Kagaya Ubuyashiki appeared to be asking both Kanzaki Kumo and Gyomei, but he was actually only asking Kanzaki Kumo. For someone like Gyomei, whose innate physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, Stone Breathing was the best fit.
By contrast, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had yet to settle on a Breathing Style for Kanzaki Kumo, who had so far shown no additional talent for combat beyond his terrifying powers of observation.
"I'll choose Thunder Breathing," Kanzaki Kumo said, voicing the decision he had made on the way here.
Thunder Breathing was the fastest of the five foundational Breathing Styles, especially in terms of explosive bursts of speed.
Its speed was precisely what had caught Kanzaki Kumo's eye.
As a saying from his previous life went, among all martial arts, only speed was unbeatable.
Besides, speed offered an advantage not only in attacking, but also in staying alive.
Kanzaki Kumo: Hey, I've gotten a second life. Of course I should treasure it a little~ What's wrong with playing it safe?
Of course, an extremely fast Breathing Style would also help him make better use of his own strengths.
In combat, his terrifying powers of observation manifested as exceptionally strong dynamic vision, which had already shown itself when he helped Gyomei fight the demon.
This powerful dynamic vision allowed him to see everything within his field of view clearly even while moving or attacking at high speed. In other words, it greatly raised the upper limit of the speed he could handle, leaving his body's endurance as the concern going forward.
At the same time, only a sufficiently fast method of attack could bring out the advantages of this talent.
After all, spotting an opponent's opening was of little use if his attacks could not keep up.
"Thunder Breathing? In that case, Mr. Kanzaki, you may need to wait a little while. The Demon Slayer Corps' previous Thunder Breathing Cultivator stepped down because his advanced age left him unable to teach properly. The next Cultivator will be the Rumble Hashira, Jigoro Kuwajima. He retired last night due to injury and is currently recovering. Once he has recovered, he will take up the position of Cultivator."
Kagaya's words briefly stunned Kanzaki Kumo. After all, he had seen Jigoro Kuwajima flash past outside the temple earlier, only to hear now that he was seriously injured.
Although he did rather hope that cute little old man would become his teacher, he really had not expected to arrive just as the man retired with serious injuries.
"That's no problem." Having made his decision, Kanzaki Kumo was unwilling to change his choice lightly. In any case, his life would not be in danger for the time being while he stayed with the Demon Slayer Corps. A little delay was fine.
"Then that settles it."
Once Kanzaki Kumo's choice of Breathing Style was settled, Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned his gaze toward Gyomei Himejima, who had remained silent beside him.
"Now then, Mr. Himejima, do you have anything in mind? If not, I recommend Stone Breathing. It will allow you to make better use of your exceptional natural gifts."
"Amitabha. In that case, I shall choose Stone Breathing." Gyomei pressed his palms together as he replied.
"Because Stone Breathing is so difficult to learn, only a handful of people have mastered it over the past several hundred years. As such, it has no corresponding Cultivator, only a training manual and the insights left behind by each of its users. I will personally read their contents aloud to you until you either learn Stone Breathing or give up and switch to another Breathing Style."
He's certainly willing to put in the effort to truly win Gyomei over, Kanzaki Kumo muttered inwardly upon hearing Kagaya Ubuyashiki's words. Of course, it was not because he was jealous or anything. Gyomei's talent really was absurd.
Even Kanzaki Kumo himself was unsure whether his future strength could surpass Gyomei's. This was a powerhouse who could swing a flail like a propeller.
It was already remarkable for an ordinary person to barely hold their own against a demon, yet Gyomei had pinned one down and beaten it for hours until dawn.
One could say that all he needed was a suitably sized Nichirin Blade, and he could already take the Swordsman's Final Selection.
Kanzaki Kumo felt that even the Hand Demon, whose difficulty far exceeded the normal standard for a beginner-area boss, might not be able to handle Gyomei.
"Amitabha. Thank you, Master." Gyomei was naturally deeply moved by Kagaya Ubuyashiki's offer to read the training manual aloud personally. Tears even shimmered in his eyes, which showed only their whites.
The congenital defect in Gyomei's eyes had not only left him blind, but also made him more prone to tears than ordinary people, especially when his emotions fluctuated.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki was briefly taken aback to see such a large man as Gyomei looking moved to tears, but he soon realized it was likely an innate physical condition and said nothing more about it.
"Well then, you must both be tired from your journey. Please go and rest. Kakushi have already been arranged outside to take you to your lodgings."
