Chapter 21: Another Strange Woman

At 8:00 in the morning, two little girls in purple kimonos appeared in the square. One had white hair, the other black. Their short hair reached their necks, covering the sides of their faces, with a wisteria hairpin at the left temple. They were the youngest daughters of the Ubuyashiki family. The current leader of the Demon Slayer Corps was their father, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who had sent them to oversee the selection at Mount Fujikasane.

The two girls walked across the square to the entrance of Mount Fujikasane, turned around, and scanned the crowd. The noisy square instantly quieted down.

The white-haired girl spoke first, "Thank you all for coming to the final selection of the Demon Slayer Corps."

The black-haired girl continued, "Behind us is the entrance to Mount Fujikasane, where demons captured by the Corps are imprisoned."

The white-haired girl added, "The demons cannot leave because the mountain is covered with wisteria flowers up to halfway up the mountain, which they hate."

The black-haired girl explained, "All you need to do to pass the selection is survive on the mountain for seven days."

The white-haired girl finished, "After seven days, at the same time and place, we will issue identification, uniforms, and materials for making Nichirin Blades to the new members."

The black-haired girl emphasized, "Those who die or flee into the wisteria forest will not be considered to have passed the selection."

The white-haired girl concluded, "The Ubuyashiki family will provide compensation for those who die. Those who flee will never be accepted."

"Good luck to you all."

The two little girls bowed to the crowd, then moved to either side of the mountain path entrance, maintaining a half-bow to honor the participants.

Even though the Ubuyashiki family was the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, the humility shown by their youngest daughters to the participants earned them respect, and it was no wonder the Ubuyashiki family had led the Corps for nearly a millennium.

Kimura led his large group up the stone steps toward the mountain, with Hatsune and Nae trailing behind. When Nae passed by the little girls, she specifically bowed to them in return.

As they reached nearly halfway up the mountain, the stone-paved path ended, giving way to dirt and overgrown weeds. A bald, wide-open space blocked their way, sunlight streaming down through a gap in the trees, creating a boundary line between life and death. 

Crossing this line meant entering the dense forest filled with deadly threats. Surviving, however, would bring great honor to one's family and oneself. In these demon-ravaged times, joining the Demon Slayer Corps was a source of immense pride.

It was daytime, and except for the depths of the forest where light couldn't penetrate, demons didn't dare to roam freely. The real danger would come at night.

Everyone knew this, so many treated the wide-open space as a temporary resting place, including Kimura's group. Moving forward into the forest might mean immediate encounters with demons, ending the selection prematurely. Staying here ensured safety during the day, so many were unwilling to take the risk.

At this moment, Kimura stood before the hastily assembled team, displaying his leadership skills.

"Everyone, let's rest here for now. The sunlight will keep the demons at bay, and we need to conserve our energy and strength to face the upcoming dangers."

"Yes, yes."

"Captain Kimura is right."

Everyone agreed and found comfortable spots to rest, some taking out water bottles from their backpacks to drink. Kimura and Emiko sat together on a smooth stone platform not far from the group. 

Emiko looked gloomy, still upset about what had happened earlier. 

After a while, a white figure appeared at the turn of the steps, and everyone remembered that there was still this one person they had forgotten about for so long.

Hatsune's expression remained indifferent. While everyone else looked as if they were facing a great enemy, he appeared to be leisurely sightseeing. He walked nonchalantly among the group, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, and strolled into the forest along a small, secluded path under everyone's astonished gazes. 

Following him was the timid girl in pink. Nae seemed overwhelmed by the stares of others, constantly keeping her head down in a submissive manner that was hard to watch, yet the two of them were together.

"See, I told you she didn't need your pity. If she was really scared, she wouldn't have come up," Kimura said, watching the strange pairing of white and pink in front of him, convinced that he had made the right decision earlier.

After Kimura's words, Emiko also felt relieved. 

The forest was eerily quiet, the silence unsettling. A damp, moldy smell filled the air, and a single yellow leaf fluttered down, landing in a pile of leaves with a faint rustle. Two figures walked unhurriedly along a path covered in weeds.

One was a handsome boy in white, the other a cute girl in pink, who seemed to be keeping her head down in guilt, following behind the boy.

These two were Hatsune and Nae.

After descending a gentle slope, they came to a straight path. 

Hatsune could no longer contain his frustration and suddenly stopped. Nae, unable to avoid him in time, bumped straight into his back. Besides the impact on her forehead, there were also two soft sensations.

Hatsune felt a strange sensation in his cold heart, turned around, and looked at Nae with a slightly angry expression, accidentally landing his gaze on her ample chest.

Feeling both angry and embarrassed, his face turned red, and he quickly looked away. He couldn't understand how a girl of seventeen or eighteen could develop like this.

Fortunately, Nae kept her head down and didn't notice his embarrassment. 

Hatsune took a deep breath, suppressing his panic, and spoke in his usual cold tone, "Why are you following me?"

Nae was startled, her body trembling. Despite facing Hatsune's question, she still didn't dare to look up and stammered, "I... I don't know who to follow. They... they don't want to be with me."

They don't want to be with you? Why would I want to be with you?

Why are women always so troublesome?

"We're here to participate in the Demon Slayer selection, not to make friends. Why do we have to stick together?"

"So, does that mean you want to be friends with me?" Nae suddenly looked up, clasped her hands together, and showed an excited expression.

She moved forward so suddenly that she almost bumped into Hatsune's chin. Fortunately, he dodged in time, narrowly avoiding it. However, her thought process left him baffled. How could she connect it to making friends? Couldn't she tell he was indirectly rejecting her?

Moreover, "making friends" was just something he said offhandedly, not even a decent excuse.