As night deepened and Mount Fujikasane Tanjiro was as easy and carefree for Tanjiro as an autumn breeze sweeping away fallen leaves.
In less than an hour, the devils lurking on the periphery, who had originally planned to treat the new recruits like a buffet, were mostly wiped out by this unpredictable young man.
The evil spirits on the outer edge were killed so many times that they became rare and protected species.
"Phew, the stench in the air has faded a lot. There should only be one left, right?"
Tanjiro stopped under a tree, closed his eyes, and his super-sensitive nose, capable of detecting emotions, twitched slightly in the cold air.
Sudden!
Tanjiro's nose twitched suddenly.
His olfactory radar instantly detected a pungent odor!
It was a complex smell, a mixture of extreme "fear," "despair," "collapse," and even a slight urge to urinate!
"What an overwhelming smell of fear!"
Tanjiro was startled.
Just as he was preparing to sprint at full speed following the scent.
"Ahhh--!"
You hear their voice before you see them!
A piercing, shrill scream suddenly erupted from the forest several hundred meters ahead!
"Help! Someone save me! I don't want to die here! What kind of hell is this?!"
"I'm so young! I'm only sixteen! I haven't even been in a relationship with a girl yet! I don't want to be eaten by such an ugly ghost and turned into a pile of poop!!"
The wailing, filled with intense resentment at being a virgin, echoed through the empty woods, startling a large flock of resting crows.
Following the sound, Tanjiro moved like an arrow released from a bow, rushing to the scene in a few leaps.
When he saw the scene before him clearly, his eyes twitched violently twice.
In the open space ahead, there stood a large tree that would take three people to encircle.
On a thick tree branch, five or six meters above the ground.
A boy with short, golden hair and wearing a yellow triangular-patterned haori was hanging upside down from a tree branch, looking like a terrified koala!
His once handsome face was now completely distorted by fear, tears and snot dripping into the soil below.
"Waaaaah... Don't come any closer! You ugly monster with three eyes, don't come any closer!"
"My meat tastes awful! I'm sour and smelly, eating me will give you diarrhea for three days and three nights!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma twisted and turned, trying to climb higher, while shouting at the top of his lungs.
And under the tree.
The last remaining evil spirit on the outskirts was tilting its head back, drooling.
This ghost has three eyes.
He stretched out his hands, which had sharp claws, and scratched at the tree trunk, leaving deep scratches on the bark.
"Hehehe!"
"Cry! Scream! You little brat! The more you scream, the more delicious your blood will taste from fear!"
"Stop stubbornly clinging to the tree like a monkey! Just fall down obediently! I promise I'll start chewing you up from your toes, bit by bit, and slowly swallow you!"
Seeing the demon leaping and trying to reach his ankles, Zenitsu was so terrified that his eyes rolled back, and he almost screamed himself hoarse.
"Gods! Buddha! Grandpa! I don't care which deity you are, as long as you can save me, I'm willing to be a vegetarian for the rest of my life! Someone, please cut this three-eyed monster's neck off!"
"Whoosh--!"
A gentle breeze stirred up the air.
The air seemed to be gently sliced open by some invisible, sharp blade.
A figure dressed in a haori with a pine pattern landed silently behind the Three-Eyed Demon, like a falling leaf.
Only when the chilling killing intent locked onto the back of the demon's neck did the Three-Eyed Demon suddenly react.
"Who goes there?! Who's this reckless fool?!"
The demon suddenly turned its head.
He was greeted by a dazzling white ribbon!
"Sizzle--!"
The sharp Nichirin Blade sliced through the Three-Eyed Demon's neck with perfect smoothness.
The demon's head, filled with terror, flew into the air before turning to ashes and vanishing.
Click.
Tanjiro smoothly sheathed his Nichirin Blade.
He looked up and flashed his signature bright smile at the blond boy in the tree who was still sniffling.
"It's alright now! The evil spirit has been defeated, you can come down now!"
Tanjiro shouted loudly.
On the tree,
Zenitsu Agatsuma was completely stunned.
His face, still covered with two glistening snot strands, froze for a full three seconds.
From his perspective, what just happened was like a divine intervention!
The terrifying monster that had just been clamoring to devour him was instantly killed by the red-haired boy who suddenly appeared in less than a second!
"Thump!"
Zenitsu fell directly from the tree branch, which was five or six meters high, and landed at Tanjiro's feet.
"Ouch! Are you alright?"
Tanjiro was startled and was about to reach out to help him.
The next second.
The blond boy suddenly stretched out his hands and hugged Tanjiro's thigh tightly!
"Big brother!!"
"You're so cool! The way you drew your sword just now was absolutely devastatingly cool! Please marry me! Oh, wait, I mean, please make me your underling!"
"This Mount Fujikasane is no place for a human to live! It's full of those grotesque, man-eating monsters! I'm so scared! I'm really scared!"
Zenitsu raised his face, which was covered in an unknown liquid, and pleaded loudly:
"Please protect me! I beg you, brother! For the next seven days, I'll cling to your lap even if it kills me!"
"I will never let go of you, even if you go to the toilet!"
This incredibly undignified move completely baffled Tanjiro.
Hey! Let go of me, okay? You've got snot on my pants!
Tanjiro, his face full of exasperation, shouted and tried to forcefully pull his leg out.
However, he was shocked to discover that this seemingly weak and cowardly fellow had an unusually strong grip on a leg!
Even Tanjiro, who had undergone a year of grueling training, was unable to break free immediately!
"I won't let go! I'd rather die than let go! Unless you swear a solemn oath to protect me in this hell until the selection is over!"
Zenitsu writhed on the ground like a golden caterpillar, refusing to let go.
Tanjiro reluctantly stopped struggling, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
[What a weirdo! But he really only exudes pure fear, without a trace of malice~]