Chapter 9: Coal Business

Chapter 9: Coal Business

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on existing works. All original characters and plotlines are my creation, but I do not claim ownership of any pre-existing characters or content. All rights to these pre-existing works belong to their original creators. This is a non-profit work created solely for the enjoyment of fans and no copyright infringement is intended.

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Akio grabbed a huge log and smashed it on a boulder, breaking it in half. He did the same thing with another log, then another, making a stack of firewood in a flash. Tanjiro's eyes widened as he watched the buff teen show off his crazy strength. He had never seen anyone chop wood with their bare hands before.

"Whoa, Akio-san, that was amazing!" Tanjiro shouted, clapping his hands. "How do you do it?I've never seen anyone split wood like that without a tool!"

Akio, his chest heaving with exertion, flashed a lopsided grin at Tanjiro. "Heh, thanks," he replied, his voice tinged with pride. "Guess all that heavy lifting at the gym paid off, huh?"

Tanjirou tilts his head. "Gym? What that?" He asked. Akio stuttered. "It's basically a place where you can train your body." He explained. Tanjirou becomes slightly excited and wanted to know more but remembers they needed to finish chopping the wood. Akio sighed in relief, saved by lady luck, he glanced at Wispella, who was sitting on his shoulder. The silver-haired fairy smiled and nodded, knowing that Akio was hiding his true nature as a foreigner from another world. She was the only one who knew about his unique powers and his immunity.

Akio leaned closer to Wispella and whispered in her ear. "Hey, can I use a wish now?"

Wispella nodded again. "Yes, you can. You haven't made one today yet. What do you wish for?"

Akio looked around and saw that Tanjiro was busy loading the firewood onto a cart. He lowered his voice and said, "I wish for our profits to triple within reason. You know, to help out Tanjiro-kun and his family." He still didn't have a full grasp on Wispella's abilities so he decided to be specific on his wishes. He didn't want coal to suddenly vanish and show up here.

Wispella closed her eyes and waved her hand. A faint glow surrounded her as she granted Akio's wish. "Your wish is granted. I hope it works out well for you."

Akio thanked her and hoped that his wish would come true. He wanted to make Tanjiro happy for a while before tragedy struck.

As Akio and Tanjiro finished loading the firewood onto the cart, they heard a voice calling them from the house.

"Tanjiro! Akio-san! Come and have some soup! You must be hungry after working so hard!" It was Tanjiro's mother, Kamado Kie. She came out of the house carrying two bowls of steaming soup. She smiled warmly and handed one to Tanjiro and the other to Akio.

"Thank you, Mother!" Tanjiro said, taking the bowl and sipping it. "It's delicious as always!"

"Thank you, Kie-san!" Akio said, taking the bowl and sipping it too. He couldn't help but stare at Tanjiro's mother. She was a stunning woman with long black hair and kind dark purple eyes that appeared lighter around the lower section of her irises. She had a noticeably light complexion and a slender figure. She looked much younger than her age, despite being the mother of six children.

Wispella noticed Akio's gaze and realized that he had a thing for mature women. She giggled and whispered in his ear. "You like her, don't you? She's beautiful, isn't she? Do you want to make a wish to get closer to her?"

Akio blushed and quickly looked away from Kie. He felt embarrassed and guilty for having such thoughts about Tanjiro's mother. He shook his head and muttered. "No, no, I don't. Stop teasing me. She's just a nice lady."

Wispella smiled and winked at him. "Sure, sure. I believe you. But if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." She flew back to his shoulder and pretended to be innocent.

Akio sighed and tried to focus on his soup. He hoped that Tanjiro didn't notice anything. He didn't want to ruin their friendship or cause any trouble for his family. He wasn't a homewrecker damn it!

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Kie watched as Akio and Tanjiro finished their soup and thanked her. She noticed that Akio was stealing glances at her and figured out that the young man was attracted to her. She felt a surge of emotions in her chest. She was flattered that he found her attractive despite her age. She was also curious about him. He was muscular despite his obesity and he had a confident smile. He seemed to have a secret that he was hiding from everyone. She then felt a pang of guilt in her heart. She was a married woman and a mother of six children. She had no right to feel attraction to someone as young as her son. She then reminded them not to dally too long and to be careful before watching them leave for the town.

"Thank you for the soup, Kie-san. It was delicious." Akio said, giving her a charming smile.

"Yes, thank you, Mother. You're the best cook in the world." Tanjiro said, giving her a hug.

Kie smiled and hugged him back. She then looked at Akio and said, "You're welcome, boys. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's the least I can do for your help."

She handed them each a cloth bag with some snacks and water bottles. "Here, take these with you. You'll need some energy for the trip."

"Wow, thank you, Kie-san. You're so generous." Akio said, taking the bag.

"Thank you, Mother." Tanjiro said, taking the other bag.

Kie chuckled and said, "Oh, stop it. You're making me blush. Now, hurry up and go to town. Sell the firewood and buy some supplies. And be careful on the way. There might be some wild animals or bandits around."

Akio nodded and said, "Don't worry, Kie-san. We'll be fine. We can handle anything."

Tanjiro nodded too and said, "That's right, Mother. We'll be back before sunset. I promise."

Kie nodded and said, "Okay, then. Take care of yourselves."

Akio and Tanjiro nodded again and said in unison, "We will!"

They loaded the bags onto the cart and started to leave. Kie watched them go and sighed. "They're such good boys. I hope they have a safe trip."

She turned to go back to the house when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and looked back.

It was Akio. He had noticed that something was eating up the poor mother and thought she was having insecurities so he had left the cart with Tanjiro and came back to her to ease her mind.

