To The Stars | Tokito Muichiro x OC

30 • Home Not Sweet Home

"Yes! Thank you very much, Hoshizora-sama!" Murata cheered along with the other four. "We'll set up camp right away!"

Inori nodded. "Okay, I'll do the first patrol around the forest in the meantime." She turned around, already readying her swords. "Make sure to gather firewood and water. You're all probably starving right now, so you can eat first. Just send your crow if you need me."

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

When Murata first heard his newest order about going on a mission with a pillar, his mind panicked. He had never met any of the pillars before, though if being in the same Final Selection as Giyu before he became a pillar counted as meeting a pillar, then Murata had met one pillar, even if that was when the Water Pillar was still a rookie.

Simply put, Murata was intimidated by the beings he called pillars.

As it turned out, he wasn't the only one who received the joint mission order, nor was he the only one scared out of their wits. The other guys were practically drenched in cold sweat as they waited for the pillar to arrive.

When the newest and youngest pillar, the Star Pillar, arrived, nobody knew how to react. There have been rumors surrounding the two newest pillars, the Mist and Star Pillar, but they mostly circulated around the Star Pillar, who was often seen walking around with the other pillars. Of course, that was just the tip of the iceberg considering how the Star Pillar was infamous for taking down at least one demon moon every two or three months, if not every month.

Murata himself had never met her before, but from what he heard, Hoshizora Inori has a weird hair color, two different colored eyes, and an insane amount of talent that made her a pillar after just one month after becoming a demon slayer.

Murata's first impression of Hoshizora Inori was that she was too humble and awkward despite being his superior. Still, a pillar was a pillar, and they were on another different level from him and his comrades.

While he was sure everybody in the corps was used to walking far distances effortlessly, he still couldn't understand how Inori was able to walk from dawn to dusk, through steep and rocky paths, without a single break for rest or food, and still didn't look out of breath.

The five of them were struggling to follow Inori who didn't look like she had any plans on stopping anytime soon. Their steps were slowing, and they knew they had reached their limits hours ago. So, after a round of rock-paper-scissors, which Murata lost, he timidly and indirectly requested a break.

His half expected her to berate their weakness and force them to walk until they passed out, so his heart leaped with joy when Inori easily let them rest.

"Hoshizora-sama sure is nice, huh?" Shimamoto commented as he unrolled his rice ball. "I honestly thought this mission was going to be hell because we're teamed up with a pillar."

"Honestly, same," Yoshioka piped in, warming his hands in front of the fire. "But it turns out she's super nice."

"But man, she's amazing, isn't she? Hoshizora-sama, I mean," Noguchi commented in awe. "She's just twelve or so. but she's already a pillar."

"Talented people sure are different." Nagakura sighed, munching on his food. "I heard that it only took her and the Mist Pillar about a month to become pillars after they passed the Final Selection."

Their little mulling session was interrupted by rustling sounds. With the instinct of a surviving demon slayer, the group immediately had their hands on their swords. Sweat rolled down their temples as rustling sounds echoed all over the area, and they couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from.