Star Rail: As a Researcher, I Joined the Chat Group

Chen Mu was not even from this world.

Could it be that all their efforts had merely been to wait for an outsider to come solve their problems?

That would undoubtedly be a denial of them.

A world naturally had its own course of history to follow.

Even eagles knew to let their young venture out on their own—to struggle, to survive, to bloom—instead of sheltering them blindly.

Let alone humans.

All Chen Mu had done was give them a push from behind.

Of course.

Just like the Emperor's Bow Lord and the Xianzhou.

If the Xianzhou truly reached a point where it could not resolve a crisis on its own, Chen Mu would naturally eliminate that crisis with "one arrow."

But Muzan Kibutsuji was merely Muzan Kibutsuji.

He clearly had not reached that level.

If Muzan Kibutsuji saw so many "Tsugikuni Yoriichis," he would probably be dumbfounded on the spot.

"Yes! Thank you, Chen Mu. This is enough."

Kochou Kanae's face was full of excitement as she hurriedly spoke.

Naturally, she had no objections to this.

This was already more than enough. He had helped her tremendously.

Kochou Shinobu, standing beside her, was equally shocked.

As a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, she naturally understood what the Nichirin Blade and Breathing Techniques Chen Mu had produced meant.

No wonder her sister had said she could never repay him.

Such an immense favor was impossible for any member of the Demon Slayer Corps to repay.

"I only made this one Nichirin Blade for you. Keep it for yourself and don't give it to anyone else. As for the Breathing Techniques, do as you please. If you want to teach them to the other members of the Demon Slayer Corps, then teach them."

Chen Mu said it casually, smiling.

Kochou Kanae nodded earnestly.

"If you want one too, Shinobu, I can make one for you. Have your sister pass it along to you when the time comes."

Chen Mu said as he watched Kochou Shinobu staring at Kochou Kanae's Nichirin Blade.

"Huh? Is that okay?" Kochou Shinobu asked.

"Of course it is," Chen Mu replied.

Kochou Shinobu's face reddened slightly with embarrassment, but she truly wanted a blade like that to protect her sister. She handed over her own Nichirin Blade. "Then I'll trouble you, Chen Mu."

Chen Mu nodded and accepted the Nichirin Blade.

It was only a minor matter to him. Kochou Kanae's Nichirin Blade had merely been something he modified on a whim.

"Since everything is settled, I'll head back first," Chen Mu said.

"Huh? You're leaving so soon?" Kochou Kanae asked in surprise.

"Yeah. My main purpose in coming to the Demon Slayer World was to observe demons. Now that I've accomplished that, and I've given you the Nichirin Blade and Breathing Techniques, I want to get back and study them properly."

Chen Mu took out the container holding Douma's blood as he spoke.

Kochou Kanae broke out in a cold sweat.

He really was a research fanatic.

But now that he had put it that way, she naturally had no reason to stop him.

"All right, then. Chen Mu, you're welcome to come visit anytime," Kochou Kanae said.

She had originally wanted to say that it was such a waste to use up one of their free cross-world travels and leave so quickly, and to ask Chen Mu to stay in her world a little longer.

But when she considered how quickly Chen Mu earned Points...

Well, it did not seem like much at all.

Chen Mu nodded.

Just as when he had arrived, he vanished from the spot.

Kochou Shinobu was left staring in a daze.

So she had not been mistaken before.

Chen Mu really had appeared out of nowhere, and now he had vanished just as suddenly.

Combined with all the miraculous things Chen Mu had displayed...

Kochou Shinobu could not help looking at her sister and asking foolishly, "Sister, could Chen Mu be one of the legendary gods?"

Kochou Kanae froze for a moment, then replied with a laugh, "Of course not!"

Though she still felt he was not much different from a god...

Not Like There Wasn't Marriage as a Way to Repay Him?

"I see."

Hearing Kochou Kanae's words, Kochou Shinobu snapped out of her thoughts and said with a smile:

"Although I don't know how you came to know Chen Mu, Sister, I finally understand why you were so troubled over how to repay him."

At that, Kochou Kanae truly felt a little melancholy and said:

"Yes... Chen Mu has helped me so much, but there's nothing I can do for him. It really is troubling..."

Kochou Shinobu's eyes darted about as she teased:

"If you really don't know how to repay him, isn't there always offering yourself in marriage, Sister?"

Kochou Kanae froze.

