Chapter 43: Lofty goal
"Oyakata-sama!" 2x
Whether it was Kanae or Shinobu, they quickly turned respectful toward this frail man.
Isao didn't say anything and looked at the two with a strange gaze since they appeared so respectful and even kowtowed before this man. However, suddenly, he thought about the difference between the Taisho period and his timeline, and he felt that it was normal.
Unlike in the modern age, the influence of feudal society was still present in the Taisho period.
While everyone became equal due to the law, social norms and people's habits that existed in the past couldn't be erased easily, and it also affected how the relationship between Kagaya and the Demon Slayer Corps.
Many might say that the relationship between Kagaya and the Demon Slayer Corps was equal, like a business partner who worked together to defeat Muzan, yet in practice, their relationship was like that of a master and his retainers.
The Demon Slayer Corps was also an organization created by the ancestor of Kagaya Ubuyashaki to erase Muzan from this world. Those who joined this organization naturally thought of him as their master. Even if they didn't, they would think of him as their boss since he was the one who gave them a chance, power, and income so they could achieve their ambitions to kill the demons.
Moreover, while Kagaya was weak, Isao knew that this person was good at seeing people's hearts, and the members of the Demon Slayer Corps were those poor people who lost their parents, families, and loved ones who were definitely vulnerable to Kagaya's gentleness.
Lastly, while Isao knew that this might be wrong, most of the members of the Demon Slayer Corps didn't have much education, lived in poverty, and had hardly any experience in society.
For those types of people, as long as they could eat every day, it was happiness, and compared to the jobs that existed in the current society, the salary and the treatments received by the Demon Slayer Corps were simply heavenly.
Naturally, in such an amazing condition, their lives might be in danger all the time.
In other words, everything was under the principle of equivalent exchange.
However, while it was true that their lives might be in danger at times, and they were also working in an illegal organization, compared to working normal jobs in this country and being treated in worse conditions than cattle, working as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps was definitely much better.
'Demon Slayer Corps, huh?'
Based on his understanding, Isao also knew that the Demon Slayer Corps was an illegal organization. If their target wasn't a demon, such an organization would definitely become a purge target by the government, especially in the current era when World War One has just finished, and many other wars are happening in many places.
For someone who led such an organization, was Kagaya bad?
Isao couldn't say that Kagaya was bad, but he couldn't say Kagaya was good either since, in his mind, Kagaya's purpose of gathering them all came from the obsession of his family, which wished to eradicate Muzan.
Fortunately, Muzan was evil; otherwise, Isao might think that Kagaya was a cunning and sly man who wished to get Muzan to cure his disease.
After all, while Muzan's and demons' existence was harmful to the world, this demon also had a certain value for the world, especially in science. Demons were good for testing a variety of medicines, weapons, and many others that were harmful to humanity since they couldn't die unless they were hit by sunlight, and they could even be used as research objects to bring humanity to a further level.
Nevertheless, compared to Kagaya, Isao was more interested in all the people who gathered by Kagaya's side. After all, all of the people present were Hashira, the group of most powerful Demon Slayers within the organization.
Frankly, if there was something that attracted him the most from this group of people, instead of the Breathing Styles they mastered, he was more interested in the special traits, talents, and unique knowledge they possessed.
Isao knew that this might be strange, but he felt "Flower Breathing" was enough for him since, in the end, the creation of various techniques was just a method because one couldn't master the original technique. Moreover, with "Flower Breathing," he could kill the third strongest demon with ease, so the necessity of learning another technique wasn't that important to him. Moreover, in the battle, having more techniques seemed more like a liability instead of an asset.
Bruce Lee said, "I'm not afraid of someone who knows 10,000 kicks. But I am afraid of a person who knows one kick but practices it 10,000 times."
Isao thought that this thought wasn't wrong since as long as you could cut down a demon, the technique wasn't that important.
Lastly, Isao also felt that even if most of the users of the "Flower Breathing" were female, it was suitable for him since it focused on agility and utilized one's vision.
However, since they came, Isao didn't mind collecting their Breathing Styles since, while he might not use them, he could use them for others in the future.
At the same time, all the Hashiras present also observed Isao, and many also couldn't help but have a skeptical attitude toward him. Yet, how could they not be? Unlike what they had imagined, while they had to admit that Isao was handsome, they hardly saw a heroic side of him. Instead, what they saw was a flirtatious young man who played with women and had a tattoo on his neck.
Yet, even if Isao appeared like that, no one said anything since they had to admit that Isao's presence was just special. He was like someone who stood above many, and it made them think that he was part of a noble family, the descendants of a famous samurai family, or the children of a wealthy family.
Either way, no one thought to make trouble for him since they didn't have a hobby to make an enemy. Still, inwardly, if Isao could defeat Upper-Rank Second, then shouldn't they be able to do the same?
As Hashira, all of them had their own pride, and they believed in their own strength. That belief was engraved within their bones, and they believed that they were better than Isao.
