Both of you, come at me

[Water Breathing]

[Third Form: Flowing Dance]

In the forest clearing, Sabito became a series of crisscrossing afterimages. His footwork flowed like churning water as he slashed his wooden sword at the targets.

A string of sharp cracks burst out like firecrackers.

Nearly ten flying wooden balls shattered almost simultaneously.

With one strike, he had cleaved through several fast-moving wooden balls in an instant.

His eyesight, accuracy, technique, and even strength were all excellent.

Xia Xi reflected that he had not been as strong as Sabito when he first began practicing a Breathing Style.

Compared with the pink-haired boy, however, Giyu was considerably weaker.

He used the same [Flowing Dance].

Only half of the ten wooden balls shattered.

The rest were either struck off-center and knocked away, or missed entirely.

After finishing his move, Giyu Tomioka stared blankly at the wooden balls still rolling across the ground, then looked at the pile of evenly cut fragments by Sabito's feet.

His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he only murmured, "...It's just practice."

Sure enough, I have no talent at all.

Whether in daily practice or combat training, I'm nowhere near Sabito.

Unlike the cheerful, earnest Sabito, Giyu was the complete opposite.

Sensitive and quiet, he was just as kind and gentle at heart. But his poor communication and social skills often led him to say things that invited misunderstanding.

Just like now.

That muttered remark sounded dissatisfied, or even like a stubborn attempt to belittle Sabito.

Xia Xi watched quietly from the sidelines. Hearing that only further convinced him that this kid had Uchiha blood.

Awkward and stubborn.

"Don't just stand there watching."

Urokodaki took out several more wooden balls and addressed Xia Xi, who stood with his arms folded.

"It's your turn to be tested."

Xia Xi took Sabito's wooden sword and was about to unleash the Wind Breathing sword technique [Idaten Typhoon].

Striking multiple targets over a wide area was precisely what Wind Breathing excelled at.

"Do not use Wind Breathing."

"Use the power of flowing water, just as Giyu and Sabito did."

The breath Xia Xi had just drawn nearly caught in his throat.

"Sir, I haven't learned Water Breathing yet," Xia Xi said, speechless.

The old man wearing the Tengu Mask shook his head.

He gazed at him earnestly. "This is how you practice and learn. Try to understand and master the breathing rhythm they just used."

Xia Xi: ...

That skill isn't on my skill panel. How am I supposed to master it?

But Urokodaki gave Xia Xi little time to think.

He sent the small wooden balls in his hand flying toward Xia Xi.

Whatever.

"Wind... Water Breathing!"

"Third Form: Liuliumei!"

He gave a low shout to fire himself up.

Xia Xi focused on recalling the two boys' stances and breathing rhythms, then swung his wooden sword.

The attributes on his system panel barely fluctuated. Xia Xi relied almost entirely on his exceptional physique and well-practiced swordsmanship.

The sword whistled through the air, and the wooden balls burst apart one after another.

The cracks rang out even more crisply than they had during Sabito's practice.

Sabito's eyes lit up at the sight.

As expected, he's better than me in both strength and technique.

Giyu, meanwhile, murmured, "He just... has a very strong physical foundation."

Even without mastering Water Breathing, he's already this powerful with his body alone.

Once he masters it... I wonder how much stronger than us he'll be.

Unlike the two boys, who quietly admired him, Urokodaki said evenly, "Shouting does not make it Water Breathing."

"Your swordsmanship was indeed clean, and you shattered every wooden ball."

"But Kurumaji, don't forget that you came here to learn Water Breathing. The Breathing Style is the foundation of all this."

My progress only went up by one point.

Xia Xi felt a little disappointed.

"Calm your mind, recall the principles I taught you, and focus on breathing and meditation."

"Yes, sir."

Urokodaki turned to Sabito and Giyu. "Neither of you should grow complacent, either. Even if you have grasped the basics of your Breathing Style, you must continue honing and refining it."

"Learning it merely brings you to the starting line."

"Yes!" "Mm."

Sabito nodded earnestly in agreement.

Giyu followed with a slight nod.

Once the three boys resumed their training, Urokodaki began thinking about something else.

Giyu seemed to have become much more outgoing lately.

He still remembered what the boy had looked like when he first arrived at Mount Sagiri. Apart from the pain that occasionally surfaced in his eyes, he had shown almost no emotion.

He neither spoke nor showed any expression.

He had been like a carved wooden puppet.

Urokodaki himself was not particularly good with words.

He had tried encouraging him more than once, but with little effect.

Only after spending a long time with Sabito had Giyu begun to smile occasionally.

Over the past few days, since young Kurumaji arrived,

he had started speaking considerably more often each day.

So he really does need more contact with children his own age?

The setting sun sank slowly, bathing the sky and mountain streams in a warm orange glow.

Xia Xi still sat upright in the middle of the waterfall, his body enduring the relentless pounding of the tremendous flow.

Sitting quietly beneath the waterfall and in the river was part of Sabito and Giyu's daily training.

