Chapter 133: Emotional Mentor's Great Failure?
"Because... because..."
Faced with Akira's gentle but direct inquiry, Aoi lowered her head. She stammered for a long while, a deep, burning flush spreading across her cheeks. The words caught in her throat, refusing to form a complete sentence.
Anxious, nervous, and carrying a heavy burden of shame, she ducked her chin even further, practically burying her face in her chest. Her performance had been abysmal, and she knew it. Yet, despite her overwhelming embarrassment, she couldn't stop her eyes from darting upward, stealing nervous glances at the others. She fully expected to see impatience, disappointment, or outright contempt painted across their faces.
To her deep surprise, not a single person in the room showed even a hint of frustration. They simply waited in peaceful silence, their gazes offering nothing but quiet encouragement.
Seeing this, Aoi swallowed hard. She barely managed to steady her racing heart, finally forcing out the dark, heavy words buried deep within her soul.
"As a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps... I don't even have the courage to face a demon." Her voice trembled, fragile as glass. "During the Final Selection, I couldn't even hold my Nichirin Blade steady when one appeared in front of me. If the Hashira hadn't arrived in time, I might have already..."
She choked on the final word. Having just been eliminated from the brutal trial of the Final Selection, the visceral dread of death still gripped her throat. She simply couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head sharply. Her entire body tensed, involuntary tremors racking her small frame as she braced herself for the inevitable backlash. She waited for the harsh criticism, the scolding, the mockery, and the ridicule she felt she rightfully deserved.
But the reprimand never came. After a brief silence—one that felt like an eternity to Aoi's terrified heart—Akira's calm, steady voice broke the quiet tension.
"Fear is nothing to be ashamed of, Aoi."
She flinched slightly, listening as he continued. "When facing an existence that can threaten your very life, fear is the most instinctive, natural reaction of any living being. It is precisely because fear is so universal that true courage holds any value at all."
He paused, a faint, self-deprecating smile touching his lips. "The first time I encountered a demon, I used every ounce of strength in my lungs to scream for help. If I hadn't, I seriously doubt I would have survived to see today."
Aoi's eyes snapped open. She looked up in pure shock, her teary gaze locking onto the Sound Hashira. Beside him, the girls who actually knew of his past exchanged highly amused, subtle glances.
'This guy is really good at cherry-picking facts,'they collectively thought.'He'd make a terrifyingly effective con artist.'
"R-Really?" Aoi whispered. The idea that a powerful Hashira could be so terrified as to scream for help during his first encounter was completely unimaginable to her.
"Of course it's true," Akira nodded, his expression the picture of solemn honesty. "And, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me for this, but one of the main reasons I chose Thunder Breathing back then was because the technique is incredibly fast. It makes running away much more convenient."
He chuckled, leaning back slightly. "If you don't believe me, you can go to Mount Momoyama and ask my Master yourself. When the old man found out about my underlying motivation, he chased me around the mountain with his cane for hours."
Hearing the esteemed Hashira casually share his own embarrassing history, Kanae, Shinobu, and Makomo couldn't hold back their soft giggles.
As for Aoi, her lips began to twitch wildly.
'I can't laugh,'Aoi panicked internally.'I absolutely cannot be rude in front of these important people! But... just picturing an old man chasing a Hashira with a cane... I can't help it. What do I do?'
Noticing her desperate struggle, Akira smiled warmly. "Laugh if you want to. Isn't it uncomfortable holding it in like that?"
"Pfft... I'm sorry... pfft..." Aoi clamped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking. "My deepest apologies, Sound Hashira..."
She finally broke character, her polite facade crumbling as she apologized between breathless giggles. She covered her face tightly with both hands, taking several deep, shuddering breaths before finally managing to steady her chaotic emotions.
"I am truly sorry! Sound Hashira!" she bowed deeply.
