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50.57% My Cute Wife is Mitsuri Kanroji / Chapter 44: 44. Well Done, Senjuro

Bab 44: 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.


Bab 45: 45. Hamon is Too Overpowered

"Thank you, Kotaro," Kyojuro said sincerely as he patted his little brother, who had fallen asleep after crying so much. Kyojuro was always lively, but he wasn't a fool. He was highly perceptive of emotions and understood the world around him deeply.

For a long time, he had been worried about his brother, who seemed to be trying to live up to the expectations of their father and Kyojuro himself, wanting to become a demon slayer to succeed them but unable to do so.

Kyojuro had spoken to him many times, reassuring him that as long as he became a good human being, he could help others in different ways. Still, somewhere deep inside, Senjuro was stuck, unable to move past his perceived lack of talent.

Today, Kotaro's words had likely helped Senjuro take a step forward, and for that, Kyojuro was truly grateful.

"No need to mention it. I also think of Senjuro as my little brother."

"Is that so? But still, I can't let this be a one-sided favour."

"Well, if you really want to repay me, then—"

"I'll train you more and make you a qualified demon slayer!"

"Please, don't! Seriously."

A new morning. 

The man who used to wake up after the sun now ran outside, drenched in sweat before it had even risen.

Time changes men. 

But today's run was different from Kotaro's usual routine. His breathing was much steadier than it had been months before. His efforts to master Constant Breathing were starting to pay off.

Sparks!

But the difference wasn't just in his breath, but in the sparks generated as he ran.

Constant Breathing is a method to increase lung capacity, which in turn boosts the strength of Hamon. But Kotaro had yet to master the techniques that accompanied Hamon. In simpler terms, his Hamon was strong, but his ability to use it was still crude.

To improve his mastery, Kotaro had started using Hamon during his runs. Now, he was generating Hamon and focusing it in his legs—or rather, in his toes—using one of Hamon's properties: Repel.

Hamon was truly an amazing technique. Not only could it heal, but it could also destroy the undead, pass through objects, be stored in conductive materials, and act as both an attractive and repellent force.

Kotaro was now attempting to use the repellent force in his toes, pushing off the ground to increase his speed. The smaller the contact area, the more Hamon would be transmitted. Kotaro remembered that tidbit and concentrated the Hamon into his toes rather than his entire foot.

Small sparks were visible on his toes, and upon contact, faint golden ripples formed whenever his Hamon-infused toes touched the ground. 

"It's more difficult than I thought!" 

Maintaining control to keep the Hamon concentrated in his toes while using its repellent properties to push off the ground…

Multitasking wasn't easy, but it was possible. And that realization lit up Kotaro's face. 

"This technique… I'll call it [Ripple Steps]."

Since small golden ripples formed with each step, Kotaro decided to name it [Ripple Steps]! High on excitement from naming this new move, Kotaro ran with even more enthusiasm, appearing as nothing more than a fleeting blur to the animals in his path, scaring them out of their wits.

"Ha~ Ha~ I ran too much!" Kotaro panted, feeling slightly drained, but his smile didn't fade. The process of experimenting and making new discoveries—it was addictive! 

"Ouch! This sharp pain… it's my nail."

Kotaro sat down and examined his broken nail, blood trickling from it—a result of pushing his body beyond its limits. He carefully removed the broken nail and decided to test his healing power. 

"Let's see how fast it heals."

Sparks started to form over his toes in a second, and soon Kotaro felt warmth. When Hamon is concentrated too much in a single spot, it can even generate heat, enough to start a fire. Fortunately, his toes weren't ablaze. 

"Oh! It's healed!"

It took less than ten seconds. His toes were perfectly healed, not even a scratch remaining. His broken nail had regrown, looking flawless.

"This healing power… I was still underestimating Hamon."

Since his Hamon hadn't worked to heal Aiko, Kotaro had subconsciously doubted its healing abilities. Aiko's injury had simply been too severe, making it beyond Hamon's healing capacity. But for minor injuries like this?

As long as he didn't sustain life-threatening injuries—like having his arms or legs chopped off or suffering a hole in his stomach—Kotaro believed he could heal himself. He needed to control this healing ability and use it more subconsciously so he could fight without worrying about his injuries. 

"Hmm?"

Killing demons with a single punch… No matter the injuries, they all heal… Using Playful Cloud to hit demons even harder…

"Am I becoming too scary?"

Kotaro knew Hamon was a remarkable power, but he hadn't realized it was this overpowered. 

"I should practice more."

He then started practicing classic Hamon techniques like Zoom Punch. All morning, Kotaro continued to use Hamon, multitasking different techniques. Sometimes he succeeded, and sometimes he didn't. The progress, however small, brought immense satisfaction, making the once training-averse Kotaro want to train even more. But in the back of his mind, he was still thinking about something else.

"While Hamon is great, I still have to attain that state."

The state he referred to was the zenith reached in physical combat, the Selfless State. In "The Demon Slayer", all three elements—Breath Styles, physical combat, and Nichirin Blades—have a zenith state, which can be attained when they reach the highest level.

The zenith of Total Concentration Breathing results in the Demon Slayer Mark, which exchanges vitality for enhanced power and grants access to the Transparent World.

However, since Kotaro was using Hamon, it was impossible for him to attain that. Hamon was different from Breath Styles, so it was impossible for Kotaro to awaken the Demon Slayer Mark or access the Transparent World.

He had given up on that from the start, instead experimenting with alternatives. However, this did not mean he couldn't attain the Selfless State, which could be reached by achieving the zenith of physical combat.

This state didn't necessarily enhance combat power, but it granted an unshakable calmness like a plant, allowing one to remain composed even in perilous situations and act without hesitation.

But it couldn't be achieved through practice alone; real-life combat experience was needed. 

"Sigh. This, too, is difficult."

For now, the easiest goal was to master a Red Nichirin Blade, which turns a normal Nichirin blade's colour into an intense red and can slow down a demon's regeneration. But… 

"Do I need it?"

Even Kotaro's casual strike, without a Nichirin Blade, could not just slow down but completely stop a demon's regeneration. Now, reflecting on all of this and looking at his Hamon, Kotaro realized his Hamon was far more powerful than he had ever imagined.

===

A/N:

Do you have ideas about some new, original moves using Hamon?


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