Morning,
Giyu placed his hands flat on his knees, his back straight, and his eyes slightly closed, as if he were engaged in some kind of profound meditation.
However, behind his aloof head, nine-year-old Nezuko was kneeling, holding a small wooden comb, carefully working on his black hair.
"Big brother, don't move! It'll be done soon!"
Nezuko's soft, sweet voice carried a serious tone.
Giyu didn't say anything...
A moment later.
"Okay!"
Nezuko clapped her hands in satisfaction, walked around to Giyu's side, and her big eyes shone with extreme satisfaction.
Giyu Tomioka's previously casually loose black hair was now tied into two small, upright buns on either side of his head by Nezuko using two pink hair ties.
Not only that, Nezuko also thoughtfully pinned a red hair clip to his right tuft of hair.
Coupled with his eternally unchanging, cold, and expressionless face, the scene created a bizarre contrast that was enough to completely shut down one's brain.
"Pfft--Haha!"
Takeo, who was sweeping snow with a broom, turned around and saw Giyu's appearance. He immediately threw down the broom, clutched his stomach, and rolled around in the snow laughing.
"Dude with the poker face! What kind of new swordsman style is this?! It's hilarious!"
Giyu:???
Takeo gripped the tree branch with both hands, striking what he thought was a very cool attacking pose, and raised his Giyu at Giyu:
"I'm not going to compete with you in strength today! I want to learn swordsmanship!"
"Teach me that move you used to kill the bear! Once I learn it, I'll go kill bears and protect everyone!"
Giyu glanced at him.
There was no refusal.
He stood up, walked to Takeo, picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, and placed it flat on Takeo's head.
"Put on a horse stance."
Giyu's instructions were extremely concise.
"If a stone falls, lunch will be halved."
At first, Takeo didn't think much of it, and he spread his legs and squatted down.
But less than a minute later, the kid's smug face turned completely liver-colored, and his legs trembled like leaves in a storm.
"Thump."
Takeo's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the snow, the stones above him rolling down and hitting his feet.
"No, no... my legs are going to break!"
Takeo was panting heavily, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.
Giyu looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any mockery, only offering an objective assessment based on facts.
"Core strength collapsed."
The strength of the thigh muscle fibers is insufficient.
Giyu turned around, walked to the woodpile, picked up the rusty iron axe, and said as he did so:
"Lunch will be halved! Now go and fill the water tank in the kitchen!"
You're a devil!
Takeo let out a desperate wail, and could only carry the two large wooden buckets toward the well with tears streaming down his face.
"Big brother, don't be so harsh on Takeo."
Nezuko tugged at Giyu's sleeve and pleaded in a low voice.
"If we're not strict, he'll die!!"
Giyu's answer was rather curt, but his large hand naturally landed on Nezuko's head and gently rubbed it twice.
"Pfft."
Tanjiro Kamado, carrying a basin of hot water, came out of the wooden house and happened to see this scene when he looked up.
He bit his lip hard, turning his face red, barely managing to keep from laughing out loud.
Giyu -san's current state is truly a disgrace to his status as a peerless swordsman.
However, Tanjiro's nose twitched twice in the air.
He could not detect the slightest hint of anger or resentment in Giyu.
Tanjiro's eyes welled up slightly.
"Giyu- san, Father has woken up."
Tanjiro, holding a basin of hot water, spoke softly.
Upon hearing this, Giyu stopped chopping wood.
He put down the iron axe and turned to walk into the inner room.
Before entering, Giyu did not remove the two small buns on his head. With this contrasting hairstyle, he lifted the heavy curtain.
On the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room.
Tanjuro Kamado was leaning against the folded quilt.
Surprisingly, he looked exceptionally well today; his previously ashen face even had a touch of rosy color.
Kie Kamado sat on the edge of the bed, gently wiping her husband's hands with a hot towel. Although her eyes were bloodshot, there was a contented smile on her lips.
"Father, are you feeling better?"
Tanjiro walked over and happily put down the water basin.
"Yeah, I feel much more relaxed today."
Tanjuro smiled gently and patted Tanjiro's head.
This joyful scene gave Tanjiro and Kie a glimmer of hope for their recovery.
However, the deep blue eyes of Giyu Tomioka, who was standing by the door, suddenly dimmed.
