Chapter 8: Shrinker. Zero, who died socially. Carried home by Kanae

Serpent Breathing, Second Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head!

Obanai Iguro instantly circled behind Zero, extending his serpentine double-edged blade to strike directly at Zero's back.

Seeing this, Zero immediately drew "Type Two" from his box, extending it behind him with the blade facing downward to block the attack, then executed a rapid spinning turn to swing "Type One" in a counterattack.

Obanai Iguro quickly retreated a small step to dodge the move, but due to Zero's excessive speed, his collar was accidentally sliced open.

Seeing this, Obanai Iguro showed no panic, utilizing his tricky attack angle to dash out again, performing a feint to attack Zero's torso directly.

However, while it looked like an attack on the torso, he was actually using his serpentine double-edged blade to strike Zero's wrist from another angle, hoping to make him lose his weapon and gain a more favorable position.

Zero saw all of this; with a thousand years of combat experience, how could he not know what Obanai intended? Thus, Zero deliberately exposed a flaw, pretending to be hit and dropping his weapon just as Obanai's attack was about to strike his wrist.

Seeing this, Obanai Iguro, unwilling to miss the opportunity, continued to swing his serpent blade to launch an attack.

However, reality was different from what Obanai Iguro had imagined. Just as the weapon was about to hit the ground, Zero extended "Type One" to block the serpent blade's attack, then supported himself on the ground with one hand to kick Obanai Iguro with a roundhouse kick, while his other hand caught "Type Two."

Obanai Iguro finally realized he had fallen for a trap and immediately used his serpent blade to block in front of him; Zero's semi-metallic high-top boot collided with the serpent blade, emitting a clashing sound.

The excessive force of the kick forced Obanai Iguro to retreat a short distance.

Zero immediately stood up and swung "Type One" and "Type Two" in his hands, rushing toward Obanai Iguro again.

Serpent Breathing, First Form: Winding Serpent Slash!

At the moment Zero's attack was about to arrive, Obanai Iguro rotated counter-clockwise and swung his blade, unleashing a curved slash to force Zero back.

But Zero held "Type One" upright on his mechanical left hand to block the move, while his other hand swung "Type Two" in a diagonal slash. However, since it was a sparring match, Zero only used the back of the blade, which could ensure victory without hurting anyone.

Serpent Breathing, Third Form: Coil Choke!

Seeing his attack blocked, Obanai Iguro turned passive into active and lunged directly at Zero.

After the lunge, Obanai Iguro used Zero as the center to unleash a serpentine curved blade path; the multiple slash trajectories were like a coiled giant python, as if to strangle Zero in the center.

The moment Zero saw himself surrounded by what seemed like a giant python, he leaped into the air.

As he descended, his mechanical left hand held "Type One" horizontally in front of him, while his right hand gripped the hilt of "Type Two" horizontally on his right side.

Utilizing his own flexibility, he twisted his body and spun, breaking through the attack that seemed like being surrounded by a giant python.

Subsequently, Obanai Iguro prepared to dash again, only to find that Zero had disappeared from in front of him.

"You lost."

Zero appeared behind Obanai Iguro at some point, the back of "Type Two" resting on his shoulder.

Obanai Iguro also didn't understand when he had appeared behind him, but a loss was a loss. He didn't say anything, just sheathed his serpent blade and walked back into the ranks.

Zero also sheathed "Type One" and "Type Two" into the box, turned around to look at everyone, and said nothing.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki had seen everything just now and spoke: "Can we now acknowledge Zero as a Pillar?"

"Namu Amida Butsu, I have acknowledged it!"

"Umai, I have no problems at all!"

"Ara, I have always believed Zero could do it!"

"How truly flamboyant. Since you have all flamboyantly acknowledged him, I shall flamboyantly acknowledge him as well!"

"I listen entirely to Oyakata-sama!"

"I don't care!"

"Tch, since Oyakata-sama has said so, I have nothing to say!"

Giyu Tomioka, although he didn't speak, nodded to show his agreement.

"Since that is the case, Zero, what is your opinion?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked at Zero and asked.

"Anything is fine."

