The Distance Between Them Closed

It had been six hours since they left Crimson Sakura Village.

The mountain path wound uphill, with deep-green coniferous forests on both sides.

Giyu Tomioka walked at the front.

He kept a steady pace, neither fast nor slow.

The Kocho Sisters followed about ten paces behind.

Kanae held Shinobu's hand, but her gaze remained fixed on the solitary figure ahead.

Since leaving Crimson Sakura Village, Giyu had scarcely said a word.

He simply walked, silently, occasionally stopping to check their direction before continuing.

The silence made Kanae uneasy.

"Sister,"

Shinobu suddenly spoke in a low voice, tugging at Kanae's hand.

"Shouldn't we... talk to Mr. Giyu?"

Kanae looked down at her younger sister.

Shinobu's eyes were still swollen, but she was no longer crying. In their place was a complicated expression, a mixture of grief and determination.

In the span of a single day, the nine-year-old seemed to have grown several years older.

"What would we say?" Kanae asked softly.

"I don't know,"

Shinobu said honestly.

"But it feels strange not talking at all. And..."

She bit her lip.

"Mr. Giyu saved us and even agreed to take us to his master. We should at least... try to get along with him, right?"

Kanae fell silent.

She remembered the resolute expression on Giyu's face that morning on the hillside, when he had said, "I'll take full responsibility."

The boy, only a few years older than her, had borne all the pressure and responsibility for two girls he had never met before, in his capacity as the Water Hashira.

"You're right."

Kanae took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Shinobu's hand.

"Let's... try talking to him."

Shinobu's eyes lit up. "Then I'll go!"

Before Kanae could react, Shinobu had let go of her hand and was running after him on her short legs.

Kanae froze for a moment, then hurried after her.

Giyu heard hurried footsteps behind him.

Without stopping, he turned his head slightly and checked out of the corner of his eye.

He thought they were tired or something was wrong, and he was about to ask when he felt a gentle tug on the hem of his haori.

Giyu stopped and turned around.

Shinobu's small hand clutched his white haori, her fingers slightly pale from the force of her grip.

The girl looked up at him, her eyes a mixture of nervousness and courage.

Kanae stood half a step behind her sister, looking somewhat awkward as well.

"...Is something wrong?"

Giyu's voice was as flat as ever.

At this close distance, the Kocho Sisters got their first real look at the Water Hashira's face.

Giyu's face was very young, even boyish... after all, he was only thirteen.

His features were delicate and well-proportioned, his skin fair, his nose straight, and his thin lips always pressed into a straight line.

Most striking were his eyes. Their ice-blue irises were like the deepest waters of a winter lake: clear, cold, and unfathomable.

His short black hair was somewhat tousled, and a few loose strands over his forehead swayed gently in the mountain breeze.

He was more than a head taller than the sisters, and when he stood straight, they had to look up to see his face.

Now he looked down at them slightly, with no impatience in his eyes, but not much warmth either.

Shinobu suddenly faltered.

Giyu gave off an invisible aura!

It wasn't killing intent, but something subtler, like a "keep away" sign or an invisible barrier telling people to keep their distance.

The aura filled Shinobu with instinctive awe, and even... a little fear.

But Kanae took a deep breath, stepped forward half a pace, and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Mr. Giyu."

Her voice was soft, but she tried to keep it steady.

"We... we just wanted to talk to you. Traveling in silence like this feels... unfamiliar."

Giyu said nothing, simply watching them.

A mountain breeze blew past, carrying a faint medicinal scent.

Giyu's nose twitched. His gaze swept over the sisters, and he noticed a few dark stains remaining on the cuffs and fronts of their kimonos.

"You smell... like medicine!"

Giyu suddenly spoke.

Kanae was taken aback and instinctively raised a sleeve to sniff it.

"D-do we?"

"It's faint, but it's there."

"Angelica, chuanxiong, dahurian angelica... and the smell of Wisteria extract," Giyu said.

Both sisters' eyes widened.

"Mr. Giyu... do you know medicinal herbs?" Kanae asked in surprise.

"No."

Giyu shook his head. "But Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen get injured often, so we smell these things a lot. I naturally came to remember them."

He paused, then added:

"The smell of Wisteria is the strongest. Demons hate Wisteria, so the Corps adds its extract to wound medicine, disinfectants, and even the incense some members use to scent their clothes. You have it on you too..."

Kanae and Shinobu exchanged glances, each seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.

After a brief silence, Shinobu gathered her courage and asked:

"Mr. Giyu, what exactly is the Breathing Style you mentioned?"

Giyu's gaze shifted slightly at the question.

He looked at the sky, then at the mountain path ahead, seemingly estimating the time.

"We'll rest for fifteen minutes."

He sat down on a flat bluestone beside the path and motioned for the sisters to sit as well.

Kanae and Shinobu sat somewhat stiffly across from him, about three paces away.

