Chapter Forty-Five: Ren Zenin Has a Child!
Note: We will return soon to the Demon Slayer world.
Question: Did you like the addition of Yuki?
Enjoy~~~
In that secret room buried deep underground, where the corners were crowded with heavy shadows and the ringing sound of old projection devices echoed, Itadori Yuji was still struggling against "movies."
He sat with astonishing focus, his eyes fixed on the television screen displaying a film so notoriously bad that it had earned a rating of 0.5 out of 10 on global websites, an impressive achievement no movie had managed before.
The ugly doll in his hands, the one made by Principal Yaga, was watching every blink of his eyes. The moment the flow of his cursed energy wavered due to the terrible acting in the movie, the doll would explode in his face.
Suddenly, the silence of the place was pierced by the sound of footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. Yuji quickly turned around and saw Gojo Satoru with his usual annoying smile, and beside him Ren Zenin, walking as if he had black (imaginary) lines hovering above his head.
Yuji stood up, the doll still in his hand, and looked at Ren with a raised eyebrow.
"What happened to you, Ren? You look like you want to kill someone… by the way, where did you two go?"
Gojo looked at Ren. Ren looked at Gojo. Then they both let out a long, unified sigh of exhaustion, so strong it shook dust from the room.
Last night had been hell for both of them. They had secretly returned to Jujutsu High, where everyone—except the elders, Principal Yaga, Shoko, and Gojo—still believed that Yuji and Ren had died during that cursed mission.
Megumi and Nobara were still wearing mourning clothes in their hearts, while Ren faced Principal Yaga with a boldness no one had ever shown before.
Ren had coldly declared in front of the principal that he would not kill the curse beyond special grade that he had found in the South Pole, but would instead take it "under his wing" as a member of his family.
The result? Principal Yaga, known for his iron fist, did not hesitate to give Ren and Gojo (who was laughing in the corner) a violent "educational" punch in front of the curse child.
Which ultimately forced Ren to sign a "spiritual contract" that turned Yuki into his personal shikigami in order to keep him alive.
And the biggest problem? The curse child still did not realize that this contract technically made him a "servant" who could not refuse Ren's orders, which made Ren feel guilty and disgusted with the laws of this world.
"Do you understand…" Ren muttered irritably as he explained the story to Yuji.
"They wanted to turn a peaceful soul into a slave just because it was powerful."
Yuji completely lost his focus during the explanation due to the shock, and received—BOOM!—a direct punch to the jaw from the doll in his hands.
"Ouch! My jaw!" Yuji rubbed his face in pain as he stood up.
"But Ren… even I know that a rampaging special-grade curse means the end of an entire city! This isn't a joke."
Gojo laughed and mocked Ren.
"See? Even Yuji has more common sense than you, Ren-chan!"
"..."
"Yeah… by the way, can you summon your shikigami at any time? Like Fushiguro…?"
"Well, yes… but I still want to complain more," Ren said with an annoyed expression. But at that moment, Gojo Satoru looked at him without any expression.
"Bring that kid out right now or else…" He raised his hand and formed a seal. The moment Ren saw it, he knew Gojo would increase the weight of the necklace if he didn't summon Yuki.
"Damn my life…"
Ren sighed and closed his eyes. With a graceful wave of his hand, cursed energy began to condense and take shape in the center of the room. Instead of the crying, frightened child he had seen two days ago, a small boy overflowing with vitality and cuteness appeared. He was wearing a loose white shirt and short black pants that clearly did not match the room's temperature.
"Rina, what is this?" Ren asked in his mind in surprise.
"How did the clothes you designed for him in the mental space transfer here?"
Rina's voice answered with her usual coldness.
[Since Yuki has become a shikigami completely bound to you, his physical body outside the mental space is a reflection of what you imagine. Even though this is almost just an illusion.]
"Oh, so that's how it is…"
Ren smiled and looked at Yuki.
"You can stay here for a while, Yuki. If you get tired, you can go back inside."
"Okay, nii-chan!" Yuki said happily, with an innocent smile that made anyone want to hug him.
"Nii-chan? Ren, do you have a little brother now?" Yuji asked a stupid question that made both Ren and Gojo stare at him like he was an alien from another world.
"Papa! Papa! Lift me up high!" Yuki suddenly shouted as he ran forward.
Yuki jumped joyfully, but instead of throwing himself into Ren's arms, he shot forward like lightning and hugged Gojo Satoru. Ren looked at him with "dead fish" eyes.
Why are you hugging him like he's your father? Is it the shared white hair? Damn it, if it weren't for me, this man would have erased you from existence in the South Pole!
"Damn… is Gojo-sensei actually your father, Ren?!" Yuji said in shock, making Ren seriously consider summoning Igris and dissecting Yuji's head to understand how his brain worked.
Gojo lifted Yuki and placed him on his shoulders, saying mockingly,
"Well then, Yuki-chan, what do you think about beating up Ren and Yuji together?"
"Yes!" Yuki shouted with a pure laugh that melted hearts.
