บท 74: 74. Promotion
The sound of clashes echoed within the training room.
'My shortcomings…'
Tak! Tak!
Kotaro smashed the incoming wooden sword downward with his staff, attempting to deflect the strike, then used the momentum to kick his opponent.
In his fight with the demon, Kotaro had realized his weaknesses—especially his close-combat techniques. His physical strength was high, but his technique mastery was crude.
His staff moves were limited to thrusts, throws, swings, or smashes. That wasn't the biggest problem, but he used them too crudely. Most demons he encountered were weak and went down in one hit due to Hamon, but Kamanue was different. His usual attacks didn't work on Kamanue, and it was only Kotaro's luck that he sensed the killing intent and managed to defeat him.
'I need to polish my staff and close-combat techniques.'
And that's why, after his discharge from the Butterfly Mansion, he's here again at the Rengoku Mansion, practicing combat.
But this time, his opponent isn't Kyojuro.
Since becoming a Hashira, Kyojuro has been quite busy. A normal person might be unhappy with such a workload, but Kyojuro smiles and fulfills his duties cheerfully, seeing it as his responsibility.
Sigh! There's nothing more to say—Kyojuro is too innocent! He doesn't even realize he's being exploited.
Kotaro's strength behind that sudden kick instinctively lessened as it reached his opponent.
After all, he was fighting Mitsuri.
He couldn't bear to hit her too hard—except in bed. But he didn't need to hold back. Mitsuri was a lot stronger than he thought.
In an instant, Mitsuri stretched her legs, sliding to dodge his kick. She then freed her wooden sword from his staff's grip and backflipped twice to get out of Kotaro's range.
"Mitsuri, you…" Kotaro's astonished expression made Mitsuri smile with a smug look.
"Kotaro-sama, I've gotten a lot stronger than before."
She looked quite proud, though soon her eyes fell on his scar, and once again…
"Though I still need to get even stronger."
Her self-blame surfaced again. But Kotaro was pleased to see her strength—at least now he had less reason to worry about her.
"Alright! Come!"
"Yes!"
With no need to hold back, Kotaro didn't. And soon, the real training began.
The part where Mitsuri truly shined was her flexibility paired with immense strength. She could pull off moves that even Kotaro found challenging. If Kotaro's style relied on straightforward, powerful moves, Mitsuri's style was flashier, more agile, and used a lot of aerial angles. Her unique Breath Style let her attack from flexible angles, forcing Kotaro into a corner.
But this was exactly what he wanted.
No more large swings. No more excessive strikes. Just minimal movements, as efficient as possible. That was Kotaro's aim.
He grabbed his staff and tried to deflect her strikes. Some were blocked, some weren't—but that's why he was training. It was to make this precision possible.
'Stay focused. More focused.'
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Kotaro tried to use his strength in the most efficient way possible. He detached from everything else on his mind, concentrating solely on the fight.
Mitsuri leaped and flipped through the air, raining strikes down on him from above.
And this time, it happened again.
Kotaro felt a wisp, a feeling that told him the attacks would come from above.
Kotaro spun his staff overhead, blocking her strikes. Taking momentum from the spin, he followed with a backside spin and released a simple thrust, aiming at the airborne Mitsuri.
It was simple, minimal, without an ounce of excessive movement.
Bang!
The sound of staff and sword echoed, a sign of the power behind the strike, and Mitsuri was sent flying from the force of the staff.
"Huh? Mitsuri, are you alright?"
Kotaro snapped back to his senses, realizing he was fighting his wife. But Mitsuri was more than capable—she was a future powerhouse in her own right. The strength behind his staff was indeed powerful, but she spun several times to absorb the force and landed gracefully without any injuries.
"Ah… I am alright, Kotaro-sama."
"Sigh! I was almost scared! But I'm glad you're much stronger than I thought."
The compliment made flowers bloom in Mitsuri's heart. Nothing beats Kotaro's compliments to her.
"Yes, but I'll improve even more in the future, Kotaro-sama!"
Mitsuri did her usual double pumped-up fists, earning a chuckle from Kotaro.
"Of course, I know it. I too will become much stronger. Let's work hard, Mitsuri."
Intent… Kotaro decided to train it more.
"Yes!"
And once again, both of them lifted their weapons, and the noise of training lasted until noon.
…
"What is it, Kotaro-sama?"
Drying her hair with a towel, Mitsuri came across Kotaro, who sat after a bath, looking at a document brought by his Kasugai Crow, Haru.
"It's nothing. It seems I have been promoted once again."
"Really?!"
"Umm."
Kotaro took out some dried food and gave it to Haru, who ate it happily. There had been quite a change in the relationship between Kotaro and Haru.
After all that happened, how could it not?
That night, Kotaro defeated the demon, but he wasn't in good condition either. He fainted in the middle of the forest, and Haru was the one who called the Kakushi.
Now, the relationship between the two had matured into a true Demon Slayer partnership. Look at the tears the crow shed when he got some food.
Caw! Caw!
He also cawed with joy. Some good treatment after such a long time. Now Haru felt that he might not have to live in constant fear of Kotaro.
His human partner had gained some human heart!
Putting Haru's happy tears aside, Kotaro looked at the note. Never did he expect his promotion would be notified to him in such a manner.
But still, there were no phones, so letters through crows were indeed the Demon Slayer Corps style.
"Tsuchinoto…"
Tsuchinoto… Could he get his desired weapon now?!
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A/N:
Sorry, everyone, for the inconsistent updates. After the fight between Kotaro and Kamanue, I was a bit lost on what to write next. If anyone has suggestions, just comment—anything is welcome! I need something out of the box to spark my brain and get back into the groove.
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