47. Feeble? No, Ripped!
It had been six months since Kotaro and Mitsuri came to the Rengoku mansion for training to become demon slayers.
Today was the day when it would all come to an end because the time to test the fruits of their hard work had arrived.
"Kotaro and Mitsuri, I believe you will be able to clear the Final Selection and become demon slayers!"
The Final Selection—the test for which Kotaro and Mitsuri had trained. Six months... It was faster than normal, but both Mitsuri and Kotaro had done it.
Mitsuri was a genius. With her abnormal strength and the flexibility that came with it, she had a god-given cheat. Moreover, she had also created her own Breath Style—Love Breathing—adapting it from Flame Breathing, as it wasn't suited to her combat style.
"Love? Why did you name it that, Mitsuri?"
When Kotaro asked her curiously, she said with a flustered face that it was because she loved Kotaro-sama and wanted to protect him using this power, so she named it after love.
While he was touched, he thought – Why did she name it "Love" in the original one?
Well, thinking too much about it won't give an answer, so Kotaro stopped pondering about it.
Mitsuri was a genius, but what about Kotaro? Though he wasn't as naturally talented as Mitsuri, he, too, had a god-given cheat. And using that cheat, Kotaro took the crude way; he plowed through it with sheer hard work.
The ligaments are torn… Heal it using Hamon. The muscles are torn… Heal it using Hamon. Blood is coming out… Heal it using Hamon!
All the injuries that came from over-training were healed using Hamon. This reduced a lot of time for him. It was hellish but undeniably effective.
The only thing that stopped him was fatigue. He could heal himself, but fatigue is something that can't be healed using Hamon. Kotaro didn't possess the Paw-Paw Fruit to be able to bounce away fatigue like it was nothing. He had to get a good amount of rest and food to make it vanish.
After doing it for all six months… Bang! Look at those perfect muscles! The once feeble man is now ripped! It happened one morning when he returned from his daily run and took off his shirt to dry the sweat. Coincidentally, Mitsuri was out.
She just gulped at the sight and ran back with a flushed face. Kotaro who witnessed the incident just smirked, feeling happy over it.
What demon slayer? He felt like he had already earned the fruits of his hard work!
And those muscles weren't just for show. Kotaro's strength was able to match Mitsuri's! The constant abuse he put himself through—the "bleed and heal again and again" practice—had yielded phenomenal results. Moreover, his Hamon: Constant State also increased his base specs over time.
Now, he was ready to fight demons. All he and Mitsuri lacked was experience. No matter how strong one becomes physically, it doesn't guarantee proficiency in combat.
Fighting relies not only on physical factors but also on mental ones. One must be able to fight, not just have the power to fight.
Many people train for years to become demon slayers, only to cower when they finally face a demon. The do-or-die battles… These are the kinds of fights both Kotaro and Mitsuri need to become stronger. After all, you bet your life when you go to kill a demon.
The Final Selection takes place on Mount Fujikasane. Because of the Wisteria trees that grow from its base to its slope, it acts as a prison for demons, making it impossible for them to escape. Since they can't escape, they remain hungry until the Final Selection begins.
The mountain was a bit far from the Rengoku Mansion, so Kotaro and Mitsuri traveled by carriage and disembarked at the nearest village to Mount Fujikasane.
The exam was scheduled to take place at night for obvious reasons, so they took this small free time to go on a short date in the village.
"Kotaro-sama, this ramen is delicious!"
Mitsuri went straight to the food stalls, and Kotaro sighed, but with a small smile, he accompanied her.
It was a good thing he brought money from Kyojuro. Being generous, the fiery demon slayer told him to take as much as he wanted, and Senjuro also gave him extra, knowing Mitsuri would need some extra care.
Kotaro's eyes grew wet at the care he received. Kotaro decided that Rengoku was now his second last name, after Kenshin!
"Oh! You are such a beautiful lady. These earrings would look stunning on you. Why don't you buy them?"
In the midst of their date, a shopkeeper, acting as a proper saleswoman, tried to lure Mitsuri into buying some earrings she wanted to sell.
"R-Really?"
Mitsuri blushed at the compliment. Seeing her reaction, the woman's eyes glinted as if she had hooked a buyer.
"Of course! I never lie!"
'Sigh! Mitsuri is so gullible.'
Kotaro watched as Mitsuri was easily swayed by the woman, but he couldn't deny that the saleswoman was right—Mitsuri was indeed beautiful.
"Mitsuri, do you want to buy the earrings?"
"K-Kotaro-sama!"
Noticing Kotaro's arrival, the experienced saleswoman quickly realized he was the one she needed to convince, so she extended her tactics to him.
"Oh! Are you this beautiful lady's husband? What a lovely wife you have! Let me tell you, these earrings will only enhance her beauty!"
Ding! Kotaro Kenshin—lured successfully! Under her compliments, Kotaro was swayed and ended up buying the most expensive earrings the woman had.
The earrings were designed to resemble cherry blossoms—a golden ring encasing a pink-red cherry blossom flower. They were indeed beautiful.
"Here, take them, Mitsuri."
Mitsuri looked at the earrings with a smile and held them carefully. After all, these earrings were the first gift she had received from her beloved Kotaro-sama. She would definitely take good care of them. But before that…
"K-Kotaro-sama."
"Hmm? What is it, Mitsuri?"
Blushing, Mitsuri fidgeted a bit before handing the earrings to Kotaro. She then tucked her hair behind her ears and leaned toward him.
"C-Can Kotaro-sama put these earrings on me?"
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A/N:
Kotaro is now ripped! And with the power of Hamon, his strength has also reached Mitsuri's level. Now, he won't have problems at night!