Chapter 14: The Kamado Tanjiro Family

Returning in the [Dark Alloy Armor Vehicle] to the outer perimeter of the Demon Slayer Corps, he halted, as the headquarters’ location was too secretive, and the dense forest and winding paths made further vehicle travel impractical.

So he stopped at the outer perimeter, had everyone disembark, retracted the vehicle into his nanospace, and handed it over to the Hidden Division members to transport via horse-drawn cart.

After several hours, they finally reached the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. Disembarking from the cart, Zero held the small hands of Hikari and Teruya, one in each, and walked toward the Ubuyashiki residence.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya had already been waiting for a long time in the garden pavilion. Seeing Zero and his two children, he rose to greet them.

“Welcome back. Thank you, Zero.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Zero, your residence has been built. Your Hashira crow will guide you there.”

“Thank you, Master. Now I no longer need to trouble the Butterfly House staff.”

“Actually, you could stay at Butterfly House if you wish—I can arrange it…”

“No, Master, really no need… hehehe…” At the memory of shrinking himself and being carried back to Butterfly House by Kanae Kocho, then being dressed up by the two sisters and Mitsuri Kanroji, he broke out in goosebumps again.

Before leaving the Ubuyashiki residence, Zero was assigned his own jurisdictional region.

Each Pillar has a designated region under their control, so Zero was no exception.

Naturally, Zero had no objections—this allowed him to eliminate demons while gathering more information about this dimensional world.

“Rest today. Then, in a few days, visit your assigned region.”

Yet on the way back, he encountered someone—more accurately, an old acquaintance: Rengoku Makio.

He stood there, looking around, as if waiting for someone.

Only when he spotted Zero approaching from afar did he hurry over, calling out: “Kid, you still have that liquor? Sell me some…”

Before he finished speaking, Rengoku Makio felt an icy, piercing killing intent radiating from Zero.

Those crimson eyes seemed to show countless piles of bones stacked high…

But the killing intent vanished quickly. Zero had intended to warn him not to call him “kid”—he was a human who had lived for thousands of years.

Being called “kid” by a child who hadn’t even reached a thousandth of his age felt deeply strange.

But it was understandable—his appearance made it nearly impossible to guess his true age.

The killing intent Rengoku Makio had just felt felt like falling into an ice cave; when he snapped back to awareness, his back was soaked in sweat.

“What the hell… what has this guy been through?! How could he possess such overwhelming killing intent?!!” Rengoku Makio thought.

Zero pulled out a bottle of baijiu from his nanospace, just as he had days earlier, and handed it to Rengoku Makio.

“Sorry for startling you. This is my apology. Also, my name is Zero.”

After handing him the liquor, Zero walked away without looking back, leaving Rengoku Makio still stunned.

When Rengoku Makio finally came to his senses, Zero was gone. He looked at the baijiu in his hand, then at the direction Zero had vanished.

“What has he been through?” This was the only question lingering in Rengoku Makio’s mind…

Arriving at the residence Ubuyashiki Kagaya had built for him, it was quite large—two stories total.

The first floor contained a living room, kitchen, and bathroom; the second floor had one bedroom, one side room, and a study.

On the second floor, he opened the bedroom window and saw a spacious backyard with a small rock garden, a tiny pond, and in the distance, Butterfly House and the Ubuyashiki residence.

He inspected the entire place inside and out, found the layout somewhat unappealing, and decided to renovate it himself—only to realize it was a massive project he couldn’t complete alone.

So he checked his nanospace for anything that might help. After searching for a long time, he finally found what he needed.

【Analyzing… Analysis complete】

【Name: Micro Architect Robot】

【Description: Can construct or remodel environments to suit your comfort. This item was casually manufactured by Zero No. 0 over the course of a month.】

“...How many things did I casually make?” Zero thought, exasperated.

“Let’s see if there’s any material in here…”

He began rummaging through his nanospace for renovation materials. What he found shocked him—he pulled out a massive pile from the very corner.

Piles of gold nanmu wood, pear wood, and countless other types of timber…

“My god… how much is this?! What the hell did I even collect?!”

