#genkichi

[cloudymistedskies]

Chapter 2: “..A child that wants to be a demon slayer?”

// Mari finds her way into an estate and asked to be trained so she could be a demon slayer. //

Mari follows the crow to wherever its going while doing her best to not get herself distracted by anything of interest. In the meanwhile of following the bird, her eyes spot a beautiful scenery.

“Woah… I never saw those flowers before… they’re so pre—“ Mari immediately shakes her head, and runs off to find the crow, which she quickly did after a few seconds.

“Focus on the main task, Marilyn! You can’t get distracted like this, especially at night!” Mari chastises herself as she follows the crow. If she's right, it's been an hour ever since she followed that crow... Her lower limbs began to experience a sensation of numbness, but she's as stubborn as a rock. She is NOT giving up until she sees her older sister. Her expression becomes more determined, and she WILL not get distracted by anythi—

"Oh! That bunny is so cute!" Mari squealed at the rabbit, about to chase the little creature, but she slaps and reminds herself of her intentions... This might take a while for the young girl to find her destination... But on the brighter side, she has yet to encounter any demon on her way!

Time has passed... The young girl is littered with some scratches and twigs on her brown hair certainly due to her little habit, but despite that, she's still was able to catch up with the crow! And it...reached its destination in some sort of estate...? Is her sister in there? Mari takes a deep breath, excited yet nervous to see her older sister. She hasn't seen her in quite a while, and she's aware this could confuse and might even anger her.

"Okay... Calm down, Mari. Just explain to nii-chan that you followed her crow... And that you want to be a demon slayer! Simple like that." Mari reassures herself, before knocking at the door. She waits, her lips quivering. After a bit, the door finally slid open. Mari's eyes widen and she looks at the taller figure... It doesn't seem to be her older sister...

....

"Old man?" Mari stares up to a guy that seems to be around his 70s or maybe 80s. He has white hair and wrinkles. The old man in question just stares at the child, dumbfounded. What's a child doing here? Especially late at night???

"What are you doing here...?" The old man asked, looking down at the young child who seems to have some scratches on her face, twigs on her hair, and some leaves. Mari stares at the old man.

"I'm looking for Riko. She's my sister. Is she here?" The young girl simply said, getting her point across. The old man seemed surprised by her words. He immediately takes her in the estate. Mari squeaked as the man took her in.

"U-Uh, hey! You didn't answer my questio--" Mari immediately turned silent as the man (unintentionally) stares at her with an intimidated look. Mari lips turn into a thinned line, gulping. The man sweatdropped, crouching down in her height and puts both of his hands on her shoulders, with now a more neutral expression.

"Okay... What are you doing here, Mari?" The man once again asked. Mari looked surprised, with the fact the guy knew her name.

"I want to find my sister so I could train to be a demon slayer. W-Wait- how did you know my name?" Mari tilts her head, confused that this guy recognized her name.

"Your sister talks a lot about you, Mari. I'm Genkichi, your sister's mentor." Genkichi explained, while introducing himself to Mari. The girl's mouth now an 'o' shape, now slightly less intimidated by him.

"I see..." Mari says, but now her eyes are filled with curiosity. Genkichi then takes her hand, and walks her to a room.

"I'm gonna let you sleep here for a bit. While that, I'll send your sister a letter, and she'll take you back to your ho--" Genkichi gets cut off by Mari suddenly gripping his hand tightly and looking up at him.

"I don't wanna return home. I want to be a slayer like my sister! And where's my sister?" Mari demanded for an answer, tugging his yukata. Genkichi turns to her.

"She just head out hours ago and is currently on a mission. It's likely gonna last a week." Genkichi answers, sliding the door open for the room Mari will stay in. Mari was disappointed in that answer, her lips formed intoa pout

'It means I won't see nii-chan for a while...awe...' Mari thought, disappointed that she'll have to wait for her return. The young girl enters her room, sitting on the floor with a pout plastered on her face while Genkichi prepares for her futon.

"Why do you wish to be a demon slayer, Mari?" Genkichi asked the young girl as he finishes preparing the futon. Mari looks up to the old man, and started thinking for a good answer... She did do this to protect the twins... But the main reason of her doing this...Is a little embarrassing...

"..Well, I...encountered a demon last night... And I was saved by a demon slayer." Mari paused for a moment, trying to find words to use, in the meanwhile, she puts her bag on the floor, leaning it against the wall.

"She...told me about demons and demon slayers... And also told me that my sister is one. So I...want to be like her!" Mari answered, scooting over to her futon and laying down on it. She still felt guilty leaving the twins behind... But it's for their own good. She needs to protect them. She can't let their lives be taken away by those...creatures. Genkichi sits besides the futon, looking at Mari. He felt bad that a child like her wants to be a slayer. He sighed and stood up, leaving the room.

"Get some rest, we'll talk about this in the morning." Genkichi instructed, before closing the door. Mari stares at the door for a moment, then focused her gaze on the ceiling while laying on the futon. She hums a bit.

"I wonder how nii-chan is doing..." Mari mumbled, deep in thought about her older sister. She thinks of her as a strong person for risking her life in the line for others. She hopes that she'll be okay...

Mari slowly opens her eyes, feeling the ray of light hitting her. She noticed it was morning. Mari sits up, stretching her arms and yawning.

"Mnm...Feels weird to wake up in another place..." Mari mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She stares at the floor before she stood up, sliding the door open and walk around the small hallway. To Mari, it felt strange to just... Be in another place. I mean, yeah she did do this to herself... Mari still wonders how her older sister is doing... Is she okay? Is she hurt? Or maybe eve--

"You're up, I see." Mari's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as she turned her head towards the direction where she heard the voice. It was Genkichi. She was surprised since she didn't even heard any sort of footsteps. Come to think of it, she didn't even hear any from him last night... Considering he claimed to be her sister's mentor, would that mean that they can sneak up on people like that??

"You shouldn't stand there, the food is gonna get cold." Genkichi said as he holds Mari's hand and walked her to the kitchen. Mari squeaked.

'Wha- Wait just a moment ago, he was like a six...or seven feet away from me? It was like he teleported to me and.... Gah...This feels so confusing...' Mari's head started spinning while she tries to find an explanation about what just happened. The two quickly arrived in the kitchen, and Mari stares at the food that Genkichi prepared. He lets go of Mari's hand and lets her pick up the bowl of food and the chopsticks. She sat down, looking down at the food.

"..Thank you for the food, sir..." Mari thanked Genkichi before she started eating her food. Genkichi nodded in response before he started eating too. For the few minutes, it was silent...and awkward. Mari isn't really used to this... I mean, she has eaten food with someone else, but that someone else was just her sister. Genkichi then spoke

"How did you even find this place, Mari?" The old man asked while he continued eating the bowl of food he's holding. Mari stares at him for a bit while chewing her food, before swallowing and answering.

"Oh. I followed... My sister's crow that delivers her letters to my home." Mari answered, before taking another bite of her food. Genkichi looks at the young girl, confused for a moment, but realize quickly after.

"That wasn't your sister's crow, actually. That was mine. Sometimes, your sister would ask me to deliver some letters to your home while she's away from a mission." Genkichi corrected her, still eating his food. Mari looks at him with a dumbfounded look.

"Oh." Mari mumbled before she finished her meal. She puts her empty bowl aside and placed the chopsticks above it. She stares at Genkichi, about to ask him a question.

"And no, I am not training you." Genkichi answered her before she could even ask him the question, almost done eating his food. Mari's mouth was agape, comically shock. She huffed at him.

"Hey! I didn't even ask my question!" Mari whined, pouting angrily at him. The old guy stares at Mari with an unamused look.

"I already know you want me to train you to be a demon slayer. You are not becoming one. You're 11." Genkichi concluded, giving her his reason.

"But why does that matter? I know how to take care of myself... I think! I mean I uhh...I've been taking care of myself, lately!" Mari objected, although she becomes less confident of her own answer over time. She didn't exactly know how to care for herself. She mainly depended on her older sister for that. After moments of staring at the young girl, Genkichi turned his heel and walked off.

