Target: Mount Fujikasane

"Hiruma, thank you!" Shinobu Kocho finally spoke after a long moment of stunned silence, her sorrow vanishing.

Waaah! X﹏X

I got hugged!

So fragrant, so soft!

At this moment, Hiruma was the one who truly needed to express his gratitude.

Suddenly, a little angel, Hiruma, appeared beside him. The angel shook its head and said with a look of disdain:

"Pervert, spit!"

Hiruma reluctantly let go of Shinobu, then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. This was a blueprint he had drawn up.

The drawing depicted the future Nichirin Blade of the Insect Pillar. To give Shinobu more confidence now, he had drawn that peculiar Nichirin Blade.

As Shinobu looked on in confusion, the little heavenly school lesson began.

"Shinobu, I'm not a swordsmith, but I have an idea. You can develop your Breathing Style based on this. Of course, when using poison, you should strengthen the basic technique of piercing..."

Hiruma rambled on. Shinobu was a perfectly good student, nodding like a pecking chick and offering her own opinions.

A moment later, the little heavenly school lesson concluded.

Shinobu threw herself into Hiruma's arms with a bear hug, exclaiming loudly, "Hiruma, you're a genius! I love your idea!"

Hiruma turned his head away, his expression a mixture of seven parts joy and three parts disappointment.

Why does Shinobu like my idea and not me!

Damn this idea.

Now that Shinobu had no more worries, Hiruma could participate in the Final Selection with peace of mind.

Shinobu bounced away, bidding Hiruma farewell, and bustled back to the medical department, pushing open her sister's door.

"Sister, I can kill demons now too! I don't necessarily have to cut off their heads!"

"Sister, I'm so happy!"

"Hiruma is so smart!"

Kanae patted her sister's head. She knew Hiruma would find a way.

Half a month later, at the entrance to headquarters.

Three young men were ready to depart. Aunt Ruka was there to see them off, as Hiruma and the other two had to leave half a month early due to travel arrangements.

Tears welled up in Ruka Rengoku's eyes. Over this long period, she had come to see Hiruma and Iguro Obanai as her own children, especially with her eldest son, Kyojuro, also present.

A mother's worry when her child travels far from home was understandable. Sending off three children at once, the pain in her heart was immense.

After all, the three were not going on a pleasure trip, but to participate in the Final Selection, a selection where they truly risked their lives.

To slay all demons, the selection process for the Demon Slayer Corps had always been brutal, even if it wasn't mandatory.

"Mother, we're very strong, don't worry!" Kyojuro hugged his mother, trying to comfort her.

"That's right! I'm a genius, Auntie Fire!"

"The three of us together, we fear nothing!" Iguro Obanai nodded, this being one of his rare moments of not being sharp-tongued.

Their goal wasn't simply to pass the Final Selection; they intended to kill all the demons on Mount Fujikasane.

"You three be careful, pay attention to your safety, this is very important!" Ruka Rengoku earnestly admonished them, a sentence she had repeated dozens of times.

After the farewells, the three set off. Hiruma kept looking back.

"Maybe he's just busy!" Iguro Obanai nudged Hiruma with his elbow, saying with schadenfreude.

Hiruma shot Iguro Obanai a glare. This guy was really asking for a beating.

Suddenly, Shinobu's panting voice could be heard from a distance.

"Hiruma, wait up, wai..."

Hearing the voice he longed to hear, Hiruma turned around with a delighted expression, and Shinobu happened to fall into his arms.

She handed Hiruma a bottle of purple liquid that smelled strongly of wisteria.

"This is... the first generation wisteria poison I developed. Take it and good luck!"

Shinobu stood up straight, dark circles under her eyes, her smile as bright as a flower. She hadn't slept all night to catch up.

"Shinobu, I will definitely work hard!" Hiruma clenched the small glass bottle. It was decorated with a smiling, chibi Hiruma. Shinobu had used the packaging from "Save Your Life Three Thousand."

"Hey, that's not fair! I don't have one?" Kyojuro stared curiously at the small purple bottle, complaining with displeasure.

"Indeed, it's not fair. Why does only the glutton have one!" Iguro Obanai nodded, feeling a pang of jealousy.

"Everyone has one!"

Kanae suddenly appeared, her lips curved, a gentle smile on her face.

Honestly, she wasn't worried about her companions at all; she knew exactly how strong they were.

"Okay, okay!" Kanae pulled the two 10,000-watt lightbulbs aside. "Let's go over here!"

Kyojuro tilted his head, full of questions. "Why?"

"No reason!"

Kanae smiled, her gaze drifting to the side where Hiruma and Shinobu Kocho stood.

The two were just standing there foolishly, holding the Wisteria Poison. Shinobu Kocho didn't know what to do next.

The air fell silent for a moment. She looked up, her clear purple eyes like two full moons, carrying a hint of worry.

She didn't want to voice her concerns, fearing it would disturb Hiruma's peace of mind.

She hadn't felt this way before, but as the moment of parting approached, unease welled up in her heart.

"Hiruma, remember to record the effects. This was your idea, and it's also my strength!"

After saying it, Shinobu Kocho regretted her words. What was she even saying?

"Okay!"

"Since I proposed this idea, I'll definitely see it through!"

Hiruma looked into Shinobu Kocho's eyes and smiled, his expression serious.

"Be careful!"

"Don't push yourself too hard. Even though you're strong, you still need to rely on Iguro Obanai and Kyojuro!"

"Also, eat properly. You need to eat your fill!"

"I know your recovery ability is strong, but don't disregard your injuries. They hurt!"

Shinobu Kocho nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes, having spoken a lot without realizing it.

Some words don't need preparation, and some feelings don't need to be hidden; everything flowed naturally.

Hiruma's eyes crinkled as he smiled. He raised his hand and gently ruffled Shinobu's hair.

"Don't worry, I'm very strong!"

"Also, go back and get a good night's sleep!"

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!"

The farewell over, Hiruma and the other two left headquarters.

On the way, Iguro Obanai cleared his throat and mimicked Shinobu Kocho's tone.

"Don't push yourself too hard. You need to rely on me and Kyojuro more, Hiruma!"

Hiruma shot Iguro Obanai a glare, utterly speechless.

"What should I do? I'm so excited! Finally, I can temper myself through battle, Hahaha!"

Kyojuro burst into laughter. His Nichirin Blade was already thirsty for action.

"Brother, you don't need to be so excited. It's just killing a demon!"

As the only one among the trio who had killed a demon, Hiruma was completely unfazed.

"What? Hiruma, you've beheaded a demon?"

Hearing this, Hiruma's nose twitched, and he put on a little show.

"Hmph hmph hmph! (´｡• ω •｡`)"

"I've taken down three demons!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kyojuro's eyes sparkled, and he asked with anticipation, "Hiruma, what does it feel like to slay a demon?"

"Of course, it's..."

Iguro Obanai, standing beside them, rolled his eyes at Hiruma and quipped, "All you do is brag. Go on, show off!"

Soon, the three ran out of the deep mountains, their destination Mount Fujikasane.

Of course, parting wasn't just happening at Demon Slayer Corps headquarters; the same was true for Mount Sagiri.