"It's alright." Akira quickly waved his hand, signaling that he genuinely didn't mind. Given her rigid posture, he suspected that if he didn't stop her, she might actually drop to her knees in apology. "So, do you understand now? There is absolutely no need for you to feel inferior just because you felt fear."
He held her gaze, his tone softening. ", having the courage to openly admit your shortcomings in front of us—people you've only just met—is a deep manifestation of courage in itself."
Aoi bit her lower lip. "But... as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, yet not daring to kill demons... unable to go to the front lines to fight... I... I am still useless."
The tiny spark of spirit she had just managed to muster was rapidly dimming, swallowed once again by her deep-seated insecurities.
"Just a friendly reminder," Akira interjected, raising a finger. "Of the eight people currently in this room, only three actually fight demons head-on. Are you implying that those who don't directly fight demons are all 'useless' people?"
He deliberately interrupted her spiraling inferiority, attempting to force a morale-boosting perspective shift onto her.
"No, no! I didn't mean that at all!" Just as Akira predicted, the moment he framed it that way, Aoi panicked. She could no longer afford to wallow in self-pity; she frantically waved her hands, desperate to clarify her stance. "I just wanted to say that I—"
"What you want to say is that you feel that you, or rather what you will be doing in the future, is 'useless,' right?" Akira smoothly guided her words, voicing the exact core of her anxiety.
"Yes, yes, exactly! I—" Aoi nodded hurriedly, eager to elaborate, but Akira cut her off once more.
"Then you should know that, you will be managing the logistics of the Butterfly Mansion as Aunt Hanako's direct assistant, correct?"
"I know, that's why I..."
She nodded again, but before she could finish her thought, Akira struck with relentless logic.
"So you mean to say that Aunt Hanako's work is actually what you consider 'useless'? Or are you saying that Aunt Hanako, who works tirelessly day and night to ensure the daily operation of the entire Butterfly Mansion, is one of those 'useless' people you just mentioned?"
"I... I'm not... ugh..."
Aoi's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She desperately wanted to defend herself, to explain that she wasn't insulting the hardworking older woman, but she didn't even know where to begin.
Trapped by his flawless, suffocating logic, her helpless brain rapidly approached a total overload. Finally, her internal system triggered its ultimate emergency protection mechanism—thick, heavy tears welled up in her eyes and came streaming down her flushed cheeks.
Seeing the girl suddenly burst into tears, Akira froze, completely stunned.
Kanae immediately rushed forward, wrapping a comforting arm around Aoi's trembling shoulders to soothe her. Meanwhile, Makomo and Shinobu turned to look at Akira, their eyes dancing with mischievous delight.
"My, my," Shinobu murmured, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "It seems someone, following his infamous rumor of being 'so short-tempered he'll hang people up,'is about to welcome an even more impactful reputation:'having such a terrible attitude he made his cute new subordinate cry.'"
"The only witnesses to that latter rumor are us, right?" Akira deadpanned, a bead of sweat forming on his brow. "How could it possibly spread?"
Shinobu tapped her chin, pretending to ponder the question seriously. "Hmm... I really don't mind helping out with that."
"I mind," Akira shot back. He turned his head away, presenting the back of his head to the teasing insect specialist as he anxiously checked on Aoi's condition.
When it came to making Aoi cry, Akira genuinely felt wronged. His original intention had been purely constructive. He wanted to explain the vital importance of logistics, soothe her crippling inferiority complex, and use a bit of emotional whiplash to shatter the incorrect perceptions taking root in her heart.
He just hadn't expected to push the logic a little too far.
Akira, the self-proclaimed Emotional Mentor: A total failure.
'I clearly succeeded in changing her mind, though,' Akira stubbornly thought to himself.
After a few minutes of gentle coaxing and warm comfort from Kanae, Aoi's turbulent emotions finally stabilized. Through her sniffles, she also realized the core truth Akira had clumsily tried to impart—logistics work, and the people who kept the Demon Slayer Corps running from behind the scenes, were never, ever "useless."
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