A Kasugai Crow from the Demon Slayer Corps flew over to deliver a mission, interrupting Tanjiro's recollections.
"We've got a mission. Tanjiro, let's go," Lin Guang told him. Then he tossed Tanjiro the remaining scroll. "You can use this after the mission."
Tanjiro caught the scroll Lin Guang tossed over and asked, "Senior Lin Guang, what is this?"
Lin Guang thought for a moment before replying, "Um... I suppose it's a combat technique that lets you push beyond the limits of the human body, much like a Breathing Style. It's called Shave. It might be useful to you."
Tanjiro looked at Lin Guang in surprise, then thanked him. "Thank you, Senior Lin Guang!"
Lin Guang waved a hand. "No need to thank me. Consider it compensation."
"Compensation? What do you mean, Senior Lin Guang?" Tanjiro was puzzled.
"Please!"
A sudden wailing cry rang out, startling Tanjiro.
"Please, please! Marry me! I don't know when I might die! So please marry me! I'm begging you!"
Tanjiro stared at the yellow-haired boy in yellow clothes kneeling in the middle of the road and crying, momentarily bewildered.
"Huh? What... what's going on here?"
When Lin Guang saw the yellow-haired boy in yellow clothes, he chuckled inwardly. Isn't that Zenitsu Agatsuma? He really does live up to his role as comic relief. What a troublemaker.
Zenitsu Agatsuma's Little Sparrow spotted Lin Guang and Tanjiro and hurriedly flew over.
Tanjiro reached out to catch Zenitsu Agatsuma's Little Sparrow, who chattered incessantly in Lin Guang's hand.
"Chirp, chirp! Chirp! Chirp, chirp! Chirp!"
Watching Little Sparrow hop about and chirp in his hand, Tanjiro listened and nodded earnestly.
"I see. I understand. I'll figure something out!" Tanjiro said.
Although Lin Guang knew Tanjiro had understood the sparrow in the anime, seeing it happen right before his eyes still made him ask, "Tanjiro, what did the sparrow say? And can you really understand what a sparrow says to you?"
Tanjiro nodded and gave Lin Guang a puzzled look. "The sparrow said Zenitsu keeps refusing to work, always starts flirting with girls right away, and snores terribly loudly. He's a real headache! Can't you understand the sparrow, Senior Lin Guang?"
As he spoke, Tanjiro pointed at Little Sparrow in his hand.
Lin Guang didn't answer Tanjiro's question. He gave a quiet snort. "Hmph. Let's deal with the trouble Zenitsu's caused first."
With that, Lin Guang and Tanjiro walked toward Zenitsu Agatsuma.
"Save me! Marry me! Please..."
No matter how hard the girl pushed Zenitsu Agatsuma away, he refused to let go. Even when she managed to push him off, he immediately latched onto her again.
Just then, Lin Guang grabbed Zenitsu Agatsuma by the collar and hauled him up.
"Hey! What are you doing in the middle of the road? Can't you see that girl wants nothing to do with this?" Lin Guang said.
"And stop troubling your sparrow!" Tanjiro added.
Zenitsu Agatsuma looked at Lin Guang and Tanjiro and realized they were two of the people who had passed the Final Selection with him.
"Ah! You're the ones from the Final Selection..."
Lin Guang and Tanjiro replied in unison, "No! We don't know anyone like you! We don't!"
Hearing their response, Zenitsu Agatsuma looked incredulous. "Huh? We've met! We have! Is there something wrong with your memories?"
Tanjiro recalled that he did seem to have seen Zenitsu Agatsuma at the Final Selection, but said nothing more about it. Instead, he walked over to the girl. "It's all right now. You can go home without worrying."
Seeing that someone had finally helped her out, the girl thanked him. "All right! Thank you so much!"
Hearing Tanjiro's words, Zenitsu Agatsuma immediately panicked and struggled in Lin Guang's grip.
"Hey! Stay out of this! That girl's going to marry me! She likes me!"
At that, Lin Guang delivered a knife-hand chop to Zenitsu Agatsuma's head.
"Hey! Behave yourself!"
The girl came over and slapped Zenitsu Agatsuma straight to the ground. Lin Guang took two steps back to make room for her. She thanked him, then began pummeling Zenitsu Agatsuma.
"Aaah! That hurts! It hurts! Stop! Please stop!"
The girl kept hitting Zenitsu Agatsuma. The more she hit him, the angrier she grew, and the angrier she grew, the harder she hit.
Tanjiro hadn't expected the girl to hit so hard. He hurried forward to hold her back. "C-calm down!"
The girl pointed at Zenitsu Agatsuma and shouted, "When did I ever say I liked you? You were crouching on the ground looking sick, so I only stopped to ask if you were all right!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma cried out in shock, "Huh?! You weren't worried about me and talking to me because you liked me?!"
"I'm already engaged! So there's absolutely no chance! If you've got this much energy, you must be fine! Good! Bye!" the girl said, rejecting him without mercy.
Seeing that she was leaving, Zenitsu Agatsuma still tried to stop her. "Huh? W-wait! Wait..."
Lin Guang said helplessly, "Honestly, just give it a rest. No girl's going to like you if you act like this."
Those words struck Zenitsu Agatsuma like a thunderbolt to the head.
Zenitsu Agatsuma instantly turned to stone, then toppled to the ground.
"Hey! Are you all right?"
Seeing Zenitsu Agatsuma faint, Tanjiro hurried over to check on him.
Lin Guang hadn't expected a casual remark of his to have such devastating power.
Before long, Zenitsu Agatsuma slowly came around.
"You're awake. Are you feeling all right?" Tanjiro asked with concern when he saw Zenitsu Agatsuma wake.
The moment Zenitsu Agatsuma opened his eyes, he heard and saw Tanjiro. He immediately sat up and grabbed Tanjiro's clothes.
"Why did you get in my way? This had nothing to do with you!"
Tanjiro hadn't expected Zenitsu Agatsuma to behave exactly the same way after waking up. He couldn't help looking at him as though he were some bizarre creature.
Tanjiro's gaze made Zenitsu Agatsuma squirm all over. "Hey! Why are you looking at me like I'm some other species?!"
"You have to take responsibility! It's your fault I didn't get married!"
Yet Tanjiro's gaze grew even stranger.
With Lin Guang and Tanjiro both remaining silent, Zenitsu Agatsuma was on the verge of falling apart again.
"Say something, will you!"
"Listen up! I'm going to die soon! On my very next mission! I'm weak! Don't underestimate me! You have to protect me until I get married!"
Hearing someone declare his own weakness with such righteous conviction made both Tanjiro and Lin Guang laugh.
Zenitsu Agatsuma looked at Lin Guang and Tanjiro in confusion.
Then Tanjiro said, "My name is Tanjiro Kamado!"
Lin Guang introduced himself as well. "Lin Guang."
Hearing that, Zenitsu Agatsuma remembered that Lin Guang seemed to be the imposing boy from the Final Selection. He hurriedly introduced himself. "I'm sorry! My name is Zenitsu Agatsuma!"
Before you continue