Chinatsu's Sudden Idea

The next morning.

Chinatsu and Tanjiro rose early as usual. Although they had passed the Demon Slayer Corps' Final Selection, the tamahagane they had chosen was still being forged. Even once the swords were finished, they would have to be delivered here, so the whole process would take roughly half a month.

Naturally, they couldn't let that time go to waste. But simple sword-swinging drills could no longer do much to improve their strength, so Chinatsu proposed two training plans.

One: go out and kill demons.

Two: spar with each other, replacing their weapons with wooden swords.

Strictly speaking, the first plan would be more effective. But since demons were hard to find, they ruled it out, and Tanjiro firmly chose the second option.

Incidentally, Tanjiro and Chinatsu had sparred briefly before. Those bouts were too short to have winners or losers, but throughout every one of them, Chinatsu had held the upper hand.

Outside the cabin, Chinatsu and Tanjiro stood about ten meters apart, holding wooden training swords as they watched each other.

Since they had learned from the same master, neither could normally break through the other's techniques. Both therefore wanted to attack from an unexpected angle.

Tanjiro took a deep breath, then pushed his Water Breathing to its maximum output.

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"

Intense ripples of water instantly burst from Tanjiro's blade. Opening with Water Breathing's strongest technique-was he trying to finish this quickly? No, probably not.

Chinatsu instantly recognized this part of Tanjiro's strategy as a feint. As he rapidly closed in, the water dragon gathered around his blade struck the ground in front of her instead.

Bang!!!

He used Tenth Form: Constant Flux to produce an effect similar to Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin. Waves of rippling sword energy obscured Chinatsu's vision, and behind that watery screen, Tanjiro decisively switched his breathing. Flames appeared along his blade.

Forcibly switching breathing placed a tremendous strain on the body, but it was also a powerful offensive tactic in battle, capable of catching an enemy off guard.

Unfortunately, most members of the Demon Slayer Corps mastered only one style, because perfecting even a single Breathing Style took an enormous amount of time.

The Love Hashira had once been the Flame Hashira's designated successor, so she had learned an incomplete version of Flame Breathing. Unable to wield it as freely as the Flame Hashira, she had eventually modified it herself into Love Breathing.

That sort of mastery of multiple Breathing Styles wasn't much different from knowing only one. Chinatsu and Tanjiro, however, were different-at least at this stage.

Water Breathing: low consumption, comprehensive sword techniques!

Hinokami Kagura: high consumption, maximum output!

After switching to Hinokami Kagura, Tanjiro performed its First Form, Dance, with his wooden sword. He wanted to settle the match in a single strike!

But just as Tanjiro felt certain his attack would hit Chinatsu, her superhuman reflexes and physical abilities made themselves known.

Before Tanjiro's blade could reach her, Chinatsu had already jumped, rising higher than the arc of his swing.

Just like that, Tanjiro's sword missed, and Chinatsu easily ended the bout with her follow-up strike.

"Sis, you jumped way too high..."

The corner of Tanjiro's mouth twitched as he recalled Chinatsu's jump. He could do that too if he had time to prepare. He reckoned he could even leap straight onto the cabin roof with a properly braced jump.

The problem was that Chinatsu hadn't braced herself at all. Tanjiro had switched from Water Breathing to Hinokami Kagura and swung his sword in an extremely short span of time, which meant Chinatsu had taken even less time to react and move her body.

A quick jump without preparation was completely different from one made after bracing yourself. At the very least, Tanjiro didn't think he could have jumped that quickly if he had been in Chinatsu's position.

Was this the ability Sis gained from absorbing demon blood...?

After becoming a demon, Nezuko's physical abilities had also improved considerably. Tanjiro still remembered how she had attacked him when she first lost control. His once quiet, delicate little sister had pinned him down like a wild beast, despite all his woodcutting experience-and Chinatsu's abilities were even more impressive than Nezuko's.

Tanjiro lowered his head to look at the sword in his hands. He tightened his grip on its hilt, thinking that he needed to work even harder. They would surely face stronger demons in the future. Not only did he have to avoid holding his sister back, he also had to contribute his own strength.

"Sis, let's go again in a bit!"

"Whenever you're ready~"

Chinatsu and Tanjiro trained from morning until noon. Only when Urokodaki finished preparing lunch and came out of the cabin, calling them in to eat like a fussing mother, did they finally stop.

They called back and turned toward the cabin. First they saw Urokodaki, then Nezuko, standing inside and cautiously peeking out at them.

As a demon, Nezuko couldn't expose herself to sunlight. Even when she was awake, she could only stay inside the cabin. Terrified of direct sunlight, she had to be careful even when looking outside.

In truth, however, Nezuko was an exception. She possessed the ability to withstand sunlight, something even the Demon King lacked. She simply wasn't aware of that ability yet. In the original story, sunlight had initially injured her, but those injuries had abruptly subsided, and Nezuko had become immune.

Of course, even though Chinatsu knew that, she couldn't reveal it now. The time wasn't right yet.

Chinatsu and Tanjiro entered the cabin. Indoors, Nezuko didn't need to wear her bamboo muzzle. She happily hurried over to them and said, "Sis, big brother, you're both amazing! Is that the Breathing Style Mr. Urokodaki taught you?"

"Yes, Water Breathing and our family's Hinokami Kagura. We've become very strong. Someday, we'll definitely find a way to turn you back into a human. Trust us."

As she spoke, Chinatsu reached out and stroked Nezuko's head. Nezuko was simply adorable, like a little kitten. She really wanted to take her home and raise her... Wait, wasn't she already family?

Chinatsu stroked Nezuko's head while Nezuko wore an expression of pure contentment. Urokodaki had already sat down in the living room and served their food, quietly muttering about why they hadn't come over yet.

Just as Chinatsu finished stroking Nezuko's head and was about to head into the cabin's living room, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Nezuko, would you like to learn a Breathing Style?"