Rengoku Mujuro spoke for a long time, his gaze growing increasingly satisfied as he looked at Izumi Kiyowa.
Not only was Kiyowa's rate of progress astounding, but he was also an incredibly attentive student. He didn't just provide answers to the various hypothetical scenarios Mujuro posed; he offered insightful follow-up questions of his own.
It would be a tragedy not to recruit a genius like this into the Demon Slayer Corps.
Despite his internal excitement, Mujuro was a man with a keen sense of time. He glanced up at the sky, watching the sun as it climbed higher, then turned to Mei with a smile.
"Would you mind preparing some water for us? From this moment on, I'm taking Young Kiyowa into town to buy some lunch. A martial artist's diet is of the utmost importance!"
Surprised by Mujuro suddenly addressing her, Mei nodded. She instinctively glanced at Kiyowa, but their eyes met, and her face instantly flushed.
After a quick nod, Mei moved toward the water jar. At that moment, Mujuro leaned in close to Kiyowa's ear and whispered with a grin, "Ask the girl what she likes to eat. When we go for food, we should bring back something she enjoys. She looks quite frail; she won't be able to handle joining the Corps if she doesn't fill her stomach."
Hearing this, Kiyowa turned to the orange-haired "owl" beside him. "Then why don't you ask her yourself, Mr. Rengoku?"
At this, the bold-featured man with thick brows actually began to wink and nudge him. He gave a sheepish laugh and said, "I may not be a man of delicate sensibilities, but I can see the emotional bonds between people quite clearly! My mother taught me from a young age to make use of this ability, for there are many stubborn people in this world who do not know how to cherish their feelings.
"I can see that the girl, Mei, feels something for you that she feels for no one else. As for how I know... I suppose it's my sense of smell? I can smell the same scent on both of you!"
Kiyowa choked on his own breath and let out a cough. "W-What scent?" he whispered awkwardly.
Mujuro flashed a brilliant, thumbs-up grin, his teeth practically reflecting the sunlight. "A sweet and sour scent! Like plum soup steeped in hot water during the winter! It's a very pleasant fragrance!"
He spoke with a booming voice, making no effort to lower it. Flustered by Mujuro's boisterous proclamation, Kiyowa reached out and clapped a hand over the man's mouth, whispering urgently, "Mr. Rengoku! Wait! We—we only met yesterday. We need more time to get to know each other! Being so blunt right now would be... far too reckless!"
Mujuro scratched his hair, looking half-convinced. "I suppose that makes sense. The sweet and sour scent between you isn't very strong yet. It would be reckless to speak of it so soon!
"Therefore, to make that scent grow thicker, you must go ask her what she likes to eat! Consider this the first requirement of your training! It is a prerequisite for becoming an exceptional man! My mother told me: a real man must have the courage to pursue his own sweet and sour scent!"
Kiyowa found himself utterly speechless. He realized then that this man, who looked so much like the future Rengoku Kyojuro, was indeed different from the later Flame Hashira. He possessed a certain emotional perceptiveness—or perhaps just a meddling "matchmaker" streak—that the later generation lacked. He was like a hybrid of the future Stone Hashira and Flame Hashira: a natural-born observer of human drama.
Before Kiyowa could finish his thought, Mujuro shoved him toward Mei. Whether out of eagerness to see the drama unfold or simply because of his immense strength, the shove sent Kiyowa stumbling forward.
Mei had been paying attention to their movements from the start. When she saw Kiyowa being pushed toward her, she kept her face neutral, but her heart began to hammer against her ribs.
Why? Why did Mr. Rengoku push him toward me? Did they say something? Why does it feel like Mr. Rengoku is looking at us with that teasing expression?
The feeling was strange to her, yet she didn't dislike it. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation and joy, though it was quickly buried under a mountain of shyness.
Kiyowa practically lunged into Mei's personal space. The distance between them vanished, allowing him to see her trembling eyelashes and the sudden flush painting her cheeks.
"Mei..." he began, his voice tight. He felt his own ears beginning to burn.
In truth, he had never been this close to a girl before. In his past life, he had been nothing more than a typical office worker who worked himself to death. Forget romance; his interactions with women were usually limited to saying "thank you" at a convenience store.
He instinctively glanced back to glare at Mujuro, only to find the orange-haired owl standing a few paces away with his arms crossed. The man was grinning ear to ear, mouthing "Go for it!" while his white teeth sparkled in the sun.
Mei kept her head low. Her heart was racing, and her voice stammered as she spoke. "W-What is it? D-Do you need the water right now?"
She tried to deflect, but her mind was nowhere near the water jar.
"No, it's not about the water."
Kiyowa took a deep breath. Recalling Mujuro's words, he realized that being indecisive now would be no different from a child's puppy love. He was a mature adult, a former "social animal"; he should handle this with the maturity of a grown man.
"I want to know what you like to eat. When I bring lunch back, I want you to have something good, too."
"M-Me? No, there's no need. That would be too much trouble—"
Kiyowa cut her off, repeating himself with firm conviction: "It's a request. Please, tell me!"
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Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(89 Chapter- Ongoing)
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