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Chapter 2182: Cognitive Dissonance

Though the Little Garden was abuzz with rumors and speculation regarding the Sage Dragon\'s Hearth and their unscrupulous methods, the leaders of Kotoamatsukami couldn\'t help feeling nervous.

While most Communities would be in damage control, the members of the Sage Dragon\'s hearth, or, more specifically, Vahn demonstrated little regard for the rumors circulating about him and his Community. Instead, he continued to operate his business in the same manner as before, leisurely and however he pleased.

When approached by Communities specializing in news and journalism, Vahn\'s only response was that the Sage Dragon\'s Hearth was a neutral party that treated all who approached them in a fair and just manner. It didn\'t matter if they were good, evil, or somewhere in between. So long as they were willing to compromise and reach an agreement, the Sage Dragon\'s Hearth was willing to help any and all who sought their aid.

It was this statement that caused the leaders of Kotoamatsukami to begin sweating, as, rather than attempting to absolve himself of wrongdoing, Vahn\'s words and actions made it seem as though he simply didn\'t care. This wouldn\'t earn him any favors with the general public, but, so long as he kept minding his own business, the people would soon lose interest. The only reason most people even paid attention to such matters was because they enjoyed watching the drama unfold between rival organizations. Watching one group throw around accusations while the other simply ignored them wasn\'t very interesting…

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"Master. A delegation from the Nine Dragons Sword Association has arrived."

Nodding his head in response to the petite Vampire Princess\'s declaration, a smile developed across Vahn\'s face as he sat down his cup of tea and replied, "Thank you, Leticia. They have my permission to enter."

Returning a courteous bow, Leticia softly muttered, "As you will…" before raising her head and going to retrieve her Master\'s \'guests\'.

"I told you things were about to get interesting…"

Shifting his focus from the direction Leticia had departed, Vahn met the mesmerizing gaze of the buxom beauty seated next to him. In response, a remarkably predatory smile developed across the woman\'s face as she replied, "We\'ll see about that…"

Arriving shortly after Leticia\'s departure, three girls, each with very distinct features, made their way into the room.

The first, appearing as the leader of the group, was a petite woman around 158cm tall. She had long brown hair fastened into a neat ponytail, fiery-red eyes, and, despite her small stature, a fierce aura radiated from her body. As for her attire, she wore a two-layered kimono that was purple on the inside and reddish-orange on the outside. This was accompanied by a dark brown hakama, a pair of wooden geta, and a blue-green haori with the kanji for \'Dragon\' and \'Echigo\' sewn into the shoulders in golden print. On the back, pulsating with sword intent, were even larger kanji denoting the words \'Peerless\' and \'Heaven\'.

Dragging her feet lazily behind the prim and proper samurai beauty was, in Vahn\'s opinion, an even more remarkable woman with healthy brown skin, somewhat unkempt black hair, and paradoxically lazy-looking eyes that threatened to \'cut\' anyone that stared directly at them. She was much taller than the first woman, standing approximately 182cm even whilst barefoot. As for her clothing, she wore a grey tunic, matching trousers, a tattered-looking obi fastened with red cord, and a peculiar poncho that seemed to be lined with the feathers of an owl. She also had a modified amigasa, a circular straw hat covering her back, and, most notably, three different katanas, two at her hip and one, much larger blade resting in a sling on her back.

Following closely behind the second woman was a relatively normal-looking girl, who, at a glance, resembled any other girl you might encounter on the street. She was average height, possessed medium-length brown hair, brown eyes, and, though she was far from ugly, she wasn\'t going to be winning any beauty contests in the near future.