Staring at the towering pile of wood, Zero couldn’t recall when he had stored any of it in his nanospace.

Then his gaze fell on five Micro Architect Robots, each only half a meter tall. He directly used his [Analytical Glasses] to input his desired design; each robot activated upon receiving the command.

“It’ll probably take several days to finish. Since then, I might as well go explore my assigned region ahead of time.”

Just as he was about to leave, Xiao Yue’s voice called from afar.

“Master!”

Xiao Yue flew swiftly and launched herself into Zero’s arms.

“Master, you’re finally back! I missed you so much!”

Looking at Xiao Yue in his arms, Zero couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Only in front of him did she ever show this childish side.

He lifted her into his palms and said, “Alright, alright. Why are you still acting like a child?”

“Hehe.”

“Xiao Yue, I need your help with something.”

“Mm-hmm, what is it?”

“It’s like this…” Zero explained his plan to renovate the residence and asked her to oversee it.

After all, he didn’t know how long these robots had been stored—any unexpected malfunction could cause trouble.

He then transferred control authority to Xiao Yue using his [Analytical Glasses].

“I’ve transferred control to you. I’m counting on you.”

“What? You’re leaving me alone again!” Xiao Yue puffed out her cheeks, displeased.

“Alright, alright. I promise, once this is done, I’ll take you out exploring, okay?”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

After giving her instructions, Zero left the Demon Slayer Corps and rode his motorcycle toward his assigned jurisdictional region.

…

Several days later…

“Run! Don’t let that demon catch you!”

“This demon slayer isn’t human! So terrifying!”

In a forest, two demons were sprinting wildly, frequently glancing back.

Behind them, a figure in a black hooded cloak, eyes glowing crimson, leapt between trees, chasing them.

The figure was Zero.

He seemed to be deliberately slowing down—fast enough not to lose them, slow enough not to catch them.

“Demon! This guy’s a demon!”

Thud!

The figure suddenly accelerated, leaping into the air, landing before the two demons under the moonlight.

The two demons froze, staring at the demon slayer, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

“Why stop running?” Zero’s crimson eyes locked onto them, his voice devoid of any emotion.

Realizing escape was impossible, the demons launched an attack—perhaps they still had a sliver of chance to survive.

“Fight him!”

Boom! Boom!

Zero instantly drew his [Dark Alloy Paralysis Gun] from his thigh and fired two shots, striking them. The demons collapsed, convulsing violently before rolling their eyes back and fainting.

He dragged each demon by one leg to a tree facing the sunrise, took rope from his nanospace, and tied them both to the trunk.

Then he sat on the tree trunk, legs dangling, waiting for the sun to rise…

The sun rose in the east; a beam of morning light pierced through.

Under the sunlight, the two demons awoke screaming in agony as their flesh burned, dissolving into ash.

Since arriving in his jurisdictional region, five days had passed. During that time, Zero had eliminated many demons—including these two.

He pulled out a new notebook and pen, recorded the incident, and wrote down the location and date.

"Huh. Didn't expect so many demons in my region—over a dozen in just five days... Good. At least I'll have some entertainment ahead. Though nothing compared to the void creatures and astral beasts in the stars!"

He returned the notebook and pen to his nanospace and continued forward.

“Onward!”

…

One day, Zero arrived at a mountain. The forest here was dense, and he could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing.

Closing his eyes, he carefully sensed everything around him—suddenly, a hazy yet familiar memory surfaced in his mind.

He vaguely saw a figure sitting at the helicopter’s doorway, manning a machine gun…

The memory was too blurred to recall when it had happened.

And the figure felt familiar—but he couldn’t place who it was.

As Zero stood lost in thought, a young boy approached from afar.

The boy had deep red hair and crimson eyes, a scar on his left forehead, and sun-shaped earrings on his ears. He wore a black-and-green plaid shirt.

He had just finished chopping wood and was heading home when he spotted a stranger in strange attire standing nearby, eyes closed, as if sensing something.

The hooded cloak concealed everything except the lower half of his face, with two strands of long white hair visible on each side. The boy stepped forward and asked: “Miss, are you… alright? Did you get lost?”

