What if Tanjiro didn't turn back into a human? (not my idea) In this scenario, Nezuko will become a demon slayer, and Kanao, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Senjuro, and Aoi will become hashiras. But will they be able to help Tanjiro turn back into a human? Let's...
During the break, Akira and Nezuko didn't exchange a single word – instead, they chose to catch up on lost sleep. The other candidates also lay down to rest. And so, the five-hour break passed. When the allotted time ended, the crow woke them up. It was time for the second part of the final selection.
Everyone entered the forest surrounded by wisteria. Nezuko and Akira walked together. From time to time, they encountered a demon or two, which they quickly killed, but overall, nothing particularly interesting happened. Not long after, the sun set, and demon hunting became more challenging. At one point, Nezuko heard someone crying for help, but when the two of them ran to the place where the sound came from, they found no one there. Slightly uneasy, they looked around and finally spotted a demon. Akira drew his sword, leaped, and with one swift movement, beheaded it. However, as the creature disintegrated and vanished, the boy noticed a girl with black hair standing nearby, who seemed ready for battle. The girl sheathed her swords and approached.
“Why did you kill it?” she asked angrily. “I saw it first! I was about to behead it!”
“Sorry!” Akira replied, slightly confused. He didn’t understand why the girl was so upset. What did it matter that he killed the demon? There were so many more of those creatures around!
“Didn't you see me? I was standing so close!”
“No, I didn't see you!” the boy frowned. “I already apologized, didn't I? Why are you still complaining? I didn't do anything that bad!”
At that moment, Nezuko arrived, having heard the argument.
“What’s going on? Why are you two fighting?”
“I accidentally killed the demon she was attacking. But I already apologized, and she’s still blaming me!”
“Use my name when you talk about me!” the girl snapped. “My name is Ishiyo Murakawa!”
“Great!” Akira rolled his eyes. “I don’t care what your name is. Let’s go, Nezuko.”
The two of them quickly walked away. Ishiyo glared at them and headed in the opposite direction.
---
“I don’t understand what I did wrong!” Akira fumed. “I’m sure I saved her life, but she’s too proud to thank me! She said she was going to kill the demon – yeah, right!”
“Calm down!” Nezuko pleaded. “Just forget about what happened.”
Akira nodded, but he still looked upset.
Soon, the second day passed as well. The two of them took turns sleeping and killed many demons. Finally, the second part of the final selection came to an end. The same crow summoned the survivors to the wisteria grove, where the white-haired twins were already waiting for them.
Nezuko looked around. Besides her, Akira, and Ishiyo, there were six other children their age. Everyone looked exhausted, except for Ishiyo, who had a stony expression on her face.
“Welcome!” said the girls. “We are Kanata and Kuina. Now that you are officially demon slayers, there are some things you need to know about this profession.”
“First!” Kanata began. “We need to take your measurements for your uniforms. Your rank will be embroidered on them.”
“Second!” Kuina continued. “It’s important to remember that there are 11 ranks. Depending on your strength and the number of demons you kill, you will climb this scale. Right now, you are at the weakest rank – Mizunoto. The other ranks are Mizunoe, Kanoto, Kanoe, Tsuchinoto, Tsuchinoe, Hinoto, Hinoe, Kinoto, Kinoe, and Hashira.”
Kanata clapped her hands, and immediately, a Kasugai crow flew to each of the demon slayers.
“These are your Kasugai crows. Through them, you will receive information about your mission locations.”
“As for the missions themselves, demon slayers are divided into two types – day and night. Day slayers hunt demons during the day, and night slayers do so at night. We will now draw lots to determine which type each of you will be.”
“May I ask something?” Ishiyo spoke up.
“Here we go again,” Akira whispered.
“Why are we drawing lots? Can’t we choose for ourselves?”
“That’s not possible,” Kuina answered calmly. “Most people would choose to be day slayers. The purpose of drawing lots is to ensure that the number between the two types is equal.”
“But there are nine of us!” Ishiyo protested again. “An odd number! We can’t be equal!”
“One person’s difference isn’t a big deal, but if each of you chose whether to be a day or night demon slayer, the difference would be much greater. Is that clear now?”
Ishiyo nodded, but she didn’t seem particularly satisfied.
---
Nezuko, Akira, Ishiyo, and a quiet boy were chosen to be night demon slayers, while the other five children were selected as day slayers.
“And finally!” Kanata concluded. “Each of you must choose an ore for your sword. Please, come this way...”
---
Nezuko said goodbye to Akira and, guided by her crow, started heading back to Urokodaki’s house. It turned out that this crow had actually belonged to Tanjiro before. Its name was Matsuemon Tennoji, and it constantly urged the girl to walk faster.
After about three hours of walking, Nezuko finally arrived. Upon seeing her, Urokodaki ran towards her and hugged her.
“I’m glad you made it!” he said.
“Then I’ll leave you now,” the girl heard Tanjiro’s voice in her head.
“Were you with me the whole time?” Nezuko thought in surprise. “I didn’t know...”
But she received no answer. A little later, Urokodaki prepared a meal, which the two of them quickly devoured. Nezuko had never enjoyed food so much.
---
I made a drawing of Akira, but I accidentally made his eyes blue instead of green! 😭 Now he looks like Tomioka Giyu 2.0 😔 Btw, the next chapter won't have a drawing because I have to redraw the cover (it was almost ready, but I spilled water on it 🥹) (971 words)
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