Spring comes and autumn goes; the cycle of the four seasons is particularly distinct on this secluded mountain peak, Mount Kumotori.
When the cherry blossoms in the courtyard have all fallen,
The cicadas of summer finished their last song.
When the maple leaves on the mountainside begin to turn a fiery red, painting the entire forest in vibrant hues,
... Giyu Tomioka has been training here for more than half a year.
During this period, Lord Water Hashira's daily life was characterized by simplicity and unpretentiousness.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated.
The market in the small town at the foot of Mount Kumotori was even more lively and bustling than usual today.
"Charcoal for sale! Top-quality linden charcoal! Burns long and produces no smoke!"
Ten-year-old Tanjiro Kamado, beads of sweat on his forehead, was shouting energetically.
Beside him stood a figure who could be described as a "human billboard."
Giyu Tomioka crossed his arms over his chest.
On his back was a huge bamboo basket whose size was simply outrageous.
The baskets of charcoal were stacked higher than two adults and weighed at least 300 pounds, but on Giyu's back, they remained perfectly still without the slightest sway.
His aloof and handsome, expressionless face, coupled with this strikingly contrasting look, instantly made him the focus of the entire market.
"Oh my, why did the Kamado family send such a handsome young man to deliver charcoal today?"
The old lady selling tofu across the street stared in disbelief, even dropping the change she was holding onto the ground.
"That guy is really handsome, and he looks quite muscular!"
Several young women, who were shopping for groceries together, huddled together, their cheeks flushed, whispering amongst themselves, their eyes unable to resist Giyu's sharply defined profile and the muscle lines hidden beneath his coarse cloth.
Finally, a slightly bolder girl in a floral kimono walked up, blushing.
"Um... young man, carrying so much charcoal must be tiring, right?"
The girl took out a handkerchief smelling of perfume from her sleeve and shyly handed it over.
"If you don't mind, wipe your sweat. If you'd like, I can lend you my oxcart to haul goods..."
Faced with this blatant advances and friendly gestures...
Giyu glanced at the pink handkerchief with his deep blue eyes, then at the girl, his expression unwavering.
I'm not tired.
Giyu's tone was stiff and flat, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
"I didn't sweat! No need to wipe!"
Immediately afterwards, this straight-laced man not only didn't take the handkerchief, but also very skillfully pulled out two of the thickest bundles of charcoal from the mountain of charcoal baskets behind him with one hand and shoved them directly in front of the girl.
Do you want to buy charcoal?
"50 sen per bundle! If you buy two bundles, I'll give you a few extra pieces of charcoal to start a fire." (Note: 1 yen = 100 sen!)
Decisive and efficient.
Let's get straight to the point.
There is absolutely no room for romance or sentimentality.
The girl was stunned by the two bundles of black charcoal, her shyness instantly freezing on her face. In the end, she could only awkwardly take out her purse to buy the charcoal and flee in a panic, her face flushed.
Tanjiro, who was standing to the side, silently covered his face.
His sensitive nose clearly detected the complex scent of "heart flutter and disappointment" emanating from the older woman.
"Giyu- san..."
Tanjiro muttered to himself as he made his change.
"Talking to girls like that will really make them dislike you."
I am not disliked.
Giyu solemnly tossed the copper coin into his money bag, his tone resolute.
"They were simply speechless with admiration and gratitude for my highly effective sales techniques."
Tanjiro's lips twitched violently twice.
Effective sales techniques?
You're clearly just using your looks to boost your sales!
However, Lord Water Hashira's "handsome man strategy" is indeed effective.
The charcoal that would normally take half a day to sell was snapped up by the town's aunties and young girls in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all in an attempt to strike up a conversation.
Several wealthy wives even generously expressed their desire to Giyu Yi Yong, along with his charcoal, to serve as "bodyguards" in their mansions.
Of course, these suggestions were all Giyu rejected by Giyuu with the simple reason that "I still need to go back and chop wood."