Zero opened his eyes at the sound, pulled back his hood, and found a small child standing before him—confused, he glanced left and right, wondering who the boy was calling.

Zero, puzzled, pointed at himself and asked, “Little one, are you calling me?”

The boy heard the voice and realized he’d mistaken this person—not a girl, but a boy.

He quickly apologized, explaining, “Oh, sorry, sir! You look like a girl—I thought… I’m truly sorry!”

Zero found it slightly absurd, but the boy hadn’t done anything wrong—he waved it off with a gesture.

“Um, sir, are you lost? Do you need help? Oh, right—I’m Kamado Tanjiro. What’s your name?” Tanjiro introduced himself.

“I’m Zero. And I’m not lost—I’m just walking around, exploring… Huh? Kamado Tanjiro? Kamado…”

Hearing Tanjiro’s name, Zero suddenly remembered something—he’d seen that surname somewhere before.

“Mr. Zero? Are you alright?”

“You said your name is Kamado Tanjiro?”

“Yes, just call me Tanjiro—everyone does. Mr. Zero, it’s getting dark. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place tonight—you can leave tomorrow.”

Zero had planned to refuse, but he’d just recalled where he’d seen the surname “Kamado,” and he had questions he wanted to ask Tanjiro—he accepted.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Tanjiro. And just call me Zero.”

“Then I’ll call you Zero-nii. Don’t worry—it won’t be a bother. Mother and my siblings will be happy to have a guest.”

Zero was about to refuse the title, but since it was offered in good faith, he let it slide.

“Fine, whatever.”

“Then come with me, Zero-nii. I’ll take you home to meet my family.”

Thus, Zero and Tanjiro walked together, chatting, heading toward Tanjiro’s home.

“Tanjiro, you trust me so easily—aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person?”

“No. I can tell—you’re not a bad person, Zero-nii.”

“Tell… by smell?”

“Yes. My sense of smell is sharp—I can tell people’s emotions and scents.”

“I see. You’re quite remarkable!”

“Hehe, not really.” Tanjiro, flattered, scratched the back of his head shyly.

As they chatted, Zero used his [Analyzing Glasses] to scan Tanjiro’s information.

【Name: Kamado Tanjiro—Male】

【Age: 12】

【Father: Kamado Tanjirō (Deceased)】

【Mother: Kamado Kikuri】

【Family: Kamado Nezuko, Kamado Takeo, Kamado Shigeru, Kamado Hanako, Kamado Rokuta】

【Abilities: Sense of Smell, Headbutt】

【Profile: Gentle, kind, deeply devoted to family, serious, stubborn, responsible eldest son.】

【Cannot lie—his expression twists when he does. Equally stubborn—he refuses to owe anyone money or favors. Deeply devoted to his sister.】

【His keen sense of smell detects emotions and breath. His forehead is as hard as iron! His mother once knocked out a wild boar many times his size by headbutting it when he was young.】

【Note: This person inherits the family’s ancestral Fire God Dance!】

Seeing this, Zero nearly laughed out loud—he hadn’t expected Tanjiro’s mother to be so formidable, and Tanjiro had clearly inherited her “true art” of the iron head.

“Zero-nii, what’s this? And why is your left hand different from ours?” Tanjiro pointed at Zero’s blue [Analyzing Glasses] and mechanical left arm.

“These are my [Analyzing Glasses]. They analyze all kinds of data.”

“Analyzing Glasses? Data? What’s that?” Tanjiro didn’t understand.

“Think of it like your nose—it can detect emotions and scents.”

“Oh! That’s amazing!”

“As for my left arm—it was bitten off in a fight with a monster.”

Tanjiro felt guilty—he’d brought up Zero’s painful memory. “I’m sorry, Zero-nii.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. I’d answer anyone the same—no need to apologize.”

Soon, Tanjiro brought Zero to his home.

It was a small wooden house, with several children playing joyfully out front.

“I’m home!”

“Welcome back, brother! Who’s this beautiful girl?” A cute girl with long hair, wearing a pink kimono and a black haori, stepped forward, puzzled by the exquisitely delicate girl behind Tanjiro.

