Chapter 4: Fujikasane Mountain
After resting for the night, Miyamizu Ichiyuki packed his belongings, checked out of the room, and continued his journey toward Fujikasane Mountain.
Before leaving the town, he passed by the Butterfly Sisters' pharmacy and happened to see the Butterfly Sisters cleaning outside. He remembered his master's instruction to buy some medicine.
"Good morning, Kanae."
"Good morning, Mr. Miyamizu." Kanae looked at the White-Haired Youth before her, surprised to see him again.
"Um... I wanted to ask if you have any gauze, medicine for bruises and sprains, or painkillers."
"The pharmacy at home has those. How much do you need, Mr. Miyamizu?"
"Hmm... The more, the better. I'll take as much as I can carry."
"I understand. Please follow me inside, Mr. Miyamizu."
Hearing this, Miyamizu Ichiyuki followed Kanae into the pharmacy.
Kanae placed a roll of gauze and various medicines, large and small, that Miyamizu Ichiyuki didn't recognize on the table.
"This is for bruises and sprains. It's very effective, but you might feel a bit unwell for a minute after using it. It passes quickly." Kanae pointed to a small red medicine box.
"And this one?" Miyamizu Ichiyuki picked up a pale purple small bottle.
"That contains painkillers. They work very well and aren't addictive."
"Thank you. How much in total?"
Kanae hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Hmm... For you, Mr. Miyamizu, eighty-five mon will be enough."
"Huh? That cheap?"
"Well, you did help me last night."
"Then thank you very much." After paying, Miyamizu Ichiyuki packed the medicine bottles and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" Shinobu Kocho, standing at the pharmacy entrance, asked as soon as he stepped out.
"I'm off to become a hero. What do you think?"
"Don't go doing anything foolish."
"Are you worried about me, Shinobu?" Miyamizu Ichiyuki teased.
"Not really. I just don't want to see someone I know die."
"You can rest assured. I'm not that easy to kill." With that, Miyamizu Ichiyuki prepared to leave.
"Have a safe journey." Shinobu Kocho suddenly said softly from behind him.
"I'll take that as a blessing."
Kanae, who had stepped out of the pharmacy and witnessed this, looked at her younger sister with disbelief.
"I wish you a smooth journey, Mr. Miyamizu."
"We'll meet again if fate allows."
With that, Miyamizu Ichiyuki waved goodbye to the Butterfly Sisters. Kanae politely returned the gesture, while Shinobu Kocho kept her gaze fixed on the ground.
...
After leaving the town, Miyamizu Ichiyuki hurried non-stop toward Fujikasane Mountain. The journey was smooth, and he finally arrived at the mountain covered in wisteria flowers just before dusk.
Reaching the mountaintop, he was met with the sight of dozens of swordsmen from different places, each trained by different cultivators.
When Miyamizu Ichiyuki entered the area, many turned their eyes toward him, curiously sizing up the White-Haired Youth wearing a pale blue haori.
At the same time, Miyamizu Ichiyuki also scanned his surroundings to see if there were any familiar faces.
After looking around, Miyamizu Ichiyuki finally spotted two people he recognized in a corner.
One was a boy with light orange hair, a scar on his face, and a fox mask hanging from his head.
The other was a boy with long black hair, an expression that clearly said'strangers keep away,' and also a fox mask hanging from his head.
Miyamizu Ichiyuki recognized them at first glance. The light orange-haired boy was the legendary Sabito, who was said to have slaughtered all the demons on Fujikasane Mountain. The black-haired boy was the future Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyuu.
Naturally, upon finally seeing people he knew, Miyamizu Ichiyuki couldn't resist going over to talk. He walked up to the two, extended his hand, and said, "I am Miyamizu Ichiyuki. Pleased to meet both of you."
"Mm, hello," Tomioka Giyuu replied flatly.
"Giyuu, don't be like that." Sabito nudged the Giyuu beside him, then shook Miyamizu Ichiyuki's outstretched hand. "Hello, I'm Sabito. This is Tomioka Giyuu. Nice to meet you."
"Hello, hello."
"Giyuu is just like that. Please don't mind him."
"Not at all. I'm the one who might be intruding."
"Don't say that. Since we've all made it here, our goals must be the same."
"Yes. After passing the Final Selection, we'll all be comrades, right?"
