"Were you the last one to become a Pillar?" Teiichi then asked.
"This... doesn't seem to be the case..."
Mitsuri replied somewhat hesitantly, her bad premonition growing stronger and stronger, like a surging tide washing over her.
"Then why is it that despite your excellent physical talent, you're only ranked in the middle?"
"Ah... this... that..."
Mitsuri felt as if something was stuck in her throat, and she stammered, her mind a mess, unsure how to explain the situation.
Teiichi looked at Mitsuri and earnestly offered his suggestion:
"Since we'll be in the Swordsmith Village for the time being, how about I arrange your training?"
"Ah... this..." Mitsuri hesitated.
"Is there a problem?" Teiichi asked, looking at Mitsuri.
"Um... does Mr. Kato know why I joined the Demon Slayer Corps?" Mitsuri asked Teiichi.
Teiichi slightly. "I've heard about it. Is it to find a husband?"
"Mmm-hmm!" Mitsuri nodded repeatedly. "I joined the Demon Slayer Corps to find a husband who can protect me!! Do you know why I became a Pillar?"
"Why did you become a Pillar?" Teiichi repeated, then looked at Mitsuri and said hesitantly, "Wasn't it because you were strong enough that you became a Pillar?"
"No, no, no!" Mitsuri shook her head repeatedly, her emerald green eyes fixed on Teiichi. "The Pillars are the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps, right? Hmm... except for you!"
No need to exclude me, I'm not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps!
Teiichi silently replied, but outwardly nodded and asked:
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"So..." Mitsuri explained, "I trained so hard to become a Pillar so I could get close to the strongest Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps! To see if any of them would be suitable to be my husband!"
At this point, Mitsuri looked dejected.
"Unexpectedly, Zhu usually stays in his own place. We only see each other on the days of the Hashira Meeting!"
"This..."
Teiichi was somewhat speechless, but after thinking for a moment, he brought the topic back.
"What does this have to do with your not wanting to get stronger?"
"Of course they're related!"
Mitsuri looked at Teiichi with excitement.
"Think about it, I want to find someone stronger than me to protect me!"
"If I keep getting stronger, won't it be even harder to find one?"
"There are only a few men in the pillars. If I become stronger, I'll be even stronger than them. Then they won't meet my standards for a husband, will they?"
"..."
Teiichi looked at Mitsuri with the same expression he had in his past life—the one of an old man looking at his phone on the subway.
What kind of bullshit reason is that?
So, is she always ranked in the middle because she's worried that if she's too good, she won't have a boyfriend?
I was wondering why, with her physical talent, she's only a mid-tier member of the Demon Slayer Corps after being in the Corps for so long!
So that's what it was about?
Seeing that Mr. Kato, who was usually unfazed, showed this expression after hearing her words, Mitsuri became a little embarrassed. She raised her hand, tapped two fingers lightly in front of her, and said shyly:
"Um... Mr. Kato is a boy, so he might not understand..."
"No, I understand!" Teiichi rejected her statement.
Upon hearing this, Mitsuri looked at Teiichi with a delighted expression.
"Is that so? Mr. Kato, do you really understand?"
"Yes, I understand!" Teiichi nodded again to confirm.
"That's great! I..."
Mitsuri looked at Teiichi, excitedly wanting to say something, but Teiichi interrupted her.
"What was your ranking when you Hashira Battles last time?" Teiichi looked at Mitsuri with a serious expression.
"Huh? The last Hashira Battles?" Mitsuri looked at Teiichi with some confusion.
"Hmm!" Teiichi nodded.
"The last Hashira Battles was convened on short notice because Mr. Uzui had just finished fighting Upper Rank Six. That time..." Mitsuri recalled, "I was ranked seventh in that Hashira Battles!"
Teiichi stared into Mitsuri's watery eyes and continued to ask:
"Who else in the Demon Slayer Corps is stronger than you?"
"Huh?" Mitsuri recalled the rankings from the last Hashira Battles and replied, " Mr. Himejima, Mr. Uzui, Tokito-kun, Tomioka-kun, Shinazugawa-kun..."
"Yes, just the five of them!" Mitsuri nodded seriously.
"Back then, you hadn't yet learned to Lifting Light as Though Heavy you?"
"Um!"
"So..." Teiichi nodded matter-of-factly.
"So?" Mitsuri looked at Teiichi with some confusion, not knowing what "so" meant.
Teiichi, "Didn't you say you couldn't find it anymore?"
"Huh? Wh... what do you mean?" Mitsuri asked blankly.
She felt like she touched something.
But it felt like she hadn't quite grasped it; a bad feeling just filled her heart.
Seeing that Mitsuri still hadn't figured it out, Teiichi asked:
Where do you think you'd rank if you went now?
While recalling the fighting abilities of the others, Mitsuri counted on her fingers, "If Mr. Gyomei Himejima were involved, I'd probably rank second or third!"
"And who else is ahead of you?" Teiichi continued to guide the conversation.
"Ahead of me are... and... Gyomei Himejima, Mr. Uzui, and... Toki... Toru-kun!" Mitsuri answered step by step, following Teiichi's questions.
Muichiro's physical abilities have seen explosive growth in the past two years. If it weren't for Tengen Uzui's breakthrough, he could have easily secured first place in the Hashira Battles that Himejima didn't participate in.
"So, which of them do you think would be suitable to be your husband?" Teiichi asked, looking at Mitsuri with amusement.
Upon hearing this, Mitsuri gently raised one hand, her thumb slightly extending from her loosely clenched fist.
" Mr. Himejima..."
"He's a monk who doesn't get married!" Teiichi Mitsuri and his group of friends ruled out.
" Mr. Uzui..." The index finger then extended.
"He already has three wives!" Teiichi retorted.
" Tokito-kun..."
"More than you..."
"Ah! Mr. Kato, please stop talking!!"
Mitsuri cried out in pain, clutching her head with both hands.
Tokito-kun is several years younger than her. Although it's not necessarily a no-go, just as she wants to find a husband who is better than her, she also wants to find a husband who is older than her.
"Then isn't there anyone better than me who would be a suitable husband for me?" Mitsuri wailed.
Teiichi firmly. "Yes, so you can give up your idea of finding someone stronger than yourself!"
"Is... is that so?" Mitsuri asked blankly, seemingly in disbelief.
Teiichi firmly. "Yes, so you can focus on becoming stronger. Anyway, none of the people stronger than you are suitable to be your husband!"
"Has... it really... become like this?"
Mitsuri stared in disbelief at the three fingers on her hand.
I was trying my best to control it, so how did things end up like this?
Can't you find the right person?
Mitsuri looked up blankly.
Sunlight fell on the young man's face, his black, tousled hair fluttering gently in the breeze.