Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

Then, Shirakawa Yu's gaze stopped.

On the other side of the open space, under a wisteria tree that was blooming particularly profusely—

A girl, as delicate as a porcelain doll, stood there quietly.

Her skin was snow-white, and she wore a pink kimono. Her long black hair was tied into a side ponytail with a butterfly hair ornament, making her so cute that it was impossible to look away.

She just sat there quietly, her demeanor relaxed, elegant, and composed, not like someone participating in a life-or-death selection, but more like someone taking a stroll in a courtyard.

Chestnut blossoms fall, fragrant and sweet.

Shirakawa Yu felt his breath... no, his sensual breath, tremble slightly.

She smells so good even without me getting close!

Tanjiro noticed his senior brother suddenly stop walking and asked in confusion, "Senior brother?"

"Tanjiro," Shirakawa Yu suddenly spoke, his voice lower than usual, with a hint of bubblyness, "Wait here for me."

"Hey? Wait, senior brother, you're going to—hey!"

Before Tanjiro could finish speaking, Shirakawa Yu had already started walking in that direction.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, and his expression remained that lazy, smiling look.

But Tanjiro keenly sensed something different—his senior's "scent" seemed...

estrus......

Tanjiro suddenly had a bad feeling.

My senior brother... he wouldn't be going to... again...

As Shirakawa Yu adjusted his clothes, he walked towards the girl under the wisteria tree.

The distance gradually shortened.

Ten meters, five meters, three meters...

Kanao seemed to notice his approach, her light purple eyes shifting slightly as her gaze fell upon him.

Those were a pair of light purple eyes—clear and calm, yet veiled by a thin mist, making it impossible to discern the emotions within.

At this moment, there was no wariness, no curiosity, not even focus in those beautiful eyes—it was as if she were looking at a wisteria vine that could walk.

Bai Chuanyu stopped two steps in front of her. The faint floral fragrance emanating from the girl made his smile deepen.

"Good morning."

He spoke, his voice softer than usual, "Are you here to participate in the selection as well?"

Kanao looked at him without saying a word.

A few seconds later, he flipped his hand over and a coin appeared in his palm.

"Den!"

The copper coin leaped high into the air, arced through the air, and fell, where she caught it.

——The reverse side.

So she looked away and continued to stand quietly, as if Shirakawa Yu didn't exist.

Bai Chuanyu: "..."

(Ah, I've been ignored.)

But he wasn't annoyed at all; on the contrary, he found it amusing.

As expected... just like I remembered, they don't 'choose' for themselves, and rely entirely on flipping a coin to decide whether to respond?

As he was thinking, deep within his mind, that long-dormant mechanical voice finally—

[High-potential target of the opposite sex detected!]

【Name: Kanao Tsuyuri (Human)】

[Strength Rating: A]

[Potential Rating: Extremely High (Can trigger four levels of analysis)]

Current resolution: 0.03%

Shirakawa Yu's eyes brightened slightly.

Fourth gear... Just as I expected!

He has tried it before in the past two years.

When he went down the mountain to buy supplies, he would deliberately "bump into" girls in the village, and even "accidentally" bump into one of them.

The system will indeed prompt "Opposite sex detected", but the maximum resolution limit is only one level.

Let alone the normal increase in the second tier, even the increase in the basic quality of the first tier can only hover between one percent and five percent.

The only time I encountered a formal female member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The system did provide a rating: Ding, low potential, at most it can be analyzed to the second tier.

In other words, even if he and that female teammate were of one mind and closely connected, he could only achieve the average level, which was the limit.

The moves in all three gears cannot be unlocked.

At that time, Shirakawa Yu understood: his Breath of Color, or rather his system, had very high standards.

Ordinary people, even ordinary team members, are simply not worth considering.

What it wants are those "stars" destined to shine in the story.

At this moment, there was one right in front of Bai Chuanyu.

A star that is quiet, beautiful, yet difficult to approach.

Shirakawa Yu's smile grew even brighter.

Instead of backing down because he was being ignored, he took another half step forward, bent down, and brought his line of sight to Kanao's.

"Are you playing with a coin?" he asked casually, as if discussing the weather. "You answer when it's heads and ignore when it's tails—is that how it is?"

Kanao's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She looked at him again, her light purple eyes still devoid of emotion, but at least... her focus was on him.

Then, she flicked the coin again.

--front.

She nodded slightly, so slightly that it was almost imperceptible.

Shirakawa Yu laughed, "Then... can I stand next to you? It's a bit boring waiting alone."

Kanao glanced down at the coin, seemingly hesitant about whether to toss it again.

But in the end, she simply turned slightly to the side, giving up a small space under the tree.

—Accepted.

"Thanks." Bai Chuanyu readily stood beside her, maintaining a perfect distance.

It's not so close as to be uncomfortable, yet close enough to let the other person's scent linger around your nose.

A pale pink aura began to linger silently around his mouth and nose, slowly and steadily.

[Resolution: 0.03%……0.06%……]

Although it moves as slowly as a snail, it is definitely moving.

Shirakawa Yu was in a great mood and even wanted to hum a song.

Just then...

"Hey... Senior Brother... what are you doing again...?"

A resentful voice rang in Shirakawa Hare's ears.

Tanjiro, carrying an almost materialized resentment, floated to Shirakawa Yu's side like a demon.

(▼ヘ▼#)

Chapter 22, screams, kicks off the selection process!

"Ahem, it's Tanjiro."

Bai Chuanyu remained expressionless, not even turning around to look at his junior brother who was emanating black energy.

"This is... my new acquaintance, and I'm having a friendly pre-battle chat with her."

Tanjiro's forehead bulged with a vein: "Friendly, exchange?"

He pointed at Shirakawa Yu, who was almost touching the girl's shoulder, and said, "Is this what you call friendly?! This is harassment! It's harassment, senior brother!!!"

"It's not that serious." Shirakawa Yu waved his hand, still smiling as he looked at Kanao.

"Look, she didn't object to me standing here."

"Oh, right." Shirakawa Yu turned around, "Let's say hello to our new friend. Little beauty, what's your name?"

"You don't even know her name?" Tanjiro slapped Shirakawa Yu's back wildly, his eyes wide open. "And! Calling her 'little beauty' is so rude!"

"So we're getting to know each other." Shirakawa Yu shrugged. "Tanjiro, you should also pay attention to your image..."

Kanao watched them bicker quietly, her light purple eyes like a calm lake.

A few seconds later, she twitched her finger slightly, and the coin bounced up again—

"Den!"

It falls, catch it.

--front.

She spoke softly, her voice light and gentle, like falling petals, "My name is, Kurihana... Kanao."

“Kanao, huh?” Shirakawa Yu repeated readily, his smile growing even brighter.

"It's a very nice name. My name is Shirakawa Yu, and this is my worried junior brother, Kamado Tanjiro."