As Haruna stare at the moon, she felt someone poke her shoulder. She snap her head to her side to see Kazumi.
"How come you're still not asleep?" Kazumi asked.
"Nothing, nii-sama. It's just that, I don't know whether my mother's still alive or not. I mean.... I haven't seen her ever since my father kicked her out." Haruna answered.
"I see. Although I myself worry too, I'm just the same as you, I have no idea where she could possibly be."
The two stayed there outside looking at the moon.
"Do you think, I'll be able to become a slayer just like you?" Haruna asked lifting up her feet as she hug her knees.
"Of course you will. As long as you believe in yourself and be able to pass the training." Kazumi answered patting her head.
'To be honest, I am scared. I am scared to become a slayer. But seeing people losing their loved ones because of those creatures makes me feel like I wanted to protect them. I.... wanted to protect them like nii-sama.'
Upon the next day, Haruna started her training along with Kano. It was very very hard at first, whenever she hears Ringo shout at her and Kano, she could always feel her body stiffen. Along this training, she managed to improve her sense of smell too. She could smell any scent and be able to tell what it is.
"You're doing great at your sword swings, but you're still slow!" Ringo said sweeping her off her feet barehanded.
Haruna groaned a little as she get up. She hurriedly grabbed her wooden sword again and charged forward at Ringo. The whole day passed by of her not being able to hit Ringo and always being thrown on the ground. Her whole body aches but, just like Kano, she's determined to become a slayer. After a month of staying there, Kazumi took her and Kano at the Butterfly Estate to visit Shinobu.
"Ara~ ara~, I'm glad you three came to visit." Shinobu said greeting them at the door.
"I'm happy that you're fine with it Shino-san." Kazumi replied.
As they walk inside, they all looked at the girl standing outside the garden staring at the butterflies.
"That's Kanao-chan, she's my tsuguko and also my adoptive little sister. She's on the same age as the both of you." Shinobu said looking at Kano and Haruna.
"She seems.... to be a quiet person." Haruna said.
'Her scent, I don't smell any emotion from her.'
As Kazumi and Shinobu have their own time to talk, Kano and Haruna approached Kanao.
"Hello there!" Kano greeted.
Kanao turned around to look at them.
"Hello, my name's Azakura Haruna!"
"And I'm Kano!"
Kanao stayed silent until she pulled out a coin and flipped it. It showed tails.
"I'm Tsuyuri Kanao." She replied.
Kano and Haruna spent their time with her. Trying their best to make her talk without her coin.
"I use this coin to decide whenever I'm alone or when I wasn't given any orders by my Master." Kanao explained.
"I see, so you can't make decisions on your own." Haruna said rubbing her chin.
"But that's alright! We'll make you talk without the need of the coin! Even if it's just little by little! Me and Kano are your friends after all!" She beamed.
After her words, Haruna managed to smell a little something from Kanao.
'Is she.... happy?'
As the days passed by, Kano and Haruna often visited the Butterfly Estate. The two even ended up befriending Naho, Kiyo, and Sumi, including Aoi. Whenever they visit, they would spend time with them and then train with Kanao.
"Wooooah! Kanao-chan, you're getting fast too!" Haruna exclaimed as Kanao dodges her attack.
"Tha-thank you." Kanao replied softly.
"Even your communication skills!" Kano added.
And yet in reality, Kanao still uses her coin towards other people except for these two who called theirselves her friends.
"Ringo-saaaan!" Haruna called as her and Kano just came back from the Butterfly Estate.
"What?"
"Can we visit at the Butterfly Estate tomorrow again?" Haruna asked with a bright smile.
"No." Ringo deadpanned.
"Eh?!"
"You two already visited there for three days straight, today being the third one. You two have to train seriously. We don't have a century to train you two." Ringo replied showing a little frown.
'Even if it hurts, Ringo-san has a point. We can't just slack off.'
"You're too slow!" Ringo said as she trip Haruna by her heel while she's running.
"Sorry."
"Straighten your arms!" Ringo instructed looking down at Haruna doing push-ups.
"Yes!"
For the whole day, they only did excercises and training with the use of traps. Haruna and Kano lied on the ground as they breathe heavily.
"I don't think I'll reach final selection." Haruna muttered out.
"This training's already killing me." She groaned.
