Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 157 Lies are false

Hinazuru didn't feel as confused as she does now when she realized that the oiran of Kyogokuya might be a ghost.

It was a strange feeling. To call her fear wasn't right, her breathing was steady; to call her anger wasn't right, her heartbeat wasn't rapid either.

This is a somewhat strange emotion, and the current situation is indeed a bit delicate.

The boy named Rinko, who admitted that he was a ghost, sat there, looking at her calmly with his eyes. That look was not like a beast staring at its prey, or a hungry wolf staring at flesh and blood. To put it bluntly, when Rinko looked at her, it was not like a ghost looking at a human.

Perhaps because of this, even though the words in those eyes clearly proved that Rinkou was a demon, and even though no one had actually fought against him and knew the details of Upper Rank Zero, Hinazuru did not feel the usual nervous excitement of anger and fear that one would have when seeing a demon.

Perhaps it was because the boy's appearance was too harmless, or perhaps it was because Rinkou had never shown any malice, or perhaps she thought it was more dangerous. Perhaps it was Upper Rank Zero's blood demon art that paralyzed her nerves and brain, so she did not show the necessary vigilance in this extremely critical moment.

No one knows the truth. Hinazuru only feels that her head is in chaos. The chaotic thoughts are intertwined together, like a tangled ball of thread or a pile of garbage. She tries hard to grasp the most critical point and try to sort out a clear line.

Demon, upper moon, lurking, dangerous, Lord Tengen.

She caught the key words.

Yes, it doesn’t matter what happens to Lin Guang. Whether he is dangerous or why he behaves so strangely is not a high priority. What she needs most now is to gain her freedom and tell Lord Tianyuan everything here.

"Rinko. Right."

So after a brief silence she tried to speak.

The boy waited patiently until she spoke before responding.

"Yes, Rinkou. I'm honored to know that my name has spread so far... After all, it seems that I don't know that many members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and not everyone who has met me knows my name."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief, his expression unchanged, unable to discern whether he was happy or angry.

"What are you here for?"

Hinazuru tried to ask, and the boy blinked at her, tilting his head slightly to the side as if confused by her question.

"I told you, I came to talk to you, it seems that you don't care about what I said before."

"No, I remember. So, what do you want to know?"

Hinazuru knew that the premise of exchanging information was to give some bargaining chips. She also knew how dangerous it was to negotiate with demons, so the verbal conversation was more to attract attention. She stared at Rinkou without any bias in her eyes, and seemed to have never noticed the kunai lying on the ground.

"I asked you, but you didn't seem to want to answer my question. Have you changed your mind now?"

"You can try again."

"Well, then, who were the letters to?"

Such direct and frank questions were definitely something Rinkou had never received any training in interrogation. Not only had she not received any training, she might not even have practiced. Such questions would not produce any useful results, but Hinazuru would not tell him this. She just lowered her eyes and answered with silence.

"If one party remains silent, we won't be able to continue our conversation, Ms. Hinazuru."

"But I can't tell you the answer to that."

Hinazuru frowned and looked embarrassed. Any ghost would probably be furious with such a rebuttal. Hinazuru was also prepared to face the true inner self beneath Rinkou's harmless mask.

Nothing happened.

"You really bother me."

This was the boy's answer. After she almost teased him to ask a question but he refused to answer, the boy sighed. He looked troubled, and so did his tone, but his emotions were still calm, calmer than any demon that Hinazuru had ever seen before. The stability expressed in his appearance and tone almost made him look less like a demon, and even less like he was related to the Upper Moon.

The clear words in those eyes formed a strange contrast with everything he showed.

"Then let me ask a different question."

Lin Guang's head tilted to the side.

"You knew my name before I even introduced myself... So I guess someone must have told you something about me, or at least someone you know knows me. But the interesting thing is, among my friends, a few are members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and most of them are Pillars. The one who is not a Pillar also has a good relationship with the Flame Pillar..."

There was a brief pause, like a judge on the podium about to pronounce a verdict.

"So, I guess you know the Pillar, right?"

Rinko was looking at her. Hinazuru had seen many people and many ghosts.

Ghosts are actually easier to understand than humans. Their desires are purer and their emotions are more straightforward. Those evil thoughts and darkness are all torn out from the deepest part of their hearts and posted in the most conspicuous places. They disdain to hide and are proud of it.

When pairs of ghost eyes looked at her, she could clearly see through all the purest darkness and evil in those glowing eyes.

But Rinko, he's weird.

There was nothing in the boy's eyes, no murderous intent, no greed. Just as she had thought before, when Lin Guang looked at her, it was not like a ghost looking at a person. When she looked into those eyes, it was like looking at a calm lake, which was reflected by the bright moon, allowing her to see her own reflection on the lake.

She saw her own nervousness, confusion, and anxiety.

Lord Tianyuan is right, this is a strange boy.

He doesn't look like a ghost.

But not a human.

----

Silence, still silence. There was no answer for Lin Guang, only a final turn of his head.

"I don't like people like you, but people like you are always everywhere. You won't say anything, you won't give me anything. I need an explanation, I need a reason, I need answers to my questions, but you never give them to me."

He couldn't help but sigh. He landed from the windowsill and walked step by step into the depths of the trap, approaching the prey caught in the spider web.

"Are you really not going to tell me anything? You were the one who said we could talk."

Lin Guang sighed again. Humans are always difficult to understand. It is easy to understand, yet difficult to comprehend. It is easy to see what is hidden in those eyes, but he can never figure out what is hidden in the heart beneath the skin and the brain behind the eyes, and what is being thought about.

Ghosts are actually easier to understand. Even Douma, whose brain always seems to be broken, can be told by Rinko whether he wants to eat him or simply wants to break his bones.

Even when Hinazuru was disguised as a human, she was willing to smile at him, touch his head, and accept the dangerous gifts he gave her.

But when he really decided to take off his disguise, come into her sight in the purest and most original attitude, stand in front of her, and even risk losing a friend to reveal his heart and give her the truth.

After all this.

Hinazuru, however, refused to even glance at him.

Just like him and his old friends, Tanjiro and he were friends, Kyojuro and he were also friends.

Before his identity as a ghost was exposed.

And when he really revealed the part of him that was not human in front of them, even if he was just standing there and looking at them, what those eyes could capture was vigilance and alertness.

What was reflected in his eyes was no longer a smiling face and another pair of eyes, only the reflective blade.

Human beings say they don’t like lies, that they want honesty and that there is no deception.

But in fact, they don't seem to be able to accept the truth, right?

It really gives me a headache.