Since he no longer needed to conserve as much stamina as possible during the day to guard against surprise demon attacks, Kanzaki Kumo ran at full speed and reached Mount Momiji by lunchtime the next day.
Perhaps his first kill had changed his state of mind, because his Breathing Style had improved again. Not only was he faster, but he had barely felt tired after running all the way back.
He had paid his respects to his grandfather, killed his first demon, and even improved his Breathing Style, all in a single trip. Brimming with excitement, Kanzaki Kumo kicked open the dining room door.
"Little old man, I'm back!"
Thud.
Along with his voice came a dull sound like something heavy hitting the ground.
He looked down and saw the familiar little old man sitting on the floor, rubbing his forehead and glaring angrily at him.
"Teacher! Are you all right? Does it hurt? Are you injured?" Kanzaki Kumo immediately helped him up, switching from "little old man" to "Teacher." Whether that was out of concern or an attempt to awaken his "teacherly affection" and spare himself a beating was unclear.
After all, judging by the situation, Jigoro Kuwajima had reached the door just as Kanzaki Kumo kicked it open. He had probably heard Kanzaki Kumo returning and had been about to open the door to look.
"You little brat!" Jigoro Kuwajima rubbed his forehead with one hand and rapped Kanzaki Kumo on the head with the other.
"Ow!"
Feeling how light the blow was, Kanzaki Kumo knew he was not angry and obligingly clutched his head, pretending it hurt.
"Hmph!"
Kuwajima snorted softly and turned toward the kitchen.
His disciple had returned earlier than expected, so there was not enough food for lunch. He would have to make more.
"I'll help!" Kanzaki Kumo immediately followed him.
After they enjoyed a lavish lunch, Jigoro Kuwajima got down to business.
"Well, tell me. Why did you come back earlier than planned? And did something good happen? You certainly look like it."
"Your disciple here killed his very first demon last night!" Kanzaki Kumo proudly announced his first kill and explained everything that had happened.
"Hmm?" Jigoro Kuwajima gave Kanzaki Kumo a surprised look. From the moment Kanzaki Kumo came through the door through the time they spent cooking, he had carefully confirmed that the boy had no injuries whatsoever.
"Let me see the sword."
Once his surprise passed, Kuwajima held out his hand for the Nichirin Blade Kanzaki Kumo had set aside.
Kanzaki Kumo handed it over. Kuwajima drew it and carefully examined the edge before nodding. "Good. There's almost no wear. A clean, decisive kill in a single blow. It seems your swordsmanship really isn't just for show."
"Aren't you always watching when I practice? Wouldn't you know whether it's just for show?" Kanzaki Kumo muttered.
"Do you think practice and actual combat are the same?! Plenty of people do perfectly well in practice but can't even hold their swords steady when they face a demon. What else do you think the Final Selection is for?" Kuwajima's tone grew considerably more serious.
"When it comes to swordsmanship alone, any Cultivator can judge whether their disciples are skilled enough to handle an ordinary demon. But until they experience real combat, no one knows how much of their strength they can actually bring to bear against a real demon."
"Fortunately, you're able to put your strength to use in combat." Kuwajima sheathed the sword and looked at Kanzaki Kumo with gratification.
"You bet!" Kanzaki Kumo proudly raised his chin.
Seeing that Kanzaki Kumo was getting a little carried away, Kuwajima launched straight into a blistering lecture.
"But you actually encountered a demon and didn't report it! You went off to kill a demon without any information, logistical support, or backup. You're not even an official Swordsman yet! Were you planning to skip every rank from Mizunoto to Kinoe and become a Hashira directly?! You were lucky this time and encountered a weak demon. What if you'd encountered a powerful one? What if it had been one of the Twelve Kizuki?!"
He jabbed Kanzaki Kumo's head with every sentence, until Kanzaki Kumo was shrinking beneath the dining table.
"You know I'm not an official Swordsman. I don't even know how to contact the Demon Slayer Corps, or where the Wisteria Houses are. How was I supposed to report it...?"
Kanzaki Kumo sounded aggrieved.
In truth, though, he had simply forgotten to report it.
Although he did not know how that town contacted the Demon Slayer Corps, Wisteria Houses were not particularly difficult to find, since all he needed to do was look for their wisteria emblems. As for proving his identity to the people there, nothing served as better proof than a Nichirin Blade, which was unique to the Demon Slayer Corps.
But Jigoro Kuwajima froze when he heard Kanzaki Kumo's words.
The Demon Slayer Corps really did not provide unofficial members with a means of contacting them.
Normally, that was not a problem. Ordinary apprentices did not seek out places where demons lurked, and if they actually encountered one, there would be no time to make contact. Or, if they were exceptionally gifted like Kanzaki Kumo and killed the demon outright, there was no need to contact the Corps separately. Their Cultivator only needed to report it, and the Kakushi would handle the aftermath.
And Kanzaki Kumo had already written to Kagaya Ubuyashiki while passing through the town at the foot of Mount Momiji.