"Let's beat up nii-chan!"
Ren trembled. He did not want to face Gojo and Yuki together, especially since Principal Yaga's punches were still aching in his body.
"Please no… Yuki, you can play with Yuji. He's a good punching bag!" Ren said with a pale smile, trying to convince Yuki.
"Noooo! Yuji will be my punching bag, and Ren will be Yuki's punching bag!" Gojo said loudly, making Yuki excitedly point at Ren.
"Nii-chan, you're my punching bag! Yay!" Yuki said those terrifying words with a heart-melting smile.
"Rina… bring Ron. I don't want to freeze to death!"
[No… this will be an entertaining show!] Rina said as snacks appeared in her hands, as if she were watching a comedy movie.
As for Yuji, who had grown tired of movies, he threw the doll away and said excitedly,
"Alright then! Ren, this is a chance… since your shikigami restrains him… restrains him?"
Yuji's tone shifted to horror as he saw Yuki raise his small hand and shout in a cute Japanese accent,
"Hyōton! (Ice and Snow!)"
Suddenly, the room's temperature dropped to freezing levels, and an icy beam shot out, freezing the air itself as it headed straight for Yuji.
Ren and Yuji jumped into the air in panic to dodge the beam, while Yuki laughed and enjoyed the "game." Ren quickly raised his hand and formed a specific seal, weakening the beam slightly so the place wouldn't collapse on their heads.
Gojo spun slowly in place as if playing a shooting game, while Yuki acted as an "ice laser cannon" that never missed.
"Rina! Did you really have to give him full control over his cursed technique?!" Ren shouted as he clung to the ceiling and wall like a spider, hiding from the attacks.
Rina replied lazily as she floated in the air.
[Did you want to strain your mind controlling his movements, when he can destroy your enemies while laughing? Be a little humble and agree with me.]
"Ren, you bastard! Get down here and free me!" Yuji shouted, half of his leg frozen to the floor.
"I feel like my brain is turning into frozen candy!"
Gojo suddenly turned and aimed Yuki toward Ren, who was stuck to the ceiling.
"Gojo-sensei! Are you trying to turn us into popsicles?!"
Gojo smiled.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea… right, Yuki-chan?"
Yuki nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! Let's get frozen treats!" He raised his other hand to amplify the power.
Ren: "Damn my life…"
…
Now we move to Ron, the other version of Ren in the Demon Slayer world (Yoriichi simulation). Time flowed differently there; two full years had passed since the last contact. When Ron closed his eyes and shared the original Ren's memories, he was struck by shock—getting a son… no, a little brother, wait, a shikigami.
Ron trembled where he stood, feeling a strange cold spread through his body as he shared a painful memory: Ren frozen like an ice statue, with Yuki slowly freeing him from the ice, tears in his eyes.
What hurt even more was Yuki's crying, along with Gojo and Yuji's laughter and mockery of Ren.
"So, as long as Yuki is in the shared mental space, I can summon him here?" Ron smiled an extremely sinister smile, so intense that the girl pouring him tea froze in place in terror.
"My apologies, miss… I just remembered something important," Ron said with a handsome smile that eased the frightened girl.
Ron thought as he sipped his tea. He was only thinking about how easy it would be to wipe out demons if he froze them first.
"I'll get a lot of points," Ron thought with a smile.
Tsugikuni Ren (Ron), along with his older brothers Yoriichi and Michikatsu, were currently the living legends of Japan.
The Tsugikuni clan was no longer just a samurai clan; it had become the "sky" of Japan. After Ren and Yoriichi officially "left" the clan to travel around Japan (the lie that covered up their status as Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps), Michikatsu took over official leadership.
Michikatsu became a majestic leader, strengthening the clan to the point that it effectively became the second Demon Slayer Corps, balancing his role as clan head with hunting demons as casually as going fishing for dinner.
As for Yoriichi, he followed Ren's advice to the letter. He married Uta, and a magnificent mansion was built for him on the clan's lands, as their mother, Aki, wanted to stay close to her grandchildren.
Ron felt relieved at that time; this meant that Yoriichi's wife and child would not be killed by some demon.
As for Michikatsu, who refused to acknowledge his feelings, he married the daughter of the daimyo (regional lord) in a union that strengthened the clan's influence and brought him happiness he never dreamed of.
The brothers had partially "retired" from the front lines because Yoriichi had already faced Muzan and inflicted a terror upon him that made him flee like a frightened rat.
And since Muzan hid in the shadows and no longer appeared, Ren (Ron) wandered across Japan, using the "mini-map" feature to track any trace of demons. He slaughtered dozens of them daily, even demons approaching the strength of the Twelve Kizuki, but Muzan remained hidden.
"Muzan… you coward," Ron muttered as he looked at the map.
"Show yourself, you bastard… I want to make up for the points we lost on Gojo and Sukuna builds, and getting Muzan's build wouldn't be bad as an extra…" Ron thought with a smile.
---
End of Chapter 45
(If we reach 70 Power Stones, I'll publish an extra chapter!)
End of Volume Two