"Then Zero, have you thought of your title?"

"Then let's use my name, codename—Zero, Zero Pillar."

"Hmm, since that is the case, from today on, Zero is the ninth Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps—the Zero Pillar! Now, let us prepare to begin the Hashira Meeting.

Zero, you do not need to attend this Hashira Meeting; go and get some rest first. Afterward, Kanae will take you to the Butterfly Mansion to stay for a while. I have already instructed the other children to arrange your living quarters."

Zero: "Thank you!"

……

Kagaya Ubuyashiki and the other eight Pillars went to the inner room to hold the Hashira Meeting, while Xiao Yue was taken away by Mitsuri Kanroji; she seemed to like Xiao Yue very much.

She couldn't help but want to tease her and kept acting spoiled to Zero, hoping to play with Xiao Yue. Helplessly, Zero had to agree.

Zero rested alone in the courtyard hut, taking the opportunity to check his nano-space for any other useful items.

"What is this?" Zero took out something resembling a disc and checked it with his analysis glasses.

【Shrinker】

【Function Introduction: Can shrink most objects; even people will be shrunk. The shrunk objects or people will return to their original state after ten hours.】

【Note: This item was personally manufactured by Zero!】

"Uh... speaking of which, when did I manufacture such a thing? Why don't I have any memory of it?"

He looked left and right, unable to remember when he had manufactured this, so he pressed a button on the surface of the Shrinker disc.

Whoosh!

A beam of light flashed, but nothing happened.

"What is this? It seems it must be a failed invention... What is going on?! Why has my voice become like this?"

Zero discovered that his voice seemed to have become as light and childish as a young child's.

"……Forget it, I'll put it away first." Zero put the Shrinker back into the nano-space and prepared to get up and walk around, but ended up tripping on the tatami mat.

"Ouch! Hiss~ What is going on?!"

He looked down and discovered that his clothes seemed to have become larger; to be precise, his body had been shrunk.

"……Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Zero regretted trying to use the 【Shrinker】 just now. That beam of light had shrunk him, but the only mystery was why the clothes hadn't been shrunk while his body had.

"Lord Zero, what... happened..."

Amane Ubuyashiki heard Zero's cry in the next room and hurried over to see what was going on, but upon opening the door, she saw a child less than a meter tall sitting on the tatami mat.

She was following Kagaya Ubuyashiki's instructions to wait in the next room, so that if Zero needed anything, it would be convenient to help him.

She hadn't expected to see this scene.

"Whose child is this?" Amane's mind was full of confusion, but she still stepped forward to take a look.

"Why does he feel exactly like Lord Zero?"

"I am Zero!"

Amane: (●_●)

Amane widened her eyes, hearing Zero's childish, light voice, and felt it was incredible. She didn't understand why Zero had become smaller.

However, Amane, who was already a mother, couldn't help but step forward and pat Zero on the head.

"I say, Lady Amane, you don't really take me for a child, do you?"

"Apologies!" Although she said that, she didn't stop the stroking of his head.

Zero felt a bit fortunate that Xiao Yue wasn't around; otherwise, if she saw this situation, he would probably be mocked for several hundred years.

"Mother, what happened?"

Hinaki Ubuyashiki and Nichika Ubuyashiki heard the sound in the other room and also hurried over, only to see their mother stroking a white-haired young child.

The two sisters leaned forward to look, and seeing his heart-stealing cuteness, couldn't help but ask: "Mother, when did you and Father give birth to a little sister for us?"

Zero felt that the mother and her two daughters were different from what he had seen before, though he couldn't put his finger on where.

Perhaps it was because all children in this world only reveal their original personalities when they are alone with their parents.

"He is Lord Zero, but I don't know why he has become like this."

The two sisters heard this sentence and had the same expression as Amane Ubuyashiki, full of confusion; even their movements were synchronized, without any deviation.

"Hey~ forget it, forget it. Can you keep this matter a secret for me? I can probably return to my original appearance by tonight!"

"Yes, Lord Zero." x3

Zero was also somewhat helpless. He was, after all, a person who had lived for thousands of years, and this was the first time he had encountered such an embarrassing situation since coming to this so-called 【Demon Slayer World】.

