Time flew, and several weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, the sunshine was just right, and the breeze was mild.
Teiichi sat quietly on a small stool in front of the cabin, staring blankly at the sky.
One hand rested casually across his legs, while his other elbow rested lightly on his knee, his palm propping up his chin as though he were pondering something.
The clouds in the sky were as light and airy as cotton candy, gathering and scattering in endless variations. Teiichi simply stared at them, his thoughts gradually drifting away...
Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly. Then a faint sound reached him. The corners of his mouth lifted as he murmured, "Finally."
His gaze slowly lowered, fixing on the dense, mysterious forest before him.
This was the result of Teiichi's diligent training over the past few weeks.
His hearing had improved to some extent. Or rather, through these weeks of sensing the wind, he could now use it to pick up sounds from farther away.
Sure enough, a moment later, a figure dashed out of the woods like a breeze, carrying a hefty wild boar on his back. Yet the seemingly heavy burden rested easily on his shoulders.
Finally, he slowed to a stop in front of the cabin.
"Teacher, why is it wild boar again? Can't you bring something different next time? I've been getting a little sick of eating wild boar lately."
Teiichi frowned slightly at the wild boar on his teacher Kazeno Shoma's back, a hint of distaste in his voice.
"You brat, you're lucky to have anything to eat, and now you're getting picky. It's only because you're with me that you get this. Otherwise, you couldn't have it even if you wanted to."
"All right, what good food did you make today?"
"Today? I made spicy chicken, stir-fried some fresh wild greens, and stewed some wild boar soup."
"Spicy chicken! I'm in for a treat today, then."
At this, excitement sparkled in Kazeno Shoma's eyes.
Once, when Kazeno Shoma had gone out on a mission and had not returned to cook, Teiichi had cooked a meal for himself. When Kazeno Shoma returned the next day, he could not be bothered to cook and simply ate the leftovers. Discovering that Teiichi was actually a decent cook, he began leaving the cooking to him quite often.
Teiichi was quite happy with this. After all, while the food before had not exactly been bad, it really had tasted rather mediocre.
The two entered the cabin as they talked. Kazeno Shoma put down the boar and began preparing that evening's dinner. Teiichi eagerly started helping as well, looking forward to the delicious meal to come.
"Master, not to nag, but you're not exactly young anymore. You should eat lighter food. It's better to eat less of anything irritating, like spicy food."
As he spoke, Teiichi turned and went inside.
"Enough nagging. You weren't even born when I started slaying demons. Since when did you get to tell this old man what to do?"
As he spoke, he sat down at the dining table and began urging him on.
"Hurry up and bring it out. Are you trying to starve your teacher to death?"
"Coming, coming!"
Once the three dishes had been brought to the table one by one, the two sat down and began eating.
"Cough... cough..."
Teiichi had only just put a mouthful of rice into his mouth when a fit of coughing from Kazeno Shoma forced him to stop. He ladled out a bowl of wild boar soup from the table and passed it over.
"Honestly, if you can't handle spicy food, eat more slowly. Don't act like you've never eaten before."
"If you don't know how to talk, brat, then talk less. No one will think you're mute if you keep quiet."
"..."
The scolding left Teiichi somewhat speechless, but he could hardly argue back, so he could only lower his head and eat in silence.
"By the way, your body's pretty much recovered now. You can start physical training tomorrow."
Teiichi's eyes lit up when he heard that he could begin training.
"I can start already? Hasn't it only been about a month?"
"You can. Your flesh has pretty much healed. Your physical aptitude is a little better than I expected. It's not absurdly good, but it certainly surpasses that of an ordinary person."
Hearing his teacher Shoma's praise, Teiichi could not help grinning.
"Hehehe... does that mean I can become a Hashira someday?"
Shoma rolled his eyes at Teiichi.
"Hashira Rank is the highest rank in the Demon Slayer Corps, and their strength far surpasses that of ordinary members. You haven't even formally started learning a Breathing Style yet. Don't get ahead of yourself."
"Hehehe, I was just thinking about it."
The next day, before dawn.
Teiichi was jolted awake by a smack from a scabbard. He climbed groggily out of bed, put on his clothes, and followed Shoma outside.
Starting from the cabin halfway up the mountain, Teiichi followed Kazeno Shoma all the way down. Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they turned around and ran toward the summit as fast as they could.
As the first light of dawn arrived, two figures ran along the mountain's dirt path.
Kazeno Shoma led the way with light steps, looking completely at ease.
Teiichi, following behind him, was already visibly exhausted. He panted, his forehead covered in sweat, but he kept pushing forward.
Kazeno Shoma turned around and ran backward up the mountain, looking at the panting Teiichi as he spoke.
"Hurry up. We've only just passed the halfway point. The summit's still a long way off."
"Huff... huff..."
Heavy panting was his only reply.
Watching the boy before him, beads of sweat rolling down his face, a trace of approval flashed through Kazeno Shoma's eyes.
"I'm going on ahead. If you haven't reached the summit before the sun's fully up, you'll be in for it today."
With that, Kazeno Shoma stopped waiting and turned to dash toward the summit. His figure soon disappeared from Teiichi's sight.
Teiichi turned to look into the distance. The sun had only just begun to emerge, and a faint red glow was spreading across the sky.
He took a deep breath, felt the exhaustion in his muscles, and gritted his teeth. Quickening his steps, he pressed resolutely toward the summit.
Time flew, the months slipped by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Throughout that time, Teiichi maintained a high degree of self-discipline and perseverance, rising every morning before dawn and only descending the mountain to return home after night had fully fallen.
Every day, he fought his way up the winding mountain path to the summit, then began grueling strength training. This contrasted with Thunder Breathing's focus on training the lower body and Stone Breathing's emphasis on the upper body.
Wind Breathing placed more comprehensive demands on a practitioner's overall physique: the extreme speed it pursued required the support of powerful lower limbs, while the sharp wind blades unleashed in actual combat relied on a strong, solid upper body.
For this very reason, Teiichi persisted in full-body strength training day after day, including but not limited to push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and burpees, striving to ensure that every part of his body was thoroughly exercised and strengthened.
He could only return after training until the sun had completely set in the evening. Apart from dinner, Shoma brought all his daily meals up the mountain.
After delivering the food, he would stay at the summit for a while to observe Teiichi's training and offer appropriate guidance.
At first, Teiichi worried that his body would give out under such intense daily training. After continuing for a while, he discovered that although his days were exhausting, his recovery really could keep pace with the training load.
It was, after all, a world with fantastical elements. Although it was not as absurd as One Piece, where putting in effort could immediately turn someone superhuman, Teiichi's body had indeed made great strides over those six months of training.
Finally, at the dinner table that evening, Teiichi heard words that thrilled him.
"Your physical training has progressed considerably faster than I expected. You've already reached the minimum requirements for using a Breathing Style."
"Starting tomorrow, we'll add another component to your daily training: Breathing Style and swordsmanship practice."