51. Demon Slayer Corps Aren't Human!
It seemed these animals had hidden during the nighttime, saving them from the clutches of the demons. Bad luck for them, because in the daytime, they fell into the clutches of a human.
"Mitsuri, I brought some food."
After savoring their romantic time, coupled with some deep kisses, Mitsuri and Kotaro left the summit. The only regret Kotaro had was that they were in a demon-infested forest; otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped at just kisses.
Anyway, Kotaro hadn't climbed the summit just to enjoy a romantic moment. It was to see if there was a river nearby. Such a large mountain with such a vibrant atmosphere had to have a river somewhere.
And he found it. As soon as they came down, Kotaro and Mitsuri made their way toward the river.
"Those Demon Slayer Corps aren't human!"
Not only did they not provide food, but they also didn't even give them water. Are they still human? A human can survive without food for seven days; it's hard, but in desperate times, they can do it. But without water? Are you serious?!
So, the priority was to find water. If Kotaro had searched for it on foot, it would have taken a long time. He took the rational path and climbed the summit to locate the water source.
And he was right.
"Kotaro-sama!"
Mitsuri, sitting by the river, stood up when she saw Kotaro returning with some wild rabbits and mushrooms. He wasn't much of a cook, so he handed everything over to her.
With Hamon, he crafted some utensils out of leaves and started a fire to cook the meat from the poor rabbit. Skewering the meat and mushrooms on a stick, they placed them over the fire to let them cook.
"Sigh! Thank goodness I have Hamon."
Hamon really is overpowered! If he had only Breathing Style, how would he have survived this Final Selection? Thanks to Hamon, he could not only start a fire with ease, but he could also make utensils from leaves and purify water to make it safe to drink.
Though he wasn't entirely sure if infusing Hamon into the water completely purified it, he assumed the bacteria were dead and drank it. Sometimes, having too much knowledge can be a burden. Look at Mitsuri; she was eating and drinking without a worry in her mind, while he constantly worried about how unhygienic everything was.
Is this the difference between minds from different times?
But for survival, Kotaro swallowed his worries, followed Mitsuri's lead, and ate and drank to fill his stomach.
After eating, the only thing left was to sleep. Finding a cool, shaded spot, Kotaro hugged Mitsuri, and the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.
…
Drip!
"Hmm?"
Drop!
Kotaro felt something cold and wet on his face. He opened his eyes, noticing that the evening sky was clouded.
"Are you serious?"
Not only did he have to survive seven days, but now it was going to rain too? Just kill him! Kotaro tried to sit up, only to feel a sharp pain in his waist from sleeping in an awkward posture.
"Damn! I will complain about this test! Are they sure they want to make us demon slayers? Why do I feel like they want to kill us instead?"
Still, he knew it wasn't the time to complain. The rain was about to start, and he needed to find a place to take cover. Unlike others, Kotaro didn't have the desperation to hunt demons in the rain. What if he or Mitsuri caught a cold?
"But the rain isn't all bad for me."
He was a Hamon user, and the more water there was, the better. It would be easier for him to kill demons in the rain.
"Mitsuri. It's time."
"Umm… Kotaro-sama…"
Mitsuri yawned and rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them. Because she had slept with her mouth open, some saliva was stuck to her cheeks, making Kotaro sigh. He wiped it off with the hem of his clothes. Afterwards, both of them went to the river to freshen up before setting off again.
"Mitsuri, let's find a place to take cover from the rain."
"Umm."
Figuring that demons lived in this mountain, Kotaro was sure there were caves that could be used as shelter. Otherwise, how did the demons hide from the sun during the day? To his luck, he found a cave not too far from the river.
"Let's go there."
Kotaro pointed to the cave and handed Mitsuri some jerky made from the smoked rabbit meat. As a precaution, they had prepared it to curb their hunger and aid their survival in the days ahead. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the food, and Mitsuri happily ate it as she followed Kotaro toward the cave.
As they neared the cave, Kotaro walked more cautiously, his grip on his staff tightening.
"Wait! Why am I looking with my eyes? I have Hamon."
Damn! Stupid him! Kotaro placed the staff on the ground and infused it with Hamon, which spread throughout the environment in the form of ripples. "Hamon Detector"—this move was too practical for him. What a shame that it was only used once or twice in the entire JoJo series.
The Hamon spread around and returned to him like a radar, making him aware of his surroundings. It was no surprise that he found a demon hiding in the cave from the sun. But…
"Why did I encounter this demon here?"
The demon he found was the one the protagonist, Tanjiro, fought in the Final Selection. It was that creepy Hand Demon.
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A/N:
Sorry, Tanjiro but Kotaro is paving an easier way for you to pass the Final Selection.