Kocho Sisters

"Big sister, this old man is really full of himself."

Just as Kurozawa finished speaking with a proud look on his face, a pleasant but stern voice sounded behind him.

"Shinobu, having ambition is a good thing, but don't casually speak ill of others."

Uncle Kurozawa nearly choked, his breath caught in his throat.

He turned around and saw a pair of similar-looking sisters.

The elder looked eighteen or nineteen, but by the standard of swordsmen generally appearing more mature, her actual age was probably no more than sixteen.

She had beautiful violet eyes streaked with pink, a lovely face, a colorful butterfly-patterned haori, and purple butterfly hairpins on both sides of her hair.

Though she was young, Kurozawa saw a familiar air about her.

The gentle smile lingering in her eyes gave him the illusion of a kind girl-next-door older sister, like a gentle little sister-in-law.

To the left of this girl-next-door older sister stood her biological younger sister, another exceptionally beautiful girl.

Unlike her sister, however, the younger girl rarely smiled. She looked determined and strong-willed, and her purple eyes were tinged with gray-white, making them particularly striking.

They wore identical colorful butterfly-patterned haori, and the younger sister also had butterfly hairpins in her hair.

"Hello. My younger sister is immature, so I apologize on her behalf," the elder sister said to Kurozawa with an apologetic, gentle smile.

Before Kurozawa could speak, the younger sister frowned. "Big sister, I wasn't wrong. There's no need to apologize."

The elder sister revealed another apologetic, gentle smile. Against that smile, even the Wisteria Flowers blooming across the mountain seemed to lose their color.

Judging by her younger sister's expression, she was stubborn and serious. Once she made up her mind, even her sister could not persuade her otherwise.

Kurozawa remained silent and watched the sisters before him.

Gradually, their figures overlapped with memories from his previous life.

The elder was Kocho Kanae, and the younger was Kocho Shinobu. Kurozawa had not watched much of Demon Slayer, since the anime had only released five episodes at the time. However, people who had read the manga posted plenty of spoiler threads, and he had read some of them.

Kocho Kanae had been killed and devoured by an Upper Rank demon.

After that, because Kocho Kanae had said before her death that she loved seeing Kocho Shinobu smile, Shinobu, who originally disliked smiling, began wearing the exact same gentle smile after Kanae died. Her personality also gradually grew closer to Kanae's, and she slowly became like her—at least on the surface.

"It's fine. Children speak without thinking." Kurozawa lowered his head and sized up Kocho Shinobu.

Unlike her six-years-later self, the current Shinobu could form a perfect flat plane from below her neck to above her feet.

The current Kocho Shinobu looked like nothing more than a little girl, completely unlike the tall, well-endowed Kocho Kanae beside her.

The phrase "children speak without thinking" made Kocho Shinobu bristle like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on.

"I'm not a child! Like you, I'm a reserve swordsman participating in the Final Selection."

"Instead of calling others young, why don't you reflect on why a grown man like you is taking a trial with children like us? Aren't you ashamed?"

Her barrage of words left Kurozawa speechless.

Living in Demon Slayer at twenty-one and being called an uncle... so this was the sharp-tongued Kocho Shinobu.

"Hey, my Senior Disciple only waited until now to take the trial so he could protect us. You're not allowed to talk about him like that."

Hanada Shizuka leaned forward with all her might, puffed out her chest, and looked down proudly at Kocho Shinobu as she spoke up for Kurozawa with a victorious expression.

"You! Hmph!"

She lowered her head to look at her perfectly straight body, then compared it to Shizuka's already shapely figure. Still undeveloped, Kocho Shinobu glared fiercely at Shizuka, snorted, and said nothing more.

Kurozawa reached out and pressed a hand on Shizuka's little head to stop her from toppling over due to leaning too far forward. Then he said, "How about a bet? We'll see who kills more demons in this trial."

"You and your sister can combine your totals against mine. How about it?"

Kurozawa did not argue with Kocho Shinobu, because facts spoke louder than words.

However, just then, someone in a Hidden Slayer Corps uniform came jogging over toward Kurozawa.

"Flower Pillar, the Demon Slayer Corps Leader wishes to see you. Please come with me."

He was speaking to Kocho Kanae.

Kocho Kanae nodded and said with a smile, "I know where the Demon Slayer Corps Leader is. You may leave first. I'll go shortly."

Flower Pillar? Did I hear that right?

A Pillar. The pinnacle of swordsmen. She had become a Pillar this early? Kurozawa was full of question marks.

Kurozawa knew Kocho Kanae had been a Demon Slayer Corps Pillar when she died, but he had never expected her to already be one now.

His attempt to show off had failed. Kurozawa was so embarrassed that he wanted to cover his face and flee.

"My name is Kocho Kanae. I passed the Swordsman Trial three years ago, and I am now the Flower Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. There's no need for a bet. I believe you would win. This is my younger sister, Kocho Shinobu. She is here to participate in this Swordsman Trial."

"I can sense that your body is constantly maintaining a Breathing Technique. You've reached the Constant stage as well."

"If possible, please take good care of Kocho Shinobu on Mount Fujikasane. She talks tough, but she is actually still somewhat afraid of demons."

Without any intention of making Kurozawa uncomfortable, Kocho Kanae dipped slightly and smiled as she made her request.

There was also a trace of curiosity in her eyes.

A reserve swordsman participating in the Swordsman Trial at the Constant stage... This was the first time Kocho Kanae had seen one who had already stepped through the threshold of becoming a Pillar. It was rare.

"Senior Disciple, that pretty big sister is a Demon Slayer Corps Pillar. It's my first time seeing another Pillar besides Master, and she's so young."

Hanada Shizuka moved close to Kurozawa and whispered secretly, completely unaware that everyone could hear her.

"No problem. I promise you, if I run into Kocho Shinobu on Mount Fujikasane, I'll help her."

"Then I'll leave her to you." Kocho Kanae's smile bloomed, once again making the Wisteria Flowers covering the mountain pale in comparison.

Kurozawa swore that he made this promise purely out of respect for the old and care for the young. It had absolutely nothing to do with Kocho Kanae's heart-stirring smile.

"Hmph. I don't need an uncle to protect me." Kocho Shinobu tilted her head and glanced at Kurozawa.

Afterward, Kocho Kanae left alone to see the Demon Slayer Corps Leader, while Kocho Shinobu found an empty room nearby and settled in.

"Senior Disciple, the Flower Pillar has such a nice personality. She became a Demon Slayer Corps Pillar at such a young age. She's even more amazing than you."

"I really hope I can become someone like her someday."

After Kocho Kanae left, Hanada Shizuka reluctantly withdrew her gaze.

It was obvious that she had already been won over by Kocho Kanae's unique girl-next-door older sister aura.

My little fangirl... gone. Kurozawa sighed inwardly.

"Let's go. We should find somewhere to stay first."

At this moment, Kurozawa finally discovered a grim truth.

His talent was incredibly poor. By a simple estimate, Kocho Kanae had mastered the Constant stage of the Breathing Technique in five years at the latest.

As for Kurozawa himself, under Sakonji Urokodaki's instruction, he had begun learning the Breathing Technique at five and only reached the third stage of Total Concentration at twenty.

Afterward, he relied on Potential Points and experienced a tremendous surge in strength within a year before pushing Total Concentration to the Constant stage.

"No, I can't accept this. I have to try breaking through the fifth stage of the Breathing Technique on my own!"

"If one year isn't enough, then two. If two years still aren't enough, forget it. Potential Points are still better."