The train carriage, which had turned coldly quiet due to the presence of Kyoujurou, suddenly became lively again with the abrupt entrance of three people.
"Huh? Who are you...?" Kyoujurou tilted his head, looking at the three newcomers.
Riezel also glanced at the three.
They were three youths, much like Kyoujurou himself, each with a striking personality.
"He-Hello, Mr. Rengoku! Sorry for the intrusion!"
One of the three nervously blurted out.
He was a youth with black-burgundy hair and matching eyes, a hint of innocence in his features, a scar on his left temple, and a pair of hanafuda earrings with a sun symbol on both of them, dressed in a black uniform with a black and green checkered haori.
"Someone please stop this fool! I can't stand it anymore!"
Unlike the former polite speaker, this time it was a youth with the same uniform but wearing a yellow haori adorned with triangular patterns and short golden hair, who paid no attention to Kyoujurou and continued yelling and screaming.
"Mwahahaha! So, you're the Flame Hashira?"
The boar-headed youth continued to shout enthusiastically.
In all honesty, he truly looked like a wild boar.
Judging by his voice, he seemed to be of a similar age to the other two, yet he wore no uniform, only a gray boar mask on his head, deer fur draped around his waist, bear fur around his feet, and he was bare-chested, wearing only black baggy hakama pants, giving him a comical appearance.
These three youths, whether in appearance or fashion, were completely different from regular people.
Such eccentric ways of dressing could either be attention-seeking clownery or some big shots who were indifferent to public opinion. Although they were not yet big shots, these three were important characters in the original work.
They were the main characters in the world of Demon Slayer, the focal point of the main story's development, and also members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Oh, it's you?"
Kyoujurou's expression shifted from puzzlement to realization upon seeing the burgundy-haired youth.
"That's right! I'm the Flame Hashira!"
Kyoujurou proudly declared upon recognizing his fellow members from the Demon Slayer Corps. However, as he affirmed their camaraderie, the boar-headed youth made a move.
"Boar Rush!"
Without even thinking, the boar-headed youth charged straight toward Kyoujurou.
"Wait! Inosuke!"
"Dumbass!"
"The burgundy-haired youth and the yellow-haired youth immediately shouted in succession and moved to restrain the boar-headed youth. Unfortunately, they were too late, as his head had already closed in on Kyoujurou's face."
Fast and forceful, it was truly like a wild boar in a charge. If Kyoujurou were to be hit, it might be just a moment before he flew out, crashing through the walls of the carriage and flying outside.
However—
"Well, calm down, Boar-Head Boy."
Kyoujurou's calm voice resounded not in front of the boar-headed youth charging ahead, but behind him.
"I just made an important friend here. Can't let you hurt him, can we? Are you calm now?"
*Thud!*
Saying so, Kyoujurou's haori fluttered slowly as he appeared behind the boar-headed youth, pressing him down on the ground.
"What?!"
Beneath the boar mask, the boar-headed youth's eyes widened with surprise.
"So fast!"
"Couldn't see a thing!"
Just as the burgundy-haired youth and the yellow-haired youth were getting up, they also witnessed this scene and were equally shocked.
Only Riezel remained seated, not moving at all.
He even ignored the commotion and casually reached out to grab something from the plethora of bento boxes brought by Kyoujurou.
"I'm not full yet. Can I have one of these?" Riezel casually asked.
"Of course! Go ahead!" Kyoujurou replied enthusiastically.
"Thanks." Riezel opened the bento box and started eating.
Only then did Kyoujurou look toward the three bewildered youths still standing there, grinning broadly.
"Do you guys want some too? My treat!"
Kyojuro's words were met with three simultaneous shakes of the head like tambourines being played in unison.
"Is that so? What a pity!"
Although Kyoujurou said that, his face still bore a cheerful smile as he let go of the boar-headed youth and sat back beside Riezel.
"Are you okay?" The yellow-haired youth quickly helped up the boar-headed youth before grumbling. "I've told you not to be so impulsive. He's a Hashira, and we're just rookies at the lowest rank. How could we possibly win against him?"
"We're really sorry, Mr. Rengoku!" The burgundy-haired youth kept bowing over and over to Kyoujurou. "Inosuke didn't mean any harm!"
