Multiversal Friendship System-Chapter 189 - 188 – How Lazy Can a Person Be?

Tanjiro's sudden movement caught the attention of many patrons in the tavern.

Especially the tavern owner, who was delivering food at the time—he shot a deadly glare at them.

Souta couldn't stay seated any longer. He quickly patted Tanjiro on the shoulder and said:

"Alright, alright, take it easy. The owner's staring at you—he's probably worried you'll break his table."

"Ah, sorry." Tanjiro toned down his excitement a bit.

Realizing the owner's unfriendly gaze, he looked a little embarrassed.

But the pleading in his eyes didn't fade. He anxiously awaited Souta's response.

"No need to be so desperate. I came all this way, so of course I don't mind helping your sister. In fact, that's one of the main reasons I'm here."

Souta's words were like a reassurance pill for Tanjiro.

"Really!?" Tanjiro's face lit up with joy. "Thank you so much, Souta-san! What do you want as a reward? I'll do anything I can to repay you!"

"Let's not talk about rewards yet."

Souta waved him off and asked:

"Are you sure you want your sister to turn back into a human?"

"Yes." Tanjiro nodded without hesitation.

He looked a little puzzled. If not human... then what, stay a demon?

Souta caught his thoughts and, after organizing his words, said:

"Being a demon isn't necessarily bad. Long lifespan, regeneration, sorcery... they're way stronger than humans. And in your world, which is swarming with demons, having power means having the ability to protect yourself. Are you sure you don't want your sister to stay a demon?"

"But... demons eat people!"

Tanjiro immediately shook his head, firm and unwavering:

"Nezuko would never want to become a monster that eats humans. And as her brother, I won't let that happen to her. Besides..."

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

He paused, a sorrowful expression creeping onto his face.

"She's been asleep all this time. It's been two years now... and we still don't know when she'll wake up."

"That won't be an issue. If I help, your sister will wake up for sure."

Souta cut him off and said,

"What I'm asking is, why not choose both?"

Tanjiro blinked. "Both...?"

"Yeah." Souta smiled and proposed his idea: "I can let your sister keep her demon powers and also return to normal. She'll retain supernatural strength, won't crave human flesh, and won't fear the sun anymore. She'll be able to live just like any normal person... well, except she'll live longer."

"Wait... that's actually possible?"

Tanjiro stared at Souta in disbelief.

This guy could really do that?

"Are you underestimating a god's power?" Souta replied with a confident grin.

He took a bite of a dish, chewed a few times, then spat it out... it tasted terrible.

Ignoring Tanjiro's awkward expression, Souta continued:

"But the choice is yours. Turn her back into a human—or let her keep her powers and become normal again. It's up to you, as her brother."

"If she can really keep her powers and be normal..."

Tanjiro answered without hesitation:

"Then of course I'll choose that."

Ever since his family was slaughtered, he'd understood how dangerous this world was.

If Nezuko had demon powers, she'd be much safer.

When facing demons again, she wouldn't be helpless anymore.

Whether to fight or to flee, she'd need strength.

Still...

Tanjiro furrowed his brow, thinking about her lifespan.

If Nezuko lived that long... would she be lonely?

But he quickly shook the thought away.

Just being able to save her was a blessing.

Worrying about her living too long? That was a luxury.

Besides, Souta was a god. Immortality probably wasn't a big deal to him.

And with friends like Souta around, even with a long life, Nezuko probably wouldn't feel alone or bored.

"Well then, since you've decided, let's not waste any time. Let's head out."

Souta set down his wine cup.

"The food and drinks here are terrible anyway. No point in staying."

"Cough... Souta-san, don't be so blunt."

Tanjiro glanced toward the tavern owner, a little guilty.

When he saw the owner wasn't paying attention, he relaxed.

"Oh right," he suddenly remembered. "Souta-san, is there a time limit to saving Nezuko?"

"No rush," Souta replied. "We can do it anytime. I'll work with your schedule."

Tanjiro went quiet. Urokodaki-sensei's image popped into his mind.

If he left now, wouldn't that waste all the training he'd received over the past two years?

Since there was no time pressure, maybe he should wait until the selection was over...

But... even one more second felt too long right now...

Tanjiro's inner conflict showed clearly on his face.

"You're thinking about the Final Selection, right?" Souta asked suddenly.

"Yes," Tanjiro replied with a troubled look. "If I go back now, I'm afraid I'll let Urokodaki-sensei down..."

"Then just wait two more days." Souta suggested. "Your sister's not in any danger right now. There's no rush. So why not finish the Selection first?"

"You don't mind waiting two days, Souta-san?"

Souta shook his head: "I've got nothing better to do right now. Two days is no problem."

"Thank you." Tanjiro looked genuinely grateful. "I'll head back to Mount Fujikasane now and continue the Selection."

"Wait!" Souta stopped him. "If you just waltz back in now and the examiners see you, that'll definitely count as cheating. Unless I teleport you straight into the forest."

He thought for a second and said,

"How about this: let's just wait here for two days. After that, I'll send you back into the forest. Then you can just walk out like nothing happened. No one will know."

"Uh... isn't that still cheating?" Tanjiro's honest nature came out. He clearly didn't feel good about it.

Souta asked, "You don't want to wait long, right?"

"Right."

"Then come with me. I promise time will fly."

Souta spoke with full confidence.

"We won't need to wait two days at all!"

Truth be told, he didn't want to wait around for two days either.

There wasn't even an internet café in this dump. Two days of idling sounded like torture.

And going back to his world? That would be a waste of a world-hopping pass!

So... he decided to slow his own perception of time and let the two days fly by in an instant.

He had tested this when he first gained his time manipulation powers—it worked.

"Let's find a quiet spot."

Using his material creation ability, Souta left some money on the table, then pulled Tanjiro out of the tavern.

They slipped into a secluded alley, and Souta activated the time-slowing field for both of them.

Instantly, everything around them sped up.

Birds and insects zipped by like comets.

The noise of the street accelerated dozens of times, turning into a bizarre mess of sounds.

Tanjiro's eyes widened. He looked up at the sky and saw the sun racing westward. Night fell, then dawn broke again soon after...

When the time was up, Souta deactivated the time-slow.

He smiled at Tanjiro: "Alright, two days have passed. Time to finish your Selection."

Ignoring Tanjiro's dumbfounded expression, Souta teleported him back to Mount Fujikasane.

He dropped him at the forest's edge and then went invisible, heading for the examiners' field filled with wisteria.

By then, five people had already gathered there.

The Ubuyashiki siblings stood on the front platform, counting time and waiting for survivors to return.

The boys in the Ubuyashiki family were often frail, and until age thirteen, they were raised like girls.

Had Souta not known this, he might've mistaken the two identically-dressed figures as sisters.

The younger, white-haired brother looked far too delicate for a boy.