The next morning,
Butterfly Mansion
Giyu Tomioka opened his eyes precisely on time; he always had a very accurate biological clock.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at the culprit who was clinging tightly to him.
Kanae Kocho is fast asleep.
She clung tightly to Giyu's neck with both hands, and one of her fair and shapely legs straddled his waist without any hesitation.
Her breathing was even and long, her warm breath, carrying the scent of Wisteria, resting on Giyu's collarbone again and again.
Giyu sighed silently to himself.
If he is locked in this position by an evil spirit, he can instantly draw his sword and kill it.
But faced with the peacefully sleeping woman in his arms, all of Water Hashira Pillar's fighting instincts became worthless.
He took a deep breath and began to perform an extreme operation that was ten times more difficult than killing Upper Rank —getting out of bed.
You absolutely must not wake her up!!
Giyu knew very well that if this woman opened her eyes now, given her clingy and unreasonable ways, he would definitely not be able to leave the Butterfly Mansion this morning.
Giyu reached out his left hand and gently pinched the ankle of Kanae's leg that was draped over his waist.
One inch.
Two inches.
He moved the leg to the side little by little, as if defusing an extremely dangerous explosive device.
"Hmm..."
Kanae, still half asleep, suddenly muttered something in dissatisfaction, her brows furrowing slightly, and her arms around Giyu's neck tightened instinctively.
Giyu froze instantly, turning into a wooden statue, even holding his breath.
He silently counted to ten in his mind.
After confirming that Kanae was only talking in her sleep and showed no signs of waking up, she carefully exhaled a breath of stale air.
It took a full incense stick's time for the mighty Water Hashira to finally ditch from that narrow tatami mat, his forehead drenched in sweat.
He stood by the bed, quickly and quietly changing into his signature contrasting haori and hanging his dark blue Nichirin Blade at his waist.
Finally, I carried the small, dark-colored bundle that I had packed the night before.
Everything is ready.
Giyu turned around and quietly looked at Kanae was still curled up in the bedding.
Because she had lost that warm, human-shaped body pillow, Kanae seemed to feel a little cold in her sleep. She pulled the blanket up a bit, revealing half of her snow-white shoulder.
Giyu silently stepped forward and knelt down on one knee.
He reached out and brushed the strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek.
Then he tucked the blanket around her, covering her up completely.
Looking at her stunning sleeping face, a barely perceptible tenderness welled up in Yi Yong's deep blue eyes, Giyu as cold as a deep pool.
He slowly bent down.
A light kiss was placed on Kanae's smooth forehead with her thin lips.
Then, Giyu stood up, turned around without hesitation, opened the paper door, and stepped into the faint morning light.
The cold morning wind blew in, instantly dispelling the last trace of gentleness that remained on my body.
The swordsman's edge returned to his eyes.
Their target was Mount Kumotori.
A few days later.
Giyu Tomioka has arrived at the mountainside of Mount Kumotori.
He did not use Breathing Style to deliberately resist the mountain chill, nor did he open up Transparent World to find an easier path.
His steps were steady as he climbed upwards, his mind filled only with the image of that thin figure wielding an axe.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a simple wooden cabin finally appeared in a clearing in the woods ahead.
Wisps of smoke were rising from the chimney of the wooden house.
Giyu stopped and walked forward, raising his hand to knock on the thick wooden door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Here it comes! Please wait a moment!"
A lively boy's voice came from inside the door.
With a series of hurried footsteps, the wooden door was pulled open from the inside.
"Hello, are you here to buy charcoal...? Hmm?"
A boy with a noticeable scar on his forehead stood inside the door.
He was ten-year-old Tanjiro Kamado.
When he saw the expressionless man standing outside the door with a long sword hanging at his waist, he was clearly stunned.
Tanjiro's nose twitched twice.
A familiar scent filled his nostrils.
There was no malice whatsoever; it was as pure as the finest snow on a mountaintop.
This is the taste of the mysterious swordsman who helped him in town last time.
But beneath that perpetually faint smell of blood, Tanjiro keenly detected a subtle, extra scent today.
It was a very faint scent of Wisteria.
Tanjiro secretly thought to himself, "Although this older brother still looks cold, his aura has become much warmer. He must have met a very, very good person."
"Ah! It's... that very skilled swordsman!"
Tanjiro's wine-red eyes lit up instantly, and he shouted out in surprise.
"Tanjiro, who's outside? Please invite them in to warm up."
The warm, cozy sounds of the Kie Kamado coming from inside the house could be heard.
"Mother, it's the swordsman who helped us last time!"
Tanjiro called out as he turned around, and enthusiastically pulled Giyu into the house.
"Please come in! Please come in and have a seat!"
As soon as you step across the threshold, a warm feeling mixed with roasted sweet potatoes and burning firewood hits you.
The cabin wasn't large, but it was kept extremely clean and tidy.
Kie Kamado was busy by the stove wearing an apron when she heard Tanjiro's words. She quickly stood up, wiped her hands with the apron, and greeted him with a big smile.
"Oh dear, what brings you to the mountains at this hour? Come and warm yourself by the fire!"
Faced with this overwhelming enthusiasm, Giyu, who was used to such situations, was unusually at a loss for words.
Tanjiro smiled and pulled him to sit down on a wooden stool next to the stove.
