Kanroji Mitsuri has been troubled lately.
She's almost of marriageable age, and girls her age are all getting engaged, but she remains single.
From a young age, she's been different.
She eats a lot, is incredibly strong, and has a terrifyingly powerful physique.
As a child, she was proud of this, but as she's grown older, this uniqueness has gradually become a source of worry.
Her strength surpasses that of any man, to the point that no one dares to like her.
As a girl, she hopes to marry a husband stronger than herself, a wish that seems equally impossible to fulfill.
Although her parents don't mind, telling her it's okay if she doesn't get married, how can a girl not get married?
She actually longs for love!
Lost in thought, Kanroji Mitsuri unknowingly wandered out of town and into a dense forest on the outskirts.
When the light disappeared and her vision darkened, she suddenly realized.
"Oh dear! I've wandered so far! I need to hurry back!"
Kanroji Mitsuri covered her mouth and turned to leave.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, a strange sound came from the dense forest. She stopped and peered inside curiously.
"What's that sound?"
Unfortunately, the forest was too dense, blocking out the sunlight and making visibility too poor; she couldn't see anything inside.
"What should I do?"
Kanroji Mitsuri blinked, a little curious.
"Hmm... maybe I should go check it out?"
She looked around nervously and quietly walked inside.
She wasn't worried about her safety. Her
powerful physique brought her many troubles, but it also had some advantages, one of which was safety.
She was incredibly skilled in fighting!
Even sumo wrestlers were no match for her.
As they ventured deeper into the dense forest, the strange sounds grew louder.
Climbing a gentle slope, the view suddenly opened up, and Kanroji Mitsuri tilted her head, curiously looking ahead.
The next moment, her beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Aoki stood before the boulder, assuming the starting stance of the Aoki-ryu style.
"Aoki-ryu, Death's Bane!"
He moved instantly.
Jab, low kick, sweeping punch—the moves seemed erratic and slow, but combined, they formed a peculiar rhythm, like surging waves, one after another, endless and suffocating.
"Aoki-ryu, Storm!"
Aoki's stance abruptly changed.
Fists, elbows, knees, feet—instantly, every part of his body transformed into a deadly weapon, violently slamming into the boulder with a complex yet orderly rhythm.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of drums exploding in the air.
The boulder became pitted and cracked, its surface increasingly riddled with fissures.
Boom!
The boulder shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions.
"It's done!"
Aoki's eyes gleamed with undisguised joy.
The two deadly moves signified that he had finally mastered the basic techniques of the Aoki-ryu style, and that his fighting system was beginning to take shape.
"The rock...it shattered?"
Kanroji covered her mouth with both hands, both shocked and excited.
Her muscle density was eight times that of an average person; even as a child, her strength surpassed that of a sumo wrestler, and she had never seen anyone stronger than herself.
But even she couldn't shatter such a large rock.
Was this real?
Were there really people this strong in the world?
She wanted to see more clearly, straining her neck forward, when suddenly her hand tilted, and *splat*, her face made intimate contact with the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Who?" Aoki turned around abruptly.
"Oops! I've been spotted!"
Kanroji Mitsuri stepped out, slightly embarrassed.
"Hello sir, it's nice to see you again! I didn't mean to peek at you, I just heard some strange noises and wanted to come and check."
"It's you!"
Aoki rubbed his forehead. He
'd been too careless!
Kanroji Mitsuri was so close, and he hadn't even noticed.
If she were an enemy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Although this was mainly because all his energy was focused on "Death's Calamity" and "Storm," it had still served as a wake-up call.
This world was full of enemies, and he could never let his guard down!
Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Aoki said, "Hello, Miss Kanroji, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Kanroji Mitsuri's eyes lit up: "Huh? You know me?"
"I've heard of Miss Kanroji's great name," Aoki said.
The Kanroji family home and Aoki's dojo weren't far apart, and Kanroji Mitsuri was a local celebrity; most people knew her as the woman with a huge appetite and superhuman strength.
Kanroji Mitsuri hung her head dejectedly: "So it's all that bad reputation!"
"Bad reputation?"
Aoki picked up his demon sake gourd and sun hat, casually saying, "Miss Kanroji, being strong isn't a mistake. The criticisms others have of you are mostly out of jealousy and fear!
In fact, you possess an incredibly powerful talent; calling you a chosen one wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Really?"
Kanroji Mitsuri stared at him blankly: "What's the use of this talent? Would anyone like someone like me?"
Aoki looked at Kanroji Mitsuri and chuckled: "You can be more confident. Compared to you, everyone else is just an ordinary person!
As for the uses of this talent, there are countless possibilities; you can earn several times more than an ordinary person doing manual labor!"
He didn't want to have a deep relationship with Kanroji Mitsuri.
Otherwise, if she joined the Demon Slayer Corps in the future, they might face the trouble of becoming enemies.
What a headache!
However, he wouldn't avoid her like the plague, deliberately ignoring her.
It's foolish to dwell too much on things that might not even happen!
*Pfft!*
Kanroji Mitsuri laughed, her eyes curving into crescents. "Compared to you, sir, I'm just an ordinary mortal!"
Aoki shook his head. "It's different! Most other strong individuals become stronger through training, but you were born strong."
"Training? Can ordinary people train to become as strong as you, sir?" Kanroji Mitsuri tapped her chin, asking curiously.
"Just call me Aomura,"
Aoki said. "In fact, there are people stronger than me. However, being able to train and become stronger is itself a talent."
Breathing techniques also require talent, and those who can reach the level of a Pillar are extremely rare.
"So there are such strong people in the world!"
Kanroji Mitsuri felt the world suddenly become much brighter, and asked excitedly, "Aomura-sensei, are you going to continue training? Can I go with you?"
"No, today's training is over!" Aoki shook his head.
"Then let's go back together!"
Kanroji Mitsuri showed no disappointment, her face beaming with a bright and sunny smile.
"I've been quite troubled by my health lately. It was actually because of this that I accidentally ended up at Mr. Aomura's training place today. But now I'm very grateful..."
On the way back, perhaps because it was the first time she'd met someone of her own kind, Kanroji Mitsuri was very excited, chattering on and on about her experiences.
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(End of Chapter)