Perhaps it was due to his "cheap" master and senior brother.
For the past two months, the demon-slaying missions Natsunishi received had almost all been concentrated around Yokohama. The furthest ones were no more than a two or three-day round trip on foot.
Every time he finished killing a demon, Natsunishi could quickly return to the Igarashi estate and dive back into his training. The more he thought about it, the more he felt this was no coincidence.
After all, even Igarashi himself, despite being one of the Nine Hashira, would travel far away for missions every few days. Yet, Natsunishi always operated nearby.
Was it because of the influence of a veteran Cultivator and a high-ranking active member that he always received these convenient missions with appropriate intensity? If so, he was truly experiencing the perks of having connections.
Following the guidance of his Kasugai Crow, Natsunishi quickly arrived at the rendezvous point.
"Right here, caw! Kuguruma! Meet up with the other swordsmen, rescue the comrades and innocents, caw!"
They were now outside Yokohama, near the border of Kanagawa, at an abandoned textile mill. Even before entering, Natsunishi could smell the mixture of stale air and blood permeating the interior.
With his "Cooking" and "Luxury Item Appraisal" skills, his sense of smell was indeed sharper than average.
However, instead of rushing straight into the mill to find the demon, Natsunishi first turned his gaze toward two swordsmen hiding nearby, scanning the factory's situation. Although they had put some effort into concealing themselves, their floating status panels were far too obvious to Natsunishi.
The most striking one was a sturdy male swordsman with a cold, hardened expression.
[Kazuma Dojima (Power Level: 83)] Flame Breathing LV.3
Not bad, Natsunishi critiqued internally. Probably around Tsuchinoe or Tsuchinoto rank.
He then turned his gaze toward the other swordsman, a girl whose hair tips were dyed a faint dark red.
[Yukiziri Sashiko (Power Level: 56)] Water Breathing LV.3
Another common-as-dirt Water Breathing user. Her strength is average...
Wait, hold on! It's the BBQ creditor!
At that moment, the two people who had heard the crow's cry turned their heads. Kazuma Dojima's face was stern; once he confirmed the newcomer was also a supporting swordsman, he merely gave a slight nod.
His gaze lingered for a moment on Natsunishi's strange attire and weaponry.
Three swords and an unrecognizable weapon... a weirdo.
"Name and rank."
He didn't bother with pleasantries, asking Natsunishi directly. The former was to avoid inefficient communication during the action, and the latter was to facilitate the assessment of the upcoming plan.
Just as Natsunishi was about to speak, the girl beside him picked up the thread in a soft voice: "This is Senior Natsunishi—Natsunishi Kuguruma."
"He was the strongest one in our selection year."
Sashiko was still the same—quiet yet possessing a hint of cheerfulness. Her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at him, a faint joy on her face. Her voice was as gentle as ever, but Natsunishi felt there was a slight "something else" in her tone.
Like a tiny... resentment?
"It's been a long time, Senior Natsunishi."
Natsunishi nodded somewhat unnaturally. "Yo... Sashiko. Long time no see. Uh, you've gotten a bit stronger since last time."
Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt the trace of melancholy in her words fade slightly.
"Really?" the girl said sheepishly. "After all, in order to keep up with your pace, Natsunishi-kun, I've been training very hard during this time."
Training hard? You mean raising Water Breathing from Level 2 to barely Level 3?
Natsunishi suppressed the urge to snark and looked at Dojima. The male swordsman was staring at him with a deadpan expression.
Dojima: ≖_≖
She just called you by your name, didn't she? Are they that close?
In the end, he swallowed his commentary and said briefly, "Kazuma Dojima, Kanoe rank. The situation is urgent, let's talk as we move."
The three moved quickly toward the factory. Dojima spoke in a low voice about the mission details he had gathered.
A few days ago, someone in the Kamakura-Shonan area reported a crime. They claimed they and their friends were attacked by a monster and sought help from the local police station. However, the police found nothing at the scene and even detained the "suspicious" reporter.
The local Wisteria House noticed this and reported the information to the local Kakushi members. Afterward, the Demon Slayer Corps sent a Mizunoto-rank swordsman to investigate.
Unsurprisingly, the swordsman met with an "accident." Contact was lost.
Naturally, a new squad was sent to support, the highest rank among them being Tsuchinoto. This time, they found more clues.
The demon wasn't in Kamakura but had a large activity zone centered around southern Yokohama. The squad fought the demon, temporarily repelled it, and tracked it all the way to this textile mill. Upon discovering innocent prisoners inside, the swordsmen decided to charge in for a rescue.
But information cut off there. The swordsmen hadn't rescued the hostages; in fact, they themselves had vanished inside the mill.
The Kasugai Crow didn't bring back much. Aside from "the demon suspected of having cloning abilities" and "a large number of survivors," there was nothing else.
Therefore...
"When we act in a moment, I have no certainty of victory. Please, both of you, be cautious," Kazuma Dojima said.
Behind him...
"The Storm Hashira must be very strict, right? Otherwise, Natsunishi-kun wouldn't be unable to spare even a little time..."
"It's not particularly strict, though Mr. Igarashi does have high standards."
"Or is it Natsunishi-kun's opinion that not replying to a single letter is also the Storm Hashira's requirement..."
Dojima: ...
"Hey, you two," he couldn't help but turn back, his voice low but filled with obvious exasperation. "Can we stop catching up for a moment?"
Do you have to chat at a time like this?!
Dojima felt like a glowing gas lamp stuck between the two of them... He felt inexplicably annoyed.
Natsunishi fell silent immediately. It wasn't because of Dojima's complaining, but because a large number of system panels had appeared through the windows in several directions ahead.
Aside from a few red ones, the values generally didn't exceed 12. Deeper in, he couldn't see the panels because they were beyond his detection range.
So many civilian NPCs...
"I think we've found the missing people."
Hearing this, Dojima's eyes sharpened instantly as he concentrated on listening to the sounds deep within the factory. Sashiko also regained her focused swordsman demeanor, her hand already on the hilt of her Nichirin Sword.
"Left, right—no, they're in front too." The swordsman's keen senses allowed him to perceive the directions Natsunishi indicated. He said, "Many people. It should be the missing swordsmen and civilians."
His expression became troubled. Should we split up?
Dojima looked into the depths of the factory shrouded in darkness, hesitating.
Natsunishi, however, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "You two with the lower ranks go that way; there are fewer monsters."
The high-experience areas with high monster density should obviously be cleared by him.
Now it was Dojima's turn to be confused.
Lower rank? Me?
He instinctively looked at Yukiziri Sashiko beside him. He had collaborated with this girl before; her strength was mediocre. Mizunoto rank—at best, Mizunoe.
As her contemporary, even if he was the top of his class, how strong could he be?
Wait!
He thought of certain rumors he had heard within the Corps. The promotion speed of most Hashira was lightning-fast; one couldn't use their selection year as a reference. This man wasn't any of the Nine Hashira he knew. Plus, Sashiko had just mentioned the "Storm Hashira"...
Then there was only one answer!
Dojima bowed his head toward Natsunishi and said respectfully, "I shall follow your arrangements—Lord Tsuguko."