"Heeheehee, Mukago-chan you almost made a big mistake just now. To think you were tailed by someone. If Muzan-sama finds out..."
The fake golden eyes looked at Mukago up and down, while the latter's face looked quite unpleasant, her clenched fists also indicating that Mukago's inner state was far from calm.
*****
"Awoo~"
The chubby Maru-ni lay somewhat listlessly on Shin'ichi's leg, his little black eyes full of undisguised disappointment.
"Hey, it's alright Maru-ni, you did great. A failure doesn't mean anything." Shin'ichi comforted while rubbing Maru-ni's head.
Evidently, Shin'ichi's earlier plan to have Maru-ni tail Mukago had failed.
However, although regrettable, Shin'ichi wouldn't feel too disappointed.
If Muzan was really that easy to find, the battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons wouldn't have lasted for thousand of years.
Whoosh!
A blade of wind grazed past Shin'ichi, leaving a very obvious mark on the wall behind him.
Shin'ichi looked up, watching two blurred figures constantly clashing and fighting in the training ground.
Flashes of azure blue and fiery red sword light appeared from time to time, showcasing various sharp and dazzling sword techniques.
As he watched, Shin'ichi's heterochromatic eyes revealed considerable admiration and praise, both for his disciple Yuichiro and for Muichiro who was sparring with Yuichiro.
The talent of these two brothers was truly outstanding.
It was already remarkable that Yuichiro could derive Maple Breathing from the extremely difficult to master Forest Breathing.
As for Muichiro, the Mist Breathing he practiced was a derivative of Wind Breathing.
The gifted Muichiro not only mastered Mist Breathing to perfection, but even created entirely new Mist Breathing sword forms.
At this moment, the sparring between Yuichiro and Muichiro was extremely intense.
Even though they were only using ordinary wooden swords, the aura they stirred up still drew attention.
Yuichiro's Maple Breathing contained the unique life force of Forest Breathing, which made his techniques not rigid, but rather flexible with an unpredictable feel.
The fiery red sword light was dazzling while also containing sufficient power.
Muichiro's Mist Breathing, on the other hand, had less of Wind Breathing's violent and fierce dominance and more of an ethereal and elusive grace.
Combined with Muichiro's loose-fitting robes, it made it difficult to predict his movements.
Often, Muichiro's attacks would appear unexpectedly.
In any case, the sparring match between Yuichiro and Muichiro was very enjoyable to watch.
Shin'ichi very much enjoyed watching the two brothers spar.
"Both of them are very excellent young men!"
Such a loud and spirited voice - Shin'ichi knew without turning around that it was Kyojuro.
Since inheriting the title of Flame Hashira, Kyojuro had been carrying out missions almost every day, as if to make up for his father Shinjuro's previous negligence.
With Kyojuro's very upright personality, he had become the most popular Hashira among Demon Slayer Corps members.
This wasn't to say that other Hashiras weren't popular, just that compared to other Hashiras with special personalities, the cheerfull Flame Hashira was easier to get along with.
Some might say that Kanae was also very gentle, which was indeed true.
However, compared to the Flower Hashira's gentleness, the Flame Hashira's natural big brother vibes that cared for and led you was more reassuring.
Shin'ichi also liked Kyojuro's straightforwardness, but sometimes, Kyojuro could be a bit troublesome.
For example, at this moment, Shin'ichi had called out to him several times, but Kyojuro still show no reaction as he was staring intently at the sparring match in the training ground.
"Kyojuro? Kyojuro! Kyojuro!"
Shin'ichi had no choice but to gradually increase the volume of his voice, while also secretly cursing the flute demon that had burst Kyojuro's eardrums.
If that bastard was still alive, Shin'ichi would definitely cut it into a mince meat on Kyojuro's behalf.
"KYOJURO!!"
The sudden shout startled Maru-ni who was lying on Shin'ichi's leg.
Annoyed, Maru-ni jumped off Shin'ichi's leg, barked a couple of times, then ran off towards the wall of the training ground.
With a leap, he jumped out and headed towards the Kakushi's cafeteria.
Although Maru-ni was startled away, at least Kyojuro finally heard Shin'ichi's voice.
His orange-red eyes turned like an owl's to stare at Shin'ichi.
"Ah, it's Shin'ichi Aniki!"
That's right, Kyojuro still remembered how Shinichi had fooled him when they first met.
Although they were both Hashira, Kyojuro would still straightforwardly call Shinichi Aniki.
After chatting loudly for a while, Kyojuro suddenly remembered the main point.
"Oh right, Aniki, there's something I want to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"Earlier, Oyakata-sama asked me to be in charge of the next Demon Slayer Corps Final Selection, but recently demon activity has been rampant in my jurisdiction in Tokyo. I heard that your jurisdiction is relatively peaceful, so I wanted to ask if you could help oversee the Final Selection!" Kyojuro explained.
"Is that so?" Shin'ichi pondered silently.
It wasn't surprising that Oyakata-sama had arranged for Kyojuro to be in charge of the Final Selection.
In fact, Shinichi could probably guess Oyakata-sama thoughts.
Kyojuro had been carrying out missions with high intensity for a long time and Oyakata-sama might be using the opportunity of the Final Selection to let Kyojuro rest for a few days.
After stating his guess, Kyojuro was stunned for a moment, but then laughed heartily and said.
"So that's how it is? I'm really grateful to Oyakata-sama. However, I still hope to carry out more missions.
Slaying more demons is the most meaningful thing for me. As for rest, I'm not a hothead, I'll rest properly. So aniki, I hope you can understand me."
Understanding Kyojuro's determination, Shin'ichi didn't say much more and naturally agreed to Kyojuro's request.
As the two were talking, the battle on the training ground was also coming to an end.
Bang!
With a crisp sound, Muichiro's wrist got hit and the wooden sword in his hand flew out of control.
Swish! Swish!
The two figures stopped simultaneously.
Muichiro rubbed his slightly reddened wrist and looked at his brother Yuichiro with admiration.
"Brother, you're stronger than me now. I'm no match for you..."
Upon hearing this, Yuichiro's face turned unpleasant, with several black lines appearing on his forehead.
Suddenly, Yuichiro angrily threw down his wooden sword and stomped over to Muichiro.
Gritting his teeth, he extended his index finger and poked Muichiro's forehead.
"You idiot! Who asked you to go easy on me?! I told you to go all out! You're really making me angry!" Yuichiro's face was flushed red.
But Muichiro put on a pitiful and helpless expression.
"But i didn't hold back. I really used all my strength..."
"..."
Seeing this scene, Shin'ichi was amused.
He knew the inside story.
There was a reason for Yuichiro's anger.
Not counting this time, Yuichiro and Muichiro had sparred nine times and Yuichiro had lost all nine times...
Hmm, it's hard to judge.
So this time, did Muichiro hold back or did Yuichiro get stronger?
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