Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Tanjiro was a very talkative person, and Rinko happened to be someone who loved to listen to stories. So one told the other, and in the quiet forest after the snow, the clearest sounds were the creaking of shoes on the snow and the boy's gentle voice.

Tanjiro talked a lot about his father, mother, sister and brother. From his words, Rinko could imagine a family she had never met.

Obedient and sensible sisters, lively and naughty brothers, a gentle father who is a little weak but tries hard to support the family, and a kind mother who can take good care of the whole family.

Sounds like a great home.

A family with a bunch of younger brothers and sisters sounds very interesting. Rinko has only met a pair of brothers, and before that a pair of sisters. It was just that it was not easy for him to deal with such sisters or brothers. Tanjiro can actually take care of so many younger children.

"That's amazing, Tanjiro."

Lin Guang sighed sincerely.

"It's my father and mother who are the real heroes. They support the family. I just want to help them as much as I can. My brothers and sisters are all very sensible and we all have a good relationship. Does Rinko have any brothers or sisters?"

The casual question puzzled Rinkou.

He indeed has no parents and no family in the standard sense, but he does have brothers who are like family members.

And speaking of brothers... the upper ranks could actually be categorized as one, after all, they all share the same blood. But then, he'd have too many brothers. Rinkou wasn't opposed to having someone closer than a friend, but when it came to family or brothers, he subconsciously wanted to be selective.

"Did I ask something I shouldn't have asked?"

The excessively long silence made Tanjiro's tone a little unsure. He subconsciously turned his head, but could only vaguely catch a glimpse of Rinko's short black hair sticking up behind her head.

"No. Not at all."

The voice drew Rinkou's attention back and he shook his head slightly before realizing that the other person couldn't see.

"I was just thinking about something. Although strictly speaking, family doesn't exist, there are some people who are like family... For example, a few 'brothers', a few 'elders', or some 'peers' with whom I have a good relationship."

Tanjiro breathed a sigh of relief at his answer. Although he didn't quite understand what Rinko was saying, his tone was much lighter when he spoke again.

"Really? It's nice to have someone like that."

The child who was called raised his head and looked at the dark and heavy clouds above his head. The layers of clouds blocked the sunlight, so he was able to walk in such broad daylight.

"It sounds like it's going to be very lively at Rinko's house."

"lively......"

Rinko recalled the scenes of every meeting and position-changing battle among the Upper Moons, and thought about the situation when Douma and Akaza met, and nodded affirmatively.

"Yeah. It's really lively. So lively that it's almost like the roof is about to fall off the house."

----

"Rinko, the house in front is my home."

Lingguang stuck his head out of the backpack and looked ahead. He could see a house standing in the snow. The area around the house was clean and there was a large open space in front of the door.

Although Rinko kept indicating that he could get down and walk by himself, after all, he was going to meet someone and it would be a bit impolite to come out of the basket, but Tanjiro's attitude was always firm and he refused to let him go.

The reason has always been the same: he was wearing too thin clothes.

Still barefoot.

So in Rinko's silence, Tanjiro took him into the house without hesitation. It was indeed very warm. When the door was closed, he could feel the warmth of the burning charcoal and that unique smell.

"I am back."

The simple greeting elicited a lively response. Although no one was seen, voices could be heard. The boy's was brighter, while the girl's was softer, but without exception, they were all warmly welcoming the brother's return. The sound of messy footsteps came from the house, and then the owner of the voice appeared in front of him.

"Wait a minute, let my brother put the guests down first."

Lin Guang rarely received such treatment. Being watched by a group of people was actually very familiar to him, but being watched by a group of children was an experience he had never had before.

"Rinko? Are you unable to move because it's too cold? Come, hold my hand."

Tanjiro put Rinko on the ground, but the boy, immersed in thought, did not react immediately, and thus lost the opportunity to get out in a decent manner. The hand firmly grasped the cold palm, dragged and pulled Rinko out of the basket.

"Ah, there's a person in my brother's bamboo basket!"

"My brother brought someone else's child back home. I'm going to tell Mom!"