At that, Kanzaki Kumo turned to look outside and saw two people standing in the courtyard, wrapped tightly from head to toe in black clothing. They even wore face coverings, leaving only their eyes exposed.
These were the Kakushi, responsible for most of the Demon Slayer Corps' logistical work, including but not limited to procuring supplies, transporting the wounded, cleaning up battle sites, and guiding people.
Essentially, apart from medical care and forging Nichirin Blades, all other logistical matters were handled by the Kakushi.
"May I visit my future teacher?" Thinking of medical care, Kanzaki Kumo asked casually as he prepared to leave. After all, this was someone he would be spending quite a long time with, so building a good relationship in advance would be nice. He had nothing else to do anyway.
"Of course." Kagaya Ubuyashiki naturally would not refuse such a small request.
And so Gyomei was taken to his lodgings, while Kanzaki Kumo headed to the medical department.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki stood at the doorway, watching the two depart, and some of the worry in his heart faded.
Although Kanzaki Kumo was still young and would probably need considerable training before he could truly take part in battle, Gyomei already had a solid foundation. Once he learned a Breathing Style, he could become a swordsman of considerable strength, and he had substantial potential for growth as well. This would at least ease the Demon Slayer Corps' shortage of talent a little.
Though only a little...
When he thought of how the Demon Slayer Corps had only a single Flame Hashira left struggling to hold up its highest ranks of fighting strength, Kagaya Ubuyashiki ultimately could not feel any better.
But he was the master of the Demon Slayer Corps, its leader. No matter what, he could not show his negative emotions in front of others.
"Things will get better." Amane Ubuyashiki stepped forward and took Kagaya's hand, comforting him softly.
"Yes."
The two sisters beside them could only exchange a glance before turning their eyes toward the two departing figures as well.
The Demon Slayer Corps' medical department.
Led by a medical worker, Kanzaki Kumo arrived outside Jigoro Kuwajima's ward.
"Lord Kuwajima, a boy who calls himself your future disciple wishes to visit you. Would now be a convenient time?" Even though Jigoro Kuwajima had already resigned from his position as a Hashira, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps still held sincere respect for him.
Lying idle in his hospital bed, Jigoro Kuwajima was briefly startled by the phrase "future disciple," then immediately told them to let him in.
Seeing the child who walked into the room, Kuwajima was somewhat bewildered.
The Demon Slayer Corps may be short on people, but surely it hasn't come to sending children this young onto the battlefield? Kuwajima muttered inwardly.
While Kuwajima was lost in thought, Kanzaki Kumo had already confirmed from the neatly folded bright yellow haori beside his bed that he was indeed the figure who had flashed past outside the temple earlier.
"You're the brat calling himself my 'future disciple'? How old are you, anyway? Do you know what a Swordsman does? Do you know how terrifying demons are?" Looking at the obviously young Kanzaki Kumo, Kuwajima's first thought was to scare him away with some harsh words.
Faced with Jigoro Kuwajima's deliberately intimidating expression, Kanzaki Kumo said nothing and simply watched him in silence.
There was no helping it. Kuwajima's acting really was lacking. Though his scarred face did make him look somewhat frightening, Kanzaki Kumo could see flaws everywhere. It was only because he knew the man meant well that he barely suppressed the urge to make a snarky remark.
Seeing the calm, somewhat speechless look in Kanzaki Kumo's eyes, Kuwajima began to struggle to keep up the act.
As his gaze wandered, Kuwajima suddenly noticed that the child before him looked familiar. After thinking it over, he realized the boy seemed to be one of the children from the temple he had reached too late that day.
In that case, the boy really had seen a demon.
At that thought, Kuwajima found it even harder to maintain his expression.
Still, he had not given up on persuading Kanzaki Kumo to back out, and continued, "With that little body of yours, can you even lift a Nichirin Blade?"
"I think... I can." Kanzaki Kumo answered after a moment's thought. Although his strength was not as terrifying as Gyomei's, the fact that he had been able to affect the demon's movements by throwing pebbles at it earlier at least showed that he was not weak.
"Oh? Then pick one up and show me!" As he spoke, Kuwajima picked up his own Nichirin Blade from beside the bed and tossed it, sheath and all, toward Kanzaki Kumo.
He controlled the force so it would land in front of Kanzaki Kumo. Even if the boy failed to catch it, it would not hit him.
To his surprise, however, Kanzaki Kumo caught it easily with one hand.
Before you continue