Holding Nezuko's hand with both hands, Seiji Takeshi's heart was filled with happiness. He had finally held Nezuko's hand for real.
"That... Nezuko, I am..."
Before he could finish his excited words, he saw Tanjiro pounce over, wanting to use his hard head to give Seiji Takeshi's head a collision.
Seiji Takeshi saw it out of the corner of his eye, temporarily let go of Nezuko's hand, took a step back, and widened the distance between him and Nezuko.
Tanjiro's head is famous for being hard. He didn't want to headbutt him for the time being.
"Who are you! You're not allowed to touch my sister!"
Tanjiro spread his arms, like a hen protecting her chicks, protecting Nezuko behind him.
Looking at Tanjiro, Seiji Takeshi cleared his throat and said, "I am Takeshi... Nagasawa Aoyama. Mr. Urokodaki of Mt. Sagiri sent me to pick up you siblings."
Tanjiro slowly lowered his arms, and the defensiveness in his heart also subsided, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, he continued, "Hurry up and set off, catch up with me, Mr. Urokodaki has a test for you."
After speaking, taking advantage of everyone's unpreparedness, he picked up Nezuko and ran towards the road up the mountain.
Tanjiro was stunned for a moment. He picked up the axe on the ground and ran after Takeshi. For a moment, he felt that this Nagasawa Aoyama wasn't here to pick up them siblings, but to pick up his sister.
Finally, he arrived at a wooden house on the mountain. Seiji Takeshi put down Nezuko in his arms and introduced her kindly and enthusiastically, "Old... Nezuko, my little cutie, this is where we will start our happy life!"
Urokodaki Sakonji walked out of the house, only to see a girl. He was about to ask where's Tanjiro, whom he asked him to pick up.
Before he could ask, he saw the panting Tanjiro appear in his sight.
Arriving in front of the wooden house, Tanjiro supported himself on the ground with both hands, panting heavily, and asked, "Did... did I... pass... the test..."
Seiji Takeshi took Nezuko's hand and walked towards the house, saying as he walked, "Let's go inside, rest for a while, the rest is a matter for those two rough men, it has nothing to do with us!"
Urokodaki Sakonji's face changed, and he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a rough man?"
"Mr. Urokodaki, you're wrong about that. I am the handsome, and invincible Aoyama~"
Urokodaki Sakonji curled his lips, knowing that he would say that. He turned his head and said to Tanjiro, "Put down your things, come with me, and start your test!"
"Te...test?"
Tanjiro looked at the people in the house and realized that what Takeshi said about catching up with him just now wasn't a real test at all.
Mr. Urokodaki had already walked away. He was worried about his sister, but he had no choice but to follow and accept Mr. Urokodaki's test for him.
With the extra people gone, Seiji Takeshi and Nezuko sat face to face, looking at Nezuko's light pink eyes. He felt as if he had fallen into her eyes and was about to be drowned by the strong happiness.
"Nezuko, I am Aoyama, your future husband, the two of us..."
"Hey, hey, hey, Nezuko, wife, wifey?"
"Don't sleep, ah, sleeping is fine, but can you wait for me to finish speaking~"
Looking at Nezuko, who was leaning on his lap, Seiji Takeshi had a kind of desire to cry without tears, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that Nezuko relied on sleeping to replenish her physical strength as a demon.
Mr. Urokodaki, who had left Tanjiro on the mountain, returned and saw the girl sleeping on Takeshi's lap.
"What did you do to her?"
"I wanted to do something to her, but before I could say two words, she fell asleep."
Seiji Takeshi picked up Nezuko and put her on the bedding on the side, covering her with a quilt.
Just before dawn, Tanjiro came back, covered in wounds, and used his last breath to ask, leaning against the door, "Did... I... pass the test?"
"Passed!"
Hearing that he had passed, Tanjiro could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.
Seiji Takeshi rarely had the kindness to drag Tanjiro, who was at the door, and turned his head and said, "You're trying to kill him, taking his sister and rushing day and night, and then encountering something, and then sending him to the mountain without letting him rest."
Mr. Urokodaki snorted coldly and said seriously, "What is this? If you encounter those demons, you will know that what you are experiencing now is nothing."
Seiji Takeshi shrugged his shoulders and said nothing more.
Mr. Urokodaki was right. How could he not know? The Twelve Kizuki and the ruler of the Demons, Muzan Kibutsuji, these are all the strongest among demons.
...
Winter passes and spring comes, then winter comes again.
Urokodaki Sakonji had taught Tanjiro everything he could teach him, and the rest was up to him.
Tanjiro diligently trained himself every day. Without Mr. Urokodaki's urging, he left early and returned late, diligently practicing the techniques he had learned again and again.
Seiji Takeshi wasn't idle either.
When Tanjiro was training, he was lying down.
When Tanjiro was practicing swinging his sword, Seiji Takeshi was lying on his side.
When Tanjiro was coming out of the traps on the mountain with his eyes blindfolded, Seiji Takeshi was sleeping soundly.
"Senior Aoyama, you can't do this, Mr. Urokodaki said that we must train hard, so that when we face those demons, we will have enough confidence!"
Seiji Takeshi rolled over and sat up from the boulder, rubbing his sleepy eyes, "Are you lecturing me? Do you want to have a match?"
Hearing him say this, Tanjiro's face suddenly became not very good. A bad memory emerged, the scene of the last time he competed with Senior Aoyama.
He was abused at the time...
Can't mention it, it's all tears.