"Nii-san, we're going to Mount Sagiri to learn how to slay demons, right?"
"I heard Grandpa Takeya say there are demons at the foot of the mountain, and people who specialize in killing them. Those people must be at Mount Sagiri, right?"
Sakata Takeya was their father's friend. He ran a clothing store, but years ago, they'd heard he'd moved to Tokyo, and they'd lost touch.
Roy only vaguely remembered him as a portly man with a thick pair of mutton chops who liked to wear a double-breasted vest.
"It's me, not you." Roy strolled along with a basket on his back. A river called the Wongchuan River ran beside him.
Follow the Wongchuan River west, and you'd reach the town at the foot of the mountain.
"Why can't you take me?" Tanjiro panicked. He ran a couple of steps and spread his arms, blocking Roy's path. "Nii-san, you promised to train me! You can't go back on your word!"
"I said I'd train you. I didn't say I'd take you to learn Breathing Style."
Tanjiro's physical condition was still far too frail... If he were thrown into the Zoldyck family, Mike probably wouldn't even give him a second glance. He could only compare himself with the ordinary people at the Butler Villa who were hoping to join the Zoldyck butler team.
So until he'd figured out Breathing Style, Roy decided to train Tanjiro the way his family had trained him. At the very least, he'd build a solid foundation before Tanjiro learned Breathing Style.
"All right." His foolish little brother had no idea what he was about to face.
When Roy agreed, Tanjiro jumped for joy.
But the next moment—
He was dumbfounded.
"Nii-san, are you sure?"
Reach the town at the foot of the mountain before the hour of the Dragon? Could a person really do that?
Selling charcoal down the mountain and making the round trip took four shichen. Roy was asking him to cut the travel time in half... Tanjiro couldn't imagine how he was supposed to manage it.
"Run."
Roy gave him the answer outright.
If he couldn't get there by walking, then he'd run—with a basket of charcoal on his back for extra weight!
There was no better way to train his heart and lungs and strengthen his body.
Right in front of Tanjiro, Roy rolled his ankles, then strode toward the rushing river. Without looking back, he said, "You run along the bank. I'll run on the water."
"You have to get there before the hour of the Dragon."
"How can you run on water?" Tanjiro's eyes widened. He thought he must have misheard.
Then he saw Roy really leap into the river with his basket on his back.
Tanjiro cried out...
And hurried to grab his arm.
"Nii-san, I won't learn anymore! I won't, okay?"
"Get back up here!"
The boy was on the verge of tears...
He'd never felt so guilty. One thought flashed through his mind again and again—
It's over. This is all my fault. If I hadn't insisted that Nii-san train me, he wouldn't have lost his mind.
Tanjiro was too kind. When a demon attacked his little sister, he'd hesitated to strike the killing blow, nearly missing his chance. That had almost caused him to miss Urokodaki Sakonji, who'd come to assess him at Giyu Tomioka's request.
"Crying?"
"Just so you know, crying counts against your time."
"Huh?" Just as Tanjiro was sinking into despair...
A familiar voice reached him... Tanjiro followed it with his gaze—
And saw
Roy step into the river. He swayed from side to side a couple of times, then stood steadily on the surface.
Water Walking... A neat little trick recorded in Jager's notebook for specializing in the "Transformation" of Nen Ability.
By imagining Nen spread out in the shape of duck webbing and attached to the soles of his feet, he could imitate a duck running across the water.
Sure enough, Roy had succeeded...
The boy's long, deep-red hair swayed in the wind. Leaving Tanjiro standing there in a daze, he sprang forward... drawing a long, thin line across the water.
"Nii-san! Wait for me!" The iron-headed kid finally snapped out of it.
Laughing and crying at once, he didn't even bother to wipe his tears, letting them dry in the wind as he chased after Roy...
[Reminder: "Nen Ability Transformation" category activated...]
["Transformation" +0.05... +0.05... +0.05...]
No wind, no waves. Roy couldn't say whether he was walking on the waves or making them himself. Either way, getting a notification from the panel was worth celebrating.
"According to the book, besides Water Walking, there's Cliff Walking and Hookless Fishing..."
"The focus of the exercises is... to overcome the limits imposed by the laws of nature by changing the form of Nen Ability..."
"In other words—man can conquer nature!"
Roy pondered this. The next moment, he shifted his feet and tried Shadow Step...
As though walking on level ground, he left one after another afterimage across the water, startling a line of egrets into flight.
"Caw—"
The egrets soared into the sky, scattering a few tail feathers.
Trailing behind, Tanjiro gasped for breath as he watched. He couldn't hide his envy.
"I want to be as cool as Nii-san, too..."
Tanjiro's heart burned with excitement. He let out a shout and quickened his pace.
Before long, the brothers could see the town below through the trees.
Rows of wooden houses stood tightly packed together, their irregular lines crisscrossing. As they drew closer, they could hear vendors hawking their wares and mules snorting.
In no time, they'd arrived...
Roy used Lingbo Void Walk to step gracefully onto the bank.
Behind him was Tanjiro, exhausted as a dead dog.
His foolish little brother's chest heaved like a broken bellows as he panted. He barely managed to lift his head... Two dumplings flew over and landed in his hands.
"Have something to eat and take a break." Whatever else he was, Tanjiro was still his little brother. Even in the Cognitive World, Roy couldn't treat him like a donkey.
So Roy and Tanjiro took a short break before walking into town one after the other.
Thanks to their father, Tanjuro, who'd made friends far and wide, the Kamado family was well known in town. They didn't even need to call out before they quickly sold both baskets of charcoal.
Then they went to the market to buy Nezuko a couple of pieces of clothing, Takeo and Shigeru a few candies, and Delia a rattle... As the minutes passed, afternoon soon arrived.
Tanjiro stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop, unable to tear himself away.
"Nii-san, how about spending a little more money to buy you a sword?"
The scene of Roy killing Sato Takeichiro just a few days ago was still fresh in Tanjiro's mind.
He couldn't help thinking it would've gone more smoothly if Nii-san had been holding a sword instead of a hoe.
Unfortunately...
"Stop staring. Ordinary swords can't kill demons."
Roy had already asked an acquaintance for directions to Mount Sagiri. He glanced back at Tanjiro.
Tanjiro answered with an "Oh," tightened the basket on his back, and followed.
As they walked, he said happily, "The lady selling mushrooms said Mount Sagiri is just over the mountain to the south."
"There's a shrine on the mountain. We can spend the night there."
Right... Spending the night at a shrine where demons specifically lured people. It was bound to be a thrilling experience.
Roy narrowed his eyes. He could almost smell the thick stench of blood...
Before you continue