A blush immediately spread across her face as she instinctively retorted:

"Shinobu, what are you talking about?! Offering myself in marriage... how could that be possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be possible? I can tell that you have a very favorable impression of Chen Mu, Sister. Isn't that right?"

Kochou Shinobu blinked as she asked.

"Well, um..."

Kochou Kanae was left speechless, unable to refute her for a moment.

After all, Chen Mu had helped her so much, and from Kochou Kanae's perspective, he had an excellent personality as well.

After meeting him this time, she had learned that Chen Mu was not only young, but also very handsome.

How could she possibly not have a favorable impression of him?

"See? Since you really do like Chen Mu, Sister, and you don't know how to repay him, why not?"

Kochou Shinobu analyzed seriously, then added, "And I think Chen Mu likes you too, Sister. Otherwise, why would he make not only a Nichirin Blade for you, but one for me as well? Wasn't it because of you?"

Kochou Kanae: "...?"

Huh? Was that how it was?

Kochou Kanae's eyes widened at those words, finding it somewhat hard to believe.

Hadn't Chen Mu made a Nichirin Blade for Shinobu because Shinobu had once been the female lead in an anime Chen Mu liked...?

No, that wasn't right.

Like her, Shinobu seemed to have died too, so she probably wasn't the female lead?

Could it really have been because he loved her and thus extended that affection to her sister?

At that thought, Kochou Kanae's heart raced, and her whole face felt hot.

"If it's Chen Mu, the one who saved both me and Sister, then I wouldn't mind at all if Sister married him," Kochou Shinobu said.

"Ugh... Stop saying that, Shinobu. This kind of thing... this kind of thing... let's talk about it after I eliminate Muzan Kibutsuji."

Kochou Kanae felt as though her embarrassment had reached its limit and could only hastily call a stop to it.

Kochou Shinobu looked at her sister in exasperation, as though she could not bear her lack of resolve.

Meanwhile.

Chen Mu was currently returning to the Star Rail world.

However, unlike when he had arrived.

This time, he did not use the Chat Group's power to return. Instead, he used his own abilities to see whether he could make it back to the Star Rail world.

After all, the power within him.

Was the power of Qlipoth, the Trailblaze Aeon!

Crossing worlds and spatial jumps were practically right in his wheelhouse.

How could Chen Mu possibly not give it a try?

And to Chen Mu's delight.

Although it was slow.

A place that the Chat Group could have brought him to in an instant took him quite some time to reach, but it really worked!

He could actually use the Trailblaze Aeon's power within his body to cross dimensions?

This discovery.

Filled Chen Mu with excitement.

In other words, from now on, any world he had visited once could be revisited without relying on the Chat Group. He could reach it with his own power.

Chen Mu did not care much about the small number of Points required for world travel. What mattered to him was this power itself.

There was still some time before they arrived at the Astral Express.

Chen Mu turned his attention to the Chat Group.

When he looked, good lord—it already had 999+ unread messages.

After scrolling through the chat logs, he discovered that Kochou Kanae had started a livestream earlier.

Chen Mu: "You people really have nothing better to do, huh~"

Hoshino Ai: "Lord Chen Mu is online!!! Big shot, please carry us! Waaah waaah waaah!!!"

Tokisaki Kurumi: "Lord Chen Mu is online!!! Big shot, please carry us! Waaah waaah waaah!"

Gotoh Hitori: "Lord Chen Mu is online!!! Big shot, please carry us! Waaah waaah waaah!"

Chen Mu: "Lord Chen Mu is online!!! Big shot, please carry us! Waaah waaah waaah!"

Hoshino Ai: "@Chen Mu, hey! Some big shot is seriously going too far! Even if you're going to repeat it, don't repeat your own words!!!"

Chen Mu: "What else could I do? The moment I came in, I saw you all going crazy. If I didn't join in, wouldn't I look totally out of place?"

Tokisaki Kurumi: "Ara~ What do you mean, 'going crazy'? That sounds so unpleasant. We were clearly expressing our admiration for you, Mr. Chen Mu."

Hoshino Ai: "Exactly, exactly. Someone finally couldn't keep it hidden anymore, huh? You kept saying you were just an ordinary researcher, but the moment you made a move, you gave yourself away."

Hoshino Ai: "We're all in the same group, so don't play the pig to eat the tiger. Lord Chen Mu, you said you were an ordinary person? You can't hide it anymore! Just confess honestly!"

Gotoh Hitori: "Um... um... I'm just a heartless repeater. Mr. Chen Mu, just confess honestly."