"Umu! I forgive all of you!" Kyoujurou crossed his arms and nodded solemnly. "Are these two your friends?"
"Yes!" The burgundy-haired youth quickly introduced his two friends. "These two are Agatsuma Zenitsu and Hashibira Inosuke."
Agatsuma Zenitsu was the yellow-haired youth, while Hashibira Inosuke was the boar-headed youth.
"Ahh!"
The burgundy-haired youth remembered something and introduced himself to the nearby Riezel, who was eating bento.
"I'm Kamado Tanjirou, nice to meet you."
Kamado Tanjirou, a new recruit of the Demon Slayer Corps, had only joined a few months ago and was still a novice. However, the special abilities and experiences of this youth might even surpass those of Hashira.
"Hello."
Riezel glanced at Tanjirou and nodded toward him. Of course, besides nodding, he also couldn't help but glance at Tanjirou's back.
There, Tanjirou carried a large wooden box, from which a faint and steady breathing could be heard.
Riezel glanced at the wooden box for a moment and then looked away.
"So, Young Mizoguchi, how did you end up here?" Kyoujurou asked without turning his gaze away.
"...My name is Kamado Tanjirou, not Mizoguchi..." Tanjirou complained softly, then answered. "We were sent here because the victims of the Mugen Train have been increasing, so they asked us to support you."
"To be honest, I didn't want to come at all..." Zenitsu chimed in without much confidence. "This is a mission that even the Hashira need to handle personally... Sending us low-ranking members to support? We're going to die, aren't we? We're definitely going to die!"
In the next moment, tears welled up in Zenitsu's eyes, looking like he wanted to escape.
On the other hand, Inosuke had already stood up and crossed his arms, menacingly.
"The demon we need to deal with is this iron beast, right? I figured that out a long time ago!" Inosuke said in a loud voice. "Yosh! Leave it to me! Boar Rush!"
He charged, rushing toward the wall of the carriage.
"Stop it, you moron!" Zenitsu quickly grabbed Inosuke, yelling hysterically. "I'm telling you, this is a train! A goddamn train, not some iron beast, and it's definitely not a demon!"
"Eh?" Tanjirou looked at Zenitsu in disbelief.
"...Why are you giving me that look?! Why do you find it so unbelievable?!" Zenitsu snapped, going crazy. "You two are just a couple of hicks who haven't even seen a train before for fuck's sake! Aaahhh! I've had enough of this shit!"
"Hahahaha!" Kyoujurou burst into laughter. "You guys are quite amusing!"
'No, they're just plain crazy...' Riezel retorted inwardly while quietly eating his bento on the side.
After a while, everyone finally calmed down and sat down one after another.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Inosuke stood by the window, vigorously patting it, as if he was challenging the train, making Zenitsu, who sat beside him, look utterly fed up.
Tanjirou, on the other hand, sat across from Riezel and Kyoujurou, carefully placing the wooden box he had on his back beside him, treating it like the most precious treasure.
As Tanjirou said, he and his two friends were sent by the Demon Slayer Corps to support Kyoujurou.
Because more than forty people had gone missing on the Mugen Train, suspected to have been eaten by demons. Moreover, several Demon Slayers sent here had also lost contact, so the higher-ups thought Kyoujurou might need assistance, and thus they sent Tanjirou and the other two.
Although the three of them were only newly recruited Demon Slayers and their ranks were not high, they had recently encountered a Lower Rank, Lower Five Rui.
In the battle against the Lower Five, the Demon Slayer Corps suffered heavy casualties, prompting the Master to send two Hashira to support.
Surprisingly, by the time the two Hashira arrived, Zenitsu and Inosuke had already dealt with their respective demons, while Tanjirou had displayed astonishing combat power in his fight against the Lower Five, nearly successfully beheading him.
As a result, although the ranks of these three youths were not high, their combat abilities were impressive, catching the attention of the higher-ups in the Demon Slayer Corps and even gaining high regard from the Master and several Hashira.
This time, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were sent because of a recommendation from a Hashira.
"I see, Kochou recommended you guys?" Kyoujurou nodded heavily. "In that case, you'll stay with me. I also want to observe you, Young Mizoguchi."
Upon hearing that, Tanjirou lowered his head, a hint of gloom appearing on his face.