After selling the charcoal, the two walked back to Mount Kumotori, their feet sinking into the fallen leaves along the mountain path.
When they reached a dense forest halfway up the mountain, Tanjuro Kamado was quietly waiting there, wearing that thick old haori and leaning on that familiar thick wooden stick.
"Father!"
Tanjiro ran over happily.
Sold out?
Tanjuro gently patted his son's head, then turned his gaze to Giyu Tomioka, who was carrying an empty bamboo basket.
"Mr. Tomioka, how do you feel about the lively atmosphere in town today?"
"It's very noisy."
Giyu answered truthfully.
"And some women's eyes are even more aggressive than those of Lower Rank demon. I find that hard to understand."
Upon hearing this answer, Tanjuro was not at all offended; instead, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha, that's because you're so outstanding, Mr. Tomioka."
Tanjuro, leaning on his wooden stick, turned around and faced the depths of the dense forest.
"However, compared to the hustle and bustle of town, the laws of the mountains and forests are much simpler."
Winter is almost here, so let's go deep into the mountains today to prepare some meat for the winter.
The three of them ventured together into the remote, untouched mountains and forests.
In the autumn forest, withered branches and fallen leaves make a crisp sound underfoot.
Tanjuro walked at the front. Although he was still weak and had to stop to cough from time to time, with each step he took, he seemed to become one with the breath of the forest.
"Mr. Tomioka, everything has its own rhythm of breathing."
Tanjuro guided them in a slow and gentle tone as they walked.
Whether it's the wind rustling through the leaves, the flowing stream, or the lurking wild beast.
"As long as you can completely calm your mind and immerse yourself in this world, you can anticipate all changes."
Giyu followed quietly behind without saying a word, but his deep blue eyes were rapidly absorbing everything.
Suddenly, Tanjuro stopped in his tracks.
The bushes ahead shook violently, and a strong, fishy stench drifted over on the autumn wind.
"Roar--!"
It was accompanied by a deafening roar.
A mutated wild boar with an exaggerated size and two huge tusks at the corners of its mouth, its eyes red, darted out of the bushes.
This wild boar was clearly starving in the autumn, trying to fatten itself up for winter. Upon seeing the three people in front of it, it pawed the ground with its front hooves and charged like a heavy tank.
"Wow! What a huge wild boar!"
Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise and instinctively reached for the wood-chopping knife at his waist.
Tanjuro merely raised the wooden stick in his hand slightly.
"Tanjiro, watch its muscle contractions and the direction of its gaze."
Tanjuro's voice remained calm and unhurried.
"By simply following its attack trajectory and slightly altering its point of impact, we can effortlessly..."
Tanjuro hadn't finished speaking.
A very light breeze brushed past him.
Giyu Tomioka walked towards the ferocious boar with an air of leisurely ease.
The wild boar's massive body carries astonishing kinetic energy.
Giyu slightly turned his body to the side, perfectly avoiding the pair of deadly fangs.
Immediately afterwards.
Giyu raised his right hand, transforming his palm into a blade!
"Bang."
A very soft, muffled thud.
The mutated wild boar, weighing several hundred kilograms, instantly lost all its strength and passed out completely.
Simply!
Neat!
Not even a single fallen leaf was startled.
"This piece of meat is very well preserved."
Giyu stared blankly at the spoils at his feet, his tone serious.
"If you chop it with a knife, the blood will ruin the texture of the meat. This way, when Mrs. Kie makes stewed meat tonight, it will taste much better."
Tanjiro's mouth dropped open, and he even dropped his wood-chopping axe.
As Tanjuro watched this scene, a look of genuine shock and relief appeared on his pale face.
What shocked him was not Giyu's immense power, but the pure and unadulterated state of mind Giyu the moment he made his move.
"Mr. Tomioka..."
Tanjuro stepped forward, leaning on his wooden cane, and gazed intently into Giyu's eyes.
You've changed.
