"Please, senior… give me a chance."
Makomo bowed slightly and made her request again.
Under the tree, the girl—with her graceful figure and likely beautiful appearance—pleaded sincerely. Her voice was gentle and pleasant. Most people would probably find it hard to refuse help from a girl like her.
If it had been an ordinary request, Furukawa Hiroshi and his companions would likely have agreed without hesitation.
But…
Demon hunting was different.
From the moment someone became a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, every swordsman understood that hunting demons meant more than just risking their own life.
It also meant carrying the lives of their comrades—and the lives of the people they were trying to save.
If a demon hunt failed, it wasn't just the hunter who would die.
Their companions could die.
The people they were trying to rescue could die as well.
"I'm sorry."
Furukawa Hiroshi shook his head.
"Hunting demons isn't as easy as you think. It's extremely dangerous—you could lose your life at any moment. You haven't even passed the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane yet. It's not suitable for you."
"That's right. Demon hunting is dangerous," another swordsman beside him added.
"You should go back."
Being rejected made Makomo feel a little disappointed.
But she didn't give up.
Instead, she raised her head and looked at Furukawa Hiroshi and the others.
"Then what would it take for you to allow me to join?"
"You won't be allowed to join," one swordsman replied immediately.
"This is for the sake of your life."
"If you refuse to give me even a chance," the girl said while tilting her head slightly beneath the fox mask, "then I'll just keep following behind you. I'm afraid there's nothing the seniors can do about that, right?"
The group fell silent.
If Makomo truly decided to follow them, there wasn't much they could do. After all, the speed she had just shown was impressive.
Under normal circumstances, if they weren't in the middle of tracking a demon, they might have had the time and energy to shake her off.
But right now, that clearly wasn't possible.
Trying to track a demon while also shaking off Makomo would be extremely difficult.
"And if you happen to encounter a demon while I'm following you…"
Makomo narrowed her eyes slightly.
"That would be very dangerous too."
Her voice was light and airy. Beneath the mask, a sly expression seemed to form.
Furukawa Hiroshi's expression darkened slightly. He looked at the girl standing firmly beneath the tree, clearly determined.
Finally, he nodded.
"Alright. I'll give you a chance."
He pointed to a swordsman standing behind him.
"If you can last one minute against my companion, I'll agree. But if you fail, you must go back immediately. How about it?"
"No problem."
Makomo clenched her fists slightly, looking excited.
"When it starts, go straight into your breathing state and defeat her," Furukawa Hiroshi instructed his companion.
"Don't worry, Captain. I won't give her any chance."
The swordsman patted his chest confidently.
Someone who hadn't even gone through the Final Selection, and who wasn't even an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps yet, stood no chance against him—especially if he entered his Breathing state.
He had no intention of holding back.
Furukawa Hiroshi also believed there would be no problem.
Once Makomo finished preparing, he signaled for the two to begin.
Hoo…
Makomo drew the Nichirin sword from her waist and looked at the swordsman standing opposite her while slowly breathing.
This was the first time she had faced an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps—someone who had already experienced the brutal reality of demon hunting.
She felt a little nervous.
Her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Hoo…
She exhaled again, forcing herself to calm down. If you feel nervous, turn the things you want to protect into your breath, she whispered to herself.
Her gaze sharpened, and the tension seemed to melt away.
At that moment, the swordsman placed his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin sword and looked at Makomo.
"Are you ready?"
"Please guide me."
The girl tightly gripped the hilt of her sword. Beneath the fox mask, her delicate face became serious.
"Hah!"
Almost instantly, the swordsman moved. His blade flashed like autumn water under the afternoon sunlight, gleaming with a cold light.
In Makomo's eyes, the man who had seemed ordinary just moments ago—almost simple and honest—suddenly transformed into something like a demon of war.
An overwhelming pressure like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood bore down on her, causing the girl's grip on her sword to tighten.
How many brutal battles against demons has this senior experienced? she thought in shock.
But she moved as well.
Compared to the swordsman's terrifying killing intent, her sword felt like flowing water—soft and continuous.
Bam!
The swordsman's powerful Nichirin Sword came crashing down, as if it intended to cut through everything.
But just as the blade was about to strike the girl—
Its force suddenly seemed to disappear.
Even the oppressive aura of slaughter began to fade.
Seeing this, Furukawa Hiroshi and the others revealed shocked expressions.
The swordsman fighting Makomo also felt his face change drastically.
He clearly had unleashed an extremely powerful strike, yet it felt as though he had cut into cotton—into soft flowing water. The strength of his attack had been effortlessly weakened by more than half.
The feeling was even more uncomfortable than when he fought veteran swordsmen who practiced Water Breathing.
He couldn't understand it.
How could someone who hadn't even taken the test at Mount Fujikasane—someone who wasn't even officially a swordsman—possess such skill?
At that same moment, after evading the swordsman's fierce attack, the girl's figure appeared lightly at his side.
Before the swordsman could react, his expression changed dramatically.
The Nichirin Sword—with a lake-blue guard and a handle decorated with pink flowers—had already stopped just in front of his neck.
In an instant, the swordsman froze.
"Thank you for the lesson," Makomo stepped back lightly, her voice soft and airy.
Being defeated by a girl who wasn't even an official swordsman made the man's face flush with embarrassment. He quietly stepped aside.
The other swordsmen stood there in disbelief.
Wasn't it said that Sakonji Urokodaki wasn't suited to be a trainer?
Up until now, none of his disciples had even passed the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane.
So how could this girl be so strong?
Ordinary Demon Slayer swordsmen probably weren't even her match.
Under the tree, the fox-masked girl stood quietly looking at Furukawa Hiroshi and the others.
But inside her heart, a deep doubt began to form.
Her strength didn't seem weaker than these swordsmen who were already performing demon-hunting missions.
With this level of ability, she should be able to pass the Final Selection.
So why did my seniors... and even Sabito... fail?
Is it because fighting a human is completely different from fighting a demon?
Furukawa Hiroshi looked at the quietly standing girl and let out a soft sigh. "I agree to let you join us in hunting demons."
"But during the entire mission, you must follow our instructions and cannot act on your own."
"Understood."
The girl beneath the tree suppressed the doubts in her heart and nodded gently.
As she walked toward Furukawa Hiroshi and the others, curiosity appeared in her voice.
"By the way… what kind of demon are you hunting this time?"
At the mention of the demon, everyone's expression darkened.
Their eyes filled with hatred.
"A very cruel and cunning demon."
Furukawa Hiroshi clenched his teeth as he recalled the night he saw the demon leaving the city.
"And one that is extremely good at disguising itself."