"Come on.... don't lose hope. It's you, it's us who wanted to be slayers." Kano replied.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I wonder...." Haruna sat up and looked at Kano.
".... will nii-sama's training going to be harder than this?"
"I don't know myself, but maybe." Kano replied sitting up.
"After all, nii-sama's a Pillar."
"Tch. Come on, Ringo-san is already like one herself! Stupid!"
They trained and trained for days, until it turned into weeks, then into months, until a year passed.
"Gosh! It's been a year yet I still feel like I'm incapable of doing it!" Haruna whined sitting on the ground.
"Come on, stop fussing! Stand up and let's continue." Kano said poking her arm with the wooden sword.
"Geeeze! Alright!"
The two sparred again until sunset. The both of them covered with bruises and dirt. As they entered back in the estate, Haruna decided to take a shower first. As she take a dip, the doors suddenly opened showing Kano, and by instinct, she covered her chest.
"You pervert!"
"I'm not, I didn't know you're here.... and besides...." Kano's eyes looked at her chest before giving her a smug look.
".... what's there to cover anyway."
"BASTARD!!!"
In just seconds, a wooden basin hit Kano's face making his nose bleed.
"GET OUT!!!"
The next day, Haruna gave Kano death glares everytime she looked at him.
"Um..."
"Shut. Up."
Kano gulped hearing her and scurried away from her.
"Come on I just stated the truth last—"
"You don't care about my body moron! And my breasts are normal!" Haruna exclaimed pointing an accusing finger at Kano.
"That's not a breast at all! That's a chopping board!"
Haruna then chased Kano with a knife at hand. Kano ran away from her frantically.
"COME HERE AND LET ME STAB YOU!!!"
"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I TAKE IT BACK!"
Haruna didnt stop and kept on moving her arms in an attempt to slash him since she's catching up. Kano then kept on dodging. He suddenly stopped when a tree blocked his way. As he look behind, he moved his head to the side dodging Haruna's stab making her stab the tree instead.
"Please be careful not to break the knife!" Mei said from the veranda. It's as if she can't see Haruna chasing Kano with a knife that she didn't stop her.
Kano continued to run.
"STOP!!! PLEASE!!! I'M SORRY!!!" Kano pleaded but she didn't listen.
They only stopped when Ringo called them for lunch. And ever since then, Kano never teased her again. Never.
Haruna's now inside her room making some paper cranes. As the silence envelope her room and only the sound of the crickets can be heard from outside, someone knocked on her door which startled her.
"May I come in?" Kazumi asked.
"Of course nii-sama."
Kazumi entered the room and sat in front of Haruna.
"Paper cranes?"
"Uhm. I would give this to Naho-chan, Kiyo-chan, Sumi-chan, Aoi-chan, and Kanao-chan tomorrow. As a friendly gift." Haruna answered with a bright smile.
"That's very nice then. As expected, you and Kano-kun managed to get along with them so easily. Even the cranes are beautiful." Kazumi complimented holding one of them.
"Thank you nii-sama! And also.... when are you going to train me and Kano-kun?"
"Don't worry, it'll come. Just wait." Kazumi answered patting her head.
"Who taught you how to make this?"
"Mother! She's really good at making origamis, especially paper cranes! So she taught me when we were still together back then."
"I see, it's very wonderful. You got her talent then."
Haruna blushed and her face turned even redder as she cover it with her hands.
"Nii-sama, please stop."
She only heard Kazumi let out a small chuckle.
Finally, after several months, one of the days Kano and Haruna has been waiting for arrived. The day Kazumi would be the one in charge of them.
"So.... um.... nii-sama, what are we going to do?" Haruna asked as she look around the forest then to Kazumi.
"Simple, we'll just have a game of tag." Kazumi answered.
"Perhaps, I doubt that." Kano said sweatdropping.
"Of course this wouldn't be simple. I placed several traps hidden around. All you have to do is to avoid them or deflect any in coming traps while chasing me." Kazumi explained.
"So that's why we have wooden swords with us." Haruna said looking at her sword.
"Yes. Now then.... let's start!"
With that, Kazumi ran away from them. Kano and Haruna followed her instantly. And with just the start of the game, the two of them already triggered a trap. Stones came flying on their way towards them as they deflected it with their swords.
"Better not lose sight of your target!" Kazumi reminded them as she stood on a tree branch above them.
