The Missed Trial

The next day at noon, after taking the warm herbal medicine, Asuka quietly leaned against the door of the courtyard, gazing at the wisteria flowers on the wall.

He tried to use gentle breathing techniques, but as soon as he exerted even a little force, the slight expansion of his lungs would bring a sharp, throbbing pain.

no...

Asuka wiped the blood foam from the corner of her mouth, and a rare look of hesitation appeared on her face.

"Don't push yourself, child." Aunt Matsumoto was busy in the herb garden outside the house, also observing the movements of the birds.

She wiped her hands on her apron and walked over with a concerned look. "Your wound was just stitched up; it'll reopen like this. You really don't know how to take care of yourself!"

"...Thank you. How long will this continue?" Asuka wasn't good at dealing with such genuinely kind people, so she could only thank them softly and ask.

"Continue? You mean recovering from the injury? It'll take at least another month!"

Matsumoto-san's tone was stern, as if she had seen through Asuka's plan to participate in the selection despite her injury.

"Shin-suke and the others told me that it's too early for you to be thinking about this! Forget about the selection, you can barely run a few steps. Resting and recovering is the most important thing!"

A month?! The selection process for Fujisaki Mountain ended long ago! Asuka's gaze wavered again.

Driven by his survival instinct, he naturally knew the importance of taking good care of his health, but after all, he had made a promise with Mr. Arashi. Was he really going to give up like that?

Maybe tomorrow? The day after? I should be able to recover a little more, right? After all, the teacher said that there are only kids in Fujikasa Mountain, and I can get through even if I don't fight, just by running away...

With this thought in mind, Asuka fell silent and quietly continued to stare blankly at the wisteria flowers.

Several days have passed, and although Asuka's physical recovery ability is already quite extraordinary, the damage to his organs is only slowly healing and has not reached the level he expected.

He stubbornly began to prepare, trying to breathe deeper while tying his light shawl around his body and stretching against the pillars to move his somewhat stiff limbs.

Just then, as the setting sun bathed the courtyard in a warm orange hue, Shinsuke's steady and powerful footsteps echoed from the courtyard gate.

Since the last Red Swamp incident, he has been patrolling the area, checking the extent of the damage caused by the demons, and checking for any other lower-ranking demon servants residing under Red Swamp's command.

As he stepped into the courtyard, travel-worn, he happened to encounter birds preparing to leave.

Shinsuke was carrying a small package containing fresh fruit and rice cakes bought in town. When he saw Asuka's expression, he instantly understood her plan and gently placed the package on the ground.

"Asuka, where are you going?"

Shinsuke, who had already briefly introduced himself to Asuka, asked in a friendly tone.

"...Let's move around a bit."

"An event?" He took a few steps closer, staring at the other person's fully armed attire, his brow twitching. "You want to go to Fujikasane Mountain? No way! Go back to bed!"

He reached out, intending to catch the bird's body.

But Asuka simply slumped her shoulders, swiftly pulled her body back half a step, and gently brushed aside Shinsuke's wrist.

Shinsuke felt a slight numbness in his wrist and was surprised. He hadn't expected Asuka's strength to recover so quickly.

His injuries are no joke! Shinsuke absolutely cannot let him leave like this!

So Shinsuke continued his relentless attempt to subdue Asuka, and although Asuka's movements were sluggish due to his injury, he still managed to evade Shinsuke's attacks thanks to his extensive street fighting experience and physical reflexes.

During this time, Asuka would occasionally cough violently, which made Shinsuke, who was trying to catch him, somewhat nervous.

However, he was, after all, an experienced Demon Slayer. Although Asuka's movements were unexpectedly swift, he was unable to exert his full strength due to his injuries.

In a flash, Shinsuke grabbed Asuka's shoulder and firmly held him in place:

"Stop fooling around!"

Before she could finish speaking, Asuka's body plummeted downwards. Despite the dizziness and surging blood, she swept her left leg towards Shinsuke's lower body! At the same time, her right hand swiftly grabbed at the Nichirin Blade hanging at Shinsuke's waist!

