Chapter 32: 32. Kotaro-sensei's Personal Lessons
Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
When Kyojuro mentioned Oyakata-sama, Kotaro recalled everything he knew about the man.
Ruthless.
If there was one word to describe him, it would be this. Not because he looked ruthless or had the power to kill—he couldn't even perform a breathing technique due to the curse of being born into the Ubuyashiki family.
The reason Kotaro called him ruthless was his unwavering determination to do whatever was necessary to destroy the demon progenitor. Kagaya considered himself just another chess piece, like everyone else, and was willing to go to any lengths to kill the demon progenitor—even if it meant sacrificing himself and his family to weaken the demon.
Kotaro pictured him: a face marked with the curse, the markings creeping up to his eyes. If he was right, Kagaya was likely on the verge of blindness and would eventually lose the ability to walk.
Thinking of the curse mark, Kotaro wondered if his Hamon could help.
'Could my Hamon cure him?'
He quickly dismissed the thought. If the curse were something external, not inherent from birth, then maybe he could cure it. But this curse was genetic, something Kagaya was born with. Hamon couldn't cure what was internal.
Kotaro remembered when Joseph battled with "Empress." Because the "Empress" was born from Joseph's own blood and flesh, he couldn't repel it with Hamon.
Hamon can only repel external objects, not internal ones.
"Sigh!"
"What's wrong, Kotaro-sama?"
"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about Kyojuro's words."
Mitsuri then recalled Kyojuro mentioning that Kotaro-sama had been called to meet their leader, Oyakata-sama.
"About meeting with Oyakata-sama?"
"Yeah. I think I know why he wants to meet me. It's probably about the Hamon—he wants to see it."
"Huh? Is Hamon rare, Kotaro-sama?" Mitsuri tilted her head, asking innocently. Kotaro's eyes twitched at her question.
Rare? This doesn't even exist in this world!
"Yes, it's rare."
"I thought demon slayers used Hamon like Kotaro-sama to defeat demons."
"No. They use a special type of blade. Didn't you see the blade on Kyojuro's waist?"
"Umm. It was red, like fire."
"That's a Nichirin blade. It's made from ore that's been exposed to sunlight for a long time, and it's used to defeat demons."
"Oh. But Kotaro-sama, how do you know this?"
Gah! Mitsuri's sudden question caught him off guard. Of course, she would be curious about how Kotaro knew all this. After all, they encountered a demon for the first time just yesterday, yet he seemed to know everything.
Cough!
"Of course, I know it. I'm a teacher, after all."
Listening to his answer, Mitsuri slapped her fist onto her palm, suddenly realizing she had forgotten that Kotaro-sama worked as a teacher.
"Ah! I forgot that Kotaro-sama works as a teacher."
"You… Sigh! Only Mitsuri could forget something like that."
"Hehehe, I'm sorry."
Mitsuri apologized, scratching her cheek with a light laugh. But there was no way Kotaro would let her off so easily.
"Don't think you'll be forgiven with just a light laugh. Come here!"
"W-Wait! Kotaro-sama, it's—Hahaha! Don't tickle me—Hahaha!"
Kotaro grabbed her and started tickling her, filling the hospital room with the laughter of husband and wife.
…
After the punishment session, Mitsuri was panting from the excessive tickling and was lying on top of Kotaro. Kotaro was holding her with his unbroken arm, while his other arm was in bandages.
Kotaro caressed Mitsuri's head and pulled her closer to him. Such an intimate action made Mitsuri remember that wild night, causing her to blush. Fortunately, her face was down, hiding her flushed cheeks; otherwise, Kotaro might tease her even more.
"Mitsuri. Can I ask you something?"
"Y-Yes?"
"What do you think of demons?"
The question pushed other thoughts from Mitsuri's mind, and she remembered the demon she encountered with Aiko.
"I don't like them."
"Oh? I'm surprised."
"H-Huh? Why?"
"Since Mitsuri is kind, gentle, and loves everyone, I thought you wouldn't hate demons."
"T-That demon attacked Kotaro-sama and Aiko-san, and that's why I don't like it!"
Mitsuri blushed at Kotaro's compliment but still gave her reason for hating demons. Kotaro just smiled at her answer.
"Is that so?"
Mitsuri nodded in response, then remembered something she wanted to add.
"Y-Yes! And…"
Kotaro watched as Mitsuri became too flustered to continue.
"And?"
"And… Though I love everything, I love Kotaro-sama the most."
"You…"
Kotaro's eyes widened at this girl's sudden confession. His heart skipped a beat, making him flustered as well.
"Where did you learn to say these things?"
"I-I learned it from Kotaro-sama."
Indeed, Kotaro often said sweet things to Mitsuri to observe her cute reactions. To think Mitsuri was learning from him…
"So, you learned it from me?"
"Y-Yes. Since Kotaro-sama used it to tease me a lot, I thought I'd use it to tease Kotaro-sama as well."
Mitsuri narrated with a soft voice, nearly inaudible. But Kotaro heard it. This girl…
"If you've learned it, then…"
Kotaro's hand slid to Mitsuri's bottom, and he gently pushed her up, bringing her face to face with him.
"Huh? Kotaro-sam—!"
Kotaro placed a hand behind her head, and their lips met. Being a frequent recipient of these surprise kisses, Mitsuri was now somewhat accustomed to them.
But still, she lacked the technique and fell under the mercy of Kotaro's kissing skills, leaving her breathless.
"Ha~! Kotaro-sama! This…"
"This is something more you need to learn."
Kotaro leaned toward her ear and softly whispered, nibbling on her earlobe, making her moan.
"Good for you that Kotaro-sensei is willing to provide personal lessons. So make sure to learn well, Student Mitsuri."
At his words, Mitsuri just blushed but nodded, which delighted Kotaro, prompting him to go for another kiss.
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A/N:
Some romance after action! Give feedback for Kotaro-sensei's lessons!