Tanjiro shuddered and held his breath.
"Why hesitate, Tanjiro?"
Lu You looked at him in puzzlement.
Since Sakonji Urokodaki would no longer appear here, he had to teach Tanjiro a lesson in his place.
"Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself and your teammates."
He casually tossed the demon's head onto the ground.
"Tanjiro."
"Y-yes! I'm here!"
Tanjiro took out his axe and looked at the head with a pained expression.
"If a demon were going to kill me one day, would you swing your axe at him?"
"I would! I promise!"
"Then what if that demon were Nezuko? Would you still do it?"
"Big Brother You... I..."
Lu You shook his head slightly, walked up to Tanjiro, and reached out. Tanjiro froze, then instinctively closed his eyes.
But the slap he imagined never came. Instead, a hand gently stroked his head. Opening his eyes, Tanjiro saw Lu You smiling, gentle as the breeze.
"Don't be nervous. It's all right if you don't answer. You're still a child, after all."
In his previous life, a boy in his early teens would still have been in middle school, yet here he had to face countless choices of life and death.
Thinking about it carefully, wasn't Lu You himself much the same? He had been nothing more than an ordinary university student, only to accidentally transmigrate to the Sakura Continent and face death before he had much time to adjust.
If this journey failed to accomplish its set objective, his second life would end here.
"Big Brother You... The scent of sadness."
Tanjiro blamed himself inwardly.
"Even so, Tanjiro, if one day Nezuko really does kill an innocent person,
there's only one thing you need to do. Kill her, then take your own life."
Lu You spoke these cruel words calmly.
"So never let that happen."
Tanjiro's fingers involuntarily tightened around the axe handle. Thinking of Nezuko behind him, he nodded firmly. "Yes!"
"Tanjiro, just think of it as doing it for me. Use Flame... ahem, your axe on it!"
Lu You held out his fist and bumped fists with Tanjiro, then lifted his foot, exposing the man-eating demon's head.
This time, Tanjiro gritted his teeth and decisively brought his axe down. Blood instantly burst out, spraying all over the ground.
Then Tanjiro raised his axe again.
"That's enough, Tanjiro. Enough. I've seen your resolve."
Lu You caught the descending axe handle, then crushed the cursing demon's head beneath his own foot, sending a bloody mist swirling.
Dust rose from the ground.
Tanjiro nodded gently, his expression complicated.
[You gave a boy a profound lesson on responsibility and shouldering burdens, reminding the template-Yuji Itadori-of that white-haired acquaintance from the past. Synchronization +1%]
The two tidied up a little, then went into the inn.
Scattered corpses lay inside each of these buildings, one or two in some, three or four in others. Clearly, the demon had already made this place its dining hall.
A mysterious jungle farming spot...
What a dark joke.
"Demons run rampant, and all five ages are defiled."
After spending some time cremating the bodies, they rested at the inn for the time being.
Until Biyang first rose.
That morning, Lu You felt refreshed and energized.
Tanjiro, however, had dark circles under his eyes. He had not slept at all. The astonishment on the demon's face at the instant his axe fell kept coming back to him.
"You're simply too kind, Tanjiro."
"I think I'm just indecisive, Big Brother You. You're the truly kind one, willing to protect us and never backing down from danger..."
After packing his things, Lu You smiled without answering and walked out of the inn.
There was a reason for everything. He was hardly a good person, just an ordinary person at most. To put it plainly, everything he was doing now was for synchronization.
It was all selfishly done so that he could survive later.
Sympathy accounted for only a very small part.
After several more hours of walking, as the sun climbed and the air gradually warmed, Mount Sagiri finally appeared on the horizon.
At the foot of the mountain stood an old man wearing a Tengu Mask. He was as steady as a mountain, his presence deep as an abyss.
Dressed in a plain, long blue haori, he stood firmly on the ground. White hair peeked out at his temples; clearly, he was well on in years.