"By the way, you could tell how my fight went just by looking at the blade? You're that good?" Seeing that Kuwajima had dropped the matter, Kanzaki Kumo immediately leaned closer in curiosity.
"Hmph! Of course." Kuwajima made no effort to hide his pride either.
"Brat, remember this. A Swordsman's blade is no less important than a second life. Your eyes are special to begin with, so you should pay even closer attention to your sword. Watch its wear, its resilience, and its sharpness. Once any of those deteriorate noticeably, it needs maintenance or replacement."
"Since the Demon Slayer Corps was founded, the vast majority of Swordsmen have died with broken swords. I wouldn't claim those people would have survived if their swords hadn't broken. After all, a demon capable of breaking their swords was already far stronger than them. But with a sword in hand, they at least still had the ability to fight back, and a chance to find a sliver of hope in a desperate situation."
"The smiths in the Swordsmith Village place great importance on Nichirin Blades. Besides a craftsman's regard for his own work, they have similar concerns."
"They pour everything they have into every blade they forge, all to make it a little sharper and a little tougher. They don't want a Swordsman to die because their blade couldn't withstand the battle. They can't take part in the fighting on the front lines, so all they can do is make every effort to ensure the swords in the Swordsmen's hands don't become their weakness."
"You'll have a Nichirin Blade of your own someday. For now, I'll use mine to teach you what I've learned about judging a blade's condition."
As Kuwajima spoke, he drew his Nichirin Blade with a ring of steel and began explaining, pointing out every tiny pattern on its edge.
"Of course, what I'm describing applies to my sword. Different smiths have their own distinctive forging techniques, and some of the finer signs will differ. What you need to do is use those exceptionally gifted eyes and that clever head of yours to identify the patterns that show how worn your own blade is."
"I understand, Teacher."
While Jigoro Kuwajima was teaching Kanzaki Kumo.
At the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kagaya stood at the doorway gazing at the sky, holding Kanzaki Kumo's letter. His voice carried a rare sense of ease.
"So he can already kill demons on his own? Kumo really is very gifted..."
His improved mood was not merely because Kanzaki Kumo could kill demons independently, but also because of Gyomei Himejima, who had joined the Demon Slayer Corps alongside him.
His growth had been extraordinarily rapid. In less than half a year, he had risen seven ranks, advancing from a Mizunoto Swordsman to a Hinoto Swordsman. He was not far from Kinoto either, and was very likely to become a Hashira within the next six months.
Compared with Kanzaki Kumo, who could only kill ordinary demons for the time being, Gyomei, who was on the verge of becoming a Hashira, was the one who could substantially ease the Demon Slayer Corps' current manpower shortage.
Amane Ubuyashiki stood beside Kagaya, happy to see her husband in such a rare good mood, yet worried about the purple markings caused by the curse that had begun to appear at the corner of his forehead.
According to the Ubuyashiki Family's past experience, once those markings spread across his entire face, his life would reach its end.
Moreover, as the curse spread, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's body would begin an irreversible decline.
For now, the markings were still faint enough to hide beneath his hair, but their appearance meant that the countdown to Kagaya Ubuyashiki's death had begun.
Unless Muzan could be killed, that countdown would not stop.
Sometimes, Amane questioned the gods in her heart. Why had they cursed the Ubuyashiki Family, yet left Muzan unpunished?
But the gods never answered.
The days slipped rapidly by amid an ordinary routine. In the blink of an eye, another six months passed, during which nothing particularly noteworthy happened apart from Gyomei Himejima becoming the Stone Hashira.
After that, the annual Final Selection was approaching once again.
And this time, Kanzaki Kumo would take part.
Jigoro Kuwajima's resolve had wavered the day before his departure, and he wanted to persuade Kanzaki Kumo to wait another year. But faced with Kanzaki Kumo's determined gaze, all his attempts at dissuasion became reminders and blessings by the time he spoke them aloud.
He was not worried about whether Kanzaki Kumo could pass the selection, though. After all, Kanzaki Kumo had truly mastered Total Concentration: Constant more than three months earlier.
Afterward, he had also made slight adjustments to several forms of Thunder Breathing to better suit his own habits when striking.
Judging solely by the strength he displayed in his daily training, Kanzaki Kumo was now not much weaker than Jigoro Kuwajima had been when he first became a Hashira. Kuwajima genuinely lacked sufficient reason to stop him from taking part in the Final Selection.
Kanzaki Kumo insisted on taking part in the Final Selection partly because he wanted to join the Demon Slayer Corps sooner to facilitate his future plans. More importantly, he wanted to deal with the Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane, whose strength far exceeded the level of a beginner-area boss.
After taking in such an outstandingly gifted disciple, Kuwajima had once written to another old friend who had become a Cultivator and bragged at length. Not long ago, that friend had written back to boast that he had taken in two very talented disciples-Sabito and Giyu Tomioka.
The man corresponding with Kuwajima was the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki, who had become a Cultivator over a year before him.
Before you continue