Chapter 54: Slice of Life

Chapter 54: Slice of Life

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After scrubbing away the dirt and grime, Ace sank into the warm bath, letting the heat and steam envelop him, providing a soothing sensation that spread throughout his body.

The water worked its magic, easing the tension in his muscles. As he closed his eyes, the aromatic steam filled the air, carrying away the remnants of a long day.

As he lost himself in the soothing embrace of the warm water, his thoughts meandered, riding the gentle ripples. Memories flooded back, transporting him to the days of his old life—a time when he was just an ordinary boy in a mundane world, not battling literal demons. Despite relishing the excitement of the otherworld, there were moments when his original home and his parents tugged at his heart.

"Damn!, these shower thoughts always get to me," he mused, feeling a bit nostalgic.

As his thoughts settled, he contemplated his next move. "Even Daki has undergone such a power-up; it's almost certain that all the upper demons also must have experienced the same boost," he concluded.

"So, even after enhancing everyone's breathing styles and improving their strength, everything seems to revert to the same old routine," Ace sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"I've got to take out the lower half of the Upper Moon at least before the big final battle," Ace concluded.

To secure a win, he needed to eliminate them individually; a group battle with the demons would spell doom for the demon slayers.

Nakime's decision to separate them in the manga appeared rather foolish – just two upper moons teaming up could have easily annihilated most of the demon slayers.

"But the problem is finding them! Without any advanced technology in this age, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack," Ace pondered, chewing his lips.

After much contemplation, he devised a plan to locate them, but didn't know if it would be successful . "Let's see if Shinobu can track them down using Daki's blood; if not, I'll have to resort to my own methods," he mused.

Rising from the bathtub, Ace dried off, the towel snugly wrapped around his waist. Approaching the door, he swung it open, greeted by a shiver as the cool air outside clashed with the lingering warmth on his skin.

As he searched for his clothes in the crowded space, the absence of a private bath in his single room forced him to take a dip in the public bath.

Thankfully, he managed to find a single-person bath. Although he didn't mind sharing a bath with others, he craved some personal time to relax, which he couldn't do with others around.

Suddenly, his face hardened as he realized someone had stolen his clothes. Scanning the bustling surroundings, he couldn't spot anyone with his clothes amid the constant flow of people going in and out.

"Sigh, I can only blame my bad luck," he muttered, resigned. With that, he walked with just his towel, covering only his lower body and leaving his upper body on full display to the world.

As he made his way out, all the men turned their heads, looking by his defined physique. After all It wasn't every day that they encountered such a physique.

"What a majestic body! I only had something like that when I was young," a feeble old man with a long beard remarked.

"Don't kid yourself, old man. Who would believe you with your scrawny body?" a fat man beside the old man chuckled.

"What would you know, it seems your fat is even reaching your brain now," the old man countered, defending his claim with a smirk.

"Whatever, I don't want to argue with you," the fat man surrendered.

Such conversations were common among the people in the bath after Ace's exit. Old men reminiscing about their youth, some middle-aged men filled with regret at their past decisions, and young men filled with jealousy, fantasising about having such a body.

Ace overheard some of their conversations and shook his head at the eccentric ones.

Ever since he began practicing his Martial Technique: Lunar Illumination, his body had undergone a transformation—from an average teenager physique to his current well-defined form with a perfect balance of muscles and leanness. After all his technique was literally designed to achieve harmony in every aspect, and it certainly reflected in his physique.

[Martial skill: Lunar Illumination]{7.5%}

Reaching the reception, he called for the woman stationed there, who appeared to be in her late twenties and recently married.

She quickly approached him with a friendly smile. "How can I assist you?" she inquired, her demeanour welcoming but her eyes kept drawing to his naked torso.

"My clothes were stolen while I was in the bath. Could you please send a new pair of clothes to my room?" he requested, explaining the situation.

The woman at the reception hurriedly nodded, hearing my situation, "I'm sorry to hear that. We'll arrange for a new set of clothes to be sent to your room right away. Could you please provide your room number?"

Ace shared his room number, and the receptionist assured him, "We'll take care of it promptly. Anything else you need assistance with?"

"Nothing else, and thanks for the hospitality," Ace smiled at her and walked away to his room.

The woman was a little dazed and blushed after seeing his smile. Quickly, she bowed her head below the desk. "What are you doing, Nana! You're not a young girl anymore," she scolded herself, trying to regain composure.

In a few minutes, he quickly reached his room and was about to open the door.

BAMM!

When loud sounds of fighting erupted from inside the room. 'What are they doing?' Ace thought.

It couldn't be fighting demons because it's daytime.

Opening the door, Ace saw Suma and Makio engaged in a cat fight, though it looked more like a tiger's brawl than the typical cat fight you might find on Reddit – 'Well, they are ninjas.' Hinatsuru stood beside them, wearing the expression of a disappointed parent.

