I'm not Muzan Kibutsuji!

Chapter 14: Rengoku Kyojuro (Part 2)

"What do you think you're doing, old man?" Masaru was sure that fury seeped into his tone. The guy looked like Rengoku if he was 20 years older and decided to let himself go. What a loser. The man got off of Tanjiro, thankfully, and Masaru took the chance to walk between them. He held a grip to his sword, still sheathed at its side.

"And who are you supposed to be...?" The man's voice was gravelly, his anger seeping into his voice. Masaru himself was quite upset. "Masaru. Want to explain to me why you're fighting with my friend? Or why your kid has been slapped?"

He glared up at the man, but Masaru wasn't hoping to intimidate him much. He was more trying to figure out what had just happened.

And Masaru totally forgot about his eyes. The man's face turned from anger to pure shock. He supposed that was one use of his cursed looks. Traumatizing assholes. "Do you have no shame?"

The man took a few steps back, shock and fury etched into his features. He stepped, back into the house. Meanwhile, Masaru turned to the boy who was injured, and as soon as their eyes met Masaru noticed the red in them. If the Old guy looked like Dad-bod deadbeat Rengoku, the Teen looked like Mini Rengoku. The family resemblance was clear, that's for sure. The Teen looked like he was about to say something when—

"Masaru!" Oh he totally forgot Tanjiro probably didn't know he woke up. "Hi?" Tanjiro got up and walked over to him and mini-goku, and Dad-bod Rengoku seemed to take the opportunity to start being an asshole again. "You come into my home for what? You sun breathing idiot! How dare you." The man glared at them—Tanjiro mostly. Rip.

"And what of the way I treat my son? Have you never seen discipline?" Tanjiro looked a little shocked as he spoke again, but Masaru was just annoyed at this point. "Ah yes, hitting your kids, such a good technique for making them like you." Masaru glared at the man. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to tell the man about Rengoku's condition, with his clear lack of care for his child.

Tanjiro seemed similarly disparaged, but perked up when he mentioned sun breathing. "You know about sun breathing, then?"

Dad-bod Rengoku fully just noped out of the conversation by shutting the door on them—and leaving his youngest Son outside.. man he really was a bad dad. Tanjiro yelled out to him, but he seemed intent on keeping them out.

"What was your news?" The voice startled both Tanjiro and Masaru. Right. Mini-Goku. The two turned to look at him. He was still cradling his face, but his eyes were like Rengoku's. Determined. When actually looking at him, Masaru realized they were probably closer in age then he thought. The teen was just short.

"Actually, let me make you some tea first." The boy walked around the back of the house, beckoning for Tanjiro and Masaru to come through the back. After making it through the garden, He sat the two of them down in a nice room—well lived and made for serving tea. "I'm Senjuro. My dad is Shinjuro. Please forgive his actions earlier, he was drunk."

Great, so he was a drunkard too. The more Masaru heard about this guy, the less he liked him. But he should probably explain to The kid what was happening. Tanjiro beat him to the punch though. "We were members of Rengoku's Mission. He just woke up from his coma."

The boy's eyes filled with tears—dropping the kettle he was pouring from. "He's awake..? What a relief—" Masaru awkwardly patted the kid's shoulder as he wiped his face from the sobbing. Tanjiro brought him a tissue. The three of them chatted a bit more about Rengoku's condition, before Tanjiro finally asked about sun breathing.

"I can look for some books, but I doubt You'll find much... Besides, I really can't help you. I'm not fit to be a slayer." Masaru turned to him. "What do you mean?" Senjuro's shoulders sagged. "I trained in sword fighting, but when I got my sword, it never turned any color."