"Hey! Don't just ignore me like that!" Mari stood up and started to chase the old man who was just walking away from her. He tries to ignore her calling out his name and trying to get his attention... He hoped that Mari would eventually give up in asking him...

..Well she really didn't. She spent the entire morning and afternoon, begging him to train her. She was way more stubborn than what Genkichi predicted.

"Come on! I know it's not easy to become one, but I'm determined to be a demon slayer!"

"Yes, I know I could die by the hands of a demon, but I want to become a demon slayer!"

"I want you to train me!!"

"Genkichi-san! I know how to defend myself! Come on-- Oooo! That mushroom looks yummy!"

Genkichi chuckled a bit from the last part, her behavior does remind him a bit of his student, Riko back then. He continued preparing dinner. He could tell Mari is just peeking, waiting for him to finish making dinner so she could nag him again. He tried to take her back to her home, but she...bit his arm while he tried to do so. This child is quite stubborn and chaotic to say the least... She doesn't show signs of stopping. This was new to him. At least to his knowledge, It's not often children around Mari's age would become demon slayers, but this one seems so adamant on being a demon slayer. And she's even aware of the potential consequences of being one.

Genkichi contemplated for a while as he debated if he should train the child or not. Knowing Riko, she wouldn't be so pleased with that... But if he has to be honest, he sees some potential in her younger sister. So he made a decision.

Mari stares at Genkichi as she eats the dinner he prepared for the two of them. She's prepared to give more reasons to convince him to train her. Genkichi suddenly spoke, looking at the young girl.

"Do you really wish to become a demon slayer even if you're aware of the huge risks you'll take?" Genkichi questioned her. Mari looked surprised that he didn't just stay silent, let alone ghost her. But her expression quickly turned into a more determined one, implying that she's still keeping her answer.

"Yes. I am very sure." Mari answered, with a serious look on her face. Genkichi nodded at her answer, finishing his meal and putting it aside.

"Even if you're aware that you could potentially get hurt or worse?" He added, raising an eyebrow at the girl. She gulped at the answer, but she nodded her head, showing her determination.

"Very well. Then you must come with me after you're done eating." Genkichi instructed, waiting for Mari to finish her food. Mari beamed at the response and started to eat her food faster.

"Don't eat too fast, Mari." Genkichi sternly ordered. Mari sweatdropped at the tone of his voice.

"Sorry, Genkichi-san." Mari apologized, before eating at a normal pace.

The two are currently walking up the mountains, Mari holding his hand as he leads her to whatever place he's taking her. There were numerous times Mari got distracted by something, but Genkichi quickly stopped her from running off to whatever distracted her. He already started to regret his decision, but he already is in the process, so he can't stop now. Mari hummed, excited about this whole thing.

Eventually, Genkichi stops walking, confusing Mari since they stopped at...nowhere? What's going on? Mari blinks at Genkichi, he stared back at her with a serious expression.

"You must find your way back to the estate before sunrise. If you fail to do that, I'll take you back to your home and that will be the last time we'll see each other." That was what Genkichi said before suddenly disappearing, not letting Mari say anything to him.

Mari blinked, staring at the spot where Genkichi was before he disappeared. Mari then takes a deep breath and puts her fist up in the air, determined to make it back to the estate before sunrise

"I can do this!" Mari encourages herself, now completely fixated on the task and started to walk back down...

But she was suddenly met with a log swinging down, about to hit her, she managed to dodge it in time. Mari stares at the log with a comical shock expression

"..WHAT THE???" Mari yelled, still shock at what just happened a moment ago. She stared for a few more seconds before continuing her way back. But that was quickly stopped when she felt like she pulled a string with her leg and looked down, and she suddenly felt like she was hit with a few rocks.

"OW!" Mari yelped in pain, and ducked before more rocks would hit her. Her cheek had a small graze from the rock that hit her there. Mari then realizes that this wasn't gonna be as easy as she thought. Seemed like Genkichi placed numerous traps around the mountains, which makes it harder for her to complete her task. Despite that, she still is determined that she'll make it before sunrise, so she stood up and started to walk down, staying on guard this time. She was now more serious than before.

...Just a few moments later, she nearly fell into a pit of wooden spikes. Luckily she had time to react and backed away quickly. She looks down at the spikes and felt frightened at the thought of getting hurt by those. Mari, despite now nervous, still kept going.

As she runs down at the peak, doing her best to avoid any traps around here, she started to doubt herself but she does her best to encourage herself in her head to keep going. Running down, she trips from a string, which activated another trap... which was a boulder running down towards

"EYAAAAH!!!" Mari quickly got up and ran away, screaming loudly as she did so... Eventually the boulder stopped chasing her. She sits on the dirt ground. She was littered with injuries and she started to tear up.

"I-I can't do this! I can't do this at all!" Mari whined to herself, as she hugs her knees tightly. With all the whining she let out, her mind plays back a memory that happened prior.

"NII-CHAANN!! I CAN'T DO THIS!" A younger Mari whined to her older sister, who was teaching her how to cut fruits and vegetables. It was just a simple task, but it was scary for Mari, as she messed up a few times in the past. Riko gives Mari a reassuring smile, trying to tell her that she can do it. Mari looks back at Riko with tears rolling down on her face. Riko sighed at her younger sister's behavior, but she did understand her fears. She walks closer to Mari, and grabs both of her hands, and cut the carrot that Mari was trying to cut. Mari just stared, observing her sister's actions (Or maybe hers...?). Riko finishes cutting up the carrot and puts the chopped carrots in a bowl before taking another carrot and placing it on the chopping board. She looks down at Mari with a smile.

"Now try to copy what I did. You can do this Mari! Believe in yourself!" Riko encourages the younger girl and Mari just looks back at her older sister, still doubting herself.

"I-I can't... It won't be as good as yours...and I might hurt myself! I can't believe in myself!" Mari cried out. Riko only shooks her head, patting her younger sister by the head, still smiling at her.

"Mari... That's what experiences are. Of course, it won't be perfect. But trust me, you'll do good! And if you don't believe in yourself, then I believe in you!" Riko reassured, grinning at Mari. Although she wasn't too encouraged, she reluctantly listened and began chopping off the vegetable

Eventually she managed to chop the carrot up. Of course, it wasn't that good, and there were numerous mess ups. Despite that, Riko was still proud of her, picking up Mari and spinning her around.

"You did it, Mari! I knew you could do it!" Riko praised Mari, as Mari giggled at her sister spinning her before hugging her, tightly. Mari started to feel better.

"I knew my little sister could do it. I'll always believe in you, Mari..." She whispered those words as she tightened the hug. Mari's eyes lit up at the last sentence.

'Nii-chan believes in me...'

Her dearest sister believes in her...

Mari opens her eyes, wiping the tears with the back of her hand. She stood up from the dirt and started to run down the peak again, now motivated by her sister's words back then.

'I can do this. I can do this! If my sister believes in me, I can do this!' Mari encourages herself in her head, as she avoided the traps, of course she got hit by numerous ones but this time, that didn't stop her this time.

No matter how many times she gets hurt, or how much she's bleeding. She can do this, screaming at the top of her lungs as a way to keep herself motivated.

For the twins she adores..

And for her dear sister.

"I can do this. I WILL do this!" Mari said to herself, coughing up a bit as she continued running down through the mountains filled with traps.

Genkichi sits by the window, looking at the sky, which was nearing sunrise. He sighed, now starting to think of going out and look for Mari to take her back.

As he was about to stand up, he heard a young girl's scream... Mari's scream, actually. He got alerted, quickly grabbing his sword and rushed outside, only to see Mari running to the estate with a lot of injuries, and her brown hair that's now a mess. He seemed surprised by the sight before him, watching Mari now running infront of him, and gasping for air. She looks up at him with an expression that tells nothing, but determination.

"I-I did it...! I...Did...it...!" Mari gasped out, before passing out from her injuries. Genkichi looks down at the now passed out child before him. He was stuck in his own thoughts for a moment before picking the injured child up, heading back inside the estate to tend to her injuries.

