48. It's a Freaking Staff!

"It's beautiful."

Mitsuri's eyes glowed when she saw the wisteria flowers shining all around them. It was a breathtaking sight, enough to make them forget that they were walking toward a place inhabited by demons.

"Hmm. It is indeed beautiful."

Kotaro agreed with Mitsuri. He too was mesmerized by the view and instinctively wanted to take a photo, only to realize that he had no phone with him.

Old habits die hard, huh?

"Mitsuri, are you nervous?"

Mitsuri halted at Kotaro's words. Moments earlier, Kotaro had noticed her trembling hands as they entered the path toward the mountain.

"Hehehe~ It seems I can't hide it from Kotaro-sama."

"Of course! How much do you think I love you? I know everything about you."

Mitsuri blushed but smiled, feeling blessed to have such a husband. Kotaro walked up to her, placed his hands on her cheeks, and made her look into his eyes.

"Mitsuri, even now, there is time. Are you sure you want to do this? We can still turn back. There's no need to feel bad if we decide to go back now."

Her eyes widened slightly but then returned to normal. She placed her hand over Kotaro's hand and nuzzled her cheek against it.

Kotaro was a bit surprised by her new action but didn't mind it—in fact, he was happy about it. Mitsuri was embarrassed but took the initiative, driven by her instincts. She wanted to feel more warmth from him. Kotaro's words showed how much he cared about her, which made Mitsuri happy and determined.

"Kotaro-sama, I'm alright."

Mitsuri smiled brightly, pumping her fists and causing her chest to jiggle a bit.

"I'm a bit nervous, but I still want to protect Kotaro-sama. So, I have to do this!"

Kotaro smiled at her determination and patted her head. Mitsuri, like a content pet, moved her head closer to his hand, enjoying the affection.

"Mitsuri."

"Yes, Kotaro-sama?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Kotaro-sama."

Kotaro pulled her close, and his face moved closer to hers. Understanding his intention, Mitsuri raised her slender neck and lifted her lips toward him.

And under the mystical scene of the wisteria trees, the couple embraced and kissed deeply, as if there were no tomorrow.

…

Soon Kotaro and Mitsuri climbed the stairs and reached the end of the path, where two giant red pillars greeted them at the entrance. Connecting the giant pillars was a string with some papers displaying strange symbols.

"Hmm… What are those symbols?"

Kotaro tried to think but couldn't remember anything about them. Had his memory degraded over time?

"No, I'm sure it didn't mention anything about the symbols. If there was a symbol…"

The only symbol Kotaro could recall from the story was the wisteria crest, associated with the family that helps demon slayers stay and rest free of charge. This family had been saved by a demon slayer in the past, so, out of gratitude, they designed their family crest with a wisteria flower to make it identifiable to the corps members.

However, Kotaro's pondering was interrupted as he felt the gazes of the other participants.

Many people, just like him, were standing there to participate the Final Selection. Some of them were clean, while others still had dirt on them, indicating that they had probably arrived at this site right after their training.

"Mitsuri, are you alright?"

"K-Kotaro-sama…"

Mitsuri was stiff, feeling the weight of so many gazes upon them. Kotaro chuckled at her reaction; it is indeed nerve-wracking when many people look at you at once.

"Don't worry; they won't pay much attention after a while."

Yes, they were sizing him up just as he was sizing them up. But even after some time, Kotaro noticed that these people were still looking at him with surprised eyes.

"Hmm? Why are they still looking at me…?!"

Then he realized the problem. Kotaro looked at his hand, where he was holding his weapon. It was not the standard blade that everyone else had but a freaking staff!

Kotaro was holding an ordinary iron staff, which was a bit longer than him. How could he not attract attention with such a weapon?

Now, Kotaro could only smile sheepishly in front of everyone. But what could he do? He didn't need a sword to fight!

Unlike traditional demon slayers who relied on a decisive strike with their swords, Kotaro just needed to land hits. Since he aimed to hit harder, he needed a weapon that suited this approach.

However, Kyojuro had only spare blades, as he primarily used swords. He had given one of his nichirin blades to Mitsuri for this selection.

Kotaro couldn't make his customized nichirin weapon because he wasn't a Demon Slayer Corps member yet. All he could do was ask a normal blacksmith to provide him with a weapon.

Creating Playful Cloud would take time, and he didn't have that time. So, in the end, he bought the iron staff lying on the floor from the blacksmith as his weapon for this selection.

But all the fuss about his unconventional weapon ceased when…

"Dear participants, thank you for gathering here to join the Demon Slayer Corps's Final Selection."

…the Final Selection, for which everyone had worked so hard, began.

===

A/N:

Training is over! It's time for some action!