Sui was helping the old man back to the house.
Using swordsmanship under the overwhelming violence of Thunder Breathing had warped his prosthetic leg beyond what it could bear. He had only managed to use the First Form once against Sui before losing the strength to continue, and now the long-suffering old man had to rely on the girl to get him back indoors.
"Next time, try not to get so obsessed with fighting and killing, old man," the girl said.
"You brat, you should've gone easier on me!" Jigoro roared, so indignant his beard practically puffed up.
By reflex, he tried to rap Sui on the head with his cane, only to realize that a section of it had already been sliced off earlier. The break was smooth and clean, and it no longer reached high enough to tap the girl's head.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to." Noticing the shortened cane in his hand, Sui comforted him with a perfectly straight face. "I'll look for a better one for you next time I go into town."
"No need." Jigoro had already seen through this black-hearted girl.
Though he was annoyed, the deep satisfaction in his bones told him that every cell in his body was rejoicing. It was a fullness he had not felt in years—the exhilaration of a swordsman drawing a blade and crossing skill with another. Perhaps Sakonji Urokodaki, former Water Hashira, could calmly devote himself to teaching students. Jigoro found that difficult. It was not that he was incapable of teaching well; rather, as a former Thunder Hashira, the thunderous battle spirit buried in his soul simply would not die.
This was what it meant to inherit Thunder Breathing. His students were meant to forge body and will alike beneath the hammering of violent thunder.
Sui, however, seemed to be an exception.
Her presence was gentle as water, like the calm shimmer of a lake under the afternoon sun. At first, the old man had wondered whether she might have been better suited to learn Water Breathing under Urokodaki. But after crossing blades with her, he realized that was not quite right. Rather than a lake, Sui was more like the distant heavens—and before the majesty of the sky itself, what expression could be more fitting than thunder?
"Do you think I'm ready to take the Final Selection now?" Sui asked.
The old man froze. "Where did you hear about that?"
The Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection was an ancient and brutal test. It was held on Mount Fujikasane, surrounded by wisteria blossoms, once each spring or autumn. The selection itself was simple: survive for seven days on that mountain filled with demons, until sunrise on the eighth day.
Sui was the finest student he had taught so far, and also the one who had trained for the shortest time. In just two months, she had become capable of drawing her blade against him and making him feel the long-forgotten thrill of battle again.
Because of that, the old man was not worried that Sui might meet with misfortune during the Final Selection. Even before learning Thunder Breathing, she had already been able to kill a demon that had devoured a hundred people using nothing but an old and costly ancient sword. Now that she had mastered Breathing Techniques, the old man could no longer fully grasp how formidable she had become.
"Mr. Shinjuro told me before that, to join the Demon Slayer Corps, besides receiving a cultivator's instruction and learning Breathing Techniques, one must also pass the Final Selection before being issued a uniform and a personal Nichirin Blade."
"Then do you think your training is over?" the old man asked.
"You told me so yourself," Sui replied.
"I did?"
"Your blade told me my training's finished. Time for me to graduate."
Jigoro stared blankly for a moment, then laughed.
"That's true enough. I really don't have much left to teach you."
A trace of wistfulness entered his voice. The two months he had spent with the girl felt both incredibly long and over in a blink.
"You're not going to miss me, are you?" Sui reached up to touch Jigoro's white hair, which stuck out like lightning, only to have his hand slap hers away.
"Brat, you think too highly of yourself. This old man is very popular." Crossing his arms, Jigoro went on, "A Kasugai Crow brought a letter today. Gyomei found a child from a temple some time ago. The boy wants to learn Breathing Techniques and become a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, so Gyomei asked me to take care of him."
"Gyomei?" Sui shook her head. "Who?"
"Oh, right. You might not know. Gyomei is one of the current Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. He uses Stone Breathing and is extraordinarily powerful. Apparently he still hasn't found a suitable successor."
"I see..." The girl, eyes still closed, showed little reaction.
"When will the child from the letter arrive at Momoyama?"
"The Stone Hashira is bringing him personally, so they should be here soon." The old man muttered this, glancing at Sui as well. She, too, had been a child personally recommended by a Hashira. But judging from the circumstances of the night they met, Shinjuro had clearly been tied up by urgent matters. Otherwise, he would never have let a girl this delicate go nearly a whole day without proper food.
"Do you need me to prepare anything?"
"It'll be enough if you do a proper job as the senior apprentice. Before the Final Selection begins, teach your new junior apprentice a few things and save this old man some trouble," Jigoro said gruffly.
"Oh my. So that's how it is." The girl nodded in agreement.
It was the first time she had ever seen someone dump the job of teaching one student onto another student and still make it sound so fair and proper. Even a capitalist would have applauded the efficiency, Sui thought nonsensically.
Of course, she understood the old man's real intention. He wanted the two of them to grow closer. But even after all this time, Jigoro still had not seen through Sui's true nature.
She was, at heart, someone who hated trouble.
And children were practically trouble given human form.
"You wait here for them. I'll go prepare some food."
The old man got to his feet. His new prosthetic leg still had not quite settled in, and with his cane now shortened by that damned girl, he could only limp awkwardly toward the kitchen.
Sui was excellent in nearly every way, except when it came to housework like cooking and cleaning—there she was a complete disaster. Once before, the old man had asked her to help, and ever since that day he had never called her in again. He could only hope the new child would prove better than his senior apprentice in that department. As for swordsmanship, he held no particular expectations.
Around the time the smell of food began drifting into Sui's nose, the courtyard gate was knocked on softly.
"One moment," Sui said, walking into the yard to unfasten the lock.
"Amitabha. This humble monk is Gyomei Himejima. And you, if I may ask, are?"
Outside the gate stood a massive man over two meters tall, a strand of prayer beads in hand, softly intoning a Buddhist invocation. A long scar ran across his forehead, and over his Demon Slayer uniform he wore a brown monk's robe bearing the words Namu Amida Butsu.
"Sui."
The top of the girl's head barely reached his abdomen. Faced with such an absurd difference in size, she felt slightly uncomfortable. Still, it made little difference to her now. Since she no longer used her eyes to look at people, she neither needed to tilt her head up nor lower it for anyone.
Though...
This man did not seem to be using his eyes either.
Sui noticed a strange kind of perception sweep across her body—something that was not a gaze, yet felt no less real.
"So you are Miss Sui." The man nodded. "As promised, this humble monk has brought that poor child. May I ask where Mr. Jigoro is?"
"He is preparing food. Please come inside," Sui said with a slight bow, adopting the polished manner of someone receiving guests. She had learned how to do this back at the shrine from that woman, so she looked quite convincing.
"Then excuse us. Come in, Kaigaku. There is no need to be nervous. She will also be your senior apprentice from now on—your family."
The man softly recited another Buddhist prayer and stepped into the courtyard.
With the huge frame no longer blocking the way, Sui finally saw the child behind him clearly.
So his name was Kaigaku...
Even with her eyes closed, she felt faintly uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable because of something she sensed from this boy.
As he followed Gyomei inside without noticing, the girl—who until now had kept her eyes shut—slowly opened them a fraction.
That strange, pale blue color flickered within her pupils, splendid as blooming flowers.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter95)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 55
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 45
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 32
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 31
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 31
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