He was all too familiar with this situation.
In his Transparent World, he could clearly see that Tanjuro's organs were not improving, but were instead deteriorating at an accelerated rate.
This is not a recovery!!
This was the last... final burst of energy before life came to an end.
Tanjuro seemed to notice Giyu's gaze.
He looked past his wife and son at the tall figure standing in the doorway.
When Tanjuro saw the two delicate pink hair ties on Giyu's head, Tanjuro was clearly stunned for a moment, and then a very gentle smile appeared in his eyes.
"Kie, go check if the porridge in the kitchen is ready."
Tanjuro gently patted his wife's hand.
Kie nodded, picked up the basin of dirty water, and walked out of the inner room.
Only Tanjuro, Tanjiro, and Giyu, who was leaning against the door, remained in the room.
"Tanjiro, come over here."
Although Tanjuro's voice was soft, it carried an undeniable solemnity.
Tanjiro knelt obediently in front of his father's bed, his clear, wine-red eyes filled with concern.
Tanjuro slowly raised his bony hand and brought it to his ear.
He slowly removed the Sun Wheel Hanafuda Earrings he always wore, which were printed with a sun design.
"Father?"
Tanjiro was somewhat puzzled.
Tanjiro, you are a kind and good boy.
Tanjuro placed the earrings in Tanjiro's palm, his rough fingers gently closing and holding his son's hand tightly.
"These earrings are a family heirloom passed down through generations in our Kamado family."
"And the 'Hinokami Kagura, must not be lost in our generation."
Tanjuro looked into Tanjiro's eyes, and saw in them the last hopes and reluctance of a father.
Promise me, Tanjiro.
"No matter how difficult the future may be, no matter what storms we encounter, we will wear these earrings and continue to dance this dance."
Even if Tanjiro was slow to realize it, he could hear the resolute tone in his father's words, as if he were giving his final instructions.
He clutched the flimsy paper earrings tightly in his hand, and tears welled up in his eyes without warning.
"Father... please don't say such things, you'll get better..."
Tanjiro cried as he grasped his father's withered hands.
Tanjuro didn't answer. He just smiled, reached out his other hand, and carefully put the Sun Wheel Hanafuda Earrings on Tanjiro's ears.
As the earrings swayed gently, Tanjuro felt as if he had completed the most important mission of his life, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Then, Tanjuro turned his gaze to Giyu Tomioka, who was standing silently by the door.
"Mr. Tomioka."
Tanjuro looked at Giyu's expressionless face and the comical pink hair tie on his head.
I'm sorry you had to see this.
Giyu didn't say anything, but silently took two steps forward and stood upright by the bed.
"You're a man who's all talk and no action."
Tanjuro's voice grew weaker and weaker, but the light in his eyes shone exceptionally brightly.
"You're protecting these children in your own way. They've been really happy these past few days."
Tanjiro is still young; his shoulders are not yet strong enough to bear all the wind and snow.
Tanjuro tilted his head back, looking at the wooden beams above him, as if he were looking at the sky that stretched through the roof.
"Mr. Tomioka."
With his last ounce of strength, Tanjuro turned his head and met Giyu's gaze directly.
"The road ahead."
"I'm entrusting these children of ours to you."
These words were as light as a falling snowflake, but to Giyu's ears, they carried the weight of a thousand pounds.
He looked into Tanjuro's eyes, which were beginning to glaze over, and slowly placed his right hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade at his waist.
There were no superfluous words, nor any elaborate vows.
Giyu Tomioka nodded heavily and slowly at the man in front of him.
This is a swordsman's promise!!
It's also a bond between men!!
Seeing Giyu nod, Tanjuro finally let go of his last remaining obsession.
The smile on his lips froze in an incredibly serene arc.
The rough, large hand that had been resting on Tanjiro's hand slowly lost all its strength and slid down the edge of the bed.
Tanjiro stared blankly at his father's slipping hand, the Sun Wheel Hanafuda Earrings on his ear swaying slightly in mid-air.
Tears streamed down my face like a burst dam.
Giyu stood to the side, his deep blue eyes silently observing everything.
He stood tall, like a guardian deity, silently watching over this family that had just lost its pillar of support.