Acknowledgment

"Y-you, you..."

Watching Kanzaki Kumo effortlessly catch his Nichirin Blade and even draw it to examine the blade, Kuwajima completely lost his composure.

Since Kuwajima himself was rather short, the Nichirin Blade made specifically for him was relatively short as well. Even at Kanzaki Kumo's height, he could draw it completely, but since he had never learned swordsmanship, he only took a look before sliding it back into its sheath.

Afterward, Kanzaki Kumo held the Nichirin Blade in one hand and quietly watched Jigoro Kuwajima. He looked calm on the surface, but his inner self was clutching his stomach with laughter.

Kanzaki Kumo: Teasing an adorable little old man with a sharp tongue and a soft heart was pretty fun.

Jigoro Kuwajima: (╬￣皿￣)

But seeing the bandages wrapped around several parts of Jigoro Kuwajima's body, and his visibly shortened right leg, Kanzaki Kumo set aside his playful mood.

"Mr. Kuwajima, there's no need to try to talk me out of it. I know very well how brutal demons are, and I know the dangers swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps face. But you never know when you might run into a demon. Learning a Breathing Style would at least give me a few more ways to stay alive if I encountered one."

Kanzaki Kumo's gaze remained calm, but the determination in it made Kuwajima swallow the words he had been about to use to dissuade him again.

"Hmph! It's too early to say any of that. Learning a Breathing Style is grueling. Let's see if you can stick with it first, brat." Seeing Kanzaki Kumo display a maturity beyond his years, Kuwajima wavered somewhat, but his tone remained unyielding.

"We'll just have to wait and see about that." Kanzaki Kumo shrugged, sounding rather casual.

"Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Kanzaki Kumo, and I'm an orphan. You probably saw me outside the temple before. Well, get some rest and recover, my 'future teacher.' You'll have to get better soon so you can teach me properly."

With that, Kanzaki Kumo put the Nichirin Blade back where it belonged and left the ward, leaving Kuwajima to recover in peace.

Jigoro Kuwajima, however, was startled by Kanzaki Kumo's words. Although he had not deliberately hidden himself back then, his combat instincts had still led him to choose a relatively inconspicuous corner. He had never expected a child to notice him.

Whatever else might be said, that power of observation certainly surprised Kuwajima.

When the sound of the door closing brought him back to his senses, he glanced at the Nichirin Blade that had been returned to its place, then recalled their brief interaction. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

At least he did not dislike Kanzaki Kumo's personality, and the boy had considerable talent.

It was just his age... After much hesitation, he still decided to find a way to talk Kanzaki Kumo out of it later.

At such a young age, he ought to be enjoying himself, not taking part in deadly battles against demons.

Kanzaki Kumo was also smiling as he left the ward. This sharp-tongued, softhearted little old man really was rather adorable.

As for Kuwajima still refusing to give up on talking him out of it, Kanzaki Kumo did not mind. At worst, the training would just be a little more intense, which would help him improve instead.

Being a little more exhausted during training was better than getting injured or even dying in an actual fight later.

With light steps, Kanzaki Kumo soon reached the outside of the medical department, where the Kakushi who had guided him was still waiting.

Following the Kakushi to his lodgings, he discovered that they were actually a small courtyard halfway up a mountain. The medical department was halfway up another mountain opposite it. If not for the trees blocking the view, they could even have seen one another from afar.

The courtyard had a bedroom on either side, with a main hall facing the front gate and a kitchen, bathroom, and other facilities behind the hall. Although it was only temporary accommodation, it had every amenity, and servants had even been assigned to tend to it.

All he could say was that the Ubuyashiki Family was truly wealthy.

When Kanzaki Kumo arrived, Gyomei happened to be coming out of the bedroom on the left. Before Kanzaki Kumo could greet him, he had already heard their footsteps, even identifying Kanzaki Kumo's among them, and nodded toward him.

At the sight, Kanzaki Kumo, who had felt rather talented in front of Kuwajima, immediately lost that little bit of pride.

Compared with a true freak of talent, his own gifts were really quite ordinary.

Thinking of freakish talent reminded Kanzaki Kumo of the extraordinarily gifted person in the original story who had become a Hashira just two months after first picking up a sword. Those two months had even included the seven days spent on the Final Selection, leaving him even less able to feel proud.