In spite of this description, the girl managed to stand out even more than the others due to the sheer \'normalcy\' exuding from her body. She seemed so out of place, yet, at the same time, gave off the impression that it was absolutely normal for her to be here. As for her clothes, they gave off an equally disconcerting impression as they seemed perfectly normal at first glance, but, the longer you looked at them, the more questions entered your mind…

Noticing Vahn\'s gaze, a marginally surprised expression appeared on the relatively normal-looking girl\'s face before she promptly tilted her head to the side and stuck out her tongue. Then, for a very brief moment, Vahn completely lost track of her until he noticed her standing in the corner with her hands in the front pockets of her oversized hoodie…

Interrupting before Vahn could ask what the mysterious girl was up to, the presumed leader of the group said, "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Vahn-dono. My name is Uesugi Kenshin. This is my compatriot, Miyamoto Musashi-dono. We are pleased to make your acquaintance."

Speaking before Vahn could return his greeting, the buxom beauty at his side promptly chimed in, asking, "Oh? You\'re \'the\' Miyamoto Musashi…?"

Though Kenshin adopted a disproving glower, the lazy-looking woman at her side maintained a completely neutral expression as she cooly answered, "Somethin\' like that…"

Adopting a massive grin, the woman sitting at Vahn\'s side, possessing pale-pink hair and eyes that glimmered with a different color depending on the angle you viewed them from, rose to her feet as she said, "What a coincidence…I just so happen to have the same-"

Reacting before Musashi could finish speaking, the raven-haired Musashi immediately drew one of the swords at her waist. At the exact same moment, almost as if her sword had always been drawn, the pink-haired Musashi charged forward with one of the most battle-hungry expressions Vahn had ever seen. Unfortunately, despite no time passing since the moment they drew their swords, Vahn managed to appear between the two Musashi(s), his hands closing around their respective blades as he said, "Not inside…"

Though he was pretty confident in the durability of the Sage Dragon\'s Hearth, Vahn knew better than to underestimate one Musashi, much less two. The duo had the power to cut through all of creation, so, even if they were in a closed-off space, there was a non-negligible chance that their attacks could pierce through the protective barriers of the Sage Dragon\'s Hearth and affect their surroundings. Hell, the duo were still holding back yet their blades had managed to pierce nearly a centimeter into the near-indestructible flesh of his palms…

Surprised by Vahn\'s ability to stop her sword with his bare hand, Musashi Black opened her mouth to speak even as her hand slipped towards the second katana at her waist. Fortunately, before she could draw it, the blade appeared in Kenshin\'s hand as the latter said, "Musashi-dono…s, I implore you to remain calm. We didn\'t come here to start a war."

With Musashi Pink already backing down, the raven-haired Musashi gradually retracted her intent, muttering, "Whatever…" as she freed her sword from Vahn\'s hand. Then, rather than returning the blade to its sheath, she stabbed it into the ground, explaining, "Let\'s hurry this along. Now that my Kagero has been drawn, it won\'t return to its sheathe before shedding blood…"

Surprising the bronze-skinned beauty, Vahn grasped the hilt of her sword before her eyes could widen so much as a single micron. A reddish-black haze immediately erupted from the blade, but, nearly as soon as it had appeared, the silvery edge had returned to normal as Vahn handed it back to her, saying, "That should have calmed it down a bit."

With her mouth hanging open, Musashi Black accepted her sword with a look of utter disbelief on her face. The Kagero was one of the Immortal Blacksmith\'s, Sengo Muramasa\'s masterpieces. It was a sword that would consume the souls of the slain and unworthy to increase its strength, so, seeing Vahn both handle it and pacify it with ease, Musashi found it difficult to believe this was the same sword that had caused her countless headaches…

Amused by the befuddled swordswoman\'s expression, Vahn explained, "I may not be the greatest Blacksmith in all of creation but I\'m pretty confident in my understanding of the heart and soul of weapons. I\'m also pretty handy with a sword so it would be pretty strange if I was unable to wield something like a Muramasa…"

Emphasizing his point, Vahn manifested his own Muramasa, a Zanpakuto by the name of Tokiwatari. It possessed the unique ability to sever time, but, more importantly, it clearly radiated the aura of a Muramasa blade.

