o(*￣▽￣*)ブMany Thanks to Elijah Rabren and Tobias V for their patronage!♥♥
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As it turned out, the whole "Fla Hashira x Love Hashira" thing was just a misunderstanding on Takeo's part.
On the way to retrieve the sword, Takeo learned that Mitsuri behaved like that with everyone—cheerful, friendly, energetic, and easily flustered.
It wasn't sothing reserved just for Kyojuro.
The little spark of gossip that had flared up in Takeo's heart quickly fizzled out.
Makes sense. The Hashira were constantly out slaying demons, rarely gathered in one place—how would they even have ti to form a relationship…?
Besides… this world is called "Hashira Slayer."
Just thinking about that suddenly made Takeo's mood a little heavy.
If his guess about this world's "plot" was right, and the story really did end with nearly all the Hashira dying…Then that passionate Fla Hashira…And that radiant, energetic Love Hashira… Would die too?
…It didn't feel real.
Having never personally witnessed soone die in front of him, Takeo couldn't truly grasp the weight of death.
Even if soone told him now that Kyojuro would die, that Mitsuri would die—he wouldn't feel much.
Because it didn't feel real.
Co to think of it, the closest Takeo had ever co to witnessing soone's death… was that ti when the little troublemaker, Miura Ichiro, collapsed in a pool of blood.
Back then, he rembered feeling… furious. But once he realized Ichiro was actually okay, that anger quickly faded—replaced only by curiosity about that water demon.
Maybe… Takeo still hadn't fully integrated into this world.
"This is the one!"
Kyojuro's booming voice snapped Takeo out of his thoughts.
"Hmm?" Takeo looked up and saw Kyojuro holding out a Nichirin sword to him.
The sword had a black scabbard. The handle was wrapped in soft sakura-pink cloth, and the tsuba—the handguard—was a regular pentagon shape.
When Takeo drew the blade, the silver-gray edge glead in the firelight.
A Nichirin sword.
The essential weapon of all Demon Slayer Corps mbers.
It was said that Nichirin swords were forged from a special ore known as scarlet crimson iron sand and scarlet crimson ore—materials capable of absorbing sunlight and storing it within.
As a result, the blade was extrely effective against demons.
The mont one of these blades severed a demon's neck, no matter how powerful the demon was, it would be reduced to ashes.
Just like a demon being exposed to direct sunlight.
It was thanks to these swords that mbers of the Demon Slayer Corps were able to battle demons at all. Without a Nichirin sword, no weapon could inflict aningful damage on a demon.
That was exactly why Takeo had wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps—to obtain a Nichirin sword of his own.
"Take that sword and head to the Final Selection!"
Seeing Takeo still staring in awe, Kyojuro urged him again.
Gathering his focus, Takeo took a deep breath, then reached out and wrapped his fingers around the hilt.
The process might've been a little unconventional… but at last, he had obtained a blade capable of killing demons—a Nichirin sword.
For the next two weeks… no—for a long ti to co, this sword would be his most treasured possession.
"Thank you, Kyojuro-san. I'll take good care of it."
Takeo bowed his head and earnestly expressed his gratitude.
...
Kyojuro had to leave in a hurry. After handing over the Nichirin sword, he and Mitsuri departed under cover of night.
As for Takeo, the next morning, carrying food and supplies packed for him by Senjuro, he set out on his journey toward Mount Fujikasane.
Anyone who wished to beco a mber of the Demon Slayer Corps—regardless of who they were—had to first pass the Final Selection.
The location for the Final Selection was a place known as Mount Fujikasane, where wisteria flowers—a natural repellent to demons—blood year-round. The Corps would send captured demons there, using them to test the worthiness of potential recruits.
To pass the test, candidates had to survive on the mountain for seven days. Only then would they earn the right to beco official mbers of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Because of that, food and water were essential. At minimum, one needed enough supplies to last five days.
Senjuro seed very familiar with the whole process. He efficiently prepared dry rations for Takeo and explained that Mount Fujikasane had natural water sources, so there was no need to worry about drinking water.
