11. Modern Kotaro vs Old Kotaro [Edited]

"Oh! Kotaro-chan! Congratulations!"

"Y-Yes, thank you."

It didn't even take a whole day. As soon as the news of the engagement reached Aunt Aiko's ears, she didn't hesitate to spread it all around town. Now, Kotaro found himself showered with congratulations from everyone, from elderly ladies to young men.

"Kotaro, I heard you're about to get married? Is it true?"

"Y-Yes."

"Oh! Congratulations! Now you'll know the pain of being a husband!"

"Dear, did you say something?"

"N-No. I didn't say anything. Right, Kotaro?"

Twitch!

'These guys… Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to it.'

Aunt Aiko went on boasting about how perfect her matchmaking skills were and how she knew Mitsuri was the perfect fit for Kotaro. She spread rumors about how a man, after more than 20 attempts, finally found his dream partner. And why?

Because of the excellent matchmaker Aiko!

She exaggerated his story just to make her business more profitable! Kotaro was already fuming about it, but shouldn't she at least share some of her profits with him? It was his situation that made her successful!

"She did a good job spreading it all around."

Though he agreed to the marriage, he never wanted to become such big news!

Kotaro didn't know he was quite popular in town. He was oblivious to it, but his unique temperament and scholarly profession made many single women interested in him.

That's why the news of his marriage was breaking news for these people. But as annoyed as Kotaro was, it didn't feel bad. After all, he was in love. And love makes everything beautiful.

"Mitsuri…"

His mind drifted back to the moment they kissed under the cherry tree. Damn! Before, he didn't want to, but now he couldn't wait to get married!

But it was certainly strange that he craved it so much. Was it the inner otaku, the part of him that got excited over the fact that he was about to marry an anime waifu?

"It is certainly exciting."

Yes, it's certainly the case. Becoming a married person and having an anime waifu was great, but it certainly added more stress to Kotaro.

The existence of an anime waifu meant that he was in an anime.

And fortunately, from the name of the waifu, he guessed it.

"The Demon Slayer."

When Mitsuri's existence revealed the bigger picture, he didn't have time to think deeply about it. But now, he had the time.

And all this time, Kotaro couldn't fall asleep. The fact that this world harbors man-eating demons made him too afraid.

When he was ignorant, he was carefree. But now that he was enlightened, he was too worried! The thought that demons might attack and eat him anytime, with him powerless to stop it, was terrifying.

When he first got reincarnated, Kotaro tried to find out if he had some kind of power, a cheat gifted by the gods. But he didn't find anything.

"System!"

"Status Open!"

"Fireball!"

He tried it all, and even trained his body for a while to see if he had any physical talents, but no.

He was a normal human, just like most.

Not finding any danger for so long made him think that his reincarnated world was a normal, simple world.

But Mitsuri's existence changed all that.

"What should I do?"

Kotaro had only watched the anime. The manga's quality was just so-so, making him ignore it. But he knew a lot, considering the anime was completed up to the "Hashira Training Arc."

All that was left were the "Infinity Castle Arc" and the "Sunrise Countdown Arc."

"Should I join the demon slayers?"

This thought crossed his mind multiple times. It was because he wanted to learn the breathing techniques and some skills to protect himself.

Personal strength is the best form of security.

But there was a problem with this approach. If he joined the demon slayers, he would be obligated to fulfill their duties.

He would have to wander and hunt down demons, which he didn't want to do!

He just wanted to gain some strength, enough to protect himself and Mitsuri, and live a comfortable life. Speaking of Mitsuri, couldn't he make her strong enough to protect him?

She had more talents as a slayer than he did. Wouldn't it be great?

But… he didn't want her to risk her life while he stayed behind. If he said it, Mitsuri would agree because of her nature, but it was too shameful for him.

As a husband, he had to fulfill some husband duties, right?

"Sigh! I can't think of a perfect answer."

Inside Kotaro's mind, thoughts clashed. Two conflicting ideas were vying for dominance. The first was the modern Kotaro—the one who had the thoughts of his previous life, who wanted him to join the demon slayers and learn fighting techniques to gain some power. As for the demerits of wandering and hunting down demons… Isn't that part of the adventure?

Since he was reincarnated, he should live a grand life. Become a hero, eliminate demons, and strive to become the strongest demon slayer.

Moreover, he could get paid too! So, no chance of going broke.

But the old Kotaro—the one who was content with the current slow life—warned him of the risks. Since he hadn't encountered a single demon to date, why should he actively search for them?

There was no need to actively seek danger and risk his life to gain some fighting strength. After all, he might be able to spend his whole life without encountering a demon, right?

Most people do.

The fact that demons exist felt more like folklore, with minorities believing and the majority scoffing at it.

And it's not like he had to live his whole life constantly in fear. If he was correct, Mitsuri was 17 years old. By the time she was 19, Tanjiro, the protagonist, would be 15 or 16.

This meant that within a span of 2 years, the demon progenitor would die. So, as long as he could hide for 2 years, wouldn't he be safe?

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A/N:

Here, I wanted to show the inner turmoil of the protagonist: one thought wants to become a demon slayer to live a grander life, while the other is content with a slow and easy life.

Modern Kotaro represents dreams, while Old Kotaro represents reality.

How does that sound?