Vol.1 [ IOC kny au ] [ do not read this if you are not part of my friend group.

Chapter 5 [ The start of a new arc ]

' mount gotoma.
mount gotoma holds records of most demons found, and each one of the corps members hinotoe-kinoe was assigned to do clearing routes and to evacuate any humans living in there. but there was always a twist each day the assigned corps members would disappear without a trace...not even blood. this caused a shake to the demon slayer corps, as a result, the master of the mansion: kagaya ubayashiki ordered a hashira to go look out and investigate. that hahsira is none other than Adam the now insect hashira to travel up to mount gotoma...after all, it was in her formal territory. she has more experience. the corps feels good about the idea. but it appears she might need someone from the formal ranks for her company, after all, demons are common here. '

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- kioki

" But master. I'm just a muzinoto...I'm not in the ranks of hinotoe! " I said, I wondered why I even get this letter I'm a new starter after all muzinoto isn't even in the formal ranks. If I go out no one would find a trace of me even if I'm with a hashira ill just get in the way of fighting, " Hey the master knows what rank you are in. Plus there's no way the master himself would accidentally send you this letter, phsk...I even heard they confirmed it about 3 times..there's no way that isn't for you, are you afraid something will happen? " master spoke, he's so straightforward about my new mission...oh wait I've heard that if a muzinoto goes on a mission with a hashira their ranks will grow higher rapidly! maybe that's what he is thinking.

" no- I'm just scared ill be in the way. " I spoke it took me a while to get words out, I always have to think before I speak it takes time... it is time-consuming. " Pfft, you scared you'll be in the way? yknow, my comrade, Adam is always such a fuss I've heard that she handled 3 muzinotos that almost got themselves killed while she was fighting a demon! 3 of them were alive to my surprise, I mean she still has a kid spirit in herself. like you, a bit. maybe I don't see it but maybe you do still have it, unlike everyone you are still 14! passing final selections at that age is concerning...I passed the final selections when I was just 17! you and the other remaining survivors that day were aged 13-15, you all got the record of the youngest attending the demon slayer corps ".

Ah, I see so I did achieve something without even expecting it. im kinda proud now, but still in my head this is also a life and death situation even going with a hashira doesn't make it 100% safe! they die too!, " Are you still thinking about it? every one of our missions... is always life and death no matter what ranks the demons are they will eventually find something or someone. to kill you... not every hashira dies at the hands of upper moons or lower moons. they die from basic demons too, it's all for his enjoyment...", after that it went quiet but then he started to speak again. " Okay, to make you less worried why won't we go find her? after all you might need a little talk with someone you go on a mission with? some recognition might let you live without a bruise! ".

Are you serious?! so, if I don't get along with the hashira ill get bruised or even DIE?!!!, well looks like im gonna die on my first mission to exist ever! how embarrassing. " Hey, come one why are you so slow did you forget to eat? drink? other than that you look fine to me! cmon let's go! after all, you do want to live right? " those words sent shivers up my spine... I cant detect aura, so im pretty at the bottom list but I can tell it is very overwhelming to be in with the hashiras presence...

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*Butterfly estate: home of the insect hashira.

" soo, this is the kid master will be sending on my mission? " The insect hashira adam, she is very strange with her facial expressions she is the first human I've seen to be smiling when a child and a grown adult came barging in her estate...how weird, its safe to say that I am not looking confident at all.

" yeah! meet kioki, future thunder hahsira...or just a tsuguko title is all fine.. anyways I've heard that there's someone else joining you 2? who is it, and what are their ranks? I wanna know!! " master is always cheerful but, if you can detect aura In some way it's like a thick brick beside us. " why do I always have to tell you everything?! go find it out yourself. " Woah. with a smile too?! the hashira are impressively strange.

" Gisa sukanjo is the current ice hashiras tsuguko reaching the rank kinoto the second-highest rank to reach before hashira. he will be accompanying both of us on our mission, id like to call it a warm welcome for you to be in the new tsuguko take in. it's better if you start with me! im sure both of you will get along. "

so not only my first mission is with a hashira. but with also a kinoto tsuguko? It's an honor maybe ill consider going, after all, I would like to learn from the higher ranks.

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*Wisteria garden: a beautifully silent space.

It was already reaching the dawn, and my master [ Mizo Kanazawa ] recommended me to get known with my partner buddies on my first mission. For the sake of my life. I've already met the insect hashira [ Adam ] she was strangely smart? maybe... I did talk to her about the other person that's going to be on my mission she just said his description IN
the demon slayer corps, not his likings or personality so I might have to find out about him on my own.

people kept telling me that he likes to be in the wisteria garden a lot, even at this time. They say seeing him at dawn somewhere else is a rare occurrence, everyone always wonders why he goes to that place...well, not everyone wonders why, I'm sure it is for some kind of focus thing! he's probably training to get better well, it wouldn't hurt to talk with someone higher ranked than you...right?

as I walked to the entrance of the wisteria garden, I saw a figure he looked right around my brother's age 14-16 i suppose. not long after he turned his back and made eye contact with me " hello. may i help you? " he spoke his left arm has up and his palms were opened to welcome the butterfly into his palms, and he smiled. then turned back to me again, i looked up at him and lower my head down " Im so sorry for interrupting! i am kioki...emm err I'm gonna be your teammate soon to go up on mount gotoma- with the insect hashira! i wanted to " ... " you must be Mizo Kanazawa's muzinoto tsuguko right? " he asked me, i slightly nodded and looked back up to him, my god he must be one of those big ego tsuguko... cutting me off like that sparked something in my mind annoyance.

his smile turns light then he walked up to me, i was nervous who knows what he's gonna do to me?!, he then lifts his other hand up and pointed down my corps uniform " if you are a tsuguko, you should know how to button your uniform right... ", i looked down on to my uniform and to my horror, the buttons weren't even in the right place. i quickly tried to fix it, after that i looked back to face him again. he just smiled. god, it's getting boring...

" I'm not a very talkative person. so please do not expect me to engage in conversations like these any longer... ill be going now... " he spun around to the entrance of the wisteria garden before i could say a word he was gone.

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*Kanazawa's estate: home to the thunder hashira.

" That's it?! " Mizo spoke, he almost choked on his drink when he heard kiokis depressing counter with the ice hashiras tsuguko " he didn't even say a question to me about how I'm doing... how am i gonna make him my friends if he's like that- " kioki groaned in annoyance, how can he befriend such a non-talkative person? with a hint of sass... how?.

" well, it looks like it's gonna be a long ride for you. " Mizo spoke grabbing the sushi out of the plate with chopsticks as he popped one in his mouth. " really? arent you gonna help? " Mizo freezer at kiokis words ' aren't you gonna help? '

...

" I'll try... "