However, precisely because of this, neither of them was willing to back down.
They forcibly raised Tanjiro's training intensity by several levels.
Of course, it wasn't as if Shirakawa gained nothing.
Setting aside the constant contact with Nezuko every day, the Constant Breathing Style, with its seventy percent increased efficiency, brought him a massive boost to his physical condition.
(Shirakawa usually crafted trap props by Nezuko's side, only leaving for an hour or two when going up the mountain to set them.)
Just to mention one point—it was an unexpected gain that even Shirakawa himself hadn't anticipated.
Stealth!
In order to better prank this stumbling block between himself and Nezuko,
Shirakawa specifically asked Sakonji Urokodaki for guidance on his unique silent footwork.
He even asked him to obtain some basic ninja movement techniques from the Sound Hashira, that flashy guy.
People often say that when doing something bad, one never feels tired or finds it troublesome.
That's absolutely true!
Over the course of a year, aside from his trap-setting skills reaching the pinnacle, Shirakawa's stealth abilities and physical agility had improved tremendously.
To counter Tanjiro's keen sense of smell, he even used a breathing method that focused on scent to develop the ability to suppress his presence.
To put it simply—
In complex environments like dense forests,
Shirakawa was like a ghost!
Unseen, unheard… and even unscentable!
Even Urokodaki himself hadn't expected this. He had originally handed over the trap-setting duties to Shirakawa just to get some peace and quiet.
In the end, he had forcibly trained two eccentrics.
One had extraordinary reaction speed and superb evasion skills.
The other was even more terrifying!
Before, he was the only one who could walk without a sound and occasionally scare others.
Now, Shirakawa would frequently appear beside him out of nowhere, just like a ghost.
It was a good thing the old man didn't have heart problems!
Otherwise, he would have been scared to death by this brat long ago!
And today, the time to end it all had finally come.
After saying to Tanjiro, "I have nothing left to teach you,"
Urokodaki led the two of them to a giant boulder tied with a rope.
"Tanjiro, if you can split this rock, I will allow you to participate in the Final Selection."
Tanjiro stared blankly at the massive rock in front of him, which weighed dozens of tons. He was completely stunned.
This thing… can be split? With a sword?
Ignoring his dazed expression, Urokodaki turned to Shirakawa.
"Do you want to participate in this year's Final Selection? If you're going, then get ready."
Tanjiro became even more confused.
"Master! Why doesn't he have to split a rock?"
Urokodaki replied flatly, his voice devoid of emotion,
"Do you think this rock became so round naturally?"
Before Tanjiro could understand what that meant, Shirakawa had already walked over with a grin and started patting his back.
"Smack~ smack~ smack~."
"My foolish junior brother, your senior brother carved this out for you strike by strike. You should cherish it~"
Strike by strike… carved out!!?
!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ
Tanjiro looked at the perfectly round boulder, then at his seemingly harmless senior brother, Shirakawa.
Shock filled his fiery red eyes.
He had always thought he was progressing quickly.
His master often said his senior brother was foolish and less talented than him.
Even though he had started eight months later, he believed he shouldn't be much worse. At this point, Shirakawa's traps could no longer harm him.
He had even written this down proudly in his diary.
But he… never expected this…
His test was to split the rock.
While his senior brother had already been sculpting it…
Shirakawa was very satisfied with Tanjiro's current expression.
Although he fully understood that this was Urokodaki's way of teaching according to each student's strengths.
His First Form, Heroine, possessed great raw power, making it easy to split rocks.
However, it lacked agility.
That was why his trial was to carve a giant rock into a sphere.
On the other hand, Tanjiro's Water Breathing was the opposite—fluid and ever-changing, but lacking overwhelming offensive force.
So, his task was to split the rock.
Patting Tanjiro's head, Shirakawa turned back to Urokodaki.
"Master, I won't participate this year. Next year, if Tanjiro can split the rock, I'll go with him. That way, I can look after him."
"Who… who wants you to look after them…" Tanjiro muttered stubbornly, lowering his head—but his heart felt warm.
Shirakawa's words carried deeper meaning. Tanjiro didn't understand it, but Urokodaki naturally did.
He gave Shirakawa a long look, said a dry "Suit yourself," and walked away with a lonely air.
"Se… Senior Brother, what's wrong with Master?" Tanjiro asked, puzzled. "I smell a strong sense of sadness from him."
Shirakawa glanced at Urokodaki's retreating figure, then turned and kicked Tanjiro's backside irritably.
"Hurry up and split your rock. If you delay my participation in the Final Selection next year, I'll split you instead!"
After saying that, Shirakawa also left.
Tanjiro: (▼ヘ▼#) "What kind of person is he!?"
"If you won't explain, then don't—but why kick me!?"
Rubbing his backside, Tanjiro drew his sword. Thinking about how Shirakawa had shaped the rock like this, he gained a bit more confidence.
It won't take a year! I'll split it in a month!
Taking a deep breath, he raised his sword and struck.
Clang!~~~~~
The giant rock didn't budge at all. Instead, a powerful recoil traveled up the blade, through his arms, his body, and down to the soles of his feet.
The vibration made Tanjiro tremble violently, and a numbing sensation spread throughout his entire body.
He stared blankly at his throbbing palm.
"How… how is it possible to split this? Master… didn't lie to me, did he? How… how did Senior Brother do it?"
Ignoring Tanjiro, who would likely spend the next year struggling against that rock,
Shirakawa went down the mountain. He first went to the storehouse where his master lived alone and prepared a meal, then returned to the room he shared with Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Sitting beside Nezuko, he gently lifted her head onto his lap, closed his eyes, and began running his Breathing Style at full power.
Logically, breathing styles should be combined with physical training to achieve the best results.
But after a year of practice, Shirakawa had discovered something unusual.
Even practicing alone—or training physically right next to Nezuko—was far less effective than directly touching her while pushing his breathing to the limit.
With Nezuko resting in his arms, his efficiency increased by up to seventy percent.
It far surpassed normal training results.
Of course, if he could hold Nezuko while doing physical training,
that would be the peak state.
But that would have to wait until she woke up.
He had no intention of using a sleeping Nezuko as a dumbbell.
After finishing lunch and delivering food to his master, Tanjiro came down the mountain, following the scent.
Seeing Nezuko resting on Shirakawa's lap with his own eyes, he said nothing.
Over the past year, Shirakawa had repeatedly broken through Tanjiro's limits; such closeness no longer triggered his overprotective instincts.
After the two of them finished eating heartily, Shirakawa looked at Tanjiro and said calmly:
"It's time for Nezuko to take a bath~"
Tanjiro, who was about to serve himself another bowl, froze mid-motion.