"Comrades? I like that word," Sabito said.
Just like that, Miyamizu Ichiyuki and Sabito chatted for a while longer, getting to know each other. Then Sabito asked, "Ichiyuki, what Breathing Style do you use?"
"Me? Water Breathing."
"What a coincidence! Giyuu and I also use Water Breathing."
"It seems fate really brought us together." Miyamizu Ichiyuki continued, "Who is your cultivator?"
"Our master is Urokodaki Sakonji. What about yours?"
"My master is Yuuya Kazami."
"After this assessment, Ichiyuki, would you like to come visit us at Kagamiyama?"
"Of course! But I might need to go back and let my master know I'm safe first."
"Understandable. We also have an older sister-student named Makomo. If she hadn't been injured during training before, she might have been a member of the Demon Slayer Corps already."
...
The more they talked, the more they clicked. They discussed goals and ideals, then moved on to daily life trivialities. In the end, the three simply took out their respective bento boxes to share.
...
The next day.
Time moved to the evening of the second day. A man with black, medium-length hair and purple markings on his face appeared on the previously empty platform.
Others might not know who he was, but our Miyamizu Ichiyuki naturally did. This person was none other than the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, 'Ubuyashiki Kagaya.'
"Everyone, welcome to the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection. I am the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Ubuyashiki Kagaya," the man on the platform said.
"The rules for this assessment are simple: survive for seven days on this wisteria-covered mountain. Those who remain alive after seven days will become members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"The selection now begins. I wish you all a safe journey."
As his words fell, everyone began entering the interior of Fujikasane Mountain. Sabito, standing nearby, said, "For safety, let's the three of us stick together."
"Yes, I was thinking the same. Let's go in together."
With that, the three of them entered the interior of Fujikasane Mountain together.
The moment they stepped inside, three demons charged out, pouncing toward the trio.
"Hey, we agreed, one each," one of the male demons said.
"Of course."
Miyamizu Ichiyuki looked at the three demons rushing toward them and said, "Giyuu, Sabito, one each."
"Alright!"
Miyamizu Ichiyuki drew the nichirin blade given to him by Master Kazami and slashed at the male demon before him. The demon easily dodged the strike.
The male demon used its exceptional speed to circle behind Miyamizu Ichiyuki and launch a sudden attack. Miyamizu Ichiyuki blocked horizontally with his blade but was sent flying by the demon's blow.
"Ichiyuki!"
Sabito and Giyuu, entangled by the other two demons, could only watch as Miyamizu Ichiyuki was sent flying.
"I'm fine! You two handle the ones in front of you. We'll regroup later."
Miyamizu Ichiyuki got up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and assumed a stance, preparing for the male demon's next attack.
Although Miyamizu Ichiyuki possessed a high talent for learning, this was his first real combat experience, and he needed time to adapt.
After defending against the male demon's subsequent assaults, Miyamizu Ichiyuki gradually grew accustomed to real combat. The demon's next sneak attack was easily neutralized by Ichiyuki, who then took advantage of the demon's post-attack delay to execute a Water Surface Slash, severing its head.
Watching the male demon turn to ashes upon hitting the ground, Miyamizu Ichiyuki returned to the spot where he, Sabito, and Giyuu had been ambushed. However, the two, whose fighting sounds had been audible just moments ago, were now completely gone.
Miyamizu Ichiyuki carefully examined the surroundings. Finding no bloodstains, he concluded they weren't injured. He then chose a direction and continued deeper into the mountain.
Along the way, he encountered several demons, all of which he dispatched with relative ease. At a fork in the path, seeing bloodstains on the right-hand trail and fearing someone might be in mortal danger, he decisively chose the right path.
Sure enough, after only a few steps, he saw five demons surrounding two people, with another injured person lying behind them.
Just as the five demons launched their attack, Miyamizu Ichiyuki used Water Breathing: Third Form, Flowing Dance, swiftly striking at the five different demons.
Miyamizu Ichiyuki's high-speed movement left numerous afterimages on the battlefield. Although the Third Form didn't behead the five demons, it successfully drew their aggro.
"That white-haired brat looks stronger than those two," a female demon spoke up.
"Then let's kill him first. The five of us can't handle one of him? Let's go!"
As the words fell, the five demons changed their target and simultaneously attacked Miyamizu Ichiyuki.