The three-month period had come to an end,
and Kiyokawa Izumi, returning to the Butterfly Mansion, didn't even have time to imagine saying, "Welcome back, Dark Hashira," before he saw a certain yellow-haired boy hitting on a young lady.
The boy's affection was so direct, his boldness unexpected, and his confession was quite cringeworthy.
Faced with this sudden confession, the young lady appeared very calm, only retorting somewhat helplessly.
"Mr. Zenitsu, this is already the fifth time this month..."
"No matter how many times it takes, I won't give up! Please, you must marry me!"
Returning to see such a headache-inducing scene, Kiyokawa Izumi was not surprised.
The young lady being confessed to was a member of the Kakushi; because of the uniform, her specific appearance couldn't be seen.
It was impossible to tell what kind of expression was on her face at this moment.
It might have been disgust, or perhaps helplessness.
"Mr. Zenitsu, have you completed today's training?"
A familiar voice came from behind, one he seemed to have heard somewhere before.
Not long ago, there was also such an annoying guy who always appeared silently whenever he was expressing his love to a girl, dragging him off to train without a word.
Who was that guy again?
Zenitsu's body stiffened as he turned his head with difficulty.
It was a young swordsman wearing a black haori, with two nichirin blades at his waist—wait, why were there two?
"Look, the weather is quite nice today. Isn't it a great time for training?"
A familiar smile hung on that handsome face, and Zenitsu screamed inwardly—wasn't this guy recovering from his injuries? Why was he suddenly here?
"Has your injury recovered? That's wonderful..."
The young lady in front of them spoke with some excitement and enthusiasm.
He had unintentionally gained a little fangirl.
Kiyokawa Izumi's vanity was greatly satisfied.
He smiled and said goodbye to the Kakushi sister.
He then dragged Zenitsu into the Butterfly Mansion without further ado.
Zenitsu clearly knew resistance was futile and could only pull a long face, with snot and tears flowing uncontrollably.
"There's no chance between you and her. She's clearly not interested in you, so just focus on training."
As someone who had been through it before, Kiyokawa Izumi glanced at the pathetic yellow-haired boy and couldn't help but retort.
"How is that possible? I feel like Suzuko has me in her heart; she's willing to marry me!"
"Oh!"
"Really! If you hadn't suddenly appeared, Suzuko would definitely have accepted my request!
It's all your fault. As a Hashira, you're surely willing to take responsibility, right?
Grandpa wants me to participate in the Selection, but a weak swordsman like me definitely won't pass... Can you take responsibility and refuse for me?"
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't usually keep a straight face; being able to take a joke, he had good relationships with many people.
For instance, Zenitsu would definitely not dare say certain things to the Wind Hashira, let alone try to cling to that brutal and fierce guy; otherwise, he would surely be beaten severely.
But Kiyokawa Izumi was different.
As long as his bottom line wasn't touched, he was usually easy to talk to and wouldn't mind a few jokes.
"Give me a break. She probably finds you annoying. Marriage? I suggest you broaden your requirements and don't limit the gender!"
"?"
Zenitsu, stunned by these words, even forgot to cry.
He was still wondering what it meant.
"It means you could find a man to marry."
"How can that be?"
Zenitsu looked at Kiyokawa Izumi in shock, secretly wondering if his injuries hadn't healed yet; otherwise, how could he say such nonsense?
"Tsk, tell me, did you slack off while I was away?"
Zenitsu was speechless.
Slacking off was a certainty.
It wouldn't be his personality if he didn't try every possible way to avoid training.
"If I finish that training, I'll die!"
Zenitsu didn't lie about completing the training.
Facing his honesty, Kiyokawa Izumi only smiled. "Are you planning to participate in next year's Final Selection?"
"It's not next year, it's this year... I'll die! I'll definitely die in the Final Selection!"
Suddenly mentioning this, Zenitsu immediately became full of dejection, seemingly already imagining the scene of himself being eaten by demons—Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi is a Hashira; if he asked him, could he skip the Final Selection?
"Why was it moved forward? Did something happen while I was away?"
"Grandpa said that due to a lack of manpower, after careful consideration, it was decided to hold the Final Selection early.
This Selection is different from previous ones, but I'm not clear on the specifics.
But Grandpa clearly wants me to participate in this Selection... Can you refuse for me?
A weak swordsman like me, even if I luckily pass, will definitely die on my first mission!"
"The Selection method has changed? That person is quite bold..."
Kiyokawa Izumi glanced at Zenitsu and said faintly, "Why don't you say it yourself? Is it because you don't want to disappoint Senior Sound Hashira?"
Zenitsu, having his thoughts read, looked at Kiyokawa Izumi in terror.
"Whether you participate or not, as long as you don't regret the decision you make.
By the way, let me add one more thing: everything I just said was a lie.
How about I personally take you to the Selection? Are you happy? Are you excited?"
Kiyokawa Izumi smiled.