He looked into her eyes with a serious expression. "Kie-san, there's something I need to tell you." he said.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling nervous.

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered. "I think you're beautiful, and an amazing mother. You should be proud of it. Your children are very lucky to have you as their mother."

Kie felt a shock run through her body as she heard Akio's words. She looked at him with wide eyes and a red face. She was speechless.

Akio smiled and then ran back to Tanjiro and the cart.

"Sorry, Tanjiro-kun. I forgot something." he said.

"What did you forget?" Tanjiro asked.

"Nothing important. Let's go." Akio said.

They left the house and headed down the mountain. Kie watched them go and touched her cheek. She felt a warm sensation on her skin. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

She shook her head and went back to the house. She had to calm down and forget about it. It was just a compliment. Nothing more.

She hoped.

Meanwhile, Akio and Tanjiro were on their way to the town. They chatted along the way.

"Hey, Akio-san. What did you say to my mother?" Tanjiro asked.

"I just complimented her. She's a very nice lady." Akio said.

Tanjiro beamed and said, "She is, isn't she? She's also very beautiful. Everyone says so."

Akio nodded and said, "She is. She's very beautiful."

Tanjiro smiled and said, "Thank you for saying that. You're very kind."

Akio smiled back and said, "You're welcome. You're very lucky to have such a wonderful mother."

Tanjiro nodded and said, "I am. I love her very much."

Akio nodded too and said, "I can tell. You're a good son."

They continued to talk until they reached the town. They sold the firewood and bought some supplies. They had a good day.

But Akio couldn't stop thinking about Kie. The two finally arrived at the town with their cart full of coal. They parked it near the market and started to sell their product.

Akio took the lead and played the role of a marketer. He shouted and waved his hands to attract customers.

"Hey, hey, hey! Come and get your coal here! The best quality coal in town! It burns longer and hotter than any other coal! It's perfect for cooking, heating, and lighting! Only 10 yen per bag! You won't find a better deal anywhere else!"

He smiled and winked at the people passing by. He used his charm and charisma to persuade them to buy from him.

"Come on, don't be shy! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You don't want to miss it! This coal will make your life easier and happier! Trust me, you won't regret it!"

He also used his strength and speed to load and unload the bags of coal. He lifted them with ease and tossed them to the customers. He moved so fast that he seemed to be everywhere at once.

"Wow, your really into this?" Wispella said sitting on a coal.

"Hush, your gonna distract me." Akio whispered.

"Okay, okay. I'll just watch." Wispella pouted watching her savior do his 'magic'.

Tanjiro watched in awe as Akio sold the coal. He had never seen anyone sell anything so well. He was surprised by how many people were buying from them.

He helped Akio by collecting money and giving change. He also thanked the customers and wished them well.

He smiled and said, "Thank you for buying from us. We appreciate your business. Have a nice day!"

He counted the money and saw that they had made a lot of profit. He was overjoyed. He said to Akio, "Wow, Akio-san, you're amazing! You sold all the coal in no time! Look how much money we made!"

He showed him the money and said, "I've never held so much money before!"

Akio laughed and said, "Well, you better get used to it. As long as we're partners, you'll be holding a lot of money." The young man patted the future demon slayer's back though he made sure to go easy.

Tanjiro smiled and said, "Really? That's great! I'm so happy to work with you!"

Akio smiled back and said, "Me too. You're a great partner."

They celebrated their success and then bought a large meal to take home. They bought rice, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese, milk, tea, and sweets.

They packed everything in a basket and carried it with them.

They said to each other, "Let's go home!"

They left the town and headed back to the house.

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Kie was taking care of her younger children with the help of Nezuko. She was feeding them, playing with them, and reading stories to them. She was a loving and attentive mother.

Nezuko was helping her by setting the table, washing the dishes, and tidying up the house. She was a responsible and helpful daughter.

They were waiting for Tanjiro and Akio to come back from the town. They hoped that they had sold the coal and bought some supplies.

Nezuko looked at the window and saw that the sun was setting. She said to Kie, "Mother, Tanjiro and Akio are late. Do you think they're okay?"

Kie smiled and said, "Don't worry, Nezuko. They're fine. They're probably on their way home. They'll be here soon." She hugged her daughter and said, "You're such a good sister. You care so much about your brother."

Nezuko smiled and said, "Thank you, Mother."

They heard a knock on the door. Kie said, "That must be them. Let's go and greet them." She opened the door and saw Tanjiro and Akio standing there. They were holding a basket full of food.

"Mother! We're back!" Tanjiro said, smiling.

"Kie-san! We brought you something!" Akio said, grinning.

Kie gasped and said, "What is this? Is this a meal?" She looked at the basket and saw rice, fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese, milk, tea, and sweets.

She was shocked and said, "This looks expensive. How did you afford this?"

Tanjiro happily said, "It's all thanks to Akio-san! He sold all the coal in no time! He was amazing! He made so much money!" He showed her the money and said, "Look how much we made!"

Kie stared at Akio in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Akio smiled and said, "It's true."

Kie blushed and looked away. She felt a mix of emotions in her heart. She didn't know what to say. Meanwhile, her children excitedly sprung to life and started setting up the table. They shouted and cheered.

"Wow! Look at all this food!"

"It smells so good!"

"I want some fish!"

"I want some meat!"

"I want some sweets!"

"Me too! Me too!"

They ran to the basket and grabbed some food. They thanked Tanjiro and Akio for their generosity. T

"Thank you, nii-chan!"

"Thank you, Akio-san!"

"You're the best!"

"You're awesome!"

They sat down at the table and started eating. Akio joins in and watch the family enjoy the meal and had a good time.

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AN: So what do you think?