GHOST RIDER X DEMON SLAYER: Book 1: Imps and Prayers

4-2: A Strange Visitor

"Don't worry Momota-san! Shota and I are completely fine all thanks to you!" Hiroshi cheerfully declared.

Ritsuki's mouth hung as he sat stiffly in the Jingu household's living room together with his pair of helpers from the previous night. Shota sat silently looking down, but his occasional nervous glances were apparent to him, despite the older brother's insistence that they were both not traumatized at all from the previous night.

"Hiroshi..." he began as he shifted his gaze to him, causing the young boy's expression to shift to one of edge, "I never asked, but did you bring your brother with you of your own volition?"

The young boy flinched and quickly waved both his hands.

"Because if you did..." Ritsuki furrowed his brows as he bent slightly forward, a shadow forming over his eyes.

"No, no, no! I didn't bring Shota with me that time! I swear!" Hiroshi quickly waved defensively.

Shifting his sights to the younger brother, he noticed a slightly sheepish smile cross his mouth.

"Really?" this caused Ritsuki to relax once more in his seat, "That is good then..."

"Yeah, ahaha..." Hiroshi sighed as his mentor seemed to excuse him, "A-anyway, may I ask Momota-San about that technique from last night? I've never seen something like that before."

Ritsuki tilted his head to the side. "Which one...?" he asked with a slightly apprehensive squint.

"Um... you know... the one where you're body and face went all..." Hiroshi placed his hands around his head and began mimicking the rough outline, "Pshhh- Oshhh-" he recreated the sound of the raging bonfire.

Ritsuki's expression dropped as he looked off to the side. Hiroshi noticed how his mentor seemed to tense up.

"Ah haha... well, if it's a touchy subject, I guess I shouldn't ask. Mom always told me I was too nosey."

"While I admit that you can be nosey sometimes... I'm not giving you an answer because I'm not quite sure what is wrong myself..." His jaw clenched as he attempted to recall the events of the night prior, "Whatever happened after I went into the water?"

Hiroshi took note of how distressed he seemed, he turned his sights to Sho who was absently rubbing his hands together as well; a habit whenever he was uncomfortable.

Reaching out and ruffling his younger brother's hair about. Hiroshi turned back up to his mentor,

"The entire bay began to boil once I saw a light..." the boy began, causing Ritsuki to raise his expression. He had not anticipated this moment of rationality and maturity from the young boy who was usually so impulsive and rash.

"A bright yellow light, it came from you. You were on fire... as for the demon you were fighting..." Ritsuki noticed young Shota softly flinch, "He pulled himself up on our boat, all bloody, bloated, and maimed. He tried to eat us for our vigour. I fired a slug again but it did nothing. I thought... I was afraid that we would have died right then and there..." Hiroshi shook his head softly as his words hung in the air.

Ritsuki's mouth hung open for a long while after that, no words came to his mind for him to acknowledge the disturbing sight the young brothers had seen.

"B-but he never got the chance to eat us because you were there, Momota-San!" Hiroshi suddenly and proudly declared, inciting Ritsuki to frown, "Ain't that right, Sho?"

With both their attention now upon him, the small boy seemed to shrink slightly. Ritsuki would nervously glance back up to Hiroshi, unsure if it was appropriate discourse to put the traumatized child on the spot like this.