Mari's eyes shot up open, seeing a familiar ceiling. She sits up and looked around, and saw Genkichi sitting before her futon. Both stared at each other in silence. His expression doesn't tell anything, making Mari feel nervous. She's scared that she failed the test.

"I accept you as my student, Mari." Genkichi said, approving her as his student. Mari's eyes lit up, she was so relieved. Out of instinct and even character, she hugged the old man tightly, startling Genkichi for a moment.

"Thank you so muuuchhh!!" Mari loudly thanked him, ignoring the injuries that were making her feel pain as she was too excited that she was accepted.

"Becareful! You're still injured, Mari!" The old guy warned her, but his words didn't seem to reach Mari as she was still hugging him tightly, squealing in excitement. His expression softened eventually, slowly hugging her back, gently.

'Her behavior is really something...' Genkichi thought as he lets the young brunette hug her for a good minute before letting go.

"Genkichi-san! I'm home!" Riko announces, as she entered the estate with her crow on her shoulder. She just returned from a week-long mission and brought some food along with her. She noticed that Genkichi wasn't here, as he usually greets her back. She concluded that he was probably out to get some water or such, despite that, she could still sense a presence here. She slowly walks up to wherever the presence is, gripping her sword. She could tell it wasn't a demon of some sorts, but it could be an intruder. The presence got stronger when she reaches the engawa. Riko peeks her head out.

...But what she saw was something she never even expected.

Young girl no older than 11, short brown hair with blonde tips at the end, green eyes... It was no other than her little sister, Mari. She was wearing a white yukata that seems to now have some dirt around it as she swings a wooden sword.

"222...223...224..." Mari counted as she kept swinging her sword, sweating.

"MARI?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Riko yelled, making Mari jump and turn to face her older sister, who was still in a state of shock. Mari's focus was broken as she turned to face the older woman. Her moment of shock was quickly replaced with a big smile, dropping the wooden sword she was holding and ran towards her sister and hugged her tightly.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan! You're here!!" Mari beamed, hugging Riko tightly as Riko looks down at her younger sister, confused and concerned as to why she's here...

Taisho era secrets:

Genkichi is a former wind hashira, who of course retired because of his old age.

Riko was trained to be a demon slayer when she was 14.

Riko's crow name is "Kyota". She's quite a fast talker, and sometimes speaks too fast, confusing Riko whenever her crow announces missions for her.

// OakY- CHAPTER 2 IS FINALLY HERE, YIPPEEE!!!! I uhhh h h h hope this is good...,,, //

[noahjo]

Ugetsu

This is a strange one for me that confused and frustrated me more and more as the film continued. The men characters were infuriating, and stupid, being the literal representation of greed and its influence on man. Set in the 16th century during a time of civil war, Genjuro, his wife Miyagi, and their child Genkichi live in relative in a village. Genjuro is a farmer but crafts pottery on the side with his wife’s help. Despite being warned to prepare for the inevitable attack on their home from the invading samurai, Genjuro’s greed rules his mind when he decides to travel with his brother-in-law Tobei and sister Ohama to Nagahama to make money. This is the first dumb move. Genjuro leaves his wife and kid behind so they can find shelter because of the threat of pirates. As shown later Miyagi is killed by samurai anyway, leaving your defenseless wife out in war-torn lands is a level of stupidity I wasn’t expecting. With the money that Genjuro ends up collecting anyway, they could have survived comfortably for a while in Nagahama. Tobei wants to be a samurai desperately and does so at the expense of his poor wife who is raped by soldiers and becomes a prostitute. The level of hatred I have for Genjuro and Tobei…

The movie not only showcases the dangers of greed and how long it takes for people to notice what they have taken for granted, but it also shows the negatives of the patriarchy and the violence of men. The women are all victims of the actions of men, including the spirit lady Wakasa. The wives of Genjuro and Tobei suffer greatly because of the actions of their husbands, and Wakasa is killed due to the war that her Daimyo father was a part of.

The structure of the plot felt off at times due to the film jumping between Genjuro and Tobei story. Tobei’s story was much less interesting as he wants to become a samurai. And when he does realize the errors of this ways, not a single consequence is dealt to him specifically. Ohama suffered but Tobei keeps his wife and happily turns back to his life. It was largely uninteresting and not fun to watch. The Genjuro story was much more interesting as it slowly became a ghost story. He meets the last surviving member of a clan who is in love with him and his pottery. As he’s “seduced” into marrying Wakasa, the truth behind her origin.

One huge positive is the scenes, one in particular that confirmed my Wakasa was a spirit. Although nothing is out of the ordinary, the camera angle and the way she walks behind is ominous as if foreshadowing the reveal.

[anamon-book]

デルスー・ウザーラ アルセーニエフ、長谷川四郎・訳　 河出書房新社 表紙＝映画「デルス・ウザーラ」 装幀＝長谷川元吉 「黒澤明監督映画化 改訳決定版」

[yaoisex]

I accidentally stumbled upon this video of Genkichi from 11 years ago.

AN ANGEL?!!

I saw pics of him from that era but never a video, so that was… an experience.

He was half naked A LOT in this video… in the pool… ocean… bath… on the bed. I almost felt like I was watching something else lol

I don’t know what was the point of this video but I’m not complaining hahaha

[shinsengumi-archives]

Hijikata’s relatives

What you will not find in these Japanese Internet! I tried to search for the geisha Kimigika and found Hijikata’s nephews. They are the children of his sister Nobu and Sato Hikogoro, with whom Toshi lived with from 11 years old. It’s immediately clear that he was loved in this family because his firstborn was named Toshinobu. He was born on September 10, 1850, when Hijikata was 15. Probably, he was babysitting his nephew))) This same nephew later said that Hijikata and the geisha Kimigiku had a daughter who died early. But since this daughter is not mentioned in other sources, the Japanese Internet is now discussing whether Hijikata-san has ever become a father. Reliably this is unknown to science. And about Kimigika it is known that she later married someone. And these are, in fact, nephews. The photo, unfortunately, is just such a small and muddy one: From here: fukukodayori.blog.shinobi.jp/Category/6/ It was taken in the 5-6th year of the Meiji era, that is, approximately in 1874. The most similar to Hijikata is tall left, but it’s written that this is someone named Kato Masayuki, an English teacher from Yokohama, who at the request of Sato, came to teach his children English. Such an advanced family! On the right is Sato's eldest son, Toshinobu, 24 years old. He died in 1929. He married another of the Hijikata’s relatives by the name of Honda, whose father taught Toshizo to read and write. Next to the left is the second son, Rikinoske, 19 years old. He married the granddaughter of Kiroku, the older brother of Hijikata.

Rear right third son, Ren'ichiro, 16 years old. He died at 22 years old. He wanted to become a doctor, studied at the future Tokyo University. In the middle is the fourth son, either Genkichi, or Hikokichi, or Hikoyoshi. 13 years old. And this is the Hijikata family tree, also from the Japanese Internet. From his museum in Hino. And why is it believed that he invented a surname for himself? All his family really had it

[crossbreed]

明日配布するMIXCDがようやく完成しました。 よく見かける白ラベルに手書きのヤツとは一線を画すクオリティで中身のMIX同様満足な仕上がりです。 数に限りがありますのでお早めに。 当日、DJブースに置いていますので、プレイ中のDJにお声がけください！ DATE : 2019/09/28 (SAT) 19:00-24:00 PLACE : como es ( http://bit.ly/comoesmap @como_es_imaizumi ) GUEST DJ : Genkichi( @mitsuru_yooshimoto )、ハイボール'21( @highball.21 )、とみじい( @tommy_g_wamono ) DJ : DJ老眼( @wind_corrior )、ayu( @crossbreed )、DJちょうどいい( @dj.choudoii ) CHARGE : FREE #laidbackcity #レイドバックシティ #comoes #comoesimaizumi #コモエス #コモエス今泉 #福岡 #今泉 #隠れ家カフェ #音楽カフェ #今泉カフェ #今泉バー #fukuokadj #福岡dj #loungedj #ラウンジdj #laidbackdj #musiccitytenjin #mct #laidback #chill #relax https://www.instagram.com/p/B26XX4UJ_08/?igshid=eggu75xtre36

[holy-ghost-fire]

“Original caption: Castrellina Area, Italy. Pfc. Genkichi Akamine, Honolulu, T. H., a sniper with the 100th Inf. Bn., 34th Div., is a typical American of Japanese descent. A native of Hawaii, he has three years service in the U.S. Army, and has fought through the entire Italian Campaign, just ending 16 days of hill fighting in the Battle for Leghorn. He wears a helmet with a flap at the back to keep rain and dampness out at night in the foxhole. U.S. Fifth Army. 15 July 1944. [The correct spelling of the location is Castellina.]”

