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January, the fourth year of the Taisho era.
Two months had passed since Takeshi arrived at Urokodaki Sakonji's place.
During these two months, Takeshi had not slackened in the slightest.
Although he hadn't officially taken Master Urokodaki as his Master, Master Urokodaki had still taught him a great deal about making mechanical traps.
In addition, Takeshi was receiving careful instruction from Kanae.
Urokodaki Sakonji would occasionally stop and silently gaze at Takeshi's figure as he practiced. His posture when swinging the sword, and certain subtle habits during turns and thrusts, reminded him of that girl who became a Hashira but died young... Whenever this happened, he would always let out a nearly imperceptible sigh.
"Hah!"
"Damn it, I still can't split it!"
Tanjiro's sword swings reached three thousand today!
Usually, it was only a thousand.
However, he still failed to pass the test set by Master Urokodaki.
Tanjiro sat on the ground, the young boy's palms covered in thick calluses. It could be said that Tanjiro's diligence made even Takeshi feel inferior by comparison.
"Takeshi, is there something I'm still not doing well enough? Why can I never split that giant boulder?" Tanjiro felt anxious and restless.
He had a reason why he absolutely had to join the Demon Slayer Corps!
But the current setback hit him deeply.
Takeshi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I believe you will definitely do it!"
"True, I'll definitely do it anyway! After all, I still have to save Nezuko!" Tanjiro stood up again. "Ohhh—continuing with three thousand swings today—"
"Hey, your arms are going to break!"
—
Late at night, Tanjiro tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
During this time, he often sparred and exchanged insights with Takeshi.
He discovered that Takeshi was improving every single moment, whereas he, by contrast, was still stuck in the same place.
"No, if this continues, I'll be left behind!"
Tanjiro simply sat up and began putting on his clothes.
He quietly left the bedroom and took out the steel sword Master Urokodaki had given him.
"Don't worry, Nezuko-chan, your brother will never give up!"
Tanjiro went to the back of the mountain, where a giant round boulder was placed.
Slice the boulder with a sword?
That was simply too exaggerated.
Takeshi couldn't sleep at night either; he walked to the back of the mountain, chatting and walking with Kanae.
"The Final Selection is coming up soon!" Takeshi couldn't help but sigh.
Time really passed quickly.
Over half a year ago, he was still an ordinary person who knew nothing.
Now, he was actually a swordsman who had inherited the mantle of the Flower Hashira, Kanae.
"Are you nervous?"
"Not really." Takeshi had already built up self-confidence by now.
"Heehee, Takeshi-kun is really cute!" Kanae's voice was as warm and gentle as ever.
"Speaking of which, if I join the Demon Slayer Corps, I'll meet your younger sister, right?"
Takeshi was naturally referring to Shinobu Kocho.
"Shinobu..." Kanae was a bit troubled. "It's been a long time since I've seen Shinobu. I wonder how she's been lately."
"Huo!"
Just as the two were chatting, Takeshi suddenly heard a sound.
It was Tanjiro!
"It's so late, what is Tanjiro doing?"
Takeshi followed the sound, and sure enough, Tanjiro was swinging the steel sword in his hand, repeatedly striking the giant boulder, which remained completely unmoved.
"Dammit, why can't I split it?! Do I really have no talent? But if I can't join the Demon Slayer Corps, what will happen to Nezuko? I need to find the medicine that can turn Nezuko back into a human... But... but I'm so weak... Sorry, Nezuko, your brother..."
"Hey, why are you still whimpering at a time like this?" a cold voice rang out.
Tanjiro looked up and saw a young boy with medium-length peach-colored hair suddenly appear in front of the giant boulder. He wore a fox mask with a large, obvious scar on it.
"Who are you?"
Upon seeing the boy, Tanjiro immediately became curious.
"You have the leisure to care about who I am? Now, swing your sword at me!"
"Eh? But this is a real blade, it will hurt you!" Tanjiro quickly refused.
The boy in the fox mask slightly raised the wooden sword in his hand, and in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Tanjiro.
The wooden sword in his hand struck fiercely toward Tanjiro.
But Tanjiro reacted immediately, raising the steel sword in his hand and just barely blocking the opponent's attack.
"Hmph, though your personality is weak, you have some skill."
However, Tanjiro was starting to get a bit angry. "Don't just attack someone without saying a word!"
Since Tanjiro and Takeshi had been sparring and honing their skills against each other during this time, his strength had naturally improved compared to before.
However, the opponent clearly wouldn't let it go and continued to launch attacks at Tanjiro.
After watching for a while, Takeshi quietly left.
"Takeshi-kun, that boy..."
"Yeah," Takeshi confirmed. "Just like you, he's also a Soul."
"It seems Tanjiro isn't ordinary either."
Takeshi did not deny it.
The next morning, when Takeshi woke up, Tanjiro was still fast asleep, looking extremely exhausted.
Takeshi lit the firewood and made breakfast. After eating his own portion, he left.
He went straight to the place where Tanjiro had been hacking at the giant boulder.
"Sabito, it's okay to call you that, right?"
Takeshi's voice echoed in the empty clearing.
The early morning was thick with fog, and a figure slowly walked through the mist toward Takeshi.
However, it wasn't Sabito, but a pretty and cute girl appearing with a mask worn on the side of her head.
"Eh?" Kanae looked at the girl in front of her, feeling a hint of surprise. "This young girl is also a Soul..."
The girl's name was Makomo. Like Sabito, both were Disciples of Urokodaki Sakonji.
Furthermore, there were other children's Souls on Mount Sagiri, and their identities were all the same.
"Mr. Takeshi, you are very strong, both Sabito and I can feel it. I hope you can help Tanjiro more." Makomo bowed her head slightly. "Tanjiro is the one with the most hope of defeating 'it', and... we don't want Master Urokodaki to lose any more of his children."
"Don't worry, Tanjiro will have more friends in the future, and he will become even stronger." As Takeshi spoke, he revealed the wooden sword tucked at his waist. "Since we've met, shall we try a round?"
The corners of Makomo's lips curled slightly, and at some point, a wooden sword appeared in her hand.
"It would be an honor."
"Buzz—"
After an unknown amount of time, Tanjiro ran to his training ground in a panic.
"Uwah, how did I oversleep today! The morning training isn't finished yet... though, Brother Qi Ye's breakfast is really delicious—"
When Tanjiro reached the training site, what he saw was Takeshi standing there alone.
He was propping up his body with a wooden sword, his entire body emitting wisps of white steam, and his face was covered in mud and sweat.
"Takeshi, what happened to you?" Tanjiro quickly came to Takeshi's side, looking nervously at Takeshi's exhausted state.
Takeshi slowly pushed Tanjiro's hand away. "It's nothing. You train first, I'm going back to rest."
With that, Takeshi forced himself to stand straight and left unsteadily.
As he walked, he muttered, "A whole group of people ganging up on one person is just too unfair..."
Tanjiro watched Takeshi leave, and the next moment, a spirited expression appeared on his face: "Takeshi is so strong and yet he's still training so diligently, I can't lose to him!"
Right behind Tanjiro, Sabito and Makomo watched the path Takeshi had taken. Makomo tilted her head playfully, looking at Sabito. "That guy is really strong! Even when 'we' teamed up, we couldn't beat him."
Sabito nodded noncommittally. "Yeah, but thanks to him, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for us to teach Tanjiro now."
"Don't worry, he already promised me he'd help take care of Tanjiro."
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