And from his perspective,
of the two people approaching from the horizon, one was a handsome young man with his long hair tied back. His black shirt was simple and unadorned, his eyes deep, and he carried a trace of anxiety in his scent.
The other was a boy carrying a bamboo basket, with red hair, green clothing, and a conspicuous scar on his forehead. His dark red eyes were full of curiosity, and his whole body gave off a gentle scent.
So these are the Lu You and Tanjiro Kamado Giyu mentioned...
Sakonji Urokodaki understood.
By the time the two reached him, his aged voice had already sounded. "Follow me, You, Tanjiro Kamado."
Then he turned and began running with quick, short steps, his feet landing silently. Soon, he was about to disappear along the mountain path.
"Huh?"
Tanjiro looked utterly bewildered.
Lu You pushed off with his toes and shot forward, the surrounding trees sweeping backward like a painted scroll.
"Tanjiro, keep up."
Tanjiro smiled bitterly. How was he supposed to keep up?
But the boy's heart was strong. Gritting his teeth, he too broke into a quick jog, following closely behind the two.
Up ahead, Sakonji Urokodaki deliberately controlled his speed while constantly observing the two behind him.
The letter Giyu had written him surfaced in his mind.
"To Sakonji Urokodaki, personally:
I have sent two people who wish to become Demon Slayers to you. Their names are Lu You and Tanjiro Kamado, and both possess special talents.
Tanjiro Kamado possesses a keen sense of smell like yours, along with combat intuition. His family was killed by a demon, and his surviving younger sister was turned into a demon as well.
But please rest assured. I judge that his sister will not attack humans. The reason I sheltered a man-eating demon was that I saw something different in these siblings.
Perhaps that is the possibility of a miracle...
This boy may be able to inherit your mantle, carry on your legacy, and surpass it.
As for Lu You, he is a man with a strong sense of justice who resolutely stopped me from killing the Kamado girl after she had become a demon. He possesses exceptional physical capabilities, much like Mr. Himejima and Kanroji.
With dedicated training, he can become a very powerful swordsman.
His thinking is progressive, and he has no reverence for rules. He may be able to bring about a sweeping change in the Demon Slayer Corps' situation.
He also wishes to create his own Breathing Style, so I promised him that I would have all the mainstream Breathing Styles taught to him and recommend him to cultivators of other Breathing Styles.
Therefore, he probably will not remain on Mount Sagiri for too long. If you feel he is ready to leave, you can write to me, and I will recommend him to other cultivators.
All of the above stems from my personal wishes.
I hope you continue to hone your skills and enjoy good fortune in battle.
Please forgive the haste of this letter.
Written by Giyu Tomioka."
Giyu, just as you said, Lu You possesses exceptional physical talent. He also has a distinctive scent, and his potential is limitless.
As for Tanjiro Kamado, this child is too gentle. Whether he can find the strength to strike at demons requires further observation.
Before long, as the three ran, a plain wooden house appeared among the dense trees.
Bent over and panting furiously with both hands braced on his knees, Tanjiro felt as though his throat was filled with the taste of blood.
He felt as though he was going to die.
Lu You, on the other hand, merely felt a little warm.
Good thing I was a sports student!
"Tanjiro Kamado, put your sister down. I'll take good care of him. Your test isn't over yet. Follow me, and don't die."
Sakonji Urokodaki's words made Tanjiro straighten up, his face drenched in sweat and his expression resolute.
"Yes!"
Lu You watched the two walk away, remaining in the house to look after Nezuko as she crawled out of the bamboo basket.
The setting sun gradually turned yellow. Fortunately, its light did not reach inside.
The petite, adorable Nezuko watched Lu You curiously. He sat cross-legged on a cushion inside the house, holding two fingers together and pointing them at a thick tree outside the door.
He uttered a soft whisper.
"Lataib!"
Whoosh! A sharp, invisible ripple instantly severed the thick tree at the waist. With a thunderous crash, it toppled to the ground, sending dust and dirt flying through the air.
Nezuko's pink eyes suddenly widened.
Before you continue