The morning sunlight streamed gently through the window, brushing across the room as the girl's long eyelashes trembled faintly. Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing a pair of beautiful violet irises.
She didn't particularly want to get up. Her small hands clutched the soft blanket, lingering for a moment longer before gradually loosening their grip. Still, she forced herself upright with deliberate precision.
Her delicate face tightened, suppressing that fleeting trace of laziness within her heart.
After getting dressed and fastening the butterfly-shaped hairpin into her hair, she stood by the bedside and stretched lightly. In that moment, the graceful curves of her maturing figure were unmistakably revealed.
Perhaps the only flaw was her height.
Yet, in the eyes of certain people, height wasn't really a flaw at all—if anything, it could even be considered an advantage.
Besides, in a place like this, no one was particularly tall to begin with. For a girl, her stature was hardly a shortcoming.
Standing still, she closed her eyes briefly, allowing herself to savor just a fleeting moment of ease. When she opened them again, her gaze was already clear and resolute.
Picking up her medical box, Shinobu Kocho stepped out the door.
"Miss Shinobu, you're awake."
Waiting outside was a beautiful and gentle-looking girl.
Shinobu already knew her—Kamado Nezuko, the eldest daughter of the Kamado family. A girl who carried both elegance and an undeniable hint of sweetness.
"Mm."
Shinobu kept her expression composed, responding with a calm hum.
"Soma-san asked me to prepare breakfast. Miss Shinobu, please come and have some."
"Alright."
Shinobu nodded, washed up briefly, and followed Nezuko into a small house nearby.
Inside, a stove crackled warmly. A small pot simmered with sweet red bean porridge, while several simple side dishes were neatly arranged on a low table.
Nezuko filled a bowl and handed it to Shinobu.
Without ceremony, Shinobu knelt down and began to eat quietly. From time to time, she picked at the side dishes. Though her mouth was small and each bite delicate, her pace was surprisingly quick.
Nezuko had already eaten and simply sat beside her. After a while, she couldn't hold back any longer and spoke softly, "Miss Shinobu… are you still upset with Soma-san?"
"No."
The answer came without hesitation.
"I'm not sure what Soma-san did to upset you, but please don't take it to heart. He's a very good person—he didn't mean any harm."
"I… haven't taken it to heart."
Shinobu took another sip of porridge and replied immediately.
"That's really a relief."
Nezuko looked visibly brighter, then added in a quieter voice, "Soma-san really is a good person. If he did something to make you angry, please don't blame him…"
Shinobu didn't respond this time. She simply continued eating her porridge in silence. Meanwhile, Nezuko kept talking softly beside her, and without realizing it, her words repeatedly drifted back to Soma.
Shinobu couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. It was clear that this girl held deep affection for that man who had a habit of giving people nicknames.
After finishing her meal, Shinobu set down her bowl and chopsticks, picked up her medical box, and stepped outside.
Her first stop was to check on Genya Shinazugawa. The stubborn young man had already forced himself up despite his injuries.
Shinobu treated him carefully. Seeing the unwavering determination in his expression, she said nothing.
He reminded her of herself.
Back then, her lack of physical strength made it nearly impossible to sever a demon's neck. She had no choice but to find another path—a more cunning, unconventional method.
Even so, it had taken a measure of luck for her to glimpse even a sliver of hope.
Genya Shinazugawa was similar to her… perhaps even worse off.
At the very least, she had been able to learn Breathing Styles despite her weakness.
But him—
His physical condition was so poor that he couldn't learn any Breathing Styles at all.
And a demon slayer who couldn't use Breathing Styles…
How were they supposed to hunt demons?
Despite everything, she simply couldn't see even the faintest hope for Genya Shinazugawa on the path of a demon slayer.
After finishing his treatment, Shinobu picked up her medical box and made her way toward an open clearing halfway up the mountain. At that moment, more than twenty young trainees had already gathered there, immersed in their training.
Soma stood at the center, explaining his understanding of the Sun Breathing technique. Beside him, Tanjiro demonstrated each movement in practice, while Sakonji Urokodaki—his face hidden behind a tengu mask—offered further clarification, breaking down Soma's explanations into clearer, more digestible guidance. For some of the trainees, he even provided personalized instruction, helping them grasp the finer details.
"Miss Shinobu is here."
Noticing her approach with the medical box in hand, Soma smiled.
"Mm."
Shinobu gave a brief nod, her expression as composed as ever. Her gaze lingered for a fleeting moment on the man's handsome face. If he didn't have that irritating habit of giving people nicknames, he would actually be quite a decent person.
"Soon, they'll begin learning Sun Breathing. I'll have to trouble you to keep watch over them, Miss Shinobu."
"No problem."
She nodded again, already opening her medical box and preparing what she might need.
Soma said nothing more. After a bit more explanation, he allowed the group to begin their formal training.
Since both Nezuko and Tanjiro had successfully learned Sun Breathing, Soma held high expectations for these trainees. It was clear they had all been carefully selected—their physical condition was far above average.
But the outcome quickly exceeded even his expectations—and not in the way he had hoped.
The moment they attempted the breathing style, several of them were forced to stop almost immediately, their throats swelling painfully from the strain. Soon after, a few more clutched their chests and abdomens, overcome by an intense, burning sensation that made it impossible to continue.
