o(*￣▽￣*)ブMany Thanks to Elijah Rabrenand Tobias V for their patronage!♥♥
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As it turned out, the whole "Flame 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 something 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 time 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 Flame Hashira…And that radiant, energetic Love Hashira… Would die too?
…It didn't feel real.
Having never personally witnessed someone die in front of him, Takeo couldn't truly grasp the weight of death.
Even if someone told him now that Kyojuro would die, that Mitsuri would die—he wouldn't feel much.
Because it didn't feel real.
Come to think of it, the closest Takeo had ever come to witnessing someone's death… was that time when the little troublemaker, Miura Ichiro, collapsed in a pool of blood.
Back then, he remembered 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 gleamed in the firelight.
A Nichirin sword.
The essential weapon of all Demon Slayer Corps members.
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 extremely effective against demons.
The moment 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 members of the Demon Slayer Corps were able to battle demons at all. Without a Nichirin sword, no weapon could inflict meaningful 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 time to come, 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 become a member 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—bloomed 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 become official members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Because of that, food and water were essential. At minimum, one needed enough supplies to last five days.
Senjuro seemed 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 former Flame Hashira, his brother was the current Flame Hashira, and even his brother's former tsuguko had become the Love Hashira.
In total, Senjuro personally knew three Hashira. It was no wonder he was so well-informed.
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 time.
From the looks of it, Takeo would have to travel through the night just to make it on time.
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 time—probably with no rest before the trial began.
But now, he had an extra three days to spare.
Since time was no longer pressing, Takeo eased up a bit.
With the sun having already set and no signs of nearby settlements, he decided to find a place to rest for the night and recover his energy.
He also wanted to spend some time thinking about how to develop his own original Breathing Technique.
Having already grasped both Wind Breathing and Flame 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.
Flame Breathing was one of the five foundational styles, so putting that aside—Love Breathing, which derived from Flame 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 time to fully explore.
So whenever he had free time, Takeo would ponder them—it had become a way to pass the time during travel.
Searching for a place to rest, combined with thinking about how to create a new Breathing Style, ended up taking more time than expected.
By the time 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 immediately 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 slammed 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 come 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 medium-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