A Wonderful Misunderstanding!

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Then—

"Giyu?!!"

The orange-haired boy sprang to his feet, a radiant smile spreading across his face. His eyes shone beneath his warding fox mask.

Forgetting that his master had just knocked him flat and that training wasn't over, he threw his arms open and charged at Giyu.

"You finally came back, you rascal!"

"I heard you became the Water Hashira! That's incredible!"

"I knew you could... Ow!"

He never finished.

Because the moment Sabito got distracted, the man in the Tengu Mask... moved.

The wooden sword traced a simple arc and struck Sabito squarely on the back of the head.

"Getting distracted in a fight is a grave mistake."

Urokodaki's voice was calm and level, as though the blow had been no more than a casual tap.

Sabito flew forward in a graceful arc, landing face-first with a splat three paces from Giyu's feet and kicking up a small cloud of dust.

Giyu: "..."

Kocho Sisters: "..."

An eerie silence fell over the training ground.

A few seconds later, Sabito painfully lifted his head, spat out the sand in his mouth, and said with a miserable look:

"Master... I just saw Giyu. Can't we pause training for a bit...?"

"No matter who you see, you mustn't get distracted."

Urokodaki lowered his sword and walked over to the three of them.

"Would a demon stop fighting in a real battle just because you saw someone you knew?"

He had a point, but with Sabito covered in dirt as he was, it was somehow... a little funny.

Shinobu's shoulders were already shaking as she struggled to hold back her laughter.

Kanae was barely managing to keep a straight face herself.

Urokodaki walked up to the three of them.

"Welcome back, Giyu."

Urokodaki's voice was much gentler than before.

He looked his disciple up and down, his gaze lingering on the white haori for a moment. A barely perceptible trace of pride flashed deep in his eyes.

A little over two years ago, this quiet boy, who always stayed alone at the training ground for extra practice late into the night, had been just one of his many disciples.

Now, he stood at the pinnacle of the Demon Slayer Corps, the youngest Water Hashira in its history.

"Master Urokodaki,"

Giyu bowed respectfully.

"I'm back."

Urokodaki patted Giyu on the shoulder.

"Well done! I heard about what happened in Blue Stone Town. Lower Rank One... that's remarkable."

Giyu shook his head. "I was lucky."

"Luck is part of your strength, too."

Urokodaki gave a rare smile, but it quickly faded.

"But you mustn't grow complacent. A Hashira's responsibilities are heavier than you think. From now on—"

He broke off abruptly.

His gaze had passed over Giyu and fallen on the two girls behind him.

Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira and a veteran Cultivator of the Demon Slayer Corps, a man who had witnessed countless matters of life and death, trained dozens of disciples, and thought he could no longer be easily shocked by anything—

Was now caught in a serious whirlwind of thoughts.

His gaze swept carefully over the Kocho Sisters.

The older girl on the left was about thirteen or fourteen, with long, light-purple hair and delicate, gentle features. Her face still retained a trace of childishness, but her eyes held a resilience beyond her years.

She wore a simple, pale pink kimono. Though it was covered in dust from the journey, her manner naturally showed her good upbringing.

Now, with her head slightly lowered and her hands folded in front of her, she looked a little nervous, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.

The younger girl on the right looked eight or nine, with big, round purple eyes. She was secretly peeking at him with curiosity.

She stood close against her sister, her little hand clutching the hem of her sister's clothes. But there was no fear in her eyes, only the curiosity peculiar to children and a little... mischief?

Both girls were very pretty and had a distinctive air about them, but most importantly—

They were standing behind Giyu.

They had followed Giyu home???

Giyu had brought them back???

Urokodaki's mind began racing:

Giyu brought girls back?

Wait, Giyu? The Giyu who's interested in nothing but training and killing demons?

No, that's impossible. How could any girl like him?

Is she blind?

Or... has Giyu finally wised up?

But he brought two back at once? That's a bit...

No, the younger one only looks nine or ten. She must just be her sister. So the older one is the important one?

Urokodaki's gaze returned to Kanae, and he observed her more closely.

Hmm, she really was a good girl. Her eyes were clear and her posture proper. Though she looked a little tired now, she had good qualities.

And the way she had looked at Giyu just now... had seemed a little special?

His many years as a Cultivator had taught Urokodaki how to read people.

At that thought, Urokodaki suddenly felt it might not be impossible after all.

Giyu had reached that age.

Though it was a little early, who could say for sure when it came to matters of the heart in troubled times?

And if Giyu really could find someone to keep him company, he, as his master... ought to be happy.

In just a few seconds, an entire drama had played out in Urokodaki's mind.

Then he did something no one present had expected—

He went around Giyu and walked straight up to Kanae, a smile that could only be described as "kind and friendly" appearing on his face.

"Young lady,"

Urokodaki's tone was unbelievably gentle.

"May I ask your name?"

Kanae froze for a moment, then hurriedly bowed.