He felt that all the embarrassment of these thousands of years had been used up. If Luo Li and his other comrades in the dimensions knew about this, he would probably rather choose to continue sleeping than wake up.

He then prepared to get up but was tripped again.

"Lord Zero, be careful!" Seeing this, Amane immediately stepped forward to support him, perhaps out of the maternal love she felt from having cared for five children, and held him in her arms.

At this moment, Zero only felt a wave of warmth; he didn't know how long it had been since he had experienced such a thing.

"Such a warm feeling, is this maternal love?... No! I'm not a child! I'm an adult! If you count my age, I could be their ancestor's ancestor!"

Zero immediately broke free from her embrace and turned his face away, his cheeks turning red, not daring to look directly.

"Lord Zero, you should just stay in this room and not run around!"

Zero: "……"

"I'm not a child, hey! Why does everyone like to treat me like a child, hey!" Zero complained internally.

Zero's appearance indeed made it hard for people to associate him with a human who had lived for thousands of years; even if he said it, people might not believe him.

"How long is the Hashira Meeting?"

"It will probably last until night."

"Phew~ that's good, that's enough. I can change back tonight!"

Just like that, Zero sat in the room and didn't go anywhere, and Amane Ubuyashiki and her two daughters also sat in the room; as for the reason, it was because they were afraid Zero would run around.

During this period, Amane Ubuyashiki and her children took turns looking after Zero and then went to eat. They had originally prepared a meal for Zero, but Zero refused, stating that he wasn't hungry right now.

Zero: (? _?) These little dolls really treat me like a child...

……

Inside the Ubuyashiki mansion, Hashira Meeting.

"Master, regarding Zero, didn't you say there were two things? What is the other thing?" Sanemi Shinazugawa raised his question.

"The second thing regarding Zero is related to my curse. Zero has lifted the curse for me."

"What?!! He can actually do such a thing!!!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa exclaimed. If anyone else had said this, he wouldn't have believed it at all, but this was said by Master.

Coupled with the fact that the disfigured parts of his body due to the curse had faded significantly, he had to believe it.

"Although the process is somewhat slow, he told me that I only need to persist for another two months to completely lift the curse! In this way, I can also do more for the children of the Demon Slayer Corps."

"Namu Amida Butsu, I didn't expect him to be able to do such a thing. I have completely acknowledged him! I also wish for Oyakata-sama's early recovery!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki: "Thank you, Gyomei!"

"Umai, that's really great. Thank you, Zero, hahaha!"

"What a truly flamboyant guy, hahaha, although compared to flamboyance, mine is still a bit better!"

Others also nodded to show their agreement.

……

Nighttime.

Zero watched the time pass quietly; more than eight hours had already passed.

"In another hour or so, I can return to my normal size! I really hope the Hashira Meeting lasts a bit longer. If those little girls see me in this state, I'll probably be mocked... probably..." Zero thought to himself.

But what he feared came to pass. Not long after, the voice of Kanae Kocho came from the doorway: "Lady Amane, I have come to take Zero to the Butterfly Mansion. May I ask if he..."

Kanae Kocho opened the door and saw Amane Ubuyashiki sitting on the side, as well as a white-haired young child.

"Ara, Lady Amane, who is this?"

"He is Lord Zero, but I don't know why he has become like this."

Kanae Kocho stepped forward to look and discovered that it was indeed Zero; those red eyes, white hair, mechanical left hand, and that aura were exactly the same as Zero's.

"Ara, too cute!" Kanae Kocho's eyes sparkled with little stars, and she directly picked Zero up, rubbing her face against him constantly.

"Hey hey hey, calm down! Calm down, Kanae! I'm not a child, hey!" Zero struggled constantly, but because his body was shrunk, his strength had also become smaller, and she was completely unmoved.

"Really too cute! Lady Amane, then I will take Zero to the Butterfly Mansion to rest first."

"Yes, Flower Pillar!"

