Hearing Kyojuro's hushed, furtive words, Ren Kuroda finally let out a helpless sigh and pretended—once again—to pull two small purple crystals from his pocket.
The moment Kyojuro saw the so-called "inferior demonic power crystals," his eyes lit up. He snatched them away instantly, as if afraid Ren might change his mind at any second.
"I knew it! I knew you were hiding something! With these two crystals, Master's body can hold on for at least another year!"
Staring at the eerie purple light shimmering within his palm, Kyojuro was practically beside himself with joy.
In truth, the Nine Pillars had been searching for inferior demonic power crystals ever since then. But just as Ren had said, they were extraordinarily rare—so rare that even after six full months, the Pillars hadn't managed to find a single one.
Kyojuro had only asked out of desperation, never truly expecting Ren to produce such precious items again.
"A year?" Ren shook his head slowly. "No… even eight months would already be pushing it."
Compared to Kyojuro's excitement, Ren looked utterly resigned as he continued explaining to the now-confused Flame Pillar.
"Although I don't regard Ubuyashiki Kagaya as my lord the way you do, there's no denying that he's treated me with exceptional kindness. So if I have a way to save him, of course I won't keep it to myself."
He paused, his expression turning serious.
"But you have to understand this: using an external power to suppress a curse does work—but it comes with risks. The power inside these crystals is corrosive. And Ubuyashiki Kagaya's body is already extremely weak."
"Consuming the crystal can temporarily restore his health," Ren continued, "but it also consumes his life force."
"If he relies on this for too long… then even if you eventually kill Kibutsuji Muzan and remove the curse completely, his remaining lifespan will already be close to exhausted."
After hearing Ren's explanation, Kyojuro suddenly felt as though the two crystals in his hands had grown unbearably hot.
For the first time, he didn't know whether he should give them to his master or not.
"…Isn't there any other method without side effects?" Kyojuro asked quietly. "You're always coming up with clever solutions."
Just as Ren and Kyojuro were speaking in hushed tones, several figures appeared beside them without warning.
The one who had just spoken was the normally aloof Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka.
They had all heard Ubuyashiki Kagaya's violent coughing as they were leaving earlier. Originally, they'd intended to find Ren themselves—but when they saw Kyojuro secretly dragging him away, they followed instinctively.
And in doing so, they overheard the entire conversation.
"Ren, you must have other ideas, right?" Mitsuri Kanroji said eagerly, clasping her hands together. "Please think of a way to help Master, okay? I'll even stop freeloading meals at your place!"
Over the six months they had spent together, Ren had left Mitsuri with the impression that he was a genius who excelled at everything. As long as he was willing to put in the effort, it felt like there was nothing he couldn't do.
Faced with her hopeful gaze, Ren was left utterly speechless.
"You're all overestimating me," he said helplessly. "If I had higher-grade crystals, maybe the corrosive side effects could be reduced. But the key issue is—I don't have any."
"So it's not that I don't want to help," Ren added, shrugging as he looked at the nine Pillars before him. "I'm simply powerless right now. Do you understand?"
"Then… how much lifespan does Master lose each time he takes one of these?" Kyojuro asked again, staring down at the purple crystal in his hand.
"It's hard to say," Ren replied honestly. "But one thing is certain—the damage accumulates with each use."
"Still, judging from Ubuyashiki Kagaya's original condition, he will live longer than before. Otherwise, I wouldn't have taken these out at all."
Ren's words weighed heavily on the Pillars' hearts. Yet in the end, they reached a unanimous decision.
They would give the inferior demonic power crystal to Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
Because they all knew their master. Even if he understood perfectly well that this item consumed his lifespan, he would still choose to use it without hesitation.
The side effects increased with each dose—but as long as they could defeat Kibutsuji Muzan before their master's condition deteriorated beyond recovery, everything would still be within acceptable limits.
Realizing that killing Muzan had now become even more urgent, Kyojuro immediately abandoned his earlier plan of having Ren treat him to a meal.
"I'm going to train," he said simply.
The Stone Pillar, Sound Pillar, Wind Pillar, and Water Pillar all fell silent as well before departing one after another, clearly intending to undergo special training of their own.
Watching them leave, Ren turned to the Love Pillar, Serpent Pillar, Mist Pillar, and Insect Pillar—who were still standing there—and stared at them speechlessly.
"Kyojuro and the others went off to train for the future fight against Muzan," Ren said flatly. "Why are you four still here?"
Originally, Ren had thought he'd finally escaped disaster. If he really had been forced to treat everyone, Kyojuro would absolutely have taken the chance to bleed him dry.
But just as Ren was about to celebrate not having to spend any money…
He realized that four Pillars had stayed behind.
Including a certain terrifying glutton.
"Anyway, the Stone Pillar and the others are already absurdly strong," Mitsuri said cheerfully. "Even if I train harder, I can't surpass them."
She blinked her large, sparkling eyes at Ren.
"So, Ren—when are we going to eat? I was only about twenty percent full this morning."
Beside her, Obanai Iguro shot a subtle glance at Mitsuri, his meaning unmistakable.
Wherever Kanroji Mitsuri went, the Serpent Pillar would follow.
Besides… Ren was far too handsome. Obanai always felt a deep, instinctive sense of crisis whenever Mitsuri was around him.
Shinobu Kocho spoke up calmly."May I bring Kanao along?"
Muichiro Tokito stared blankly."(°_°)"
In the end, Muichiro stayed only because being around these people made him feel oddly comfortable.
And so, Ren Kuroda failed to escape his fate.
Staring at the mountain of empty plates piled high in front of Mitsuri, Ren began to sweat profusely.
He couldn't help but cast a sympathetic glance at Obanai Iguro, who was eating slowly and quietly beside her.
If Obanai and Mitsuri ever truly ended up together, then even their combined salaries as Pillars probably wouldn't be enough to support such a fearsome appetite.
At that moment, Ren finally realized something.
Mitsuri's repeated failed blind dates weren't because she lacked charm or ability—
—but because very few families in the world could afford to feed her.