44. Well Done, Senjuro

"Kotaro!"

"Yes!"

It's coming!

Kyojuro dashed toward Kotaro, aiming a punch at his head. Unlike before, Kotaro was now somewhat accustomed to combat. In the past, he would subconsciously close his eyes and swing his hands haphazardly, but now he could at least keep his eyes open during spars.

'Head.'

Reading the trajectory perfectly, Kotaro tilted his head to the side, dodging the punch. But it was a feint. Kyojuro smiled and redirected the dodged punch toward him, causing Kotaro's eyes to widen.

But all his training hadn't been in vain. In that split second, he ducked, dodging the punch and surprising Kyojuro.

"Take that!"

From his low position, he swept his leg in a low kick, trying to make Kyojuro lose his balance.

'It's my win!'

While Kotaro had gained some experience, he was still a fledgling. And Kyojuro? He was a Kinoe, the top-ranked demon slayer who was just a step away from earning the title of Hashira. How could he lose?

Kyojuro's trained instincts kicked in, and he jumped, dodging the unexpected attack from Kotaro.

"Damn! How did you dodge that!"

"Hahaha! Kotaro, you still have a long way to go. But that was amazing. And don't forget…"

Kotaro, whose concentration wavered for a second, suddenly found himself facing a foot coming straight at him.

"The spar isn't over yet!"

Bang!

Kyojuro's foot connected with Kotaro's face, sending him rolling backward with force. And with that, Kyojuro won the spar!

"Kyojuro, you shouldn't have hit me in the face! What if it gets disfigured?"

Though Kotaro wasn't particularly handsome, he still liked his face! And now, thanks to Kyojuro, there was a mark on it.

"Sorry! But don't worry. If anything happens, I'll take care of you!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Ani-ue! Kotaro-san!"

In the middle of their skirmish, Senjuro appeared alongside Mitsuri, holding plates of sweets and snacks with tea.

"Kotaro-sama, what happened to your face?"

"Oh! Mitsuri and Senjuro, you're both here. And this mark, it was Kyojuro who kicked me in the face!"

"Hahaha!"

"Don't laugh!"

Both Senjuro and Mitsuri giggled, making the atmosphere more cheerful at Kotaro's expense.

"But why are you two here?"

"We thought Ani-ue and Kotaro-san might be exhausted and brought some snacks."

Kotaro looked at the food, felt a growl from his stomach, and realized he should take a rest and replenish a bit before sparring again.

"Kyojuro, let's take a break."

"But didn't we have lunch a moment ago? Kotaro, let's use that passion in our hearts and practice more!"

"Kyojuro, Senjuro brought miso soup with sweet potatoes as well."

"Let's take a break!"

"You…"

…

"It's delicious!"

Kyojuro took another bite and shouted again, flaring his fiery hair.

"Delicious!"

Twitch!

"Shut up! Don't shout so loudly, Kyojuro!"

How would one feel when someone shouted "Delicious" so loudly that your eardrums might explode? Kyojuro's shout was so loud and surprising that Kotaro almost dropped his tea on himself. With a bit of mishandling, he might have burned himself.

"Hehe… Ani-ue is really energetic."

Senjuro understood his big brother's personality well and laughed dryly.

"He's not just energetic; he's super energetic."

"Well, that's why he's Ani-ue, right, Kotaro-san?"

"I'm not going to deny that."

Kotaro smiled as he ate the sakuramochi made by his beloved Mitsuri. As energetic as Kyojuro was, if he wasn't that lively, he wouldn't be Kyojuro.

"Hmm… It's delicious. Mitsuri, you're really a good cook."

"R-Really?"

"Of course. I never lie."

Mitsuri was quite happy with Kotaro's compliment and, like a good wife, recommended more of the snacks she had made for Kotaro to try. Senjuro, watching their interaction, remembered that they were a married couple, something he often forgot.

"Kotaro-san and Mitsuri are married, right?"

"That's right, Senjuro. Mitsuri is my cute wife."

Kotaro proudly said as he patted Mitsuri's head. And Mitsuri… She was all flustered from being called cute in front of everyone.

"C-Cute! Kotaro-sama, not in front of others…"

But her reaction only made her cuter, so not calling her cute was out of the question. Senjuro observed them, noticing how different they were from the married couples he knew, but he could still see that both were happy from their smiles.

'Did Father also smile that often when Mother was alive? If he was, then maybe now he would have…'

"Huh? Senjuro, what's wrong? You suddenly look a bit sad."

"Oh! It's nothing, Kotaro-san."

Senjuro smiled to show his assurance, but Kotaro wasn't a reincarnator for nothing. With his previous life memories, he kind of understood Senjuro's state. Senjuro Rengoku was a caring individual with low self-esteem, similar to Mitsuri, due to an abusive father and a lack of talent in combat.

"Senjuro."

"Huh?"

"Don't keep that sad smile."

Kotaro's direct words made Senjuro's smile falter. Kyojuro also paused his chomping, and Mitsuri snapped out of her embarrassed state as the atmosphere grew tense.

"W-What are you talking about, Kotaro-san?"

"Senjuro. Don't belittle yourself. If you keep that sad smile on your face all the time, one day, you might truly feel that you have no meaning in life. That's why…"

Kotaro looked straight into Senjuro's eyes with a smile as he ruffled his hair.

"That's why you shouldn't keep that sad smile all the time. Just because you're not talented in fighting doesn't make you any less worthy. A person's goal in life is to become a good human being. And you can achieve that without becoming a demon slayer."

Kotaro's calm and heartfelt words stirred something in Senjuro's heart, and, unknowingly, tears began to fall from his eyes.

"Senjuro, you've done enough."

"Huh? These… These tears aren't mine…"

The tears kept flowing from Senjuro's eyes. He panicked and tried to wipe them away, but they didn't stop. No matter how much he tried, the tears wouldn't cease.

At that moment, he felt warmth from above and found Kotaro's hand gently patting his head. He turned his red, tear-filled eyes toward Kotaro and froze.

Kotaro was looking at him with a bright smile that radiated an unprecedented warmth. It felt like the gentle warmth of the early morning sun.

"Well done, Senjuro. You did well to persevere. I, no, we're proud of you."

Kotaro, Kyojuro and Mitsuri… All of them nodded and the dam couldn't hold anymore—it broke.

"Kotaro… Kotaro-nii-san!"

Kotaro just hugged the crying boy into his arms, with Kyojuro and Mitsuri watching the moment with gentle smiles.

===

A/N:

A bit of slice of life.