"Run slower, don't fall."

The girl who came out a step slower caught the boy who rushed in excitedly, while Rinko, who was the center of attention, was pulled up by Tanjiro.

The hand was unexpectedly strong, the palm was rough and frighteningly hot.

All of this made Lin Guang feel somewhat familiar, but time had passed so long and his memories were so complicated that he couldn't remember where he had felt such warmth before.

Is it a hot spring? But it seems different.

"Come here, come here, whose child is this? Oh my god, why is he only wearing this little!"

The woman holding the child came over surrounded by children, and Tanjiro took the initiative to step forward before he could speak.

"It was a child I met on the way back. He was completely frozen, so I quickly brought him back."

-

Rinkou was forced to join this family, a very lively home, with a group of noisy children surrounding him, curiously touching his short hair and the haori that was replaced by Urokotaki on him, and constantly asking all kinds of questions.

"what is your name."

A boy who looked somewhat similar to Tanjiro asked him a question.

"Rinko."

"Where did you come from?"

The younger girls followed up with a question.

"It's from the other side of the mountain, a little further away."

"You look pale. Are you cold? I'll get you two more clothes."

The older girl had already stood up before Rinkou could say that she didn't feel cold.

The children are full of energy, and Lingguang tries his best to take care of every curious head.

The children's curiosity was not appeased until a woman came over with a steaming bowl of soup.

"Alright, alright, let's let the guest rest for a while. Your name is Rinko, right? Come, have some hot soup. It will warm you up quickly."

It is obviously not easy to explain to people that a ghost's body temperature will not rise so easily, and it is also impolite to reject a pair of eyes full of expectation and kindness.

The hot soup on the table exudes an enticing aroma, and thick white mist drifts across the tip of the nose. The high heat makes the tip of the nose slightly numb and itchy.

"Thank you very much, it was very helpful."

Forget it, I'll just find a place to spit it out quietly later.

-

"I'm sorry, Rinkou. I brought you back here to rest, but you were so busy that you didn't even sit down until now."

Tanjiro sent the other children to the next room to play before coming back and sitting next to Rinko. He spoke with an apologetic look on his face. Rinko drank the hot soup slowly, speaking in a vague nasal tone, and shook his head formally when he put it down.

"It's okay, it's lively, I think it's great, I haven't seen such a lively scene for a while."

Not since I parted ways with Akaza.

"I'm so glad I didn't cause you any trouble..."

The boy took a deep breath and visibly relaxed. Lingguang took the opportunity to drink up the last bit of soup in the bowl.

"Would you like some more?"

"If there's any left, you can give some to those kids. They've been staring at us since the beginning."

"Ah. After all, they're still kids. It's not like they haven't drunk before, but they'll probably be curious after seeing it."

Tanjiro scratched his head, chuckled, stood up, picked up the empty bowl and walked out, then turned back when he reached the door.

"Just rest here and relax. I'll tell your brothers and sisters not to come over. I'll just close the door for you."

When Lin Guang turned around, the door had just closed and the footsteps had gone farther away. He sat for a while, making sure that the children had no intention of coming over, before he stood up, pushed the door leading to the courtyard open a little, and slipped out.

It was gradually getting dark, so Lin Guang didn't need to worry anymore. He turned his back to the room and walked a distance away before getting rid of the things that shouldn't go into his mouth.

"You clearly know you can't eat it, but you insist on eating it. I can't understand what you are thinking."

"Because it smells delicious, and it would be impolite to refuse."

"Huh? What's so rude about that? Ghosts aren't supposed to eat that kind of crap. That's what ruined your brain."

Lin Guang didn't respond. He stood up with the help of a tree. Snow began to fall from the sky, and the trace would soon be buried.

"Who are you."

Just before everything was covered up, a man appeared behind him. Without any warning.

Lin Guang turned around, looked up, and met a pair of deep red eyes, a calm tone without any ripples, and a face without any expression, but those eyes seemed to be burning with flames.

The same eyes as Tanjiro.

Ah. How could he have forgotten.

The one who is like a flame itself.

It's Makijuro.