Creating a Miracle

"Just this once. There won't be a next time!"

Chinatsu sighed helplessly. Though she had said she would let Nezuko off, her hand never stopped moving. Her Hand Chops kept knocking against Nezuko's forehead like a wooden temple block, leaving her dazed with every tap.

Of course, Chinatsu wasn't about to let Tanjiro off either. He might have rushed out without thinking because he was worried about her, but that was one thing, and this was another.

Chinatsu turned to Tanjiro, along with Zenitsu and Inosuke behind him, and said, "From the looks of it, your Constant training is coming along pretty well. Things should be getting easier for you lately, right? Then you wouldn't mind adding a few more exercises, would you~?"

Zenitsu's heart immediately lurched, and a terrible foreboding washed over him. Just as he opened his mouth to protest, "You've got to be kidding~," Tanjiro hurriedly clapped a hand over his mouth, while Inosuke put him in a headlock from the other side.

"Hahaha, of course not! Zenitsu and Inosuke have almost finished their Constant training, and I've been wanting to increase my training load too!" Tanjiro said with a laugh, keeping his hand over Zenitsu's mouth.

"Exactly, exactly! Big Sis, just tell us what you have planned. I'll do anything to get stronger, and I can handle anything!" Inosuke declared earnestly, one arm locked around Zenitsu's throat and his other hand clenched into a fist.

"Excellent! That's the spirit!"

Chinatsu nodded in satisfaction. Only Zenitsu was left whimpering, unable to get a word out.

Could he still resist at this point?

Obviously not!

Zenitsu: Mmph, mmph, mmph! I'll give it my all! I'll work hard! I'll outwork every last one of you!!!

Over the next few days, the training Tanjiro and the others endured could only be called "inhumane." Zenitsu and Inosuke had it especially rough. They hadn't fully mastered Constant yet, so maintaining Total Concentration Breathing while doing Chinatsu's new exercises was a real ordeal.

As for the extra training Chinatsu had assigned, it was actually quite simple: grip-strength exercises and simulated combat.

The Pillars were one thing, but expecting these three boys to master turning their blades into Bright Red Nichirin Swords through grip alone in such a short time was completely unrealistic. Instead, Chinatsu focused on guiding them toward working together, using friction to heat their blades and turn them bright red.

While the three boys put themselves through that inhumane training, Chinatsu stood off to one side with Nezuko, smiling as she coached her in Water Breathing.

"Water Breathing is the gentlest of all Breathing Styles. Don't try to force its sword techniques with brute strength. Water can take any shape. Put your heart into your Water Breathing techniques!"

"Mm! Okay, big sister!"

Chinatsu wasn't exactly a great teacher. If anyone deserved a ten out of ten in Water Breathing, it was Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira and the strongest current practitioner. Next came the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, though he was old now. In his prime, he would have earned a nine, with that missing point owed to his not knowing the Water Breathing Eleventh Form that Giyu Tomioka had created.

After him came Chinatsu and Tanjiro, both at eight out of ten.

Two people at that level were more than qualified to teach a little novice like Nezuko, who hadn't even mastered all the Water Breathing sword techniques yet.

Nezuko trained very hard. This felt completely different from her earlier training, when she could only stay inside a dim room. Being able to bask in the sunshine put her in a wonderful mood.

If someone had absolutely no desire to eat humans and no fear of sunlight, what difference was there between a "demon" and a "human"?

The atmosphere around Chinatsu and Nezuko could only be described as warm and cozy. Yet barely a dozen meters away, things were utterly oppressive.

"I... I can't anymore. I need to rest... rest for a bit..." Panting, Zenitsu stopped his exercises and began trudging back toward the house.

Before he could get inside, however, he tripped over a small stone and hit the ground with a thud!, passing out. Tanjiro and Inosuke hurriedly stopped their training and rushed over to help him up.

"Zenitsu! Zenitsu! Are you-"

They had barely begun calling to him when Zenitsu suddenly rose from the ground on his own, his eyes still closed, as though he had been possessed.

His entire presence changed dramatically, becoming intensely oppressive. The Total Concentration: Constant he had struggled with moments before now came as naturally as breathing.

"Z-Zenitsu?"

Tanjiro and Inosuke both instinctively took half a step back, swallowing in confusion.

Why did he feel dangerous?

After getting up, Zenitsu suddenly vanished from their sight like a bolt of lightning. They quickly turned toward the spot where he had been training and found him tearing through his exercises at lightning speed.

"I'll outwork every last one of you... I'll outwork every last one of you... I'll outwork every last one of you..." he muttered obsessively as he raced through the exercises.

Tanjiro and Inosuke stared at him, utterly bewildered. Still, judging by this, he... he was probably fine?

Both let out a relieved breath, then stretched their limbs and resumed their own training.

Training was exhausting, but feeling themselves grow stronger was exhilarating!

Watching the two return to their training with smiles on their faces, Chinatsu felt rather pleased.

Becoming stronger in a single leap and defeating a powerful enemy might seem thrilling, but wasn't it even more satisfying to build a towering platform beneath your feet through tireless effort, sweat, and dedication, then use it to cross a chasm you could never have crossed before?

While coaching Nezuko in Water Breathing, Chinatsu also held her own Nichirin Blade, continuously channeling heat from her palms into it to practice turning it into a Bright Red Nichirin Sword through her grip.

Only constant practice like this would make her stronger and allow her to heat her Nichirin Blade into a Bright Red Nichirin Sword faster in the future.

By now, Chinatsu could turn her blade bright red with five seconds of fully focused heating. That was fast, but she felt it was still nowhere near enough.

Everyone at this little residence within the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters trained without pause, until the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, arrived.

He had already raised his arm and opened his mouth to greet Chinatsu in the courtyard when he spotted Nezuko beside her.

A demon... in the sunlight... practicing Water Breathing?!

Kyojuro stopped before the words could leave his mouth. After a moment of silence, he planted both hands on his hips and laughed in amazement.

"Chinatsu, you really are... You've gone and created another miracle!"