Shinsuke's pupils contracted, and his breathing became heavy involuntarily. A gentle, long stream of blue air flowed in and out of his mouth and nose, allowing him to unleash astonishing speed and power in an instant!

boom!

He dodged the sweeping kick, knocked away the bird's hand, and firmly gripped the other's wrist.

This time he completely subdued Asuka!

"Tsk..."

A tremendous force struck, rendering the bird immobile. Although he tried to struggle, the pain within him warned him that further resistance might lead to injury...

Left with no other choice, he gave up resisting and let Shinsuke put away his asauchi and Nichirin swords before sitting back down under the eaves.

Aunt Matsumoto, watching this scene from a distance, shook her head helplessly and went inside to prepare a meal.

Shinsuke carefully placed Asuka's sword down, then looked at him with a grave expression. "Asuka, what are you trying to do? Are you going to Fujikazeyama to die?"

"I can run away, I can hide, surviving seven days isn't that difficult... I made a promise with the old man, I have to pass the selection..."

"You can't joke about your life!"

Shinsuke's expression was unusually serious; being older than Asuka, he carried a stern air of authority befitting an elder.

"Selections can be done another time! But if you lose your life, you lose everything!"

"Asuka, your talent is enviable, and your strength is admirable, but the reality is that we are all human! We can get hurt, we can die, and if we don't cherish life, even the weakest demon has the chance to kill us!"

"Listen to me, even if we Demon Slayers are going to die, we shouldn't die meaninglessly! Let's go again next time!"

After listening to these heartfelt pieces of advice, Feibiao fell silent, and indeed took them to heart.

Yes, staying alive is the most important thing...

"...I understand." Asuka breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed her sore wrist. "You're right, I won't go."

Seeing him like this, Shinsuke finally felt relieved.

He nodded. "That's right. Focus on recovering! The Demon Slayer Corps' doors will always be open for someone as capable as you!"

As night fell, Aunt Matsumoto, having finished her dinner, went to rest early, leaving only Asuka and Shinsuke outside, gazing blankly at the moonlight.

Your breathing... is different from mine...

The bird suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

He looked at Shinsuke's calloused hands and asked with a somewhat awkward politeness, "What's that? It looks pretty impressive..."

Shinsuke paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile:

"...What's so great about him? He's nowhere near as good as a true master..."

He paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant, but finally spoke, "What I'm using isn't the complete Water Breathing technique..."

A hint of doubt flashed in Fei Niao's eyes.

Shinsuke rubbed his hands together, a self-deprecating smile on his face:

"My talent is terrible... I tried my best with the trainer back then, and I only managed to learn the first two forms of Water Breathing... The teacher said that I lacked an understanding of breathing, and that continuing to practice would be a waste of time. He suggested that I learn some practical martial arts and basic sword techniques to do logistics or support work..."

He sighed, his tone filled with deep regret, "Although I eventually stumbled through the selection process, I'm simply no match for a genius like you..."

"You were able to kill a giant demon like Red Swamp all by yourself. I... I really envy people like you."

As he spoke, Shinsuke's eyes welled up with tears, as if he were recalling some past pain and sorrow.

The birds listened quietly.

Of the children his age, he had only met Kenichi and Rika before.

This was the first time he had realized that even powerful Demon Slayers had such helplessness and limitations, and that breathing techniques were so difficult to learn.

"I'm not some kind of genius, and there's nothing to envy..." he said calmly, his tone much gentler. "I'm just trying to survive."

Shinsuke looked at his calm face and nodded. "Yes, to survive..."

"What are your plans after this? Once you're healed, will you go back to Hayama, or...?"

The bird's gaze fell upon the distant sky, and it remained silent for a long time.

Going back to Hayama...Won't Arashizaki-sensei be disappointed?

He promised to return alive, even if it was in this wretched state... but he still survived...

"Nosuke."

"Um?"

"Please pass on a message to Mr. Arashizaki in Hayama for me..." Asuka turned her gaze to Shinsuke, her usually wary eyes showing a rare hint of apology and unease.

"I'm so sorry that Asuka couldn't participate in this year's selection and let him down."