"A Breathing Style,"

Giyu began to explain, his voice still flat,

"is a technique that uses a special way of breathing to deliver oxygen to every part of the blood and muscles, greatly enhancing physical abilities for a short time."

He raised a hand, spread his five fingers, then slowly clenched them into a fist.

"An ordinary person's body has limits."

"Muscle strength, bone strength, reaction speed, stamina... all of these are limited by the structure of the body."

"But through a Breathing Style, those limits can temporarily be surpassed, reaching a level theoretically impossible for humans."

Kanae listened intently, while Shinobu's eyes widened.

"Different Breathing Styles have different characteristics."

Giyu continued,

"Water Breathing is characterized by flow and change. Like water, it can adapt to any terrain and any opponent."

"Stone Breathing is solid and heavy, unshakable like a rock."

"Flame Breathing is explosive and scorching, burning everything like a flame."

"..."

He paused and looked at the sisters.

"The Water Breathing you'll learn has ten basic forms, each suited to different situations."

"First Form: Water Surface Slash is a basic slash, Second Form: Water Wheel is a spinning defense, and Third Form: Flowing Dance is high-speed movement... and so on."

"Ten forms..."

Kanae repeated under her breath, "That sounds like a lot."

"Not many."

Giyu shook his head.

"Once you actually start learning, you'll find that ten forms are nowhere near enough."

"In a real fight, you need to combine, adapt, and innovate according to the situation. The essence of a Breathing Style isn't how many forms you remember, but understanding 'breathing' itself."

Shinobu suddenly raised her hand like a student asking a question at school.

"Mr. Giyu, what about your sword? Is it special?"

Giyu glanced down at Azure Tide at his waist.

"A Nichirin Blade! It's forged from special ores that absorb sunlight: crimson red iron sand and scarlet crimson ore. Only this kind of blade can slay demons."

He drew about three inches of the blade. Its sky-blue pattern shimmered in the sunlight like rippling water.

"The blade resonates with its owner's Breathing Style."

"My sword is called Azure Tide. It can reflect the fluctuations of Water Breathing. Once you have your own Nichirin Blades, their colors and patterns will change according to the characteristics of your Breathing Styles too."

The sisters stared at the exposed length of blade without blinking.

In Giyu's hand, it seemed less like a weapon and more like a living work of art.

"It's so beautiful..." Shinobu said quietly.

Giyu slid the blade back into its sheath in one smooth, natural motion.

"What about you?"

"Why do you know about medicinal herbs?" he suddenly asked.

Kanae came back to her senses and answered softly:

"Our father... was a doctor. He often went into the mountains to gather herbs, and he taught us to identify all kinds of medicinal plants."

"Mother wasn't in good health, so Father studied medicinal formulas to treat her, and we learned some of it along with him."

As she spoke, her eyes dimmed.

Shinobu squeezed her sister's hand and added quietly, "Dad said that if we knew about medicinal herbs, we could help lots of people. We even helped treat colds for the elderly people in the village..."

Giyu watched them in silence.

As their fifteen-minute rest neared its end, Kanae suddenly spoke up and asked a question she had wanted to ask all along.

"Mr. Giyu... I have a question that might be very silly."

Giyu looked at her, motioning for her to continue.

Kanae bit her lip, her voice very soft.

"Can demons... really only be killed by cutting off their heads? Isn't there another way?"

"For example... using medicine or something else to redeem them and turn them back into humans?"

The air froze.

Giyu's expression went blank for an instant.

His ice-blue eyes widened slightly, his pupils contracted, and his eyebrows rose in confusion. Bewilderment was written all over his face.

His head tilted slightly to one side!!

Kawaii!

The same thought flashed through both sisters' minds at once.

Who would have thought that the Water Hashira, usually as aloof as an iceberg, could have such a... cute side when his composure cracked?

But it lasted only three seconds.

Three seconds later, Giyu returned to normal, though disbelief still lingered in his eyes.

He stared at Kanae, his brows drawing together.

"Is your brain broken?" he asked seriously.

Then, before Kanae could react, Giyu stood, walked over to her, and reached out—pressing the back of his hand against her forehead.

"!"

Kanae froze.

The back of Giyu's hand was slightly cool, and his movements were natural, as though he were checking a patient for a fever.

But he was so close that Kanae could see the length of his eyelashes and feel his warm breath brushing gently against her face.

Her heart began pounding wildly despite herself.

Her temperature began to rise, her cheeks burned, and her mind went blank.

All her life, she had never been this close to someone of the opposite sex, apart from her father.

And besides... Mr. Giyu might have a cold expression, but he really was handsome...

"No fever."

Giyu withdrew his hand, his brows still furrowed.

"So you're serious?"

Kanae opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Shinobu looked at her sister's flushed face, then at Giyu's perfectly serious expression. Suddenly, she thought the scene was a little... funny.

"If there were a demon that could go forever without eating people, it would be worth saving!"

Giyu sat back down where he had been, his voice returning to its usual cold tone.

