Evening settled over the Butterfly Mansion.
The last light of the sun slipped beneath the horizon, staining the sky in a fading wash of gold and violet. Inside the quiet room, Tanjiro gently lowered the wooden box from his back and set it on the floor.
Then he walked to the window and drew the curtains shut, blocking out the final traces of sunlight.
When he turned around, the door of the box had already opened.
A small Nezuko poked her head out, blinking up at him.
Tanjiro sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at the sword at his waist. After everything that had happened today, his eyes carried a quiet, complicated warmth.
"This will be our room from now on, Nezuko," he said softly. "We survived because Asuramaru helped us."
He lowered his head toward the sword.
"Thank you for everything you've done for us."
A voice answered in his mind without the slightest softness.
"Your strength is still pathetic. Starting tomorrow, focus on mastering every sword technique of the Hinokami Kagura as quickly as possible. You also need to learn how to combine your techniques properly."
Tanjiro did not take offense. Instead, he smiled.
"You always sound harsh, but I know you care about people, Asuramaru. Being alone inside a sword must be very lonely—"
"Shut up."
The reply ca at once.
Tanjiro paused.
Then, very wisely, he changed the subject.
"It wasn't just you today. Mr. Urokodaki and Mr. Tomioka also staked their lives for Nezuko and ."
His gaze lowered.
"I've been protected by so many people. That's why I really do need to beco stronger."
As he spoke, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's gentle face surfaced in his mind. That calm voice, those kind eyes that had finally regained their sight—everything about the Master seed to settle the heart.
When Tanjiro returned to his senses, Nezuko had already curled up on the floor and fallen asleep.
His expression softened.
He walked over, carefully lifted her into his arms, and placed her on the bed.
"Nezuko…"
He stood beside her for a long while.
"Decades from now, I'll grow old and die. I used to be afraid of what would happen to you after that."
His hand brushed lightly over her hair.
"But now, Asuramaru will be with you too. Still, don't worry. I'll definitely turn you back into a human before then."
His resolve did not waver.
Not for a mont.
The night passed peacefully.
Early the next morning, Tanjiro finished preparing himself and reached for his sword.
The mont his fingers touched the hilt, he sensed soone behind him.
He turned at once.
And nearly jumped out of his skin.
Sanemi Shinazugawa stood there, his scarred face grim and his eyes sharp enough to cut.
He stared at Tanjiro like a predator deciding where to bite first.
Before Tanjiro could even speak, Sanemi said, "I'm training you today. Wake those two up and follow ."
"Training?"
Tanjiro blinked, then quickly turned toward Zenitsu, who was still sleeping.
"Zenitsu, wake up. Training is starting."
Zenitsu stirred under the blanket. The mont he heard the word training, he began rolling around in bed like a dying caterpillar.
"Training again? But the day before yesterday was already terrible! Let rest one more day! Just one! My body is fragile! My spirit is glass!"
Before he could continue, Sanemi stepped forward.
The air in the room imdiately dropped several degrees.
"Say that again," Sanemi growled. "Get up. Train. Now."
Zenitsu slowly turned his head.
The mont he saw Sanemi's face, his entire body began to tremble.
"Eh…? Eh?! Why is a Hashira here?! I don't want training! I don't want mysterious morning violence!"
"You brat…"
Sanemi's fist tightened.
Just as he looked ready to beat Zenitsu out of bed personally, Inosuke suddenly shot upright.
He changed into his uniform at once, grabbed his twin swords, and shouted, "Training? Then hurry up! I'm going to get stronger!"
Tanjiro smiled in relief.
Good.
Inosuke had recovered from yesterday's gloom.
Zenitsu, however, had no right to refuse. He was dragged out half-willingly, half-like a condemned prisoner on the way to execution.
The four of them left the Butterfly Mansion and headed toward a quiet rural plain nearby.
The field was open and almost deserted. Grass rustled beneath the morning breeze, and there were no houses close enough to be caught in a fight.
In other words, it was perfect for combat.
Sanemi stopped in the middle of the plain and turned around.
Then he drew the Nichirin sword at his waist.
The blade flashed coldly in the morning light.
"Training starts now," he said. "Let make this clear first—getting injured is inevitable."
Tanjiro still had not realized what kind of training this was.
He asked earnestly, "Mr. Sanemi, what exactly will we be doing?"
Zenitsu and Inosuke both looked over as well.
Sanemi grinned.
It was not a reassuring grin.
"Simple. You fight ."
The three of them froze.
"I won't hold back," Sanemi added. "So prepare yourselves to be seriously wounded."
Zenitsu imdiately broke.
"EH?! Fight a Hashira?! No, no, no, absolutely not! I'll die! I'll be chopped into pieces! I haven't even gotten married yet! This is murder disguised as education!"
"Zenitsu, calm down," Tanjiro said quickly.
As he spoke, he glanced at Sanemi's increasingly terrifying expression.
At this rate, Zenitsu might genuinely be beaten half to death before training even began.
"You really are a coward," Inosuke snorted.
He planted his feet, gripped his twin swords, and entered a battle stance.
Tanjiro had no choice but to draw Asuramaru from his waist.
He faced Sanemi and bowed his head slightly.
"Please guide us!"
The words seed to light the fuse.
Sanemi moved.
He charged straight at them, both hands gripping his sword. The blade spun in his hands, whipping the air into a shrieking gale.
"Let test your strength."
His voice cut through the field.
"Wind Breathing—First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
A green gale erupted from his blade.
The spinning sword dragged the wind into a horizontal tornado that tore across the ground, ripping up dirt, grass, and loose stones as it surged forward.
Tanjiro's eyes sharpened.
He gripped Asuramaru with both hands.
"Water Breathing—Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
He spun his body, each rotation adding power to the next. Water surged from the edge of his sword, coiling and expanding until it took the shape of a roaring dragon.
Then Tanjiro leapt.
The water dragon slamd directly into the oncoming green tornado.
Steel rang against steel.
The sound exploded across the plain.
A heartbeat later, Tanjiro was sent flying backward.
"Did I fail?"
But when he looked up, he realized the tornado's path had shifted.
His strike had not stopped Sanemi's technique, but it had forced it aside.
Straight toward Zenitsu.
Within the gale, Sanemi felt a faint numbness in his arms.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Not bad.
To forcibly alter the path of his sword technique with raw force alone—Tanjiro's strength was already beyond what Sanemi had expected.
Then he saw Zenitsu standing in the tornado's path.
Sanemi's grin widened.
Perfect.
He already found that yellow-haired brat irritating.
Why waste a good opportunity?
In an instant, the green tornado bore down on Zenitsu.
Zenitsu stared at the approaching gale, his face twisting in horror as tears and snot stread down together.
"W-Wait! Let's talk about this! I don't want to die yet!"
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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