(Densho Digital Repository)

[fishstickmonkey]

Interior Scene by a Hibachi

On the right is Genkichi [nisshi onna (?)] no suke, and on the left is Mihirotafu musume Osan.

Utagawa Toyokuni III (Japanese, 1786-1864) (Artist)

Yamaguchiya Tobei (Japanese) (Publisher)

1852 (late Edo)

The Walters Art Museum

[mangaredditdotcom]

Kurogane.

Alternative: 黒鉄 ; Black Steel ; Kuro Gane ; Kuro-Gane (French)

Description : From Del Rey: Avenging his father's murder is a matter of honor for the young samurai Jintetsu. But it turns out that the killer is a corrupt government official-and now the powers that be are determined to hunt Jintetsu down like an animal. There's only one problem: Jintetsu is already dead. Torn to pieces by a pack of dogs, Jintetsu's ravaged body has been found by Genkichi, outcast and master inventor. Genkichi gives the dead boy a new, indestructible steel body and a talking sword-just what he'll need to face down the gang that's terrorizing his hometown and the mobster who ordered his father's hit. But what about Otsuki, the beautiful girl he left behind? And what will lay ahead in his journey? Steel armor is defense against any sword, but it can't save Jintetsu from the pain in his heart. #MangaReddit.com, #ReadFreeMangaOnline Read Free Manga Online at MangaReddit.com: https://mangareddit.com/p/kurogane_1584426331.html

Read more.

[cloudymistedskies]

Chapter 4: “Final selection”

// Mari takes the final selection after only several months of training… //

After that event, Mari started to train under her sister and their mentor. Despite Riko not having as much experience as Genkichi, she wanted to teach her little sister about everything she knows. And this is pretty much helpful for Mari since she's more prone to understanding Riko than others...

Mari was taught about breathing styles, especially wind breathing. She has tried numerous times to do a breathing form, but however... No matter how many times she tries to do so, she never was able to successfully do so... Of course, she was reassured that it's not her fault.

And so here she is, currently letting her older sister brush her now longer hair while Mari kicks her legs around. They both were just done with training for the day. Mari started to ponder about something...

'Nee-chan and Genkichi-san were talking about something that was called... Final selection...? I think... Apparently, it's some sort of test for people who want to be demon slayers… Maybe I should ask if I’m ready…’ Mari thought as she feels the comb brushing her mid-length brown hair by her sister. Eventually the brushing slowly come to a stop and she felt a warm headpat from Riko. The younger sister hummed as the older sister smiles warmly at her.

“Dinner is ready!” Genkichi knocked on the sliding door as he announced to the two Kaizumi sisters. Mari immediately stood up, running up to the door and sliding it open and dashing to go eat dinner. Riko stayed still for a moment, giggling at her little sister’s excitement to eat dinner before standing and following her.

The three of them ate dinner together, chattering about anything that comes in their mind. The atmosphere felt comfortable, even for Mari who usually is silent during dinner, atleast back then in their home. After some thinking, Mari finally spoke up about something she’s been meaning to ask for a while.

“Nee-chan, Genkichi-san… Is it possible if I can take the final selection examination?” Mari asked while taking another piece of meat and chewing it.

There was an abrupt silence that lasted for a few moments as the two older figures looked at the young girl who just tilted her head while she ate. Genkichi was about to speak up, but Riko did so first.

“Absolutely not! Mari, that exam is a life or death test! You’ve only trained for nearly a year!” Riko denied, putting her food down as her expression looked serious. Mari eyes slightly widened at her sister’s response, even though she expected this from her sister, it still shocks her. Mari silently nodded, before taking another bite of her food, her pace now slightly slower, feeling disappointed of the answer her sister gave. Genkichi observed the two, silently sighing. He thought of how Riko is hypocritical since she only trained for 6 months.

The three of them finished eating dinner and Riko left as she was assigned to another mission. Mari slides the door open and placed her futon down before laying down on it, staring up at the ceiling. She tries to fall asleep, but couldn’t find herself to no matter what. The brown-haired girl kept rolling around her futon, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. She couldn’t sleep. Eventually she gave up trying to sleep… Sitting up on her futon, she had an idea… Even if her older sister disapproved of her going, Genkichi never said his answer…

Mari stood up and exits her room, walking towards the direction of his room. As she arrived to the door of the room, she knocks.

“Genkichi-san… It’s me. Can I speak to you for a moment?” Mari called out, asking permission to get inside the room and speak to him. After a moment of silence, she heard his voice from the other side of the room.

“Yes, you may come in.” Genkichi replied. Mari slowly slides the door open, and seeing her mentor sitting down on his futon and smoking. Mari shifted a bit out of discomfort. She never liked the smell of smoke. She walks up to him, sitting infront of him with a tensed expression.

“I really need you to approve of something…” Mari paused, taking a few deep breaths on what she’s about to ask. Genkichi puts his pipe down to hear Mari out.

“Go on.” He nodded. Despite knowing what she’s gonna ask, he’s gonna let her speak anyway.

“I wanna participate in the final selection. I know I haven’t learned any breathing techniques yet, but I think I’m fully prepared! I did decapitate the few demons too. Genkichi-san, please let me take this exam…” Mari begged for his approval, even bowing her head down and hoping he would let her.

The grey-haired man stared at the young girl bowing her head down. He felt pretty hesitant. There’s a possible chance of Mari dying in that exam, and he didn’t want that. Riko would never want that too. Mari hasn’t even learned any of the wind breathing forms. But at the same time, she has already mastered the rest of the training. Quite impressive, especially at a young age like hers. After a good while of silence and pondering, he finally decided on his answer.

“You may take the final selection.”

Mari’s eyes lit up, her expression turning into a big grin. She squealed and hugged him, and kicking her legs in joy.

“Thank you so much!! When do I go?” Mari thanked Genkichi as she asked. She slowly stops hugging him and goes back to her original position.

“You’ll go there in a few days. My crow will be guiding you to the destination. We’ll have our few final training before you depart.” He answered before putting the pipe back in his mouth. Mari nodded frantically, excited that she’ll be taking the exam. Mari stood up and walked up to the door, sliding it open and took a few steps before looking back at him with a sheepish look on her face.

“Please don’t tell Nee-chan that I asked too. She’ll definitely would not let me leave.” Mari pleaded, even giving her infamous puppy dog eyes that she always used on her sisters and the twins… Specially Yuichiro. Genkichi only nodded in response, making Mari’s expression turn into a smile and giving her silent ‘thank you’ that way. She closed the sliding door before her, now walking up to her room and sleeping well, knowing that in a few days, she will be taking the exam.

For the next few days, she was training her best while counting the days. Riko took notice of Mari’s behavior, but she never put much thought on it. During those days, Mari cuts her hair to shoulder-length, again.

The day finally arrived. Mari and Genkichi are standing outside the estate together. Riko was out for a mission that’s gonna last a day or two so it was the perfect time for Mari. Her mentor also prepared food and water for her. Mari wore a lavender purple yukata that has wave patterns around it. Her fingers fiddled around the hilt of the sword she’ll be using for the exam while Genkichi informs her of the importance of the final selection.

“You’ll be staying in the mountains for 7 days.” He informed while adjusting her yukata. His crow was sitting on Mari’s shoulder in the meanwhile. Mari felt excited yet nervous. She knows the risk of death, but she prays to the gods that she will actually survive. He was soon done adjusting her yukata and puts both of his hands on the side of her shoulders.

