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Tatsuo let out a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose and resting his hand upon his sword as he silently watched a good handful of recruits spar with one another, separated in different parts of the room and testing their fellow recruits strength in one on one duels. It was good and all to see them so eager to train, it was just a shame half of them were too sloppy with their sword work. They had spirit and determination, but they’ll need more than that if they’re going to make it past their first mission. Tatsuo was brought out of his thoughts as a yelp reached his ears and glanced over to see one of the recruits fall over. He arched a brow before noticing a dribble of blood escape from a freshly busted lip of the young man in his late teens. The fallen recruit cursed in frustration and seemed to struggle to get up, his arms shaking as they attempted to push him up. The young female recruit who was sparring with him noticed his struggle and went to help him up, but Tatsuo frowned and turned towards them. [color=f7941d]“Stop,"[/color] he ordered with a stern tone. The female recruit jumped a bit as he spoke, not expecting him to speak seeing as how he’s been silently watching over them all this time. 

“But-”

[color=f7941d]“I said stop,”[/color] he repeated himself with a hard look before glancing to the fallen and wounded recruit who looked up to him with confusion. [color=f7941d]“Don’t help him, he won’t learn from his failures,”[/color] he stated firmly before crossing his arms and locking his eyes with the fallen recruit. [color=f7941d]“Now, get up,”[/color] he commanded before he began to tap his foot impatiently. The young recruit took in a deep breath and slowly forced himself up to his knee, nearly crumbling down to the floor again. 

“Isao-san please let me help him, he’s been training since last night and hasn’t rested yet. He’s just exhausted,” the young female recruit stated as her urge to help up her sparring partner seemed to grow. Tatsuo arched a brow and began to inspect the young man, noticing a few bruises scattered along his arms and a few bags under his eyes. He definitely looked like shit, but Tatsuo wasn’t in the sympathizing mood. 

[color=f7941d]“You think that matters? If he was facing a demon then he’d be torn into several pieces by now. Demons won’t help you and they won’t give you time to rest, they’ll consume you and be on their merry little way,”[/color] Tatsuo spoke before giving the fallen recruit a harder gaze. [color=f7941d]"The Corp doesn’t need more food to send to the demons, we need Slayers who can actually perform their duties,”[/color] he paused for a moment before placing his hand atop his sword. [color=f7941d]“So what are you? Food, or a Demon Slayer? From what I’m seeing you don’t have much of a future wielding a sword,”[/color] Tatsuo coldly stated, earning a glare from the recruit before he slowly forced himself up with gritted teeth. The recruit had new flame lit within his eyes before he turned to his sparring partner and falling into a fighting stance. 

“Eh? Wait you need to rest, we can-” 

“It’s fine, I can keep going! Please, lets keep going,” he pleaded to his concerned partner. She seemed hesitant at first, but quickly went along with her partner and fell back into their training. Tatsuo watched the pair continue practice before hearing a light chuckle from behind him. Tatsuo turned towards the source and frowned slightly to see a familiar face. Emi Sakao, Tatsuo’s own personal headache. 

[color=f49ac2]“Well this is certainly a surprise, you’re actually working for once,”[/color]  she said with her usual smile and chuckle to see Tatsuo’s frown. [color=f49ac2]“Are you finally growing up?”[/color] Tatsuo felt a brow twitch and sighed in annoyance. 

[color=f7941d]“Who says I’m not grown up? I have this position for a reason,”[/color] he defended before crossing his arms. [color=f7941d]“What is it? I’m not in the mood for your gossip today,”[/color] he stated with an unamused tone. Emi rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile. 

[color=f49ac2]“Oh come on Isao-san, don’t take out your anger on little old me. It’s not my fault the rain ruined your plans for the day,”[/color] she said before chuckling at Tatsuo’s face, a frown growing more sour. He had hoped no one had noticed him slip away earlier, wanting to avoid an earful from Kikumi. It seemed he failed to do so however and let out a long sigh before pinching the bridge of his nose. Emi chuckled again and patted his shoulder. [color=f49ac2]“Don’t worry, I’ll stay quiet just for today since you decided to actually work for once,”[/color] she said as she placed a finger over her lips to promise her silence. Tatsuo let out a huff before looking away towards the training recruits. Emi followed his gaze and turned to the recruits with a smile. [color=f49ac2] “You know you should be a little more thoughtful towards the students, I know you see their hard work just as much as I do,”[/color] Tatsuo remained silent before his gaze hardened. 

[color=f7941d]“They have the drive and determination, but that won’t be enough. They need to be ready and have more time,”[/color] he said as he tightened his grip on his swords grip. [color=f7941d]“I have a feeling they won’t have much to spare,”[/color] he muttered. Emi glanced over to him with a straight face before letting a small smile came to her face.

[color=f49ac2]“That’s why we’re here, we’ll do all we can to prepare them for their duties. After they leave all we can do is wish them luck and trust they will succeed,”[/color] Emi said with confidence clear in her voice. Tatsuo soaked in her words before letting out a small sigh. He already knew that was the case, but it always bothered him in the back of his thoughts. He’d never have to think about these things while sleeping. 

[color=f7941d]“Ugh, what a pain in the ass this is,”[/color] Tatsuo muttered with a sudden tired frown, his urge to crawl into his bed growing by the second. Emi chuckled before an excited glimmer came to her eye. 

[color=f49ac2]“Oh, I just remembered! Do you remember that waitress who kept looking over at you that one night? Well she…”[/color] Tatsuo held back a groan as Emi’s gossiping came into the conversation out of nowhere and mentally prepared for her ramblings. 

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A groan escaped Tatsuo as he rubbed the back of his head and walked through the halls, his boredom mixing well with his irritation, only souring his mood even further. His soft and warm bed remained in his head, continuing to urge him to drop his duties and fall into his usual routine. He’d be sleeping in one of his hiding spots by now, enjoying some peace and quiet. The same uneasy feeling from before though has kept him from ditching his duties. It annoyed him to no end, but his instincts haven’t done him wrong yet so he wasn’t about to ignore it. With a small frown he came to a stop in front of another room filled with recruits training, a new round of recruits sparring with new partners. He silently watched them with a bored gaze and let out a small breath before hearing a familiar voice from behind him. A small sense of relief came over him before he turned to face his master, Kikumi. Tatsuo gave a small huff as she acknowledged him actually working before peeking his curiosity as she insisted he would need to keep it up.

It was rare to get a compliment from her and Tatsuo had little time to enjoy before she fell back into her usual serious attitude. As she leaned forward and began to inform him of their issue in a hushed voice. Tatsuo tightened his grip around his sword as she revealed a traitorous Pillar on the loose, confirming the uneasy feeling he’s had all day. A Pillar had really turned traitor? The thought irritated Tatsuo and formed several questions within his mind, but he simply remained silent and nodded as she asked if he understood. He didn’t like the idea of bringing in more recruits, but he had no say in the matter. Soon after her short pause Kikumi continued to speak, giving him an order to watch for anyone who seemed ready to ditch like the Pillar, the order only worsening his mood. With a heavy sigh Tatsuo nodded and glanced over to the training recruits. 

[color=f7941d]“I got it, I got it. I’m good at sniffing out a few rats, I’ll keep you updated,”[/color] he replied before looking back to Kikumi with a straight face. [color=f7941d]“When can we hunt this traitor down though? I’ll be happy to cut off the bastards head,”[/color] he stated with a small vicious smirk spreading onto his face. It had been a few weeks since his last mission and they had started to become boring. Hunting a Pillar though sounded like an actual challenge and the perfect way to rise in the ranks. It was also much better than working around here.