But then he put those thoughts aside. Whatever others were like, the most important thing was to focus on making himself stronger.

After bringing Kanzaki Kumo there, the Kakushi turned and left. Meanwhile, Kanzaki Kumo was lost in wandering thoughts prompted by the phrase "freakish talent," and seeing that he was not speaking, Gyomei simply stood there quietly.

Only when the cook assigned to the courtyard came up to them was this inexplicable silence broken.

"Gentlemen, lunch is ready."

Perhaps that was only to be expected of an anime world. Neither the ingredients nor the seasonings seemed much like what this era ought to have had. Although the style of cooking differed somewhat from that of Kanzaki Kumo's previous life, it tasted quite good, and was incomparably better than the plain meals he had eaten before, which had done little more than fill his stomach.

Perhaps because the food was so delicious, Gyomei shed tears as he ate, leaving Kanzaki Kumo repeatedly staring in surprise.

Two and a half weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout those days, Kanzaki Kumo and Gyomei both stayed in the small courtyard.

Gyomei went to the Ubuyashiki Estate every day to learn how to practice Stone Breathing. For now, he mainly studied the fundamentals alongside some simple physical exercises. Knowing that Gyomei had suffered from long-term malnutrition, Kagaya Ubuyashiki specifically cautioned him not to train too hard yet, and to let his body recover first.

Kanzaki Kumo also exercised on his own according to what his body could handle. With sufficient nutrition, his previously rather thin, small frame underwent subtle changes. Although, apart from his healthier complexion, these changes were still difficult to see with the naked eye, what he felt himself could not be mistaken.

Besides his daily training, he also visited Jigoro Kuwajima every few days, occasionally trading barbs with him.

After several such visits, the two had grown considerably closer.

But Kuwajima's desire to dissuade Kanzaki Kumo remained deeply rooted, and only grew stronger as they became closer. More than once, he indicated that he was willing to take Kanzaki Kumo in and let him enjoy a few carefree years before thinking about learning a Breathing Style. Kanzaki Kumo felt somewhat helpless about this.

He was glad his future teacher was a good man, but he was a little too kindhearted...

After silently awarding Jigoro Kuwajima a "good person card" as well, Kanzaki Kumo let him be. Kuwajima could keep trying to dissuade him, and he would keep learning.

That day, just after finishing breakfast and seeing Gyomei off to the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kanzaki Kumo was about to begin his daily exercises when he suddenly heard a shout from outside the courtyard.

"Brat, your teacher's recovered, and I'm ready to leave." Appearing at the courtyard gate right after that shout was the little old man Kanzaki Kumo had become so familiar with, Jigoro Kuwajima.

He now had a prosthetic fitted to his right leg, and all the bandages on his body had been removed. Leaning on a cane with one hand, he waved with the other at Kanzaki Kumo, who stood inside the courtyard.

"Little old man, why did you come all this way when you have trouble walking? Couldn't you just have sent someone with a message?" Grumbling, Kanzaki Kumo hurried forward to support Kuwajima.

Through their repeated interactions and bickering, this teacher and student had instead come to resemble friends despite their age difference. Their nicknames of "brat" and "little old man" never failed to astonish newly arrived patients in the medical department.

To be fair, the physical enhancement provided by Breathing Styles really was impressive. Jigoro Kuwajima recovered from his injuries far faster than an ordinary person.

If an ordinary person had suffered the injuries Jigoro Kuwajima had sustained, there was no telling whether they could even get out of bed after so few days, yet Kuwajima was already moving around normally.

"Listen to you. My legs might not be as nimble as they used to be, but I can still run and jump." Kuwajima remained stubborn in his words, but readily cooperated as Kanzaki Kumo supported him.

When it came to having sharp tongues and soft hearts, the two were particularly alike. Perhaps that was the key to their friendship despite the age gap.

In any case, they were both quite happy with things this way.

A carriage was already waiting at the foot of the mountain. Clearly, Kuwajima had not come all the way from the medical department entirely on his own two legs. That same carriage would then take them to their destination-Mount Momiji, where Kuwajima had lived before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, and where he now intended to live in seclusion after retiring.

Seated in the carriage, listening to Jigoro Kuwajima reminisce about his old hometown while watching the scenery outside the window, Kanzaki Kumo once again let his thoughts drift.