"Big brother, have some hot tea to warm yourself up!"
A sweet, clear little girl's voice came from the side.
Giyu lowered his head.
A little girl in a pink kimono was carefully offering him a rough ceramic teacup, held in both hands.
It was nine-year-old Nezuko Kamado.
She had her hair neatly combed, and her big, round eyes were as bright as obsidian.
She looked at the expressionless stranger in front of her, not afraid at all, but instead flashed a bright smile.
Giyu was stunned.
Looking at the little girl's bright smile, he hesitated for two seconds before stiffly taking the teacup.
"... Thank you for the tea, young girl."
"Pfft."
Kie, who was pouring hot water, couldn't help but laugh.
"My benefactor, you're too kind! This is Nezuko, our eldest daughter!!"
Hearing the praise, Nezuko covered her mouth shyly and smiled, then ran back to her mother with small, quick steps.
Just then, the curtain to the inner room was suddenly lifted a crack.
Several little heads peeked out and crowded around, curiously looking outside.
"Hey, Takeo, don't push me!"
Mao, who had short hair, complained softly.
"Shh, keep your voice down."
The boy, named Takeo, was about seven or eight years old. His eyes were fixed on the dark blue Nichirin Blade at Giyu's waist, his face filled with longing.
He deliberately lowered his voice and whispered to his younger sister, Delia, in what he thought was a very mature tone:
"This guy looks so dull, he can't even talk!"
"Is he really the incredibly skilled swordsman my brother described? I have a feeling he couldn't even beat me."
Delia quickly covered Takeo's mouth and glared at him:
"Takeo, you mustn't be rude! If Big Brother says he's amazing, then he really is!"
Mao couldn't help but chuckle beside him.
Giyu, holding his teacup, listened expressionlessly to the little ones whispering behind the curtain.
With his hearing, he naturally heard Takeo's complaints clearly.
In the past, he wouldn't have bothered with such a trivial matter.
But today, looking at Takeo's eager yet slightly arrogant little face, Giyu suddenly felt an urge to tease him.
He extended a finger and lightly flicked the scabbard of the Nichirin Blade.
"Bite--"
A clear, ringing sound of a sword rang out.
Takeo, who was behind the curtain, was startled and quickly pulled his head back like a frightened kitten.
Delia and Shigeru also shrank back, and a suppressed gasp and shoving sound came from behind the curtain.
Giyu withdrew his finger, his face still displaying that expressionless demeanor, but a hidden smile flickered in his deep blue eyes.
Having always been accustomed to solitude and quiet, he surprisingly found the noise of these chattering little ones not annoying at all.
Kie used tongs to pull several roasted sweet potatoes, which were oozing honey-like juice, from the stove and placed them on a coarse cloth in front of Giyu.
"It's freshly baked, please eat some while it's hot to tide you over."
Giyu wanted to say something out of habit
"I'm not hungry; food would affect my agility in swinging the knife."
However, at this critical moment, Lord Water Hashira's stomach let out a loud "rumble".
He had indeed not eaten all day in order to keep moving.
A brief silence fell over the air.
Tanjiro quickly covered his mouth and stifled a laugh!!
Takeo, standing behind the curtain, burst out laughing without any hesitation!
Giyu's ears felt slightly warm.
He expressionlessly reached out and took the piping hot roasted sweet potato.
Thank you for your hospitality.
He peeled back the charred skin and took a bite of the golden flesh.
It was very sweet and soft, and its warmth went down my throat and into my stomach.
This warm, homey smell reminded him of the ordinary days long ago, when his sister was still alive.
Giyu swallowed the sweet potato and finished it off in no time.
Just then, the curtain leading to the inner room was completely lifted.
Tanjuro Kamado, whose body still appeared somewhat thin, walked out slowly but steadily, wearing a thick coat.
"Mr. Tomioka, it's nice to see you again."
Tanjuro looked at Giyu, who was sitting by the stove eating a sweet potato, smiled gently, and a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.
"Excuse me."
Giyu, with a stern face, nodded slightly in greeting.
He put down his rough pottery teacup, raised his head, and looked directly at Tanjuro Kamado with his deep blue eyes.
The warmth in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by the ultimate sharpness of a demon-slaying swordsman.
"Mr. Tanjuro."
Giyu didn't beat around the bush.
He never knew the meaning of polite formalities and went straight to the point.
"I've come here with a request."
The atmosphere in the cabin became slightly solemn because of the change in his tone.
Tanjuro didn't seem surprised.
He patted Tanjiro on the shoulder and smiled at Kie, saying:
"Take the children to the inner room to play for a while. Mr. Tomioka and I have some adult matters to discuss."
Kie nodded and gently ushered the children into the inner room.
Before leaving, Takeo looked back at Giyu's sword with lingering reluctance before Tanjiro forcibly pulled him inside.
When only the two of them were left by the fireplace, Tanjuro finally spoke with a smile:
"Mr. Tomioka, please go ahead."
Giyu straightened his posture, placing his hands flat on his knees and keeping his back ramrod straight.
"I want to learn that kind of..."
Giyu paused for a moment, the image of the golden flames that flashed as the man swung his axe, cutting everything in its path, flashing through his mind.
He looked into Tanjuro's eyes and said, word by word.
"Breathing Style like the sun."