Giyu turned his head and looked at the elder with some confusion.
Six months ago, when you first stepped into these mountains, you were covered in a thick layer of ice!
"Every time you draw your sword, it carries with it a hatred of mutual destruction and an intense killing intent."
Tanjuro's voice was as gentle as the warm autumn sun.
"Back then, you were a sharp blade."
But now...
Tanjuro's gaze swept over Giyu's face, which was gradually losing its coldness.
"The murderous aura you once possessed has been completely worn away."
Giyu was stunned.
Has the murderous aura been worn down?
For a demon-slaying swordsman, isn't losing the killing intent the most fatal setback?
This is not a step backward.
Tanjuro seemed to see through Giyu's doubts; he smiled and shook his head.
"A true strong person doesn't need to use outward killing intent to mask their inner unease."
Look at the look in your eyes right now.
Tanjuro pointed at Giyu,
"Without the blinding influence of hatred, there is now a gentle, inclusive spirit."
"You no longer wield your sword for 'killing,' but to 'protect' the warmth and life of this mortal world."
"This is the true essence of Sun Breathing:"
--Not a tyrannical force that burns everything, but a sun that nurtures and embraces all things.
Giyu's heart skipped a beat.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands, which were covered in calluses.
For the past six months, in this secluded little wooden cabin, he chopped wood, carried water, sold charcoal, watched Tanjiro practice swordsmanship, listened to Takeo's arrogant complaints, ate the hot soup and rice made by Mrs. Kie, and...
In every quiet night, he longs for the woman who waits for him to return to the Butterfly Mansion.
Unbeknownst to him, these most ordinary human moments had quietly filled the heart he thought was riddled with holes.
He finally understood why the Sun Breathing always carried that warm, golden-red flame.
Because the sun exists to protect the temperature of this world.
As night fell, the cabins on Mount Kumotori were lit by orange firelight.
Dinner was a sumptuous stew of wild boar.
After dinner, Giyu sat in a corner by the stove.
Nine-year-old Nezuko, holding a roasted sweet potato wrapped in leaves, ran over with her short legs and obediently handed it to him.
And on his right arm, there was a "pendant" hanging.
Seven or eight-year-old Takeo was clinging tightly to Giyu's arm, swinging in mid-air like a swing, gritting his teeth and trying to bend the arm with his own weight.
"Damn it! What are those expressionless old man's arms made of?! Why can't I bend them?!"
Despite being drenched in sweat, Takeo refused to give up.
Giyu held his teacup, letting the arrogant little brat fidget on his arm without even lifting his eyelids.
"Takeo, you're applying force incorrectly."
Instead of getting angry, Giyu began to give serious instructions.
"You should use the twisting force of your waist, not just your arms."
"In addition, you only ate half a bowl of rice for dinner, which is insufficient carbohydrate intake, resulting in insufficient muscle explosive power."
"Mind your own business! I'll eat three big bowls of rice tomorrow and beat you!"
Takeo angrily let go of her hand and ran to a corner to draw circles.
The firewood in the stove crackled and popped, and the warm firelight shone on Giyu's face.
He raised his head, his gaze passing through the narrow window of the wooden house, and looked at the cold, bright moon in the sky.
He raised his left hand and gently pressed it against his chest.
That place was once a desolate, icy plain.
But now, it pulsates with an inexhaustible, fiery vitality, like the sun itself.
Kanae, Shinobu, Master, Sabito...
And here is this family, filled with laughter and joy.
"I see."
Giyu silently recited it in his heart, his deep blue eyes reflecting the flickering firelight, no longer showing any trace of his former confusion and loneliness.
To ensure that this warm and welcoming atmosphere continues in this world.
He finally knew how to wield the knife.
On this quiet autumn night, the dignified Water Hashira Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, known for his unsmiling demeanor, gazed at the moonlight outside the window, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips.
He revealed a smile as warm and gentle as a spring breeze, a smile that penetrated to the very core.