As Muramasa was a close friend of hers, Musashi Black was intimately familiar with every blade her drinking buddy had forged. The Tokiwatari was not among them, so, after a moment of remarkably awkward silence, she met Vahn\'s gaze, asking, "Do you share an origin with Muramasa…?"

Smiling wryly in response to the unsurprising inquiry, Vahn returned Tokiwatari to his Soul Palace before returning to his seat and answering, "My origin is my own. Let\'s just say I drew inspiration from Muramasa-dono\'s work when I was forging that particular sword. Now, care to explain why the three of you have ventured all the way from the Nine Dragons Sword Association."

Though Musashi Black seemed genuinely confused by Vahn\'s words, Kenshin\'s expression briefly hardened as her grip on Musashi\'s second Muramasa tightened. Fortunately, she wasn\'t given the opportunity to draw it as the unremarkably mysterious girl chimed in to say, "I knew it. You really can see me, can\'t you?"

Showing just as much surprise as her raven-haired counterpart, Musashi Pink asked, "Who the hell? When did you get behind me…?"

Answering in the girl\'s stead, Vahn explained, "Nanashi no Hanako, the Demon Lord of the Lost and Forgotten. She is a Greater Demon representing lost children. Unless you are specifically looking for her, she can slip from your mind the moment you get distracted…"

Surprised by Vahn\'s words, Hanako\'s eyes lit up as she remarked, "How curious…tell me, what do I look like to you…?"

Though he was somewhat confused by Hanako\'s words, Vahn answered, "You look like a young girl between the age of 14-16 years old. You have brown hair, brown eyes, and relatively plain features that range between cute and unremarkable…"

With her eyes glowing with even greater intensity, Hanako took a few steps forward, asking, "And? What about my clothes~?"

Keeping the overly excited girl at bay with a weak telepathic push, Vahn\'s expression revealed a modicum of incredulity as he dutifully answered, "You\'re wearing an oversized, dark-grey hoodie with matching stockings…"

Seemingly surprised by Vahn\'s response, Hanako looked down at her body before pulling at the collar of her hoodie to get a better look at its contents. Then, with a slight pout on her face, she looked up at Vahn and remarked, "You must have experienced something pretty messed up if you imagined me without underwear…"

Confused by Hanako\'s words, Vahn shifted his gaze towards Loi-chan, the person who had revealed her identity. In response, she placed her finger on her chin, seemingly in deep thought before finally answering, "It seems her appearance and outfit change based on the perception of people viewing her? She was happy because you were able to see her true self. Now she\'s bothered by the fact you didn\'t imagine what her underwear would look like…?"

Realizing where the issue lie, a wry smile developed across Vahn\'s face as he asked, "How about now?"

Blinking in surprise, Hanako lifted her hoodie to find a pair of denim shorts and a comfortable, pristine-white blouse with red ribbons on the side. The shorts were a little tight, but, feeling the comfortable fabric beneath them, a radiant smile developed across her face as she asserted, "You really care about children, don\'t you? I can\'t even remember the last time I had clothes this warm and cozy…"

With Loi-chan promptly informing him that Hanako was telling the truth, the expression on Vahn\'s face gradually morphed into a fatherly smile. Before he could offer any comforting words, however, Hanako surprised everyone present by asking, "Can I stay here from now on? I don\'t think I need to explain this but being the Demon Lord of the Lost and Forgotten gets pretty lonely. Even if it\'s only for a short while, I would be happy if at least one kind person remembered me…most of the people who can see me aren\'t exactly pleasant-"

Seeing the indescribable melancholy in the depths of Hanako\'s hazel-brown eyes, Vahn didn\'t wait for her to finish speaking. Instead, he took a knee before wrapping his arms around her inordinately thin and frail body. Rather than a fifteen-year-old, she suddenly had the stature of a girl around ten. Thus, even though there was currently a knife sticking out of his abdomen, he embraced the young Demoness, answering, "Of course you can stay…"

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: \'People love drama…\',\'Vahn never misses a chance to show off…\',\'Uh…bro…you kind of have a…you know what? Nevermind…\')