The sun rose over Mount Fujikasane, where more than ten exhausted Demonslayer candidate successfully emerged from the mountain.
Perhaps due to Shinichi "selfish" intervention, this year Final Selection had the highest survival rate in decades.
"Congratulations to all of you for passing the Final Selection. Welcome to the Demon Slayer Corps." As Goto spoke these words, some candidates could no longer hold back their tears, weeping over their hard-won success.
Kanae Kocho tightly grasped her younger sister Shinobu Kocho hand, her eyes shimmering with tears as she said excitedly.
"Shinobu, we did it! This is wonderful!"
However, unlike her sister excitement, Shinobu Kocho though happy, felt a complicated mix of emotions—shame, gratitude, and conflict—which made her instinctively glance toward the small Shiba Inu nearby.
The little Shiba Inu, Maru-ni lay lazily on a rock not far away, his fluffy ears slightly drooping.
But beside him, Shinobu did not see the figure she had hoped to see and a faint sense of regret flickered through her heart.
Yet, this regret was soon overshadowed by the fluttering wings of the Kasugai crows descending from the sky.
A rather small and nimble Kasugai crow landed gracefully on Shinobu shoulder.
*****
While Shinobu was still surprised by the talking crow, dozens of miles away on a rural path a figure was sprinting at full speed.
As the sun fully rose in the east, Shinichi anxiety reached its peak.
"Damn it! I might not make it in time!"
Desperate to reach the last day of the Final Selection, Shinichi finally stopped his futile running when he spotted Eizo flying toward him from the horizon.
Extending his arm, Eizo landed steadily on his forearm and spoke loudly.
"The Final Selection is over. Twelve swordsmen passed and have already received their Scarlet Ore. Also—"
Before Eizo could finish, Shinichi urgently asked.
"What about those sisters? Did they pass?"
Eizo, displeased at being interrupted, pecked Shinichi hand with his sharp beak.
"Shinichi, that's rude! Don't interrupt me!"
"Ah—Sumimasen! Eizo, I'm sorry! Just tell me how the sisters are doing" Shinichi quickly apologized before pressing for an answer.
"Hmph!"
Eizo snorted before continuing "Those sisters passed too. Both the older and younger sister had the butterfly hairpins you mentioned."
Hearing that the Kocho sisters had successfully passed, Shinichi finally relaxed though a tinge of regret lingered—he had wanted to congratulate them in person.
One might wonder why Shinichi cared so much about the Kocho sisters.
Even he probably couldn't explain it, perhaps just calling them friends.
Heh.
Since he had already missed the event, Shinichi slowed his pace resting a hand on the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
Suddenly, he felt the urge to visit the Old Man again.
This time, he had slain Lower Rank Four—Wakuraba.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would soon be promoted to Hashira.
This was good news worth sharing with the Old Man.
The Old Man had once said that after Shinichi inherited Forest Breathing, his last remaining wish was for Shinichi to truly become the Forest Hashira—a title no one in the Moriki family had achieved for centuries.
Having made up his mind, Shinichi first rewarded Eizo with some dorayaki before asking him to relay a message back to headquarters.
As for Maru-ni, Shinichi had initially planned to have Goto look after him, but somehow he ended up instructing Maru-ni to ask the Kocho Sisters to take care of him instead.
After settling these matters, Shinichi changed direction and headed toward Takinogawa Village.
****
Meanwhile, at the Ubuyashiki estate.
A Kasugai crow with a small purple scarf flapped its wings and landed steadily on the shoulder of a black-haired young man, reporting something in a low voice.
Moments later, the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, smiled brightly.
"Shinichi truly is outstanding. Our Corps is about to gain a Forest Hashira. The long-held dream of the Moriki family has finally come true."
****
Takinogawa Village.
After traveling for over two days, Shinichi returned to the Moriki residence.
However, upon seeing the impeccably clean gate and courtyard walls, he realized Ryukawa Chinatsu must have returned.
Sure enough, as soon as Shinichi knocked on the door, an unfamiliar servant opened it.
Soon after, Ryukawa Chinatsu, dressed in a sharp suit came out personally to greet him.
"Welcome home, Shinichi-kun. You've worked hard. Hmm? Didn't Maru-ni come back with you?" Chinatsu greeted him with a smile, but Shinichi couldn't help but stare at her in surprise.
Previously, Chinatsu had always worn a kimono.
Now, dressed in a gender-neutral suit, she exuded the aura of a young CEO.
If not for her youthful face—similar in age to his own—Shinichi might have mistaken her for one of those elite businesswomen from TV dramas in his past life.
"Uh, long time no see, Chinatsu. You've… changed quite a bit. As for that fat dog, I asked some other Corps members to look after him" Shinichi replied hesitantly.
Though she was a little disappointed not to see Maru-ni, Chinatsu didn't dwell on it.
Noticing Shinichi surprise, she figured her transformation over the past two years might be startling.
She quickly ushered him inside, ordering the servants to prepare tea and sweets before hurrying off to inform Elder Moriki of Shinichi return.
In the familiar, enclosed room, Shinichi sat cross-legged as Chinatsu recounted her experiences.
Over the past two years, she had not only managed the Moriki family business but also seized the opportunity presented by Japan growing foreign trade to establish connections with international merchants.
Now, the Moriki enterprise was flourishing beyond measure.
Frequent interactions with foreigners had led Chinatsu to adopt Western-style suits, which aligned with their aesthetic preferences.
Her extraordinary business acumen left countless foreign merchants in awe and no one dared underestimate her because of her youth.
Her rising fame even earned her numerous opportunities to collaborate with the government.
"Speaking of which, Shinichi, I remember Mitsuyo-sama mentioned that the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen all carry Nichirin Blades, right?" Ryukawa Chinatsu seemed to recall something.
Shinichi nodded, and then Chinatsu stood up and retrieved some sealed documents from a nearby box.
"The government is becoming increasingly strict about the sword ban now. I prepared some legal sword permits for you, Shinichi-kun. They're all government-approved documents—might come in handy someday."
Taking the documents Chinatsu handed over, Shinichi was momentarily stunned.
"Uh, Chinatsu, how did you even get these?"
"Just a 'little' connection, that's all."
------------------------------
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