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Chapter 129: Nezuko: I Did It
Suyan knew he had stopped practicing his Sun Breathing forms because he was experiencing the Transparent World.
But Nezuko, watching from the sidelines, had no idea.
From her perspective, Suyan had suddenly frozen mid-swing and was now standing completely still, staring blankly ahead.
Assuming something was wrong with him, Nezuko immediately dropped her sword and jogged over in a panic.
Suyan noticed her movement and focused his attention on her approaching figure.
He adjusted the micro-muscles controlling his vocal cords, expelling air to vibrate them in a highly specific way.
He spoke the exact same words at the exact same time as Nezuko.
"Suyan, are you okay?" x2
Nezuko jumped in shock, blurting out reflexively, "How did you know what I was going to say?"
"How did you know what I was going to say?"
Just like before, Suyan spoke the exact same words in perfect unison with her.
Hearing Suyan mirror her words twice in a row...
Once could be an accident, but twice?
Nezuko couldn't help but wonder.
Can Suyan read minds?
Does that mean...
Does he already know that I have feelings for him?
At that thought, Nezuko shyly ducked her head, too embarrassed to look at his face or speak another word.
However, even though Suyan already knew Nezuko had a crush on him, the Transparent World wasn't that ridiculously broken.
At most, it allowed him to predict an opponent's next move by observing their muscular trajectory.
Even predicting what someone was going to say required them to begin opening their mouth and vibrating their vocal cords first.
Only then could he "see" the sound being formed.
He couldn't actually read minds.
Because of this, Suyan had no way of knowing what Nezuko was currently thinking.
He just assumed she was a bit freaked out by the weird state he had entered.
But wait, that didn't seem right either.
Because according to the blood flow he observed inside her body, and the deep blush spreading across her face...
Nezuko was clearly feeling shy and embarrassed.
This touched upon a blind spot in Suyan's knowledge base.
He retracted the En field carrying the Transparent World effect, then reached out and gently patted Nezuko on the head.
When in doubt, a headpat to show affection never failed.
"Suyan~"
Nezuko tilted her head up slightly, sneaking a peek at him, and spoke in an incredibly soft voice.
Hearing the way she said his name, Suyan actually shivered.
She hadn't changed what she called him, and her tone didn't seem terribly different from before.
But for some reason, the sound slipping from her lips this time felt incredibly sweet and sticky.
"Yeah, I'm here," Suyan replied softly.
But in Nezuko's eyes, Suyan's affectionate headpat and his incredibly gentle response...
Practically amounted to a confirmation of her feelings.
"Suyan, um..."
Nezuko lowered her head, nervously twiddling her fingers. Looking like she had something important to say, she whispered, "Could you crouch down for a second?"
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Suyan didn't overthink it. He just assumed Nezuko had a secret she was too embarrassed to say out loud.
She probably wanted to whisper it directly into his ear.
Although he had teased Shinobu for being petite, Nezuko wasn't much better in that department.
She was only a mere two centimeters taller than the Insect Hashira.
It was a bit of a shame, really.
Because in the original story, after Muzan turned Nezuko into a demon...
She gained the ability to shift her size at will.
She could shrink down to the size of a toddler to fit inside the wooden box on Tanjiro's back.
Or, during combat, she could transform into a busty, long-legged, mature older sister form to fight alongside him.
But Suyan wasn't about to use his remaining demon blood to turn Nezuko into a demon just for that.
If possible, after Contracting her, he hoped to help her develop a Nen ability that mimicked her Size Shifting to make up for it.
Though, preferably not as extreme as Biscuit Krueger from Hunter x Hunter.
When Biscuit transformed, her entire art style changed, turning her into a grotesquely muscular macho man straight out of Fist of the North Star.
With those thoughts in mind, Suyan slowly crouched down.
Nezuko's eyelashes fluttered. Looking at Suyan's completely defenseless face, she tightly gripped the hem of her clothes, overwhelmed with nerves about what she was about to do.
She slowly leaned in close to his ear. Her hot, anxious breath brushed against Suyan's cheek.
Nezuko bit her lip nervously.
Then, steadying her resolve, her eyes filled with determination.
She darted forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Immediately after, she snatched her wooden sword off the ground and bolted out of the training hall like a frightened rabbit.
"Haa... haa... haa... haa..."
Hiding behind a wall, Nezuko gasped for fresh air.
The blush on her face had spread all the way to her earlobes, dyeing her entire cute little face a rosy pink.
She clenched her small fists and pressed them against her chest. She could clearly feel her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
She reached up with one finger and gently touched her own lips. Her voice trembled, "I... I did it!"
She had actually kissed him?!
Even if it was just on the cheek.
Nezuko was secretly thrilled by her own bravery.
Back in the dojo, Suyan watched Nezuko's retreating back, dumbfounded by her actions.
She was so bold, yet so easily spooked.
He touched the spot on his cheek where she had just kissed him.
Well, at least he was symmetrical now.
Not too long ago, Kanae had kissed him on the exact same spot on the other side.
However, Suyan didn't rush out to chase after her.
Instead, he sat down cross-legged right where he was.
Since he had already grasped the Transparent World, he figured he might as well try to unlock the Demon Slayer Mark and the Crimson Red Nichirin Blade all in one go.
Compared to the profound and mystical nature of the Transparent World...
The Demon Slayer Mark was much more straightforward.
There were clear, defined conditions for awakening it. As long as a Breathing Style swordsman's body temperature exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102.2°F)...
And their heart rate surpassed 200 beats per minute, the Mark would automatically manifest.
As for the side effect of dying by the age of 25?
To a Nen User who could freely manipulate their own life energy, that was a complete joke.
And even if it did pose a threat, he could just use his Equivalent Exchange to trade the Mark away. Problem solved.
It was definitely worth a try.
So, Suyan maintained the breathing rhythm of Sun Breathing while consciously forcing his heart rate and body temperature to rise.
Before long.
A searing, burning sensation erupted across his face.
At that exact same moment, an ancient, weary sigh echoed right beside his ear.
"Sigh... Has another junior finally awakened the Mark?"
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