“You’ll need to get going now. It’s gonna be a long walk.” He told Mari, in which she nodded, smiling in reassurance that she’ll be okay. He softly smiles back, letting go of her shoulders and giving his crow a look to tell the bird to start guiding her. It obeyed and started flying off. Mari gasped for a moment before she quickly followed the crow.

“I’ll be going now! Take care of Nee-chan and yourself!” Mari yelled out while she was running to follow the crow.

“Wait, Mari!” Genkichi called out, making both Mari and his crow halt in their tracks. Mari turns to her mentor with a curious look plastered on her face. He walked up to Mari before tugging her into a bear hug.

“Promise me you’ll make it out for your sister and I…” He mumbled, with a hint of fear in his voice. Mari’s green eyes widened at his words. She nodded and gave him another reassuring smile.

“I promise I will!” Mari puts up her pinky finger, silently telling Genkichi to intertwine their pinky fingers together and he did after a bit. Mari would then separate from him and Genkichi gestures his crow to continue guiding her to her destination. Genkichi watches the young girl’s figure becoming smaller as she runs, until he eventually couldn’t see her. He sighed, silently praying that she’ll survive and going back inside the estate.

Mari kept her eyes on the crow… A small mistake in her part since she kept bumping into people and tripping… Not to mention that her habits of getting distracted isn’t helping her either… But despite those struggles, she found herself still being able to follow her mentor’s crow to a mountain, and as she takes a closer look…

‘Are those trees purple?’ Mari’s green eyes lit up in fascination and curiosity as she runs up to the wisteria trees and examining them, not even noticing Genkichi’s crow now flying away from her. She caresses the wisteria leaves, admiring on how pretty it looked… There was an impulsive thought in her to take a small bite of the wisteria leaves, curious about its taste… Her gut feeling is telling her not to so she of course obliges… Oh right! The exam! Mari takes a deep breath, turning around and stepped towards the small crowd of people. She didn’t really have time to examine them, she should be focusing on the main objective! Survive in the mountains for 7 days and don’t die! But wait what if she might die and never return? What if she actually wasn’t prepared for this? What if it—

Mari blinked, seeing a younger child…no two in front of her and the others. It seems like they’re the organizers for this exam if she’s correct. As she listens to the two children explain everything to them, she felt worried for a moment, clutching her yukata with one hand. Eventually she realizes that the exam has begun and started to run down to the Mount of Fujikasane. She encourages herself in her head that she could do this! This will last for a good 7 days!

In the meanwhile, Riko returned home, stretching her arms after placing the stuff she bought around the kitchen. Though it sounded a lot more quiet than usual… She quickly shook her thoughts. Perhaps Mari is just training with their mentor at a late time! She reassured herself as her hands become a little clammy for some reason. She composes herself and makes her way to her room, but stopping in her tracks when she notices the dim light in Genkichi's room, implying he's currently in this estate right now. Riko started to feel more anxious, now trying to calm herself by taking a few deep breaths before knocking on his door and sliding it open.

"Genkichi-san... I'm home. Where's Mari? Is she currently training?" Riko asked in a soft tone, peeking her head in the room. Genkichi turned to Riko. His answer made Riko's heart drop.

"She left a few hours ago to participate in the final selection."

That sentence made Riko trip in her feet, immediately rushing down to him and grabbing his shoulders tightly, staring at his amber colored eyes with worry and anger.

"AND YOU LET HER TAKE IT?! I SAID A FEW DAYS AGO THAT I DIDN'T APPROVE OF HER TAKING IT!" Riko shouted at the old-man, tightening the grip of her hold as she felt betrayed that her mentor decided to let her younger sister take the exam even after she denied it.

This is certainly gonna be one of the most slowest and anxious week for Riko...

Mari lands on her feet as she grips onto her sword more. She turns to the demon she tried to decapitate a moment ago, but she was only able to cut it's arm. She narrows her eyes at the demon.

"This demon here seems slightly tougher..." Mari muttered to herself as she takes a few step backs with the demon trying to attack her, using its claws. With how close she was with the demon, she uses it as an advantage and was able to decapitate the demon. She watches the demon fading into ashes... Sticking her tongue out and putting her hands beside her head. Eventually the demon was now gone and Mari stood up before continuing to run around the mountains.

It's been a few days since she has been in the mountains, and so far it was going well for Mari. She managed to kill a few demons...But despite that she wasn't able to perform a breathing form much to her disappointment. She rested against a tree to take a quick break for a moment, catching her breath. As she was leaned against the trunk of the tree, she heard someone scream, making her immediately stood up, alerted and now running to the source of the sound. She got closer and slowed down to take a closer look on what's happening... But what she saw wasn't the most pleasant scene to say the least...

Her eyes were widened in shock, watching an...abnormal big demon rip off a limb of someone with a fox mask. The person in question was scared for their life and tried to do anything and everything to escape that demon's grasp. Before Mari could see anything more, she ran off immediately, cupping her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting, at least not while she was near there.

After running away from a good distance away from there, she puked, holding the tree for support as she continued puking for a good minute before wiping her mouth. She tried to get rid of the image in her head, but couldn't.

'What...WAS THAT THING? Genkichi said that only very weak demons are in this mountain! That demon certainly didn't look as weak compared to the rest!' Mari thought in her head, before also cursing herself for not doing anything to stop that demon. Why did she run away like a coward? She could've at least decapitate that demon, but something tells her that if she tried to do something, it wouldn't end well for her. She pulls one of her hair strands out of anxiousness. Mari hears the bushes move around and she immediately grips her sword, turning to see another demon. This was not a good time for Mari since she can't think straight right now! But already holding the burden of not saving the person before due to her coward ass, she rushes to the demon, attacking it, but now her moves shakier and sloppier as she didn't have time to recover from the traumatizing sight. The demon deflected was able to deflect her attacks with how shaky she is right now. The two kept attacking until the demon was able to knock the sword out of Mari's hands, making her vulnerable now and the demon smirked.

"SHIT!!" Mari gasped, immediately backing away as the demon tries to attack her. She tries to find a chance to grab her sword back, but the demon was preventing her to. Mari was then cornered by the demon. She was now more frightened than ever.

'Do something, Mari! Anything! STOP BEING A COWARD AND DO SOMETHING, DUMBASS!!' Mari yells to herself in her mind, but her legs were just backing away. She was shaking in fear, her breathing becoming uneven and she couldn't see clearly as she began to panic badly.

And just like before, she started to apologize to her sister in her head, but now also apologizing to Genkichi. With no hope to survive, she closed her eyes shut, preparing for her life to be stripped away from that demon.

But that didn't seem to be the case when she heard the demon yelp in pain. Mari opens her eyes and saw the demon who was now disintegrating into ashes.

Somebody saved her... But who was it? Mari still couldn't see properly as she notices someone, who was facing away from her...

Long dark hair... It was all she saw before her savior disappeared from her sight.

"They look...familiar..." Mari mumbled to herself, curious on who that person was. Mari then blinked a few times before shaking her head. She needs to get her sword back!

She rushes to grab her sword, before sighing in relief.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm so grateful you saved me..." Mari thanked the person, despite knowing they obviously wouldn't hear her. Mari took a moment to compose herself, at least for a few moments before she continues to run around the mountains.

It's been 7 days now... Mari just needs to survive this night, and she'll officially be a demon slayer! She still thinks about the horrifying scene she saw days ago, but she of course did her best to not let it get in the way.

"..And I still haven't properly performed a breathing form..." Mari shakes her head, once again disappointed in herself. The brunette girl continued to run around the mountains while eating a rice ball.

A demon soon appeared at her sight, and she took a few big bites on her food before rushing up to it and attacked it, however she wasn't able to decapitate the demon, in fact, Mari dropped the rice ball she was holding, accidentally letting the demon eat it instead...

"EW! What is this thing ?!" The demon reacted to the food in disgust, puking it out... That moment of distraction was good for Mari as she was able to slice the demon's head off. She stares at the demon who was disappearing with a glare, silently cursing it for eating her food and puking it out. Mari then started to continued her way, now upset that the demon ate her rice ball, especially because it was her last food, but oh well. This is her last day here in the mountains too.

