บท 59: 59. Haru, the Kasugai Crow
"How did I lose even after opening [Hamon Mode]?"
Exhausted, Kotaro lay on the floor with his staff beside him, taking huge breaths to recover from fatigue. Even though he had an advantage for a moment, Kyojuro showed him that he wasn't a well-trained fighter for nothing.
As if some fire had been lit in him, Kyojuro went on to parry all of his stabs, and when Kotaro, annoyed, took a huge stab, Kyojuro dodged it, which left a gap in Kotaro's defenses.
[Hamon Mode: Stage One] enhances the physique, mostly leaning towards regenerative abilities. What if he took a hit?
That would heal in no time. But Kyojuro just smiled and continued to smack him down all over, causing Kotaro to cry out in pain.
"Damn!"
Kotaro cursed at his loss, but he also knew the biggest difference between him and Kyojuro: experience.
"Sigh!"
Experience was something that couldn't be gained within just a few months of training. Even with his cheat—Hamon—and also learning the Constant, Kotaro was far stronger than 90% of the Demon Slayers.
He could even wrestle with Kyojuro in pure strength and was confident he could beat him. But in a fight, there was still a long way to go.
"Well, I should go and hunt some demons to gain experience."
…
Kotaro and Mitsuri, each in their own way, went to hunt demons. Of course, Kotaro wanted to form a team and work together with Mitsuri, but those Kasugai crows…
They assigned them work in different places so often that Kotaro was getting suspicious. Were they doing it intentionally?
"You… You're not doing this on purpose, right?"
Caw! Caw!
The Kasugai crow just cawed in fear, shaking its head frantically before Kotaro snapped out of his anger. As Kotaro's partner, this crow knew all too well how high-tempered this man could be.
Where did his partner get it from?
The Kasugai crow wondered from time to time. Was it inherited from his parents? Of course it was, but not through genes. If Aiko saw it, she would secretly be happy that her son's personality was somewhat like hers. Though she would never openly admit it.
"You demon slayer! Don't take a step, or I'll kill this woman!"
And tonight was just another night of demon hunting. But this time, it was a hostage situation. The demon held a woman in its arms, with sharp nails pressed against her neck.
"Huh? Really?"
"Of course! Do you think I'm joking?!"
The demon pushed its nail into the woman's face, making it bleed. Terrified, the woman shed tears and cried out.
"Please save me! I don't want to die!"
Sigh…
"Wait!"
"What?! Don't take a step, or I'll kill her!"
"Alright, I'm not taking a step. I just want to ask you something. You… When was the last time you washed your hands?"
"…" Demon.
"…" The hostage woman.
"…" Haru, the Kasugai crow.
"I mean, I'm serious. If you didn't wash your hands, doesn't that mean your nails are dirty? And with those nails, you pierced that lady's face…"
"No! Please kill me!"
Now the woman's cries intensified. Kotaro's words made the demon's veins pop, and it glared at him with angry eyes.
"You… Are you joking with me? I'll show you why demons are superior to humans!"
The demon stretched and pushed its pointed nails toward the woman's throat. Looking at those dirty nails up close, the woman cried even more.
But before the nails reached her neck…
[Hamon Steps]
Kotaro dashed toward the demon holding the hostage, using his [Hamon Steps], and before the demon could react, he swung—yes, he swung the staff as if it were a baseball bat and…
His strength, combined with Hamon infused into it, just made the demon's head in front of the hostage woman…
Boom!
Explode. The demon's head burst, blood splattering everywhere.
"Ah! The head exploded."
Kotaro… Well, he was now a bit immune to such incidents. After all, he was wielding a blunt weapon.
"Aaaah!"
Now, the hostage woman was more afraid of him than the demon. Kotaro looked at her with his dead eyes.
"Seriously? Am I that scary, Haru?"
Caw! Caw!
The Kasugai crow, Haru, wanted to nod but then shook its head, replying "no" to make sure it stayed alive.
What if Kotaro exploded its head too? Haru had heard that Kotaro was about to explode a Kakushi's head with his staff once. It was fortunate that Mitsuri blocked him.
How did that innocent and kind Mitsuri marry him?
"Haru, you thought something bad about me, didn't you?"
Caw! Caw!
How did he know? But there was no option to admit it! Using its all animal techniques, Haru convinced Kotaro that it wasn't thinking anything bad or something of the sort.
"Well, I've always believed you."
Is that so?
Haru looked at Kotaro with dead eyes, not believing those words at all.
"Let's return. I came so far just to hunt one demon. The transportation is really a hassle these days."
'These days?' Is there ever a time when transportation isn't a hassle? Haru looked at Kotaro, who sometimes made such remarks.
Haru had been interested at first, but later paid little attention to them. All demon slayers, especially the strong ones, had some weird quirks, and this one was just a bit crazy and nothing more.
As a Kasugai crow, all Haru had to do was support its partner.
Haru flew down and perched on Kotaro's shoulder as both of them walked back to the Rengoku Mansion.
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A/N:
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