Big Sis

Beast Breathing's attacks were simple and brutal. Chinatsu easily dodged his dual-blade assault, then flipped her Nichirin Blade around and struck the Boar's Head Boy square in the stomach with its blunt edge.

The Boar's Head Boy shuddered as Chinatsu sent him flying, landing him right back on the patch of ground he had leaped from.

Too slow. Far too slow.

Those who had mastered "Total Concentration: Constant" saw an entirely different world from those who had not. In the original story, once Kanao had mastered it, Tanjiro couldn't so much as touch her even when he gave it everything he had.

Likewise, as long as Chinatsu wanted to keep him away, the Boar's Head Boy couldn't touch her even once, no matter how hard he tried.

"You're no match for me. You might not be able to handle the demon inside, either."

"You don't get to decide whether I can handle it!"

"But I do get to decide whether I can handle you."

In the blink of an eye, Chinatsu appeared right in front of the Boar's Head Boy. She knew talking him around would be pointless, so she would just have to get a little rough...

Ten minutes later.

Tanjiro and the others emerged from the mansion, bringing an injured boy with them. Zenitsu followed behind Tanjiro with a dazed expression. After seeing all those walls slashed to pieces inside the mansion, he finally understood what Tanjiro had meant when he said his sister was strong.

She's really strong... No, isn't this a little too strong?!

When they stepped outside, the first thing they saw wasn't blue skies and white clouds, but Chinatsu standing with one foot planted on the Boar's Head Boy. His two Nichirin Blades were stuck upright in the ground beside him, and sharp, long, wide sword marks scarred the surrounding earth.

"Had enough?"

"Y-yeah..."

"Good. I'm not some monster, you know. I don't get my kicks out of beating people up."

Chinatsu let out a breath and lifted her foot off the Boar's Head Boy.

He really was stubborn. Although Chinatsu had held back, she had put enough force into every blow that it should have knocked him unconscious. Yet not only had he stayed conscious, his fighting spirit had actually grown stronger.

Well, look where that got you. After taking all those hits for ten minutes, you've probably broken several bones. Those internal injuries will take a while to heal, too. You didn't have to put yourself through all this...

As the Boar's Head Boy climbed to his feet, he threw back his head and burst out laughing. For a moment, Chinatsu even wondered whether she had hit him in the head and knocked him stupid.

Then again, he had been pretty stupid to begin with. Surely he couldn't get any stupider.

"Big Sis! You're amazing! Can you teach me how to get as strong as you?!" the Boar's Head Boy shouted, clenching his fists with renewed enthusiasm.

"Huh?"

The way he addressed her left Chinatsu dumbfounded. Ignoring all his injuries, the Boar's Head Boy pulled his two Nichirin Blades out of the ground beside him and swung them around, copying her earlier movements.

The boar-headed boy had lived in the mountains since childhood, keeping company with wild beasts and fighting them, which had given him beastlike habits.

Among beasts, the weak were prey for the strong, and strength ruled supreme. Chinatsu had thoroughly beaten the Boar's Head Boy into submission. Just as one beast in a pack might acknowledge another as its leader, he now recognized Chinatsu as his Big Sis.

At a loss for words, Chinatsu reached up and scratched the back of her head. She had wanted to tell him to call her something else, but seeing how excited he was, she hesitated. After a moment's thought, she let it go.

Big Sis... Fine, Big Sis it is.

Afterward, the boys they had rescued invited everyone to their home, where they enjoyed a hearty meal. During the meal, the Boar's Head Boy finally took off his boar mask. The moment it came off, everyone except Chinatsu stopped chewing in shock.

Good heavens, what a face. His features were more delicate than a woman's. If he hadn't been shirtless, displaying his muscular upper body, anyone would have mistaken him for a girl.

Actually, Zenitsu still instinctively mistook him for a girl, even with the bare muscles of his upper body in plain sight.

"Y-you're a girl!"

"I'm a guy!!!"

The Boar's Head Boy's name was Inosuke. He had lived in the mountains since childhood and had never received instruction from a Cultivator. At one point, he had stolen a Nichirin Blade from a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and learned of the Corps' existence. Relying on his own talent, he had created Beast Breathing and successfully passed Final Selection.

As for why he had seemed absent from Final Selection, that was because he had been in too much of a hurry. He had moved at a completely different pace from everyone else, entering the mountain first and leaving first. By the time the others gathered to choose their tamahagane, he had already made his choice and run down the mountain.

During the meal, the rescued boys curiously asked Chinatsu and the others who they were. After considerable hesitation, the group told them about the Demon Slayer Corps. After all, they had experienced the terror of demons firsthand. There was little point in hiding it from people like them, and knowing the Demon Slayer Corps existed would instead put them at ease.

After learning of the Demon Slayer Corps, they all breathed involuntary sighs of relief. Only the boy who had nearly been killed by a demon wore a grave expression. He asked earnestly, "Then could I join the Demon Slayer Corps, too?!"

The others looked at him in surprise, unable to understand why he would want to do that when he had only just escaped with his life.

Zenitsu: "Isn't staying alive good enough? The Demon Slayer Corps is dangerous..."

Inosuke: "Interesting! A man should kill demons!"

Tanjiro: "You should really think this over carefully..."

The Demon Slayer Corps had a very high death rate. These days, those who joined either came from families dedicated to slaying demons or sought revenge because a demon had killed someone in their family.

For money? Come on. There were plenty of jobs that paid. There was no reason to take one with such a high death rate just to earn a little more.

If he truly joined the Demon Slayer Corps, brushes with death like the one he had just experienced would become commonplace-and he might not escape at all. It would take a great deal of resolve.

Everyone spoke up, some encouraging him and others trying to dissuade him. Only one person remained silent: Chinatsu.

They all turned to Chinatsu, wanting to hear her answer.

"You should forget about it. Don't join."

The boy lowered his head, looking dejected.

"I was overestimating myself..."

"No, that's not why. I mean there wouldn't be any point in you joining the Demon Slayer Corps."

Chinatsu's tone shifted, and she continued confidently, "Because the age of demons will end soon. Even if you join the Demon Slayer Corps, there won't be any demons left for you to kill."