Sabito and Giyu: The Distance to Hashira Level

Mount Sagiri.

Kanae unfolded the last washed training uniform and hung it on a bamboo drying pole.

She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, then suddenly stopped, her gaze unconsciously drifting towards the corridor.

... Giyu was still meditating.

This person sat cross-legged for almost an hour without moving an inch.

The curtain over the Medicine Room moved slightly, and Shinobu peeked out.

She glanced at Giyu under the eaves, then at her older sister in the courtyard, secretly pursed her lips, and muttered to herself:

"Trying to sound profound again..."

Before he could finish speaking, footsteps came from the entrance of the Dojo, and a young man muttered resentfully:

"Master, our Oyakata-sama is too wicked!"

Giyu's eyes suddenly opened.

Kanae lost her grip on the clothespin and it fell to the ground with a thud.

Ren simply crawled out of the Medicine Room and stood on tiptoe to look towards the door.

Sakonji Urokodaki entered first, wearing his Tengu Mask neatly, his dark blue haori perfectly pressed, not even the hem of his clothes was messed up.

Behind him followed a boy with flesh-colored hair, whose fox mask was askew on his ears, and whose bangs were stuck to his forehead with sweat.

But what's most striking is his face. His eyebrows are furrowed, his lips are turned down, and his whole face screams "I'm super unhappy."

Giyu blinked, a little confused.

Sabito has been away on a mission for almost a month. It should be a happy occasion for him to return today, so why is he complaining about his Oyakata-sama as soon as he walks in?

In his memory, Kagaya Ubuyashiki always spoke gently and mildly; he had never heard his Oyakata-sama utter a single harsh word, let alone a "bad" one.

He stood up and walked over:

"What's wrong?"

When the Sabito saw him, its eyes lit up for a moment, but then they drooped again, looking listless.

He walked to the center of the courtyard, plopped down on a stone stool, tore off the fox mask and casually placed it aside. His face, which was about the same age as Giyu, was full of frustration.

I finally managed to gather enough people!

He pulled a small, worn-out notebook from his pocket and slammed it onto the stone table.

"Fifty-two! A full fifty-two ghosts! My legs are about to give out this month. I was squatting in the middle of the night waiting for ghosts, following clues to every nearby village, and I had to watch out for those guys sneaking into crowds... and what was the result?!"

"I went back to headquarters yesterday to hand in my mission, eagerly awaiting the title of Pillar from my Oyakata-sama! I was thinking that I could finally be a little closer to you, Giyu!"

The Sabito looked up at him, its eyes filled with a hint of grievance.

"The person in charge told me that the standards have changed! Now you have to kill a hundred to become a pillar!"

There was a two-second silence in the courtyard.

Ren couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders twitching.

Kanae pursed her lips, a hint of a smile hidden in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

Giyu was truly stunned, standing there speechless for a long time before finally speaking in a daze:

"The standards have been changed? When did that happen?"

Just a few days ago!

Sabito got even angrier, and his voice rose a little.

"The Oyakata-sama suddenly issued a notice! He says the number of ghosts has increased abnormally recently. Previously rare, low-level ghosts are now everywhere, and killing fifty isn't enough to make a significant contribution!!"

"So we need to mention a hundred! A hundred! All those fifty-two I killed were for nothing!"

Urokodaki picked up Sabito's notebook and flipped through it.

"My Oyakata-sama is not wrong..."

"Master?!"

The Sabito stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"In the last two months, ghost sightings have increased more than three times compared to the same period last year."

Urokodaki tossed the notebook back to him, his tone a little cold.

"And most of them are low-level demons, not very smart, they just attack people on instinct. Any experienced soldier can handle these kinds of demons. If you can kill fifty of these, you can become a pillar..."

He paused, then turned the Tengu Mask towards Sabito.

"That pillar is worthless."

The Sabito opened its mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Urokodaki continued, his tone stern:

"What do you think a Pillar is? Glory? A title? You're wrong. A Pillar is responsibility, the shield and the sharpest spear of the Demon Slayer Corps. It's about standing in the most dangerous places, facing the most ferocious demons, and protecting the most people."

He pointed at Giyu.

"Look at him! In the past two months, how many missions has he been on? How many times has he been injured? Last month on Hachijōjima, he almost didn't make it back."

Giyu lowered his eyes, his fingers gently stroking the scabbard, and said nothing.

"So you'll be a pillar now?"

Urokodaki gave a soft snort.

"I'll have to come and collect your body in three days at most."

These words were too harsh; Sabito's face turned pale instantly, and he gripped the small notebook tightly with his fingers.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly froze. Shinobu and Kanae exchanged a glance and obediently shut their mouths, not daring to utter another sound.

Sabito took the notebook, his fingers tracing the worn cover, his voice lowering:

"I just... want to catch up with you! I don't want to always be behind you, watching your back."

Urokodaki was silent for a moment, then his tone softened slightly:

"Becoming a pillar doesn't only involve killing enough people."

The Sabito suddenly looked up. "How can you prove it?"

"The other criterion remains unchanged: killing a Lower Rank will still grant you promotion."

"But..."

The Sabito waved its hand with a wry smile.

"I've been killing small fry and searching for the Lower Rank for the past month, but I haven't seen a single one! Those Lower Rank Moons are incredibly cunning; they won't show themselves easily!"

That means you're not capable enough.

Urokodaki showed no mercy whatsoever.

"If the Lower Rank were so easy to find, the pillars would be running all over the place by now."

Sabito was speechless, choked by the words. After a long pause, his eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at Giyu, as if grasping at a lifeline.

"Giyu! You're a Pillar, why don't you go and put in a good word with the Oyakata-sama? Tell him I'm strong enough, and let me be a trial Pillar!"

"???"

Giyu looked at him, a rare expression of speechlessness on his face. After a pause, he said, "I... I haven't even heard that the standards have been changed."

That's the truth. He is a Pillar, and headquarters wouldn't specifically notify him of these rule changes targeting Quasi-Pillars.

Moreover, he had been recuperating in the Mount Sagiri for most of the past two weeks, and apart from occasionally receiving a few mission briefings, he had almost completely lost contact with the outside world.

The Sabito let out a mournful cry and collapsed onto the stone table, burying its face in its arms.

"It's over... all that work for nothing..."

Seeing his expression, Urokodaki shook his head helplessly, then suddenly spoke:

"Since you believe you are capable of being a pillar, then prove it to me."

The Sabito suddenly looked up. "How can you prove it?"

Urokodaki pointed towards the training ground:

"Let's spar with Giyu."

The voice beneath the Tengu Mask was calm and undisturbed.

"If you can last a hundred rounds against him, I'll go and ask the Oyakata-sama to make an exception and let you participate in the Pillar's mission."

Sabito's eyes lit up instantly.

But the next second, he remembered something, and his expression became subtle. "Master... when Giyu took over as the Water Hashira, you didn't say that."

He remembered clearly that when Giyu a pillar at the age of thirteen, his master was extremely proud. How come when it came to him, he had to fight with Giyu?

Urokodaki paused for two seconds, then spoke matter-of-factly:

"How can that be the same?"

Sabito: "..."

Giyu: "..."

Kanae and Shinobu exchanged another glance, both seeing the same message in each other's eyes: Master, your double standards are just too obvious.