'That's right. We can't lose focus.'
They kept on chasing her and triggering even more traps. Some traps hit them but luckily, the others didn't. They came out of the forest by sunset covered with bruises and dirt and some scratches.
"I apologize, I think I put too many traps." Kazumi said smiling at them.
"No need to apologize nii-sama, this is training so of course it's supposed to be difficult." Haruna replied.
'Though.... I didn't expect this to be this difficult.'
Haruna mentally facepalmed.
As the days went by like that, they managed to dodge more and more traps. But as they improve, so are the traps. As they improve at dodging it, they become even deadlier (even deadlier than Urokodaki's).
'This is not as simple as it is. Even Ringo-san's traps are easier than these.'
Haruna thought as she jumped up and landed on the trap log and ran on it before jumping down the ground again.
She swung her sword to the side getting a glimpse of blades coming right at her from the corner of her eyes. She jumped up a tree branch and jumped to another one avoiding an incoming net covered with torns.
'It's been more than three months. Since we started, we get caught at most of these traps.'
Haruna thought as she look at her grazed hand and arm.
'How are we suppose to chase her while dodging these?'
As the months passed by, they only have a day left for tomorrow's Final Selection.
"Alright, so we only have a day before the selection starts tomorrow. Are you two ready?"
Haruna's nervous and she could smell that Kano's the same. But despite that, they pulled theirselves together.
"Yes!" They answered in unison with serious looks on their faces.
Right after that, Kazumi jumped away from her spot and landed on a tree branch. Haruna and Kano instantly followed after her. The traps kept coming despite them not triggering some of them.
'It seems like nii-sama's releasing the other traps herself.'
Haruna thought as she dodge a bamboo spear by stepping to the side.
They kept on chasing after her but would always nearly lose sight of her.
'How are we suppose to follow her if I can't even smell her?.... wait.... I can smell the traps. The materials used to make it that's why I could predict where it's coming from. I don't have the same sharp eyes as Kano to be able to see in a distance.... wait!'
"Kano-kun!"
"What?"
"I got a plan! Since your eyes are very sharp, keep your eyes on nii-sama!"
"How about the traps?!"
"I'll handle it! If we work together we'll be able to catch her! Watch her while I back you up!"
With that, Kano went a bit ahead and Haruna slowing down a little as she run just right behind him. They would dodge some traps together while some were being dodged by Kano for Haruna to hit. With this strategy, they managed to dodge almost all of the traps although there are still more. Until they reached the final trap and managed to pass it without being hit. They landed on the ground exhausted as they have done it from noon until sunset.
"I.... hah.... hah.... hah.... I think I can't move anymore." Kano said while panting.
"Me too."
As they managed to get their breathing properly, they stood up and looked up the sky.
"You two managed to get out with just less than three scratches." Kazumi said.
The two then looked at her before their gaze turned sad.
"We're sorry if we can't participate in the Final Selection." Haruna said.
"Huh?"
"We lose. We didn't managed to catch you." Kano answered.
They soon felt a pat on their heads. They looked at Kazumi as she pull her hands back and put it on her waist.
"You two passed!"
"What?!" Kano and Haruna exclaimed wide eyed.
"I didn't say you two have to win. Yes you didn't catch me but, you two managed to form a strategy. That's all I wanted to see. For the both of you to work and form a strategy together." Kazumi answered.
The two immediately hugged her tight.
Haruna's slowly losing consciousness now. She knew that even when that upper moon demon only toyed with her, it's still strong enough to kill them.
'It seems like you're even a bit stronger than the lower ranks I've fought with back then. You're almost like a Pillar.'
The words of the demon repeated in her head as she thinks of it. She again coughed out blood as the poison already reached her lungs.
'Pillar?.... Don't call me that, I lost so how come I'm almost as strong as a Pillar?.... I can't even slow down this damn poison. I can't even smell anything now.... I'm sure nii-sama would be so sad about this.... we promised her that we would fight demons and protect people alongside her.... yet here I am, here we are.... dying of some damn poison.... Nii-sama.... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry we have to leave you too. I'm sorry to make you feel sad about our death.... But.... thank you.... Thank you for giving me a new family and a new life.... Thank you for saving me and spending time with me even thought it's just a short while.... Thank you.'