章 73: 73. Intent
In the midst of his rest, Kyojuro came to visit. Seeing him reminded Kotaro of one crucial thing:
'That fight with the demon… How did I react to that last attack?'
Rather than observing and reacting, it felt like an instinct from within, telling him that the attack was coming from that direction. And he had trusted it.
Confused, Kotaro decided to ask Kyojuro, a more seasoned Demon Slayer and now the Flame Hashira, about it.
"So, Kyojuro, do you know what that was?"
"Hmm! It's intent!"
"Intent?"
"Yes. Intent."
Intent. Of course, Kotaro had heard of it before. But he was in the world of Demon Slayers, right? Why were martial arts concepts appearing here? But wait—Demon Slayers also fought, so maybe it was similar… Kotaro was now confused.
"Killing intent…"
In that moment of crisis, he had moved in the direction where he sensed the most danger, almost as if he "smelled" the danger. Not like Tanjiro, whose heightened sense of smell could even detect emotions—that was on a whole other level.
But indeed, in that moment, he had instinctively moved his staff where he felt the attack would come. And it had.
'Intent…'
Was he able to sense intent? Was it something like Upper Moon Three, able to sense fighting spirit? But weren't fighting spirit and intent entirely different things? Questions kept popping into Kotaro's mind, making him eager to find answers. He felt the urge to get out of bed and start training to test it out.
'Huh? Why am I that eager to train? Don't tell me…'
Sigh! This Demon Slayer life was turning him into a battle junkie. Shouldn't he be resting and sleeping instead of thinking about training and fighting demons? Being a Demon Slayer had muddled his once-peaceful mind!
…
Pop! Pop!
"Ah~ My bones…" Kotaro stretched, feeling his joints crack. He was finally discharged from the hospital. All of his injuries had healed in much less time than other Demon Slayers, which made him grumble.
Damn! My Hamon!
For the first time, he felt the downside of Hamon. His body's self-healing capabilities were high, making him heal even from that massive injury in less time.
"I could have rested more!"
It was a bit of a conflict. Kotaro was happy to be out of bed but also wished he could have rested longer. Sigh! Such was the life of a Demon Slayer.
"Kotaro-sama!"
"Mitsuri, did you complete the mission?"
"Yes. This time I…."
She launched into her story as Kotaro walked beside her, listening to every word. These serene moments were what he wished for. But once he fully recovered and regained his mobility, he would soon be back to his work as a Demon Slayer.
"Kotaro-sama, how do you think I did this time?"
"Well, my Mitsuri is always the best!"
"Hehehe… Of course! I am Kotaro-sama's—"
But her gaze fell on the scar Kotaro now had on his neck, a tiger's claw mark that stretched from his cheek down to his chest. Though the injury had healed, the scar remained. Instead of marring his appearance, it seemed to complement it.
"Hm? What happened, Mitsuri? Why did you suddenly go silent? Are you alright?"
"Kotaro-sama, that scar…"
"Oh! This? Though the injury healed, it seems this scar will be permanent. But don't worry too much about it. I'm fine, Mitsuri."
"But—"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
Mitsuri wanted to say something, but she fell silent after hearing Kotaro's question.
"No."
"That's it. I'm fine. Still, I'm a bit happy that you're worried about it. What do you think? Does it suit me?"
Kotaro tried to joke about his scar, but Mitsuri kept looking at it with a sad expression, making him a bit sad as well.
'Did she really have to be that sad over it?'
While he understood her feelings, Kotaro still felt that Mitsuri shouldn't brood so much over it. After all, he had come back alive, right?
But for Mitsuri, the scar represented something else. To Kotaro, it might have been a lesson, a reminder to improve his skills. But to Mitsuri, it symbolized her husband coming dangerously close to death and only escaping by chance.
It made her angry—not at Kotaro, nor even at the demon, but at herself. She had promised to protect him, hadn't she? But the scar reminded her that she had failed. Even though Kotaro-sama told her not to dwell on it, she couldn't help it. Worrying was her duty as his wife—a special right given to her as his wife.
"Kotaro-sama, I'm still not strong enough. I'll work harder to become stronger and protect you."
Kotaro understood the meaning behind Mitsuri's words. She blamed herself, didn't she? What could he do? His wife was like this. She always blamed herself, even for things that weren't her fault.
"You're already strong, Mitsuri."
"No. I couldn't help you, even though I promised to stand by you as your wife."
"Aren't you standing by me right now as my wife?"
Mitsuri looked at him, realizing that she was indeed standing by him—as his wife. But Kotaro's words held a playful note, and Mitsuri, though a bit airheaded, wasn't stupid. She knew he was teasing her.
"Kotaro-sama, you're teasing me again!"
She wasn't complaining about standing beside him as his wife, but her words were meant more metaphorically. She wanted to support him through all times, as his wife.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just… seeing you blame yourself makes me a little sad."
"Kotaro-sama…"
"Mitsuri. You don't need to be stronger. Just be there. Just stay alive. That's all I want from my sweet wife."
Blushing at his compliment, Mitsuri's face turned pink, making Kotaro chuckle.
"W-Well, I also want you to be there and be alive. That's all I want from my h-handsome husband!"
"Mitsuri…"
Look at her… did she just…
"S-Sorry, Kotaro-sama. I'm embarrassed!"
Seeing Kotaro's widened eyes, Mitsuri grew embarrassed and dashed off, trying to escape.
"W-Wait! Mitsuri! Don't be embarrassed about it!"
And Kotaro chased after his adorable wife.
===
A/N:
Enough action! Time for some diabetic interactions!
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