As she runs around the mountains, she slows down in her tracks when she notices someone in distress, unarmed and was struggling against a demon. Seems like they lost their sword too. Mari tries to calm herself down and took a deep breath. She gripped her sword before she dashes to the demon and attacked it, intending to slice its head off but she just barely missed. Even with that, she was able to save this person and noticed that person was sitting and shaking. Mari went up to them and she takes their hand and forced them to stand up. She gives them a look of worry, silently asking if they're okay.

"WATCH OUT!" The person pointed their finger, making Mari turn around and her eyes widened as the demon got closer to Mari and was about to attack her.

Time became slower for Mari there.

'Shit...Think! Do something, quick! Don't do the same thing and stand there, Marilyn Kaizumi!!' Mari scolded herself in her head. She needs to think fast so she could save this person!

Before Mari even realizes herself, she grips her sword tightly and dashed towards the target, slashing the demon continuously in some sort of horizontal cyclone pattern. And soon after that, she was able to decapitate the demon.

"W-Wh-Whaaa...?!" Mari stammered as she looks down at the demon that was disintegrating. She looks at her sword then at the demon, then at her sword again... She does the same thing for a few seconds before shaking her head and blinking multiple times, trying to process what just happened.

"W-Was that a..." The young brunette girl realizes that she was able to successfully perform a breathing move. Her green eyes lighting up.

"I-I DID IT!! I ACTUALLY DID IT...!!!" Mari spun herself around and tapped her feet. She was super excited and proud of herself for being able to perform a breathing move finally! She is so gonna brag about this to her sister and mentor when she gets back home!

Oh right. The person. Mari ran towards them, and crouched down to the now sitting person. She checks for any injuries and once she confirms there weren't any serious ones, stood up and gave a small smile before running off and leaving the person behind

"Wait...! Don't just leave me like that!" The person exclaimed as they watch Mari's figure disappear... Damn, she could've at least brought them with her...

Time flew fast... Mari could see some of the sun rays peeking, this means she has to get back now! And... make sure she doesn't get distracted. She puts her sword back in her sheathe and started running up back to the place where she started. She just needs to stay focus. Stay focus. And don't get distracted by anything. Don't get distra--

"Oh! Those flowers look pretty!" Mari...quickly forgets about her main priority and rushes up to the flowers that were growing in the mountains. She admires on how pretty they looked. God... She fucking loves nature.

Mari continued to admire the flowers, when her ears perked up to the sounds of sniffling. Someone is crying? She thought while standing up and slowly sneaking to the source of the noise. She peeked and saw a girl with black hair that was tied in pigtails with 2 pairs of blue butterfly pins. She felt bad for her, which was oddly out of character for Mari. She usually doesn't feel bad. She has seen numerous people crying by themselves and she didn't feel anything when she saw them, and would leave them alone. After a few moments of contemplation, Mari decided to slowly walk up to the girl, into which startled her for a moment, before calming down when she realizes Mari wasn't a demon. Mari stares at the girl's blue eyes before sitting besides her and patting her back. Mari wasn't sure if this would really comfort that girl, but she hopes it will.

"You... Okay?" Those were the words Mari was only able to let out, as she was speechless at the moment. She really isn't the type of person to know how to comfort people well... The pig-tails girl shook her head as she wipes the tears off of her face.

"I don't know how I was...even able to survive this long... It was so horrifying..." The blue-eyed girl muttered out, sniffling as she hugs her knees close. Mari could only stare at the crying girl with a sympathetic expression. She really wishes she was best at comforting. She tries to think of what words to say...

"W-Well... If you managed to survive the 7 days we were stuck in this mountain...Uh... You should...consider yourself lucky...?" Mari mentally facepalms herself. This is certainly not the best way to comfort somebody who was traumatized... The two stay silent as Mari continues to pat her back in a way to comfort the girl. The girl eventually spoke up.

"What's your name...?" She softly asked. The brunette girl wasn't exactly the best in comfort, but she did feel a little better. Mari's eyebrows slightly raised at the question.

"Ah...I'm Mari. What about you?"

"My name is Aoi..." Aoi answered, her eyes softening as she sees Mari smiling in a way to comfort her more. The two once again stayed in silence...

"Oh right! We have to go back!" Mari's head shot up, remembering what she was supposed to do. She quickly grabbed Aoi's hand and gently tugged her to stand up.

The two girls ran up back together as Mari leads Aoi to the mountaintop.

"Hey, by the way, Aoi! Maybe when this is all over, we should send letters to each other!" Mari suggested while the two young girls were rushing up to the mountaintop. Aoi meekly nodded, which made Mari grin.

The two eventually made it back together, and both Aoi and Mari see the two host twins, along with a few people that managed to survive. That sent chills down Mari's spine, despite not looking at the others and counting, she could tell that it was way less than when they started.

"Welcome back..." The twin with black hair started, Mari focuses on the two twins.

"Congratulations. I'm glad you are safe." The other twin with white hair continued.

Before Mari even knew it, time flew by and she was now slowly walking back to the estate. As far as she knows...

"Okay, so they're gonna provide me a uniform soon... I wonder if it's gonna be the same as nee-chan..." Mari pondered, muttering to herself as she rubs her eyes, yawning right after.

"I think... There was 10 ranks too... And currently...I'm a mizunoto..." The brunette looks down to the ground while she continued walking. She's trying to distract herself from the traumatic moments she saw while being in the mountains. The worst was that big demon that...

"...The crow I was provided with was cute though..." Mari forces out a chuckle, nearly tripping on her feet. She was very tired... She didn't get much sleep during that exam.

More time passed, the warm morning sun with the blue skies is now a lovely evening, covered with stars...

The young brunette was really on the brink of falling down to her knees and sleeping on the ground, but she doesn't want to. She at least... wants to see her sister before she sleeps. She wants to prove to her she's strong. She wants to be like her. She wants to be useful... She wants...

Mari sees a familiar building far from the distance... It was Genkichi's estate! Mari got excited at the sight and despite her low energy, she musters up the strength to dash forward to the estate and slide the door open.

"Ne...Nee-chan...! Ge...nkichi-san...!" Mari calls out, her arms wobbly as she held onto the sliding door with all her current strength.

Just a moment later, Mari hears footsteps running and she sees her sister... Who doesn't seem...Too well... Her usual neatly done blonde hair was quite a mess and she had eyebags under her blue eyes. Despite that, Riko's eyes widened as she immediately went towards Mari and hugged her tightly.

"M-Mari...! Mari....!" Riko started to tear up, tightening the hug as she sobbed.

"You made it...! I'm...I'm so..." The older sister couldn't finish her sentence, but she didn't care. She hugged Mari closer, super relieved that Mari made it out alive. Soon after, Mari teared up too. The Kaizumi sisters shared a warm reunion together.

"I...made it... I made it...Nee-chan... I did it...! I did it..." Those were the last words Mari said before succumbing to unconsciousness, her knees finally giving out as she nearly falls to the floor, if it weren't for Riko catching her in time.

Riko holds Mari, examining her body that was covered in scratches and bruises... The blonde sighed, still relieved that Mari was able to survive the final selection... She lifted Mari up, putting the petite figure over her shoulder.

"You definitely deserve some rest after that..." Riko murmured as she quickly walks to Mari's room and places the futon down before placing the brunette down the futon. In the meantime, she treats Mari's wounds.

"I still can't believe you made it out, Mari... God, I thought I lost you..." Despite Mari being asleep, Riko kept talking as she wraps the bandages around Mari...

Mari certainly is gonna have a long discussion with her sister when she wakes up... Along with their mentor...

Omake:

And along that; have some Taisho era secrets:

Originally, I was gonna make it where Genkichi would enter Mari's room and then gave her permission to let her participate in the final selection

Riko is usually a neat-type of person, so if her hair is all messed up, it means she's in distress.

This is not proof read AHAHAHAHAHA

// oKAY- I THINK THE ENDING ISN'T SO SATISFYING,.,..., Don't worry! Cloudy will hopefully make a short chapter of what happened after Mari woke up and shit.,m..

[cloudymistedskies]

Chapter 3: “Stubborn one.”