Though Senjuro had no intention of becoming a Demon Slayer himself, he knew a surprising amount about the Corps.
But then again, it made perfect sense—his father was a forr Fla Hashira, his brother was the current Fla Hashira, and even his brother's forr tsuguko had beco the Love Hashira.
In total, Senjuro personally knew three Hashira. It was no wonder he was so well-inford.
Mount Fujikasane was located quite far from Tokyo. And in this era—where there were few vehicles and trains only ran between major cities—two weeks wasn't a lot of ti.
From the looks of it, Takeo would have to travel through the night just to make it on ti.
Fortunately, nearly two months had passed since his arrival in this world. The weather was gradually warming as spring approached, and thanks to his strong regenerative ability, Takeo didn't have to worry about freezing to death during overnight travel.
Otherwise, he never would've dared to travel by night in the cold.
"Good… At this pace, I should arrive at Mount Fujikasane three days early."
One week later, while traveling at night, Takeo estimated the remaining distance and finally let out a small breath of relief.
Thanks to his extraordinary stamina and regeneration, he had been able to travel through the night without sleep.
Otherwise, the full two weeks would've only just barely gotten him to Mount Fujikasane in ti—probably with no rest before the trial began.
But now, he had an extra three days to spare.
Since ti was no longer pressing, Takeo eased up a bit.
With the sun having already set and no signs of nearby settlents, he decided to find a place to rest for the night and recover his energy.
He also wanted to spend so ti thinking about how to develop his own original Breathing Technique.
Having already grasped both Wind Breathing and Fla Breathing was proof that he had talent—so maybe he really could develop a unique Breathing Style suited to him!
The problem was, he had no clue where to even begin.
Or rather, he didn't know what kind of Breathing Technique he should try to create.
Fla Breathing was one of the five foundational styles, so putting that aside—Love Breathing, which derived from Fla Breathing, clearly reflected Kanroji Mitsuri's personality and character.
So what about Takeo? What kind of Breathing Technique would suit his personality and physical traits?
These were questions that would take a long ti to fully explore.
So whenever he had free ti, Takeo would ponder them—it had beco a way to pass the ti during travel.
Searching for a place to rest, combined with thinking about how to create a new Breathing Style, ended up taking more ti than expected.
By the ti the moon had climbed high and the sky was completely engulfed in night, Takeo finally realized—he still hadn't found a place to sleep.
"…Looks like I'll be camping outdoors again."
Glancing around at the surrounding forest, Takeo scratched his head with a sigh.
Just as he was about to find a random tree to sleep in, a sharp, piercing cry of a baby rang through the stillness of the night.
"Waaah~~!"
The cry imdiately made Takeo abandon the idea of resting in a tree.
He turned toward the direction of the sound, his brows furrowing slightly, and sprinted toward where the crying was coming from.
But just as he entered the forest and started making his way toward the source, a figure suddenly burst out of the underbrush—
And slamd into him with alarming precision!
Bang!
"Uwaaah! That hurts! Who are you?!"
The one who collided with him let out a wail first. Takeo, who had stumbled back two steps from the impact, twitched at the corner of his mouth and looked at the person who'd run into him.
"Pretty sure I should be asking you that! Where did you even co from? Wait a second… a girl?!"
He looked more closely at the person in the moonlight—and finally saw her clearly.
Though her figure was a bit slender, she still had the distinct curves of a young woman.
Her dium-length black hair hung loosely over her shoulders, slightly wavy like soft ripples, without a single accessory.
Her face was rather cute, though unfortunately, a scar along her chin disrupted the harmony of her features.
But her eyes—those stood out most of all. A calm, watery light-blue, clear and serene like a still pond.
What caught Takeo's attention the most, however, was the sword at her waist.
The blade looked very similar to a Nichirin sword, yet she wasn't wearing the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform…
So… was she a prospective recruit, like him?
Judging by her gear and direction of travel toward Mount Fujikasane, Takeo arrived at that conclusion.
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12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI
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