Shinobu moved swiftly, stepping forward to treat them.
Some had been injured by the searing heat and violent energy generated by Sun Breathing itself. Others couldn't even enter the proper breathing state at all, their bodies rejecting the technique outright.
"This breathing style carries immense energy, and the strain it places on the body is severe," Shinobu said after treating another injured trainee, returning with her medical box in hand. "Even with their strong physiques, they can't endure it. This technique is simply too overbearing."
Soma remained silent as he looked across the clearing.
Seven trainees clutched their throats in pain. Eight more held their chests, their faces pale. Another five or six stood there, completely lost, unable to even begin.
Only two managed to maintain even a semblance of the Sun Breathing rhythm—but even they wore expressions of extreme agony, as though enduring unbearable suffering with every breath.
"It seems this breathing style is not easily passed on to others," Urokodaki said quietly as he stepped forward, letting out a soft sigh. There was also a hint of admiration in his voice as he looked at Soma. "To think that you were able to master such a powerful technique… that is no ordinary feat."
"I only learned Sun Breathing by chance," Soma replied. "As for those who can't withstand it, they'll have to follow you, Urokodaki-san, and train in Water Breathing instead."
"I'll take responsibility for teaching them," Urokodaki nodded. "However, there are still two who show some promise. We can focus our efforts on training those two. As for the others… I can see some of them are unwilling to accept failure. They'll likely continue trying, and we might as well let them."
"That's all we can do."
Soma gave a small nod.
Originally, he had hoped to train a large number of swordsmen capable of using Sun Breathing—so that when the time came for the battle within the Infinity Castle, they could deliver a devastating surprise to Muzan Kibutsuji.
But it was obvious that the idea of cultivating a large, organized group of swordsmen capable of using Sun Breathing was nothing more than a fantasy. At best, they could only train a small number.
Of course, with a large enough pool of candidates, it might still be possible to produce a certain number of such swordsmen.
However, the Demon Slayer Corps was, after all, an unofficial organization that operated outside public recognition. These twenty-odd trainees had likely already been carefully selected from among hundreds, each possessing exceptional physical ability. Expanding that scale further was simply beyond what the Corps could manage.
Shinobu stood to the side for a while, listening quietly before beginning to treat the injured trainees one by one.
With a highly skilled physician like her present, at the very least, these trainees wouldn't suffer any lasting harm while attempting to practice Sun Breathing.
Still, as she watched only a handful of them show even the slightest aptitude for this domineering technique, a trace of disappointment surfaced in her heart. If they could truly produce Sun Breathing users in batches, the strength of the Demon Slayer Corps would increase many times over, and their chances of eradicating demons from this world would rise accordingly.
…
After guiding the others for a time, Soma casually sat down on a nearby flat stone to rest.
The young trainees, however, showed no signs of slacking just because he had stepped aside. They continued their practice with unwavering focus. Those who had already confirmed they couldn't learn Sun Breathing had begun following Urokodaki-sensei to train in Water Breathing instead.
Nearly everyone was working desperately hard.
From most of them, Soma could sense something deeper—something buried within their hearts.
Hatred.
A quiet but persistent hatred toward demons.
Though he didn't know the details of their pasts, he could roughly guess the truth. For many of them, the happiness they once had had likely been torn apart, devoured under the stench of blood left behind by demons.
"Hey…"
A clear, youthful voice suddenly rang out beside him, pulling him from his thoughts.
Soma turned his head.
At some point, Shinobu had walked over, medical box in hand. He looked at her with mild confusion.
"Everyone else is working hard—training with everything they have. And yet you're just sitting here, slacking off?"
Her small face was drawn tight, her tone carrying a faint note of reproach.
Soma was momentarily speechless.
Before he could respond, Shinobu had already set down her medical box and drawn her Nichirin Sword.
The guard was shaped like a four-leaf clover, the hilt a soft lotus-green. The blade itself was slender, ending in a hooked tip, with the words "DESTROYER OF DEMONS" engraved along both sides.
"Today, I'll give you some pointers."
"Pointers… for me?"
Soma blinked, clearly puzzled. "Miss Shinobu, what makes you so sure you're stronger than I am?"
"Men who gossip behind others' backs are usually not very capable."
Shinobu spoke with a perfectly serious expression, her tone matter-of-fact.
Her complete certainty left Soma at a loss for words.
Not only that—it seemed she hadn't forgotten his earlier comment about her height in the slightest.
"Come on. Or are you afraid?"
Shinobu lightly ran her fingers along the blade, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "A man who talks behind people's backs… does he even have the courage?"
"I just think that if you lose, everything you're saying right now will be rather embarrassing." Soma let out a helpless smile.
"I won't lose."
Shinobu lifted her chin slightly, revealing her slender, fair neck—like a proud white swan.
Soma sighed softly and said nothing more. Instead, he drew his own Nichirin Sword from his waist, looked at the confident girl before him, and gave a slight bow.
"Soma. Please guide me."
Shinobu froze for a brief moment. She had expected him to back down, yet he had accepted so readily. A flicker of excitement flashed in her eyes as she already began imagining how pitiful he would look after being defeated.
Even so, she composed herself and returned the bow with equal formality.
"Shinobu Kocho. Please guide me."
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin