Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
The Hashiras who had observed the spar were lost in thought.
Giyu put his sword away and sat down with the rest of his colleagues.
He was about to close his eyes when he heard footsteps closing in.
He subconsciously looked up... and stiffened when he saw who it was.
"Tomioka-san?"
Shinobu approached Giyu with a puzzled expression. Her face doesn't show it, but you can hear in her voice that she was somewhat irritated.
"Why didn't you listen to me and rest at the mansion to recover from your injuries?"
She raised her index finger to her chin and tried to look Giyu in the eyes, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact.
"I don't need to remind you of this rule, right?" She smiled.
But that smile didn't comfort Giyu, only succeeding in bringing shame to his heart.
Everyone knows to heed the doctor's order; even the hot-tempered Sanemi stayed put when he received treatment. Shinobu couldn't think of any reason why Tomioka-san would leave so hastily.
Seemingly unable to avoid Shinobu, Giyu turned his head away.
"My injuries are not that serious." He said monotonously.
Throb. 💢
Shinobu's smile froze on her face.
She tilted her head as she realized what the guy in front of her was saying.
She stretched out her index finger again and, with perfect accuracy, poked it hard at Giyu's thigh.
Puchi!
Giyu's face grimaced at the sudden pain.
Seeing his reaction, Shinobu was even more vindicated for her idea.
She had a feeling that something was wrong when she was observing the spar just now.
"Nee, Tomioka-san." She smiles wider, the corner of her lips twitching, and rage veins pop on her forehead.
"If your wound has healed... then what's going on now, hm~?"
Giyu didn't say anything, as he was too scared about Shinobu's reaction to it.
---
The week went by.
Under practical sparring and targeted training by Tanjuro and occasionally Gyomei.
Surprisingly, only two of the Hashiras were able to awaken the Transparent World but still need more training to utilize it in combat.
The Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui.
And the Snake Hashira, Iguro Obanai.
The rest still need more time or combat.
Since they were done at the same time, the final selection exam also came to an end.
The members who passed the selection, as well as the surviving members who decided to quit, would be brought to the Butterfly Mansion for check-up and treatment.
Giyu sat at the courtyard of the mansion, following Shinobu's order to recuperate... or else.
He heard that Urokodaki-sensei was helping out in the mansion, but so far he didn't see the man.
Perhaps it was because Sakonji felt that he was intruding on the Butterfly Mansion long enough that he decided to return to his home, Mt. Sagiri.
His deep blue eyes just watch the people, the members that survived the final selection, and hear their conversation.
"You survived too. That's great!"
The members were supporting each other, giving hugs and patting their backs. Some were crying tears of relief. They suffered injuries, but it was all trivial compared to seeing their friends again.
Zenitsu, who had long since recovered under the care of the mansion's staff, was nervously watching the entrance for any sign of his senpai.
"Hey, you." He said in a timid voice, addressing a stranger who had just arrived and reached out with his hand.
"Have you seen a swordsman with black hair, a comma-shaped bead necklace around his neck, and a user of Thunder Breathing?"
"He's a little taller than me, with thick eyebrows..."
Zenitsu's voice was too weak and too pitiful for any of the people passing by to pay any attention to him. His eyes trembled from nervousness and anxiety.
"Has anyone seen him..."
He had been waiting at the gate ever since he was cleared to go by the staff. The hope in his heart slowly dissipated as his expectation kept plummeting. His voice eventually became smaller and smaller.
"Please... anyone... tell me..."
The surviving members kept walking. Seeing their state covered in wounds, Zenitsu lowered his head in disappointment at himself as his mind conjured the worst scenario.
Grandpa Jigoro was waiting for him to finish his inquiries just ahead of him. His face was stoic and resigned.
'Anideshi...' (Brother)
Zenitsu's fist clenched itself as his eyes were red with holding back tears.
Although Kaigaku was usually cruel, verbally abusive, and looked down on him, Zenitsu still respected his senior brother for his strength and hard work.
Since Zenitsu himself is only able to learn and master the first form of Thunder Breathing.
Grandpa Jigoro also told him to learn from the example Kaigaku has set.
But it's already noon, and Kaigaku still hasn't returned.
'Could it be that...'
"...hey."
Just as Zenitsu was about to give up, a female voice spoke to him. She staggered through the entrance, barely able to walk upright.
Zenitsu turned to face the voice.
It was the girl with the short twin pigtails. She was extremely exhausted and seemed to be dazed. She was also using her blade as a cane to help her walk.
Kanzaki Aoi.
"...this person you mentioned..." She said through panted breath.
"Have you seen him!?" Zenitsu asked anxiously. He quickly moved to help her.
He was about to ask more questions when he noticed the horrible state Aoi had suffered. He swallowed his curiosity and instead asked another question.
"Are you okay? Why don't you come in and rest first..."
Aoi shook her head. "Mount Fujikasane... the exam site... has a really powerful demon..." She tried to say through her exhaustion.
Not far away from them, Giyu's ears twitched at the mention of the demon of Mt. Fujikasane.
His gaze turned to focus on the girl trying her best to report the horror.
"I... I heard it... it says it ate fifty people..." Aoi panted and took a deep breath. She was beginning to slip away.
"When I saw him... the guy with the comma-shaped necklace around his neck... he was being chased by the demon—"
That was all she could do before she passed out.
Zenitsu reacted quickly and caught her falling body. He immediately snapped out of his shocked state and shouted out. "AH! Someone! Is there anyone who can help!? Someone fainted at the gate!"
Swift!
"Leave it to us. You've worked hard."
No sooner than Zenitsu's cry for help, two members of the kakushi squad appeared and nimbly took Aoi's passed-out body from Zenitsu.
They quickly made sure she was comfortable on their backs and rushed into the patient ward of the mansion.
Zenitsu watched as the kakushi left, relieved by their swift action.
But then, he remembered what Aoi had said before.
He turned his head to look at the road leading to the Butterfly Mansion. Hoping against hope.
But there were no more members coming this way.
Zenitsu stood there like a statue.
And waited for a long time.
---
Shinobu walked out from the door to the veranda of the Butterfly Mansion.
She was holding the bottled medicine of her own concoction and smiling at her job well done. It was a special blend for Giyu's injuries.
"Tomioka-san~" Shinobu said as she looked to the place where Giyu sat. "The medicine has been prepared—"
However, Giyu was nowhere to be seen.
"..."
Crack!
The bottle of medicine in her hand shattered, and the liquid smeared on her hand.
The throbbing veins on her forehead were bulging.
"Ara ara, Tomioka-san~"Throb. 💢