// Riko tries to stop Mari from her training… However, she realizes that her younger sister is a lot stubborn than she remembered… //

Riko stares at her younger sister who is currently hugging her waist. She notices that Mari had some scratches and dirt around her face and the white yukata she is wearing. Before she could say anything, she noticed another presence and turned around to see Genkichi with some vegetables on a basket.

"Ah, Riko. You're back." Genkichi said simply while he stared at the two sisters. Riko looks...quite mad. But she hides it, atleast for a bit. Riko turns to Mari with a small smile on her face and handing out the food she brought.

"Hey, Mari. How about you take a small break and eat the food I brought? Me and...Genkichi-san need to talk for a bit." Riko insisted, gently patting Mari's head. Mari beamed, taking the food and running off to her room.

"Okay, I'll be back in 10 minutes!" Mari yelled before sliding the door closed. After Riko hears the sliding door closed, she turns to Genkichi with a now angry look on her face. She steps closer to her mentor.

"Alright. WHAT is Mari doing here? And why is she swinging a wooden sword?! Not to mention that she’s covered with some scratches!” Riko puts her hands on her hips, staring at her mentor while she waits for his explanation.

“Mari came by here nearly a week ago. She wanted me to train her, so I decided to do so. She seems to be getting the hang of the training.” Genkichi answered, trying to reassure his student. Didn't seem to work. In fact, she seems more mad.

"And you didn't even bother to TELL me?! You could've returned her back home!" Riko exclaimed, expressing disapproval of letting her own baby sister be trained to be a demon slayer. Genkichi looks at Riko with a slightly unamused look on his face.

"I did. I thought you knew and you just didn't reply to me." Riko looks at Genkichi, confused before remembering that she did receive a letter but she just didn't bother to read it since she thought it wasn't much important. That's her own fault.

"As for the second one..." Genkichi paused, lifting up his arm, then lifting up his sleeve. The sight of a bite mark on his arm made Riko's eyes bulge out. Genkichi blinked for a moment before continuing

"She bit me. I tried to get her back to her home, and she bit me." Genkichi elaborated further. Riko blinked a few times from what her mentor said.

"SHE BIT YOU??!" Riko is appalled. But then again, she does remember Mari tends to be a bit aggressive... And also that she's always have this biting habit ever since she was a baby. She quickly shook her thoughts and her expression changes back to a more serious one.

"Okay! That's besides the point. You could've denie--" Riko's sentence was cut off by her mentor, putting his hand in front of her.

"I did. She nagged me for a whole day until I gave in to her wishes." The old man clarified, sweatdropping as he remembered Mari's constant nagging before. This didn't obviously make it better for Riko. She takes a deep breath as a way to calm herself down.

"I'm gonna continue training Mari. If you wish to stop her, you should convince her, yourself. She might listen to you since you're her older sister." Genkichi suggested, before he walks away from the young adult with the basket of vegetables on one of his arms. Riko looks down to the floor.

'Well... He is right. I'm Mari's older sister. She has always listened to me. So it wouldn't take that much to just convince her to not become a demon slayer.' Riko thought, smiling slightly as she feels confident that her little sister will comply to her wishes... Maybe she'll deny it the first few times, but she's not that stubborn.

Riko walks up to Mari's room, knocking and made it known to her that she's coming in. Hearing no response, she slides the door open and finds no presence and the food she brought on the futon that she didn't even bother putting out...

"Oh, yeah! Mari went out the forest to meditate!" Riko hears Genkichi's voice from another room. A vein pops out of her head, clearly annoyed at how little her mentor takes this seriously. Riko mumbled under her breath.

"Son of a...-"

Mari meditated while sitting on top of a boulder around the forest. She has her eyes closed and is trying to become one with the wind. She stayed focused, trying her best not to get distracted by any noise of some sorts. If she wants to be a demon slayer, she has to stay focused! Mari's eyebrows furrowed. Mari's shoulder was suddenly touched by a hand, making her jump, opening her eyes and immediately turning her head. She calms down as she sees that it's her older sister, smiling softly at her. Her eyebrows softened.

"Nii-chan!" Mari grins at her, with the latter letting out a low hum before sitting beside her, feeling the breeze as she looks down at the young girl.

"You seem really dedicated to become a demon slayer like me, huh?" Riko remarked, as she stares at Mari's green eyes that is filled with determination. Mari nodded quickly, her grin widening.

"Yeah! I'm doing my best to train as hard as I can so I can kill demons!" Mari answered, now dangling her legs around. Riko slightly frowned. She seems confident in becoming a slayer. But that shouldn't stop her from convincing Mari to reconsider.

"I see... But isn't it too tiring...?? It takes up a lot of your energy." Riko questioned, her expression now slightly concerned. Mari nodded her head, still smiling.

"Yeah! But I know that demon slaying is not easy so I don't mind!" Mari breezed, grinning as she kept dangling her legs. Riko sweatdropped, now more concerned. She tries to find any other words to say to her younger sister without scaring her too much, eventually she did.

"You could get really hurt, Mari. Slaying demons isn't just decapitating their heads simply. They can be fast, confusing and annoying." Riko protested, her lips slightly quivering. Mari hummed, tilting her head to the side, seemingly not affected by her words.

"Yeah! Genkichi-san said something similar a while ago! So I'm already aware of it!" Mari replied, still having her head tilted to the side. This caused Riko's eye to twitch slightly.

'Okay... Calm down, Riko. It appears that convincing her won't be as easy as you thought, but I'm sure it won't take long to make her reconsider.' Riko tries to relax herself in her head, a little annoyed that her sister isn't listening to her. She gently pats Mari's shoulder, Riko was still smiling, but Mari had this small feeling there was a hint of anger. Mari now feels nervous about this…

“Mari. Demon slaying isn’t just killing demons. You also have to prioritize people’s safety. It’s not easy to balance the two together.” Riko protested, as her smile is slowly turning into a frown. This made Mari slightly more nervous, but she doesn't back down.

"I know! Strategy isn't easy, but I think I can manage! Nii-chan, I can do this!" Mari insisted, her green eyes glimmering with determination a she looks up to her older sister. Before Riko could even respond, a certain mentor shows up and touches Riko's shoulder, making her jump a bit... While Mari jumped and fell from the boulder, yelping out an 'ow' as she hits the dirt ground.

"Riko, I'll be needing of your assistance. Mari, continue your training." Genkichi requests for Riko's help while ordering Mari to continue her training. Mari nodded, deciding to go somewhere else to leave both her sister and their mentor alone. Riko was about to run up to Mari, but was quickly stopped by Genkichi. Irritated, she turns to the old man.

"What's this all about? I thought you told me I should try to convince her!" Riko bitterly asked, narrowing her eyes to her mentor. Genkichi stares back at his student with a neutral look plastered on his face.

"...You were making her uncomfortable." Genkichi simply replied, trying to make an excuse cause he honestly had no idea why he actually did that, honestly. Riko scoffed, clenching her fists. She jumped off the boulder she was sitting on and stomped away to get some space. Genkichi didn't do anything and just watched one of his students stomp away. He could tell Riko isn't just gonna give up like that. After all, she was just as stubborn as her younger sister is, but he does wonder if she'll eventually accept the idea of Mari being a demon slayer.

As the blonde-haired girl stomped away from the scene, she looks down at the ground and her eyes narrowed.

"I am not giving up that easily..." Riko muttered under her breath. She isn't gonna let Mari be a demon slayer no matter what. She won't accept the thought of her younger sister risking her own life.

And for the last few weeks, Riko has been doing her best to convince her sister to quit training. But it always never worked out. Every attempt never worked out. She always had something to say in response...

And today was not like any other... The young woman sighed as she watches her younger sister train her heart out. She couldn't convince her no matter what, and it was making her stressed.

She sat on the engawa

It has been several days ever since the two sisters talked to each other… They couldn’t find themselves to speak to each other as they felt the awkward tension around them. Their mentor was thinking of giving them a task together as a way for them to finally talk to each other, but decided that it’s better off if one of them did it themselves.