"But a demon's instinct is to eat people, just as humans need to eat and drink."

He looked Kanae straight in the eye.

"Your father is a doctor. You should know... some illnesses can't be cured."

"A demon's 'illness' is its very existence."

"A demon that doesn't eat people? It will never exist."

After a pause, he added:

"Give up your pointless fantasy."

"When you face a demon, you have only one choice—cut off its head."

"Hesitation, sympathy, trying to save it—those will only get you killed faster."

Kanae lowered her head, her voice barely audible.

"...I'm sorry. I asked a stupid question."

"As long as you know it was a stupid question."

Giyu stood and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"It's time to get moving. We need to find somewhere to camp before dark."

He turned and continued ahead, his white haori billowing behind him.

Kanae and Shinobu exchanged a look, each seeing the complicated expression in the other's eyes.

Then the sisters stood up and followed him.

As they continued on their way, Shinobu's little mind began racing.

She walked beside her sister, her gaze shifting back and forth between Kanae and Giyu's back.

Her gentle, beautiful sister, and Mr. Giyu, who was cold but handsome and strong... standing together, they actually made quite a good match.

And when Mr. Giyu had touched her sister's forehead earlier, her sister had blushed.

Shinobu was only nine, but she wasn't stupid.

She had seen the young couples in the village and knew what blushing meant.

A bold thought popped into her head.

After another two hours of walking, a clear stream appeared ahead.

Giyu stopped and said they would rest here for a while and replenish their drinking water.

The three crouched by the stream and cupped water in their hands to drink.

The mountain spring water was cool and sweet, easing the fatigue of their long trek.

Shinobu seized the opportunity and suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Giyu."

Giyu looked up at her.

Shinobu blinked and asked in her most innocent voice:

"What do you think of my sister?"

"Pfft—!"

Kanae sprayed out all the water she had just taken into her mouth.

She coughed violently, her face instantly turning red to the tips of her ears.

Without stopping to wipe her mouth, she spun around and clapped a hand over Shinobu's mouth.

"Shinobu! What nonsense are you talking about?"

Kanae's voice trembled with embarrassment.

Shinobu's mouth was covered, but she kept blinking at Giyu, her eyes full of mischief.

Giyu had no idea what was happening.

He looked at the red-faced Kanae, then at Shinobu, who was still making eyes at him with her mouth covered, and frowned slightly.

"What do I think of her?"

Kanae wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

She took her hand off Shinobu's mouth, but shot her sister a fierce glare.

Shinobu wasn't afraid, though. She pulled free of her sister's hand and continued:

"I mean, what kind of person do you think she is? Haven't you talked to her a lot, Mr. Giyu?"

Giyu gave it serious thought for a few seconds.

"She has a weak constitution, doesn't get enough exercise, and is prone to unrealistic fantasies, but she's determined, can endure hardship, and may have a fairly keen sense of smell... because she knows medicinal herbs."

"She's a little better than most people who have just decided to join the Demon Slayer Corps, but she's still a long way from being qualified."

Kanae: "..."

Shinobu: "..."

Both sisters fell silent.

Giyu looked at their strange reactions and asked in confusion:

"Did I say something wrong?"

"N-no..."

Kanae lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"That was a... very objective assessment."

Shinobu, however, refused to give up and asked again:

"Then do you think my sister is pretty, Mr. Giyu?"

"Shinobu!"

This time Kanae was truly flustered and reached out to grab her sister.

But Giyu had already answered.

"Pretty."

His tone remained flat.

"But being pretty is useless in a fight. A demon won't spare you just because you're pretty."

Kanae froze.

Her heart began pounding again, but this time it was mixed with shame, embarrassment, and a trace of something she couldn't quite put her finger on... disappointment?

Shinobu wanted to ask something else, but Giyu had already stood up.

"We've rested enough. Let's keep moving. We need to cross that mountain pass ahead before dark."

He turned and continued onward, completely unaware of the sisters' complicated thoughts behind him.

Kanae stood where she was, watching Giyu's back with a jumble of feelings.

Shinobu tugged at her hand and whispered:

"Sister, I'm sorry... did I mess up?"

Kanae shook her head and sighed.

"It's not your fault... Mr. Giyu is just... well, rather unusual."

She took her sister's hand and followed Giyu.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting long shadows on the winding mountain path.

The three shadows, one ahead and two behind, gradually drew a little closer amid the shifting light and shade.

It was only a little, but they had drawn closer all the same.

And this was the beginning of that long journey.

Lately, updates will probably only be 4,000–6,000 characters. It's not because the author is lazy (well, maybe a little); it's mainly because the New Year is coming soon, and I need to stockpile some chapters in case anything unexpected happens. (I've currently stockpiled around 30 chapters.) After the New Year, there may be more, but I can't say for sure!

I promise I'll do my best not to miss any updates, so your enthusiasm doesn't run out!

(Main text: 4,500 characters)