The aim was to sense water's ever-changing forms and enduring power amid its surging roar, learning to keep their minds as calm as a mirror while continually strengthening their balance and physiques.

"You can finish training for today."

Sabito's voice reached him through the roar of the water.

Xia Xi slowly opened his eyes, then sprang up from the rock in a spray of splashing water.

Wringing out the soaked ends of his hair, he asked,

"Oh? Is it almost dinner?"

"If the sun hasn't set yet, let me cook tonight. Giyu, come catch some fish with me in a bit. Tonight we'll have fish soup with tofu and miso..."

"We can leave dinner to Master Urokodaki." Sabito raised a letter in his hand. "You've received a letter."

Giyu murmured, "...That would be troubling. (We should let him cook instead. Eating Master Urokodaki's cooking would be troubling.)"

Glancing at the two boys, Xia Xi dried himself off and walked over, looking slightly puzzled.

"Someone actually wrote to me?"

Could it be from that master I ended up with?

When he picked up the letter, the first thing he saw was a line of elegant handwriting.

[To Xia Xi, personally]

[Yukishiro Seiko]

"Oh, it's from Persimmon."

Xia Xi made no attempt to hide it. He opened the letter in front of the two boys and began reading by the light of the setting sun.

Sabito and Giyu exchanged a glance.

Giyu (tilting his head): Sabito, who would write to him?

Sabito (shaking his head): No idea... Judging by the signature, it seems to be a girl.

Giyu (surprised): Huh? A girl?!

Giyu's eyes brightened a little. He could not help lifting his head, hoping to catch some flicker of emotion on Xia Xi's face.

Then the pink-haired boy gently pulled him aside.

[It has been some time since we parted after the Final Selection. I hope your swordsmanship has progressed and that you are in good health.]

[While carrying out a mission the other day, I saw a river beneath the moonlight and suddenly remembered the wind blades you unleashed beside Lake Ashi...]

The letter bore slight creases from its long journey, along with a faint herbal scent.

The handwriting, however, was neat and elegant.

Something in the strokes hinted at the tenderness and care with which she had written it.

In the letter, she shared little details of her life since becoming a swordswoman, from the color of her newly forged Nichirin Blade to the nerve-racking experience of slaying a demon alone for the first time.

After that, she mentioned some insights and questions that had arisen while practicing her Breathing Style.

She said that remembering how earnestly Xia Xi had asked everyone about their Breathing Styles during the Final Selection had given her the courage to write these things down, in the hope that they might help his training as well.

She also mentioned asking around the Corps about Xia Xi, only to learn that he had not yet begun taking missions.

Though initially puzzled, she had soon realized that Xia Xi must have been somewhere devoting himself more fully to honing his swordsmanship.

At the end of the letter, she earnestly added that she had written all this only to show that she would strive to become a swordswoman as strong as he was.

She meant nothing else by it.

[Enclosed are some snacks and medicinal herbs I purchased during my mission the other day. Also, the missions ahead will be dangerous. Please take great care.]

[May fortune favor you in battle.]

[Respectfully yours, Yukishiro Seiko]

Putting away the letter, Xia Xi asked Sabito, "There should be something else besides the letter, right?"

The boy answered honestly, "There are some ointments, too. And... a box of dried persimmons."

"Persimmons, huh."

He repeated it softly. The cool evening breeze swept through the mountains, stirring a tangle of emotions.

"Kurumaji, was that a letter from another senior member of the Demon Slayer Corps?" Sabito asked curiously. "After all, it was a member of the [Kakushi] who delivered it."

"Yeah, someone from my selection."

On the way back, Xia Xi answered somewhat distractedly, "Come to think of it, she practices Water Breathing, too."

Sabito's eyes brightened. "Then who's stronger, you or her?"

"Me, obviously," Xia Xi answered without hesitation. "Whether you count levels or results, I was number one in the selection. MVP, understand?"

Though Sabito did not fully understand those unfamiliar terms, he understood what Xia Xi meant.

Xia Xi had been, without question, the strongest of everyone in his Final Selection.

"You... killed a lot of demons during the selection, didn't you?"

Sabito suddenly stopped walking.

"Please spar with me."

"Use your full strength. Let me see for myself what swordsmanship capable of slaying demons truly looks like."

Beside him, the silent Giyu looked startled.

Xia Xi also looked curiously at the usually well-behaved pink-haired boy.

"We're about to eat. Why do you suddenly want to fight?"

The pink-haired boy said earnestly, "I'm not doing this out of competitiveness."

"I just want to know how far we still are from becoming proper Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen."

And I want to know whether I already have the strength to protect others.

He glanced at Giyu beside him.

The boy who was like a younger brother to him.

"I want to see it, too," the black-haired boy said calmly, lifting his face.

If they want to gauge their strength, they could just ask Master Urokodaki...

In the end, these two kids have their own pride, too.

Xia Xi rubbed his chin, but did not refuse.

He raised the wooden sword in his hand.

"Fine. We'll practice with wooden swords."

"Both of you, come at me. I'm in a hurry, so don't hold up dinner."