“No, Nezuko—he’s a boy! His name is Zero. I met him on the way back.” Tanjiro quickly explained, then turned to Zero and apologized: “Sorry, Zero-nii—this is my sister Nezuko. She didn’t mean it that way, it’s just—”

“It’s alright, Tanjiro. Hello, Nezuko. I’m Zero. Thank you for the hospitality.”

“Hello, I’m Kamado Nezuko. Sorry—I thought you were a girl…”

“Many people think that. Don’t worry.” Zero walked up to Nezuko and gently patted her head. “Besides—you’re very cute.”

“Umm~” Nezuko blushed furiously, unsure what to do.

“Zero-nii, these are my younger siblings—Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, and Rokuta.”

A little boy tugged at Zero’s pant leg, holding out his arms, begging for a hug—he was Rokuta, Tanjiro’s youngest brother.

Zero, charmed by the child, picked him up and gently pinched his soft cheeks.

“Rokuta, don’t be rude!” Nezuko scolded.

“It’s fine.”

A woman in a full apron, her hair tied with a white towel, stepped out from inside. Purple eyes, a beauty mark beneath her lip.

Her appearance radiated gentleness and virtue.

“You’re home, Tanjiro. Who’s this?”

“Yes, Mother. This is Zero. I met him on the way back. It was getting dark, so I invited him to stay the night.”

“Hello, I’m Kamado Kikuri, their mother. You’re such a pretty little girl.”

Zero’s lip twitched slightly.

Nezuko: “Mother, this is a boy.”

“A boy?” Kikuri finally noticed Zero’s Adam’s apple—she’d mistaken him for a girl.

“It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

“Come in, sit down. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Thus, Zero held Rokuta as he followed Kikuri and her children inside.

Inside, though simple, the house was fully furnished and radiated warmth.

Everything was clean and neatly arranged.

From their earlier conversation, Zero could tell the family lived in poverty—but they were kind.

Kikuri: “I’m sorry the house is so humble. Please don’t mind.”

Zero: “It’s fine. This home feels warm. I like this feeling—I haven’t felt it in a long time…”

Tanjiro: “Zero-nii, go sit inside. Mother, Nezuko, and I are preparing dinner.”

Zero: “Thank you.”

Kikuri: “No need to thank us. Consider this your home.”

Zero carried Liu Tai and the other three children into the inner room, looking at the four children before him and in his arms, he couldn’t help but smile.

Zero carried Rokuta into the inner room with the other three children. Looking at the four little faces before him, he smiled.

“Ah, pretty brother, you smile so nicely,” Hanako said.

“Do I? You’re very cute too, Hanako.” He patted her head.

“By the way, since we’ve just met, I brought you all a little gift.”

As he spoke, Zero pulled out some pastries from his nanospace—gifts from families he’d saved from demons days ago.

He’d planned to save them for when he returned to the Demon Slayer Corps and Xiao Yue—but seeing these sweet little faces, giving them to the children felt right.

“Wow! How did you do that? You made so many appear!”

“These are for you.”

But none reached out to take them.

“Brother, sister, and mother all said not to take other people’s things,” said Zhu Xiong beside him.

“Brother, sister, and Mother said we shouldn’t take things from others,” Takeo said.

Zero smiled gently. “You’re such good children. Go ahead—eat. I’ll explain to your parents.”

Seeing them accept his pastries, he felt deeply happy—they were so pure and innocent.

Seeing them accept his gift, Zero felt happy—they were so pure.

He opened another small package, broke off a piece, and fed it to Rokuta.

“Takeo, Shigeru, Hanako, Rokuta—how could you?” Nezuko entered and scolded them.

“It’s fine. These are my gifts to them—don’t scold them.”

“It’s fine, children are growing, they need to eat more good food to replenish their nutrition.”

“It’s alright. Children are growing—they need good food to nourish them.”

“Alright. Thank you, Zero-nii. You should thank Zero-nii.”

“Thank you, Zero-nii!” the other children chorused.

[201] “Eat up—you’ll grow big and strong! Nezuko, have some too. There’s enough for you, Tanjiro, and your mother.”

"Thank you, Brother Zero."