I Want to Become the Stone Hashira's Disciple

Han Zhiqi sat on the steps, dressed in a white hospital gown, staring blankly at the courtyard gate ahead. He was like a stone statue.

Two days ago, after being beaten up by Xiao Qing and Xiao Cheng and forcibly dragged back to his sickbed, Shinobu Kocho had re-bandaged his wounds. He woke up that night and sat on the steps by the door. He had been sitting there for two days, not eating or drinking. When people spoke to him, he didn't respond, just kept staring at the courtyard gate.

No one knew what he was looking at, nor what he was thinking.

The Butterfly Mansion trio avoided him as if he were a plague. Only Kanao Tsuyuri seemed to treat him as something amusing. After meals, she wouldn't go anywhere else, always standing beside him and playing with his snow-white hair.

To outsiders, Han Zhiqi looked like Kanao Tsuyuri's doll, unmoving. It was true that the two of them did resemble each other.

Kanao Tsuyuri kept smiling, but no one knew why.

Han Zhiqi kept watching, also without knowing why.

Kanao Tsuyuri's eyes were empty, which was why she smiled.

Han Zhiqi's eyes were full of everything—longing, pain, despair—which was why he was stunned. He was so pained that he had lost the most basic emotional expression.

Aoi Kanzaki, with her twin ponytails, walked to the foot of the steps. A few days prior, she had led her team in searching for clues about demons near White Snow Mountain. She had only returned with her team this morning.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, the Butterfly Mansion trio swarmed her, chattering endlessly. Upon hearing about the young man's strange behavior, Aoi Kanzaki suddenly remembered something that might awaken him.

Aoi Kanzaki patted Kanao Tsuyuri's shoulder and winked affectionately. "How is it, Kanao? Is it fun?"

Kanao Tsuyuri turned to look at her, said nothing, and then turned back to continue playing with the young man's hair.

Aoi Kanzaki was used to Kanao Tsuyuri's behavior. She muttered to herself, "Sigh, it's rare for Kanao to like something other than butterflies." After speaking, her gaze fell on the young man.

"Hey, hey."

Aoi Kanzaki called out twice. Just as the Butterfly Mansion trio had said, the guy showed no reaction at all.

"Could he really be an idiot? What are we going to do if he's truly an idiot? Are we supposed to let him stay at the Butterfly Mansion, eating, living, and being served for free? Ugh, just thinking about it makes my hair stand on end."

Aoi Kanzaki spoke to herself, completely unaware that the young man's gaze was drawn to a necklace in her hand. It was a deep blue pendant, shaped like a teardrop.

Suddenly, Aoi Kanzaki felt something unusual. As she looked down, she saw the young man's hand swiftly grab her wrist.

Aoi Kanzaki thought the young man was trying to attack her. As a Demon Slayer Corps member, she had developed rich combat experience through rigorous training and countless battles with various demons.

Almost the moment the young man made his move, her body automatically reacted. Aoi Kanzaki executed a graceful flip, landing in the center of the courtyard. Her right hand rested on her sword hilt, and she crouched low, naturally assuming a defensive stance, her expression serious as she looked at the young man.

The killing intent that had erupted from the young man in that instant made her feel a sense of danger.

"Kanao, get away from him quickly, he's dangerous."

Kanao Tsuyuri stood frozen in place, her hand held mid-air in the pose of playing with hair.

Hearing Aoi Kanzaki's voice, she first glanced at Aoi Kanzaki, who looked like she was facing a great enemy, then at Han Zhiqi. She also placed her hand on her sword hilt and jumped back a step. However, she didn't know who the sword was meant for, and looked at Aoi Kanzaki blankly.

Han Zhiqi stood at the foot of the steps, staring intently at the pendant in his hand.

"Where did this pendant come from?"

Aoi Kanzaki then realized that the pendant in her hand had somehow ended up in the young man's hand. She was greatly alarmed.

Although her rank wasn't high, she was still a seasoned Demon Slayer Corps member. It was difficult for ordinary people to get close to her. She never expected a patient to snatch her pendant without her noticing. What did this mean? Did it mean this guy's strength was superior to hers? Was it a coincidence, or...?

"We found this near you the day we met you."

This was her sister's pendant.

Han Zhiqi vaguely remembered that on the day his sister was taken away, she had placed the pendant in his palm. He had been in a coma for the past few days and had forgotten about it.

Now, with this pendant, he suddenly felt as if his sister had returned to his side.

The killing intent emanating from Han Zhiqi gradually dissipated. He sat back down on the steps, previously staring at the courtyard gate, now staring at the pendant in his hand.

Kanao Tsuyuri walked over to Han Zhiqi and continued to play with his hair.

Looking at this strange pair, Aoi Kanzaki was utterly speechless.

She had been prepared for a fight, but now she had no choice but to unwillingly retract her stance. With nowhere to vent her frustration, she could only loudly scold Han Zhiqi as a lunatic. As she left, she cursed him, telling him to just sit there and starve to death, then stomped her foot in anger and ran off.

Before, there was only one oddity in the courtyard. Now there were two, two oddities that could drive a person mad.

Kanao Tsuyuri liked being close to Han Zhiqi, perhaps because she felt she had found a kindred spirit.

He had been sitting there from sunrise to sunset, and this was the third day. No one knew when he would stop.

Until that evening.

Aoi Kanzaki's voice could be heard from inside, calling Kanao Tsuyuri for dinner. Kanao Tsuyuri dropped the hair she was playing with and ran into the house.

Just as everyone was gathered around, eating heartily, Han Zhiqi appeared in the room silently. Except for Kanao Tsuyuri, everyone else looked at him with disgust.

Aoi Kanzaki thought the guy had finally succumbed to hunger and come to beg for food. She even felt a little smug about it.

"What, you finally know you're hungry and want to eat? Let me tell you, we didn't prepare any food for you. Keep starving, humph."

"Exactly, exactly."

"We offered it to you, and you didn't eat. Now you're begging, and there's none. Humph."

The Butterfly Mansion trio chimed in, still holding a grudge from the day he called them jerks.

"What is the Demon Slayer Corps? What are demons?"

So the guy wasn't here to eat. He really was an oddity. He hadn't eaten for three days, and the first thing he said was to ask such questions.

The group looked at each other, unsure what to do.

They hadn't wanted to deal with this oddity, but they worried if they didn't answer, he'd just stand there forever, which was not only creepy but also ruined their appetites.

"Demons are monsters that eat people."

"The Demon Slayer Corps is dedicated to killing monsters. You don't even know that? You're incredibly ignorant."

The Butterfly Mansion trio seized every opportunity to humiliate Han Zhiqi.

"Who's the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps?"

"Of course, it's Lord Stone Hashira."

The Butterfly Mansion trio wore expressions of disdain.

"I want to meet him."

"You... you want to meet who?"

Xiao Qing pointed at Han Zhiqi, as if she'd heard something hilarious. Barely suppressing a laugh, she looked around at her two sisters. "Lord Stone Hashira? Did I hear that right? He said he wants to meet Lord Stone Hashira. Haha."

The three of them burst out laughing simultaneously.

"Someone like you, a nobody, can't just meet Lord Stone Hashira whenever you please."