However, Kagaya was different, and his face was full of excitement. Due to his disease, his vision had deteriorated, but even so, it was clear that the beautiful red spider lily on his neck wasn't a tattoo. Instead, it was a mark that was formed after one crossed a boundary and mastered a Breathing Style.
The key to defeating Muzan was the young man before him, and Kagaya wished to get him no matter what!
"Hello, I'm sorry for bothering you after you've just woken up. My name is Kagaya Ubuyashiki. I am the 97th leader of the Demon Slayer Corps and the head of the Ubuyashiki family."
Kagaya appeared so polite and even slightly submissive when he introduced himself. Nevertheless, due to how weak he was, his wife stood by his side to support him when he bowed down.
Watching how low Kagaya appeared to be, everyone felt uncomfortable, but they didn't say anything since they thought that Kagaya had his own thoughts, and as their followers, they had just to believe in him.
Isao glanced at Kagaya's wife and thought she was gorgeous, but it was rude to glance at someone's wife, and he could tell that everyone was staring at him, expecting him to bow his head at Kagaya.
Yet—
"Nice to meet you, Ubuyashiki-san. My name is Iinuma Isao."
Isao extended his hand to Kagaya, and Kagaya also accepted his handshake with a gentle smile.
"That's a great name. Can I call you Iinuma-kun?"
[You have acquired Kagaya Ubuyashiki's DNA.]
[Do you want to absorb it?]
"Sure."
Kagaya might be weak, but Isao knew that Kagaya also had many other talents, and he was going to replicate them.
Nevertheless, their interaction made the rest even more uncomfortable since instead of a retainer and a master, the position between Isao and Kagaya appeared equal.
Or rather, Isao was above Kagaya!
This made them feel like Kagaya was insulted by Isao since they thought Kagaya should be treated respectfully, but even so, Isao was still polite outwardly, and Kagaya never said anything, so they couldn't say anything. Yet, this also strengthened their thoughts, thinking that Isao was a descendant of a noble family, but even so, so what?
They weren't Isao's retainers, and they had owed many to Kagaya, so they hoped for Isao to do the same.
Yet, Isao couldn't care about their feelings and just chatted normally with Kagaya. He even ate and drank with ease. Moreover, unlike them, who owed a lot of things to Kagaya, he didn't owe anything, so don't expect him to be so submissive.
Isao might be a good guy, but he wasn't a servant, and it was impossible for one to make him bow his head.
Watching how relaxed Isao was, among all the people present, Kanae and Shinobu undoubtedly had the most different reactions.
Shinobu was prickly and wanted to smack Isao because of his rudeness, but her reason and feelings told her not to do so since she owed Isao.
On the other hand, Kanae's eyes shone brightly, and she stood even closer to Isao, similar to how Kagaya's wife sat by her husband's side.
However, whether Kagaya or Isao, they never paid attention to the others. They talked to each other and ignored those who were present, only focusing on their conversation. Starting from a normal conversation about his body, Kagaya then began to talk about the organization, the identity of all the people present, and the place where they stayed.
"Demon Slayer Corp?" Isao showed confusion as if he didn't know anything.
"It's an organization formed to fight against the Demon...."
Kagaya explained everything from how this organization was formed to everyone's identity, as well as a lot of general information to give Isao an understanding of what they did and their purpose. He also described how dangerous the demon was and sadly told how many people lost their loved ones to this accursed creature.
Hearing Kagaya's story, everyone was also immersed in it, and their emotions kept changing depending on how Kagaya told it. Sometimes, they were sad, then suddenly became proud, moved, happy, then agitated. Their emotions kept changing, showing how easily they were manipulated.
Isao was speechless, wondering whether Kagaya thought a sappy story would move him. He came from a modern world where many sad stories were created almost every day. Moreover, he also had a hobby of reading novels, and compared to all the masterpiece novels he had read, Kagaya's story was like a cliche story from an amateur writer.
Fortunately, he had decided to become a good guy, or else he was afraid that he would yawn at this moment.
"Iinuma-kun, I hope that you can join the Demon Slayer Corps. Your power is needed here. I beg you."
Kagaya bowed his head as he invited Isao. There was no shame in his actions, especially when he knew how powerful Isao was. It had been 111 years since the Upper-Rank demon was killed, and Isao could do it with ease, so even if he had to beg, he had to invite Isao no matter what!
"Oyakata-sama!"
Everyone screamed since they didn't expect that Kagaya would bow down like this!
"Stop it, Ubuyashiki-san. You shouldn't bow your head like this."
Isao quickly stopped Kagaya from bowing his head and even helped him gently lift his body up. This action also changed everyone's impression of him, and they thought that he wasn't bad at all.
At the same time, with Isao's attitude, Kagaya and everyone thought that Isao would join the Demon Slayer Corps. Joined the Demon Slayer Corps and fought against the demon who brought terror to humanity.
With such a lofty goal, how could one not have any thoughts of joining this group?
Everyone had already thought that Isao would be their new member, but—
"But I am sorry. I won't join the Demon Slayer Corps."
"....."
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