Unexpectedly, Zenitsu actually fainted from fright—noticing this, Kiyokawa Izumi also looked back in surprise.
'Just a joke, is it really that scary?'
This timid and cowardly boy seemed to have imagined a scene of himself being eaten by a Demon.
His mental endurance was quite ordinary; under excessive tension or extreme fear, he would lose consciousness and fall fast asleep.
Grabbing him by the collar, Kiyokawa Izumi helplessly patted the boy's cheek. "Hey, wake up. That girl named Suzuko is willing to marry you."
"If you don't get up soon, you'll end up dying alone!"
Whether it was because the slap was too hard or because he heard he would die alone, the boy suddenly snapped his eyes open and looked at the azure sky with a dazed expression.
Within his line of sight, a very annoying bastard appeared.
In the dream he just had, he had met a girl who was willing to marry him.
Not only that, having joined the Demon Slayer Corps of his own accord, he performed excellently in the Selection, living up to Grandpa's trust and not bringing shame to that proud Little Old Man.
Just as he reached that point in the dream, he was slapped awake.
Reality was cruel; he couldn't live up to Grandpa's expectations, lacked the courage to participate in the Final Selection, and was even less willing to become a Demon Slayer.
He was afraid and terrified.
The same was true for escaping training.
The Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi he knew, who held the high rank of Hashira, was also a huge bastard; a Genius like him surely couldn't understand the thoughts of a weak swordsman.
Even if he luckily passed, he would die in his first mission or the next—there was no future in the Demon Slayer Corps; although the boy was cowardly, he wasn't stupid.
There was one question he was unwilling to face directly.
Why would a Hashira like Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi have such unnecessary expectations for him?
And why was he willing to waste precious time sending an insignificant person like him to participate in the Selection?
Was it really worth it?
Zenitsu had become an orphan at a very young age, abandoned by his parents and living alone in the cold city.
Since childhood, no one had ever held expectations for him.
Even the girl he had a crush on was the same.
She tricked him out of his money just to elope with another man.
Mr. Kuwajima Jigorō was a ray of light in his bleak life; this proud yet kind old man had never given up on him from start to finish.
Everyone at the Butterfly Mansion was also very kind.
Although Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi always said scary things, he never truly hated him—Zenitsu, who possessed hearing far beyond that of ordinary people, could hear many things.
This kindness made the boy feel flattered yet instinctively choose to escape.
He couldn't live up to others' expectations and was afraid to see the disappointment on their faces.
Whenever he tried to make up his mind, it was as if a cowardly version of himself appeared—negative and timid, making him hate it from the bottom of his heart.
"I am not the kind of extremely talented swordsman you imagine. You now are much, much stronger than I was when I participated in the Final Selection."
"You're actually not bad. Instinctively wanting to escape is not shameful; you just haven't found a reason to draw your blade, haven't found that courage yet."
Kiyokawa Izumi said in a gentle voice; it was hard to imagine him saying such words or having such a human side.
Facing the teary-eyed Zenitsu, Kiyokawa Izumi quickly revealed his true colors.
"Of course, before you find that courage, I don't mind giving you a push."
"Whether you're willing or not, you have to participate in the Final Selection, boy."
"!!"
A cruel, Demon-like smile seemed to appear on his face.
"Do you know what you should be doing now?"
Looking in the direction Kiyokawa Izumi pointed, the Team Members were training there.
"If you don't want to die, go train. Since you can't resist, this is all you can do."
Whether he escaped or not didn't matter; either way, he had no choice.
Whether he trained or not, the final result wouldn't change—he still had to participate in the Final Selection.
As long as one wasn't stupid, they should understand that since resistance was futile, they might as well enjoy it.
"Murata, I'm leaving this guy to you! If he runs away again, you'll be training with me tonight!"
"?"
Murata, who was suddenly called out, felt a surge of panic.
"Why does the Hashira remember my name?"
"Is he leaving this boy to me? If I can't keep an eye on him, why am I the one being punished?"
Murata and Zenitsu stared at each other—this trick was learned from a certain black-bellied woman.
"Cowardly but kind Zenitsu, you wouldn't want to involve others, would you?"
At this time, Zenitsu was far from understanding how lucky it was to have someone willing to push him from behind when he wanted to escape.
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't do this entirely out of a twisted sense of humor—he actually didn't hate Zenitsu's personality.
With such experiences, it was normal to develop a timid and sensitive personality.
When he regained that missing bit of courage, he would amaze many people.
As for why he chose Murata?
There was no special reason; it was just that his name was easy to remember. Among all the Team Members, Kiyokawa Izumi only knew his name.
'Next, let's find a Hashira to warm up with... I wonder if Shinobu is free now.'