Like Riko, this was the first time for Mari to experience this sort of problem between the two of them… Ignoring her own sister felt pretty painful to the younger individual. She has always cling onto her at every given chance. She dearly loves her sister… She wanted to speak to her… to apologize for what she said days ago. But she thought that maybe Riko wouldn’t like that… Atleast that’s what she thinks as she remembers that when she was mad at either of their parents, she would give them the silent treatment. She probably thought it was no different for her.

Riko was no different. She hated ignoring her younger sister too. The two have been close to each other ever since Mari was born. She was thinking of also speaking to Mari, but she couldn’t find any appropriate words to say. She felt like she failed as an older sister, especially that she made Mari think of her as their own mother, which feels like a punch to her gut.

…So it was just radio silence for them.

Riko was walking around the halls of the estate, seemingly bored and not knowing what to really do. Genkichi was out for the day to go shopping at a nearby town. As she continued roaming around the estate, she hears a familiar frustrated groan. Sounds like Mari is training again. With nothing much to do, she reluctantly decides to peek outside the garden to watch her sister train.

As she looks outside, she notices Mari with an actual sword, trying to slice the training dummy, but she couldn’t and it was frustrating her. Riko quickly figured out that it was her stance and the position of her sword that was the main issue. She was about to step in and help Mari out, but then she had second thoughts…

‘Wouldn’t that just encourage Mari to become a demon slayer more? Of course I don’t want that result… But at the same, I can’t lie that it’s pretty upsetting to see her so frustrated that she’s tearing up…’ Riko pondered for a good moment before finally deciding on what she’s gonna do.

Mari does another attempt in trying to slice the dummy, which once again, was a fail. Completely frustrated of herself and she thought about giving up for the day and just wait for Genkichi so he could instruct her. She suddenly felt hands on her shoulders. She immediately turned and saw her sister, with a small smile on her face. Mari thought Riko was about to degrade her once again. She was about to ask Riko to leave her alone, but Riko spoke first.

“Your stance isn’t right and the same goes with how you’re holding your sword. Here, let me help you.” Riko stated while she adjusts her younger sister’s stance and helped her with the sword too. After that, Riko took a step back and Mari turns her head to look at her. Riko gives her a reassuring smile and a small nod, making Mari’s eyes light up a bit before nodding back and turning her attention back to the training dummy. Mari takes a deep breath before she strikes at the dummy, this time it was successful. Mari stares at the training dummy that she just sliced as it’s upper body falls to the ground. The brown-haired girl gasped, then beamed and dropped her sword, running to her sister and hugging her

“I DID IT! NEE-CHAN!! I DID IT!!” Mari exclaimed, jumping around as she hugs Riko tightly. She looks up at her older sister, ecstatic. Riko’s eyes widened while she looked down at Mari who is obviously celebrating for her finally successful attempt. The way Mari’s green eyes lit up like the lanterns around town. Her bright grin… She finds herself smiling back and patting Mari’s head gently. She honestly loves when her sister is like this. She loves when she gets so thrilled over any achievement she makes. No matter how small or big it was. Mari then looks up to her sister, this time she looks confused.

“Wait… Why did you help me? Didn’t you want me to not… Become a demon slayer?” Mari questioned her sister, as she stops hugging her. Riko didn’t know what to say for a moment. She averted her gaze away from Mari while thinking. She then tries to answer…

“I…Well… It really…” Riko trailed off, becoming slightly embarrassed. Mari lets out a small ‘hm?’ as she waits for her sister’s reason. The blonde-haired girl then crouched down to Mari’s height and puts both her shoulders, looking directly at her eyes.

“…Yes, I didn’t want you to become one, and I still do think that way. But… Seeing how happy and determined you are… I decide that I’ll let Genkichi-san trai- No… We’ll train you.” Riko declared, giving Mari a genuine and confident smile. Mari’s eyes lit up again, her lips slowly forming to a grin and she once again hugs Riko tightly as she squeals in excitement.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you sooo muuuch, nee-chan!!!" Mari would repeat 'thank you' multiple times to her sister while her hug gets tighter. Riko only giggled in response, finally returning the hug as she caressed Mari's back. The two were finally glad to be on good terms again.

Genkichi watches from afar as he stares at the beautiful moment before him. He smiles softly, now relieved that the two finally made up. He didn't wanna ruin their moment, so he silently walked back in the estate while holding the groceries he bought.

Two quick bonus scenes here:

"Here." Genkichi hands something to Mari as she looks at the unfamiliar folded black cloth, tilting her head. She unfolds it, the cloth was the same length as her wrists and...it looks like a hand...??

"It's a glove. You wear it like this." He explained, taking one of Mari's hands and putting on the glove for her. Mari looks at her now covered hand, dumbfounded.

"What...is this for?" Mari asked, raising her eyebrow as she moves her fingers around. Genkichi takes Mari's other hand to put in the other glove.

"It's to prevent your hands from getting rough." He answered, crossing his arms. Mari looks up to the old man in curiosity. She tilts her head again.

"..But why didn't you give this to me, earlier?" She asked once again. Genkichi averts his gaze away from the younger girl as he remembers Riko's words last night.

"If you ever tell Mari that I gave her these gloves to her, I'm giving you an early cremation." Riko threatened, before she turned away and leaving for her mission.

"...I forgot." Genkichi muttered out, a sweat forming on his forehead. Mari blinks multiple times, but I guess it makes sense for her since he's old...

When Mari was starting to train, she was worried about her low attention-span being a problem that could fuck up her training. But surprising enough, she actually was able to stay focus after a few days for some reason. Of course, Mari was happy about that, especially that she never knew that she could bet this focused until now. This meant her training will be faster!

That's good, right? ...Well maybe. But there's a problem about it.

She became hyperfixated on training.

She was so focused on training, that she completely neglected her own body. And that's what brings us here with Mari swinging her sword back and forth. Mari took her training a little too serious that she hasn't ate any proper meals for a few days now. She thought that what if she was fighting a demon while hungry? She has to prepare herself for that!

...Honestly, she would've probably died if it weren't for Riko who happened to saw her state after she returned from a mission that took a few days to complete. Of course, she was flabbergasted that Mari took those measures... And was mad at Genkichi for not noticing this sooner, which he told Riko that Mari started to eat in her room. Ever since then, the older figures took closer on her... Just in case she pulls this stunt again...

Taisho era secrets:

Riko's hands are rough from training. So not wanting Mari to have the same result, she secretly gave the gloves to Genkichi.

Riko also trains along with Mari, and finds it as a good excuse to bond with her sister and her mentor! Mari would stare in awe while she performs her breathing style.

AND HERE'S CHAPTER 3!!! Sorry its not as long as the previous one, I'm just a lazy ass HSAHASHASHSAHDHFJHDSJFFSD... It's probably not the best either.

[anamon-book]

辺境最深部に向って退却せよ!　太田竜 三一書房 装幀＝長谷川元吉

[yaoisex]

OMG XD

That was quite an experience, this VR video XD 

It all started cute with Genkichi, but then I decided to move around and see the rest of the room when suddenly - a wild Seki-san cat appeared! 

I did not wish to get Seki-san’s crotch & ass in my face like that but that was surprisingly amusing nonetheless hahah He sure knew what he was doing. That was quite scandalous I must say, but that’s Seki-san after all lol

[yaoisex]

LOOOOL oh you, Tumblr XD

My first Genkichi post was flagged so I cropped the first gif a bit and now it’s ok?? There was a tiny bit of nipple... seriously Tumblr... 

I also mentioned (in a since deleted paragraph) that I only posted two gifs because I feared Tumblr would consider the rest p0rn, but they STILL flagged this post without giving me the option to review it!? 

This is hilarious.

[yaoisex]

Genkichi!! SO PRETTY! *_* [x,x]

[crossbreed]

Tweeted

【Laidback City vol.1】 DATE : 2019/09/28(SAT)19:00-24:00 PLACE : como es( https://t.co/xwjFl43WAB ) GUEST DJ : Genkichi、ハイボール'21、とみじい DJ : DJ老眼、DJ ayu、DJちょうどいい CHARGE : FREE#LaidbackCity#MCT

— ayu (@crossbreed) September 17, 2019