The trip to Hachijo-jima had come to an end.
Before leaving, Obanai found Shinichi and solemnly expressed his gratitude.
"Slaying demons is our duty. There's no need to thank me" Shinichi replied honestly.
But Obanai simply shook his head.
His gratitude wasn't just for that—it was more for the words Shinichi had spoken earlier.
From those words, Obanai had glimpsed a goal worth pursuing.
However, his long-standing personality made it difficult for Obanai to express himself clearly.
He simply bowed deeply to Shinichi with unwavering sincerity before departing with the Kakushi members.
Watching Obanai retreating figure, Shinichi felt a twinge of emotion.
He recalled Shinjuro words: 'if this boy could truly conquer the darkness within, his future achievements would astonish everyone.'
****
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
During this time, Shinichi reputation had spread far and wide within the Demon Slayer Corps.
In the heart of the mountains, at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters...
Shinichi casually removed his tattered blue-green battle robe and replaced it with a brand-new one from the silver mirror.
Battling demons during missions inevitably led to damage—ordinary fabric couldn't withstand the claws and fangs of demons.
The battle robe gifted by the Old Man had been carefully stored away by Shinichi, only worn when meeting Oyakata-sama or attending important events.
As he walked aimlessly along the path, the plump Maru-ni waddled behind him.
Along the way, they encountered many enthusiastic Demon Slayer Corps members.
"Shinichi, another mission completed? That's amazing! This must be your thirtieth demon, right?"
"Hey, Shinichi! Want to join us for a hot spring bath? It's really relaxing!"
"Take me with you next time you form a team, Shinichi-kun!"
"Ah, it's Shinichi! Hmm? Maru-ni seems to have gotten even chubbier, huh?"
...
Many of the greeting members had teamed up with Shinichi before.
His reliable strength and unique Forest Breathing had left a deep impression on them—especially the Second Form: Vital Willow, a miraculous sword technique capable of pulling someone halfway into the afterlife back to life.
Numerous members had actively sought to learn Forest Breathing from Shinichi, but none had truly mastered it.
It wasn't that Shinichi was withholding anything—the training for Forest Breathing was simply too rigorous and difficult, beyond the capabilities of ordinary members.
Faced with the enthusiastic greetings, Shinichi mostly responded with a stiff nod.
It wasn't that he was deliberately acting aloof—he just often didn't know how to respond and honestly, greeting everyone individually was too much trouble. Shinichi simply maintained a cold expression, and over time, everyone grew accustomed to it.
Gradually, the image of Shinichi as aloof became deeply ingrained in the minds of the Demon Slayer Corps members.
However, when he occasionally encountered certain members, Shinichi would still respond verbally.
Without exception, these individuals all shared one trait: they "appreciated" his love for dorayaki.
For these "cultured" friends, Shinichi never hesitated to offer a smile.
"Caw! Caw!"
As Shinichi walked back to his residence, his Kasugai crow, Eizo, suddenly descended from the sky and landed firmly on his shoulder.
The chubby Maru-ni glanced at Eizo, then pretended not to see anything.
That damn bird was so annoying, always bullying him for not being able to fly or talk.
After being verbally battered by Eizo countless times, Maru-ni had learned that the best way to deal with it was simply to ignore the wretched creature.
Unaware of the little meatball inner turmoil, Shinichi reached out and stroked Eizo head with his finger, casually asking.
"I just got back, and there's already a new mission?"
"Shinichi! You've been promoted to Kinoe rank! Ubuyashiki-sama has issued an order! He wants you to replace the Flame Hashira in presiding over the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane!" Eizo shouted loudly.
Shinichi froze.
"Promoted to Kinoe?"
He was slightly surprised, but upon reflection, it wasn't entirely unexpected. Since joining the Demon Slayer Corps, he had already slain over thirty Demons.
Aside from the promotion, the other order delivered by Eizo caught Shinichi attention.
He said with some confusion "Final Selection? Didn't I participate in that over a year ago? Is it being held again so soon? I remember Old Man saying the Final Selection only happens once every few years."
"No, Shinichi, don't you remember? Your Final Selection was specially arranged at the time, and you were the only participant. The one happening in a few days is the regularly scheduled Final Selection."
The voice of Rengoku Shinjuro suddenly came from behind Shinichi.
Only then did Shinichi recall that this was indeed the case.
Rengoku walked up to Shinichi, a hint of apology in his expression.
"Sorry to trouble you, Shinichi. I still have missions to attend to, so I have to leave this matter to you."
Shinichi nodded.
The responsibilities of a Hashira were heavy.
In fact, the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps hadn't originally been overseen by Hashira-level swordsmen.
However, during Shinichi own Final Selection, he had discovered an abnormally high number of powerful Demons.
After Shinichi reported this to Oyakata-sama, it was decided that future Final Selections would require supervision by Hashira-level swordsmen.
But over the past year or so, many things had happened within the Demon Slayer Corps. Among the few remaining Hashira, the Wind Hashira, Kijin Ryuusuke (OC), had retired due to injuries.
The reason was that Kijin Ryuusuke had encountered one of the Lower Moons.
After a fierce battle that left both sides severely wounded, Kijin Ryuusuke dominant hand had been crushed. Though he failed to slay the Lower Moon, he brought back valuable intelligence to the Corps.
Unable to wield his Nichirin Blade with his dominant hand, Kijin Ryuusuke had no choice but to retire.
With the Wind Hashira gone, the Demon Slayer Corps now only had three Hashira remaining: the Flame Hashira, Stone Hashira, and Sound Hashira—a lamentable situation.
With fewer Hashira, the remaining ones shouldered even heavier responsibilities and larger jurisdictions.
So Shinichi understood why Rengoku couldn't spare the time to oversee the Final Selection, and he was willing to take on the task for him.
What Shinichi probably didn't know was that both Ubuyashiki and Rengoku fully supported him presiding over the Final Selection.
In their eyes, the young Shinichi was already as reliable as a Hashira-level swordsman, which was why they entrusted him with this responsibility without hesitation.
Rengoku patted Shinichi shoulder, then vanished from headquarters like a streak of flame, rushing toward his mission destination.
The Hashira truly were busy!
Shinichi sighed slightly, realizing that going back to rest was unrealistic. He turned around and picked up Maru-ni, who was already starting to whimper on the ground.
"Let's go, Maru-ni. It's time to work again."
With two Nichirin Blades at his side, Shinichi hurried toward Mount Fujikasane.
Little did he know, this time, he would encounter some unexpected familiar faces.
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