Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

To everyone's surprise, Zenitsu fainted from fright—Kiyokawa Izumi, noticing this, turned around in astonishment.

"Just kidding, is it really that scary?"

This timid and cowardly boy seemed to be imagining himself being eaten by evil spirits.

His psychological resilience is quite poor. When he is too nervous or extremely scared, he will lose consciousness and fall asleep immediately.

Pulling at his collar, Kiyokawa Izumi patted the boy's cheek with a hint of helplessness. "Hey, wake up. That girl named Suzuko is willing to marry you."

"If I don't get up now, I'll end up alone!"

Whether it was the force of the slap or the thought of growing old alone, the boy suddenly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the azure sky.

In my line of sight, a very annoying jerk appeared.

In his dream, he met a girl who was willing to marry him.

Moreover, he voluntarily joined the Demon Slayer Corps and performed exceptionally well during the selection process, living up to his grandfather's trust and bringing shame to the proud old man.

I had just dreamt of this place when someone woke me up.

Reality is cruel. He couldn't meet his grandfather's expectations, didn't have the courage to participate in the final selection, and was even less willing to become a demon-slaying swordsman.

He was afraid and terrified.

The same applies to avoiding training.

The Kiyokawa Izumi I knew, despite being a Pillar, was a complete scoundrel. A genius like him could never understand the thoughts of a weak swordsman.

Even if they manage to get through by sheer luck, they will die on their first mission or on their next mission—the Demon Slayer Corps has no future. The boy may be timid, but he is not stupid.

There is one question he is unwilling to address directly.

Why should a pillar like Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi have unnecessary expectations of himself?

And why would you waste your precious time sending someone as insignificant as yourself to participate in the selection?

Is it really worth it?

Zenitsu became an orphan at a very young age, abandoned by his parents, and lived alone in the cold city.

No one had any expectations of him from childhood to adulthood.

Even the girl he had a crush on was like that.

She swindled his money so she could elope with another man.

Mr. Kuwashima Jigoro was a ray of light in his gloomy life. This proud yet kind old man never gave up on him from beginning to end.

Everyone in the Butterfly Mansion is a very nice person.

Although Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi always said scary things, no one really disliked him—Zenitsu had hearing far beyond that of ordinary people and could hear many things.

This kindness made the boy feel flattered, but he also subconsciously chose to run away.

Unable to meet other people's expectations, and afraid to see the disappointment on their faces.

Whenever he tries to make a decision, it's as if a cowardly version of himself appears, negative and timid, which he genuinely dislikes.

"I'm not the kind of highly talented swordsman you imagine. You are much, much stronger than I was when I participated in the final selection."

You're not actually bad. It's not shameful to instinctively want to run away; you just haven't found a reason to draw your sword, haven't found the courage.

Kiyokawa Izumi said in a gentle voice. It was hard to imagine that he could say such a thing and that he could be so humane.

When faced with the tearful Zenitsu, Kiyokawa Izumi quickly revealed his true colors.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind giving you a push until you find that courage."

Whether you like it or not, you have to participate in the final selection, young man.

"!!"

A cruel, devilish smile seemed to appear on his face.

"Do you know what you should do now?"

Looking in the direction Kiyokawa Izumi pointed, the team members were training there.

"If you don't want to die, go train. There's nothing you can do since you can't fight back."

Whether to run away or not is irrelevant; after all, there is no choice.

Whether you train or not, the final result won't change; you still have to participate in the final selection.

Anyone with a brain should understand that since there's no way to resist, you might as well enjoy it.

"Murata, this guy's yours! If he gets away again, he'll be training with me tonight!"

"?"

Murata felt a pang of panic when he was suddenly called out.

Why does Zhu remember my name?

Are you going to hand this boy over to me? If I can't keep an eye on him, why should I be the one punished?

Murata and Zenitsu stared at each other, wide-eyed—a tactic they'd learned from a certain cunning woman.

Gentle but kind Zenitsu, you don't want to involve others, do you?

At this point, Zenitsu was far from understanding how lucky he was to have someone give him a push when he wanted to escape.

Kiyokawa Izumi did this not entirely out of a wicked sense of humor—he didn't actually dislike Zenitsu's personality.

Having such an experience would naturally lead to a timid and sensitive personality, which is quite normal.

When you regain that missing bit of courage, you will amaze many people.

As for why they chose Murata?

There wasn't any special reason; it's just that his name was easy to remember. Among all the team members, Kiyokawa Izumi was the only one who could recall his name.

"Next, let's find a Pillar to warm up... I wonder if Shinobu is free right now."