Hearing the sound of the sliding door, the trio was alerted to the third party and quickly turned their attention towards it. They saw Ace standing in front of the door, wearing just his towel and sporting a frowning expression.

Suma and Makio halted their scuffle, though it was more accurate to describe it as Makio was beating down Suma.

"What is happening?" Ace asked.

Suma swiftly ran up and hid behind Ace's back, tears in her eyes. "Makio is tormenting meee!! And I didn't even do anything to her. Save me, Ace-sama!"

"You!! Don't spout lies, and it's you who started this," Makio rebuked, gritting her teeth.

Ace, caught in the middle of their quarrel, raised an eyebrow. "Alright, calm down. What's going on?"

Suma peeked out from behind Ace, eyes wide with innocence. "Makio is trying to kill me. She even strangled me."

Makio pointed accusingly at Suma, "I just wanted to know what they were talking so secretly about."

Ace raised his eyebrows and said, ''Secret?''

Suma flustered, "Uhh…"

Hinatsuru sighed, shaking her head. "She was pretending to be asleep and overheard our

conversation."

Suma quickly stammered, "I-I didn't mean to overhear it. I… I was just trying to sleep again, and then I… just kind of heard it."

Continuing, she pleaded, "I won't tell anyone, I promise. So please don't kill me, Ace-sama."

Ace sighed and said with a straight face, "First, no one's getting killed here, so stop your crocodile tears, alright?"

"Hmm," Suma nodded.

"Good. Secondly can you stop touching my back; I just bathed." Ace said with an annoyed face.

"Oh... Y-Yes..." Suma hurriedly moved away from him, realising she didn't know when she unconsciously started feeling his back.

"Third, I don't want anyone else to know about it from here on," Ace emphasized, his expression now more serious.

"Hmm," both Suma and Hinatsuru nodded in agreement, while Makio grumbled, hearing it.

Suddenly, a knock echoed on the door. Ace, upon hearing it, walked to the door and opened it, revealing a young maid waiting.

With a quick bow, the maid entered, carrying Ace's clothes neatly folded along with a tray holding his lunch.

"Here are your clothes, sir," she said, executing another polite bow before placing the garments on a nearby chair. "And your lunch."

"Thank you," Ace expressed his gratitude.

While back in the room,Hinatsuru held Makio and whispered to her ear "Didn't I tell you to stop fighting with Suma to know the so-called secret? Now see, Ace-sama is surely annoyed by it."

"I- I didn't know it was about him... I thought you were just bluffing," Makio stammered.

"Hehe. Good for you for being such a brute!" Suma interjected with a smug grin.

Makio quickly grew annoyed but held back her irritation, not wanting to start another scene.

"Ok! Stop now, Suma! You don't want to start a fight again, right?" Hinatsuru intervened.

"Alright, I will stop," Suma quickly agreed.

As they chatted, Ace walked back to the room holding four bento boxes and his new clothes. "Enough chatter, guys, start eating."

"As for me, I need to change my clothes first," Ace said, walking away to the changing room.

After changing into fresh attire, Ace rejoined Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru for lunch, engaging in casual conversation while savouring their delicious bento boxes. The enticing flavours left no remnants as Ace devoured every last bit.

"We will leave tomorrow before dawn," he announced. Since the travel time will at least take 30 hours.

"Then we can meet Tengen-sama, right?!" Suma exclaimed, almost choking on her food.

Ace nodded, amused by her enthusiasm. "Yes, I am sure he would even be waiting for you, seeing how excited his little wives are to meet him."

"Hey! I am not little, and you are even younger than me, so please don't tease me, Ace-sama!" Suma suddenly grew shy, blushing at the playful remark.

Her sudden remark made everyone pause, realizing that Ace was even younger than them despite his mature and calm demeanor. "How are you so strong at such a young age?" Makio questioned, curiosity evident in her eyes. She always wanted to be strong, but her talents were not good enough.

Suma and Hinatsuru also perked up, their curiosity piqued, since he looked so young yet so strong.

Ace took a moment to reflect before responding, "It's not just about age. Training, discipline, and a clear goal contribute to strength. Age is just a number; what matters is how you channel your efforts and learn from every experience. Of course, talent played a role in how quickly or easily I gained my strength, but without discipline, one would just be a talented loser."

Ace acknowledged that talent played a significant role in one's life to achieve anything, but without the correct mindset to properly utilize it, it would just be a waste. Like in his own case, even with his overpowered breathing styles and other gifts in this new world, if he didn't train and maintain discipline, it would have all been for naught and he would have died when facing a demon.

Makio nodded at the answer, knowing her tendency to be easily discouraged, especially during the previous battle where she felt helpless and had to rely on others for protection. 'I need to train more!' she thought, motivated to become stronger.

After lunch, they spent their time leisurely, with Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru taking Ace around the town to visit some interesting places.

As dawn approached, they packed essentials before setting out for the headquarters.

Little did they know, something significant awaited them.

- x - X - x -

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