The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A dark figure stumbled back to the small hut on Mt. Sagiri under the moonlight.
"Huff... huff... I-I'm back... Nezuko!" Tanjiro gasped, leaning against the doorframe as he appeared at the entrance, breathing heavily.
"Shirakawa, you didn't do anything to my sister, did you?!"
His face and body were covered in mud and sweat, clearly showing he had gone through a brutal ordeal, yet his gaze remained sharp—fixed directly on Shirakawa.
Then, he saw the scene inside the room:
His sister, Nezuko, was sleeping obediently in the corner.
Shirakawa was squatting in the middle of the room, cooking dinner.
And that majestic and powerful trainer, Sakonji Urokodaki... was wearing his tengu mask, lying stiffly on the floor like a peaceful corpse.
Tanjiro: "???"
A giant question mark seemed to appear above his head.
"Sh-Shirakawa..." Tanjiro's voice trembled slightly. "What did you do... to Mr. Urokodaki?"
Could it be that this guy had designs on his sister, was caught by Urokodaki, and then committed a cold-blooded murder!?
Shirakawa looked up, revealing an incredibly bright and innocent smile. "Yo, junior brother, you're back? Passed the test? Congratulations!"
"I'm just cooking dinner for you!"
Shirakawa gestured with his chin toward the boiling soup pot over the firewood, then looked back at Urokodaki on the floor, his eyes filled with sincerity.
"As for Master... don't worry, I didn't do anything to him. He practices Water Breathing Style; maybe he's just lying on the floor to absorb moisture."
(￣︶￣)♦
Moisture!?
Absorb moisture!??
Do you even hear yourself!?
Without another word, Tanjiro stepped forward to check on Urokodaki's condition.
Before his hand could even touch the tengu mask, it was impatiently slapped away by Urokodaki.
"Don't bother me."
Tanjiro: 〒▽〒
He looked at Shirakawa, who shrugged. "See? It's not that I'm ignoring him—he just won't let me help."
The gentle Tanjiro was still worried and asked softly, "Mr. Urokodaki? Are you alright?"
Urokodaki remained motionless.
The tengu mask faced the ceiling as if staring into the void, contemplating life... or perhaps whether to expel this disciple.
Tanjiro grew anxious and looked up, glaring at Shirakawa. "What did you actually—"
"Enough, stop the noise..."
A faint groan came from beneath the mask, sounding irritated.
Tanjiro immediately leaned in. "Mr. Urokodaki!"
Urokodaki didn't respond.
He slowly raised his right hand and covered the forehead of his tengu mask.
Then, just as Tanjiro thought everything was fine, Urokodaki suddenly muttered in a hollow, drifting voice:
"...My reputation in my old age is ruined..."
"...Total disgrace..."
"...That bastard Jigoro will definitely write a letter... filled with 'hahaha'..."
"...Why am I even a trainer..."
"...I might as well change my name and go plant sweet potatoes..."
Tanjiro: "???"
Wait, I haven't even learned anything yet, and you're already changing careers!?
He couldn't understand a word Urokodaki was saying, but he was deeply shocked.
He turned to Shirakawa, questioning him with his eyes: What on earth did you do to this highly respected master!?
Shirakawa blinked, then leaned over and squatted beside Urokodaki, his tone full of "concern."
"Master, don't lie on the floor, it's cold. Come, let me help you up and have some hot soup."
"Go away!" Urokodaki snapped, clearly showing his disdain for the culprit.
He pushed himself up and sat with stiff movements.
The tengu mask turned toward Shirakawa. Even without seeing his expression, one could feel the despair in his gaze.
"You..." Urokodaki said through clenched teeth, "Your Breathing Style... what exactly is going on with it?"
Shirakawa looked perfectly well-behaved. "Master, didn't you already see? It's just... I get more of a 'feeling' when I'm around girls."
"Is that what you call a 'feeling'?!" Urokodaki's voice suddenly rose, startling Tanjiro.
"You call that, that... that..."
He was so angry he couldn't find the right words, finally blurting out, "That's called being improper!"
"Master, you can't say it like that," Shirakawa scratched his head.
"Look, didn't it work out well? I can kill demons now, and I even created my own moves. The process isn't important—as long as the result is righteous, it's fine!"
"Righteous my foot!" Urokodaki nearly jumped up. "Killing demons is serious! It's a life-and-death battle! It's not... not some childish game solved by you spinning around girls!"
Although Tanjiro didn't fully understand what they were arguing about, as someone extremely protective of his sister, he instantly caught the keyword:
"Spinning around girls?"
He immediately became alert. "Shirakawa! You're trying to make a move on my sister again, aren't you?!"
"How can you call it that?" Shirakawa turned to him, looking completely serious.
"I'm doing this to protect Nezuko, to better use my power to kill demons!"
"Master already confirmed it—when I'm near Nezuko, my Breathing Style flows more smoothly, and my moves become stronger!"
"What does that mean? It means Nezuko and I are a perfect match! We complete each other!"
"Perfect match my foot!" Veins bulged on Tanjiro's forehead. "My sister doesn't need you to 'complete' her! Staying away from her is the best protection you can give!"
"You're too narrow-minded, Tanjiro."
Shirakawa wagged a finger. "We're teammates now. We should help each other. My power needs Nezuko to activate, and that power can protect her in return. It's a win-win! A match made in heaven!"
"Who's a match made in heaven with you!? Don't use those words for my sister!"
Tanjiro was so angry his hair almost stood on end. He jumped up and blocked the path to Nezuko, spreading his arms like a protective hen.
"I'll say it again! Stay away from my sister!"
"I won't." Shirakawa stood as well, looking down at Tanjiro due to his height advantage.
"I'm doing this to maximize the team's combat strength. Master, you agree, right? As a trainer, you should prioritize strengthening your disciples, right?"
He threw the question to Urokodaki.
Urokodaki sat there, listening to their argument, his head buzzing.
He looked at Shirakawa, who had a "thinking of the team" expression, then at Tanjiro, who was about to explode with anger, and finally at the "little troublemaker" sleeping on the bedding who had caused it all...
"Both of you, shut up!" Urokodaki finally growled.
They immediately fell silent and looked at him.
Urokodaki pushed himself up, stood slowly, dusted off his clothes, and walked to the center of the room.
"Tanjiro, you've passed the initial test. Starting tomorrow, you will begin my training."
Tanjiro stiffened, then immediately bowed. "Yes! Thank you very much, Mr. Urokodaki!"
Urokodaki then turned to Shirakawa and remained silent for several seconds.
That silence carried too many complicated emotions, finally condensing into one exhausted sentence:
"You... your training will be arranged separately."
"Yes, Master!"
Shirakawa agreed readily, then asked carefully, "So... about the 'cooperative training' between me and Nezuko...?"
"There is no such training!" Urokodaki and Tanjiro shouted in unison.
Tanjiro added, "Don't even think about it!"
Shirakawa curled his lips, feeling somewhat excluded.
But it didn't matter. Everyone would be sleeping in the same room anyway.
There would be plenty of time for him to use Constant Breathing Style.