"Little sister, what do you think? Want to team up together?" Shin asked again, his tone calm but curious.
The loli girl turned to look at him directly. Without saying a word, she reached into her sleeve, pulled out a coin, and flicked it into the air.
It spun for a moment, caught the moonlight, and then dropped back into her hand. She glanced at the result and replied, "I'm sorry. My master told me I must rely only on myself."
With that, her expression went blank again, as if nothing had happened.
Shin Arashi blinked in surprise but didn't press her.
What a strange kid… Is she autistic or just built different?
"Well, let's go then, Tanjiro~" Shin said with a dramatic sigh. "The girl turned me down, so don't go pushing your flirting plans onto your senior!"
Tanjiro immediately grabbed Shin by the neck and growled, "Senior Shin, you're the one who walked up to her! Don't drag me into this! That's slander!"
"Alright! Alright! Let go—!" Shin gasped, nearly choking from Tanjiro's grip.
After two years of training, Tanjiro's strength had improved tremendously. Even Shin, who was clearly stronger, had to hold back. He didn't want to toss Tanjiro to the ground in front of everyone—they were from the same school, after all. He had to save a bit of face for his junior.
While the two of them wrestled like children, a pair of small figures stepped into the open space. Two big-eyed little girls in matching purple kimonos and wisteria flower hair ornaments quietly lit the area with lanterns.
Tanjiro immediately let go of Shin and jumped back.
Shin quickly adjusted his wrinkled uniform and turned his attention toward the newcomers.
Their massive, innocent eyes and overly cute faces made them stand out—even among the strange crowd gathered for the selection.
"Thank you all for coming to the Final Selection of the Demon Slayer Corps," said one of the girls in a delicate, practiced voice.
"In this Fujiwara Mountain, demons captured alive by Demon Slayers are imprisoned. But be warned—the demons have not left."
"From the base of the mountain to the halfway point, the path is lined with wisteria flowers. These flowers are hated by demons, and the venom they produce is lethal to them."
"The dense bloom of wisteria also makes the air around this part of the mountain toxic to demons."
"But don't worry," the other girl added sweetly. "As long as you don't eat any wisteria flowers or fruit, the toxins won't affect humans."
"Beyond this point, however, there will be no more wisteria—and there will be demons."
"You must survive here for seven days to complete the Final Selection."
"Then... we wish you all a pleasant journey!"
Their soft voices echoed across the open space. The atmosphere, which had been loud and competitive moments earlier, suddenly quieted. A mixture of tension and anticipation filled the air.
Behind his disaster-warding mask, Shin Arashi let out a low, amused chuckle and licked his lips.
These little announcers are too cute... it's almost sinister.
But his strange smile was hidden by the mask, so no one noticed.
As soon as the little girls finished their explanation, everyone began moving forward—toward the dark heart of Fujixi Mountain, where no wisteria flowers grew.
"Tanjiro, time to go," Shin said calmly.
Tanjiro nodded and followed without hesitation.
Together, they stepped into the shadowy woods of the mountain—where demons awaited.
Behind them, masked Demon Slayer Corps members emerged and silently blocked the only path down the mountain.
There was no turning back now.
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