"Little Zero-chan, come home with sister!" Kanae Kocho directly picked Zero up and left the Ubuyashiki courtyard hut, walking toward the Butterfly Mansion.

"Hey hey hey, I'm not a child, hey! And what does Little Zero-chan mean, hey?! I am a male, not a female, and definitely not a child, hey!"

With his struggles fruitless, the shrunk Zero was directly carried back to the Butterfly Mansion.

"Little Zero-chan? Little Zero-chan? So cute, carried home? Fluttering butterflies flying and flying?"

Zero: ……

Arriving at the Butterfly Mansion.

Shinobu Kocho saw her sister return and went out to greet her, only to see a child in Kanae Kocho's arms.

Immediately, Shinobu Kocho's eyes were full of panic. Seeing this, she immediately took advantage of the fact that there was no one around to pull Kanae Kocho into the room and close the door.

"Ara, what's wrong, little sister Shinobu?"

"Sister, when did you have a child? Why didn't I know? If the others in the Demon Slayer Corps find out, what will they think? Why does this child look so familiar?"

Shinobu Kocho looked at the shrunk Zero, and the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. She exclaimed: "Sister, could this be the child you and Zero had?! When did you meet Zero and have a child?! No, no, we only met Zero recently. Could it be that you knew him a long time ago?! Why didn't I know?!"

Shinobu Kocho seemed to have many questions, and her speech became more and more outrageous, making Kanae Kocho's head ache.

"Little sister Shinobu, listen to me first. This is not the child I had with Zero. No, no, this is not Zero's child... Oh, anyway, just calm down and listen to me explain!"

Kanae Kocho was also somewhat incoherent and could only let Shinobu Kocho calm down first, while she reorganized her language to explain it clearly to her.

After a while, Shinobu Kocho calmed down, but her eyes kept looking at Kanae Kocho.

"Little sister Shinobu, this child is Zero, but I don't know how he managed to shrink himself, so he ended up like this."

"Shrunk?" Shinobu Kocho looked at Zero, who was still being held in Kanae Kocho's arms, her eyes full of disbelief.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a boy before?!"

"Pfft~ Hahaha, Zero, I didn't expect you to have a day like this, hahahaha!" Shinobu Kocho heard Zero's childish, light voice and clutched her stomach, laughing wildly, even laughing until some tears flowed out.

She then reached out both hands and pinched Zero's face: "Come, let sister take a good look!"

"I'm not a child, hey! Your ages added together aren't even one-thousandth of mine!"

Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho didn't believe at all that Zero was that old and kept teasing Zero, occasionally even putting makeup on him.

"Hmph, you two sisters just wait. There's less than an hour left. When I return to my original form, watch how I teach you a lesson! Especially you, Shinobu Kocho!"

"Yo, then I'm really looking forward to how you'll hit me, Little~ Zero~ chan~"

Zero: (ー`′ー)

Just as the Kocho sisters were laughing and giggling, another female voice came from the doorway: "Kanae-chan, Shinobu-chan, I've come to find you~"

She opened the door and saw the Kocho sisters teasing a white-haired young child, and was immediately curious: "Wow! Whose child is this? So cute! Let sister hold him!"

She walked over quickly and picked Zero up in her arms: "Too cute, too cute!"

"Let me go! I can't breathe!" Zero, who was being covered by Mitsuri Kanroji's chest, struggled constantly.

"Master!!!" Xiao Yue, who was floating in mid-air, felt that this young child looked familiar. After a closer look, she knew who it was.

"Eh? Xiao Yue-chan, is he your brother Zero?" Mitsuri Kanroji voiced her confusion.

"Yes, Master... I am most familiar with the scent on brother's body!"

Zero looked at the four women in the room with a lifeless expression, feeling that he had lost all face from these thousands of years.

Zero: Forget it, wait until I recover and see how I teach you all a lesson!

Just like that, Zero was dressed up by the three women in turns, sometimes as a little boy, sometimes as a little girl, while Xiao Yue stood on the other side, watching Zero with a motherly smile.

"Heehee, is Master's spring finally coming? Hoohoo~" Xiao Yue thought to herself.

…… ===== CHAPTER 9 =====