"I-I'm Kanae Kocho. I'm thirteen. This is my little sister, Shinobu Kocho. She's ten. We're..."

"Oh, Kanae. A lovely name."

Urokodaki nodded and continued asking kindly,

"Where are you from? When did you join the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"We're from Crimson Sakura Village. We... we haven't joined the Demon Slayer Corps yet..." Kanae was a little at a loss at his questions.

"Crimson Sakura Village, eh? A nice place."

Urokodaki's smile grew even gentler. He even bent down slightly so that his eyes were level with Kanae's.

"That journey must have been hard on you. Giyu here surely didn't take good care of you."

Giyu: "???"

He stared blankly at his master, unable to understand why he was suddenly being so... warm to the Kocho Sisters.

Sabito had already climbed to his feet. Now he stood beside Giyu, watching the scene, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably.

He had already guessed what their master was thinking... after all, they had been through a similar misunderstanding before.

(Once, when Giyu had come back, a girl from a neighboring village had followed him up the mountain to deliver something. Their master had seen her and questioned her just as "kindly" for ages, only to find out she had simply come to deliver a thank-you gift—Giyu had saved her younger brother from a demon attack.)

Kanae's face grew redder with every question, and she answered softly:

"N-no, Mr. Giyu took good care of us..."

"You don't need to speak up for him."

Urokodaki waved a hand, wearing an "I understand" expression.

"Giyu here has a bit of a temper, doesn't talk much, and can be single-minded."

"You must have had to put up with a lot when you're around him, right?"

Kanae: "Huh?"

Shinobu: "Pfft."

Giyu: "...Master, what are you talking about?"

Urokodaki finally looked at Giyu, his eyes filled with the gratification of someone thinking, "You've finally grown up, boy."

"Giyu, you should have told me beforehand that you were bringing friends back. I haven't prepared anything."

"They aren't friends."

Giyu said woodenly, "They're here to learn a Breathing Style."

The air suddenly went still.

The smile froze on Urokodaki's face.

He looked at Giyu, then at Kanae, then at Shinobu, before finally returning his gaze to Giyu's face.

"...What?"

Urokodaki's voice regained its usual seriousness.

"They want to join the Demon Slayer Corps."

Giyu explained,

"Crimson Sakura Village was attacked by four Lower Ranks. Their parents were killed."

"I brought them here to ask you to assess whether they have the aptitude to learn Water Breathing."

Sabito finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. "Pfft, hahaha!"

Slapping his thigh as he laughed, he said:

"Master! Don't tell me you thought Giyu had finally wised up! Hahahaha!"

Urokodaki: "..."

Kanae finally realized what those questions had meant. Her entire face turned scarlet in an instant, red all the way to the tips of her ears.

She kept her head bowed, wishing she could disappear on the spot.

Shinobu understood too. She covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents with laughter.

Giyu still looked utterly bewildered, unable to understand why the atmosphere had suddenly grown so strange.

Urokodaki was silent for three seconds. Then he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"...I see."

His tone regained the seriousness of a Cultivator.

"Then, Kanae Kocho, Shinobu Kocho."

The sisters hurriedly stood straight.

"Are you certain you want to learn Water Breathing and join the Demon Slayer Corps?"

Urokodaki's voice was calm, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"This path is a hundred times harder than you imagine. If you want to change your minds, there's still time."

Kanae took a deep breath and raised her head, determination in her eyes. "We're certain."

Shinobu nodded vigorously too. "We want to get stronger! We want to kill demons!"

Urokodaki gave them a long look, then slowly nodded.

"Good. Starting tomorrow, I'll assess your aptitude. But remember... if you can't meet my requirements, I won't hesitate to send you away. Understood?"

"Understood!" the sisters answered in unison.

Sabito chimed in with a grin:

"Welcome, welcome! The training ground's going to be lively now!"

"Oh, right, I'm Sabito, Giyu's senior disciple. If you have any questions, you can ask me! ...Of course, you should still ask Master about training. I'm afraid I might lead you astray."

Kanae and Shinobu hurriedly bowed to Sabito.

Giyu watched the scene, a barely perceptible trace of gentleness flashing in his ice-blue eyes.

The sun sank in the west, and the mountain mist grew thicker.

On Mount Sagiri's training ground, a new story was about to begin.

And a certain beautiful misunderstanding became the most amusing little episode of the evening. At least, it would definitely rank among Sabito's top three sources of laughter for the next month.

As for Giyu?

It wasn't until dinner that night that he belatedly realized what his master had misunderstood.

Then he said seriously to Urokodaki:

"Master, I don't have those kinds of thoughts. Killing demons is more important."

Urokodaki: "...Eat."

Sabito nearly sprayed out his food.

Kanae's face turned red again.

Shinobu secretly squeezed her sister's hand beneath the table.

That night, the lights on Mount Sagiri stayed on a little longer than usual.