could see that her happiness came completely from the heart.

Rinko's gaze moved from Inosuke to Kotonoha, and finally to Douma's face.

Douma was also smiling, but when he looked at Kotonoha, there was a moment of feeling in his eyes that was familiar to Rinko.

He seemed to suddenly understand why Douma specifically singled out this woman.