Tomioka Giyu's residence.
Tanjirou looked at Tomioka Giyu with wide, innocent eyes, looking completely guileless.
The corner of Tomioka Giyu's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. He closed his eyes and began to meditate, intending to ignore him.
Tanjirou tilted his head, his body leaning slightly... Tanjirou stretched his neck forward... Tanjirou... Tomioka Giyu couldn't hold back anymore and opened his eyes.
Seeing this, Tanjirou said happily, "Mr. Giyu, are you awake?"
No, he hadn't been sleeping at all.
No, no, he couldn't even meditate properly.
Tomioka Giyu looked at him expressionlessly: "What exactly do you want?"
"I'm inviting you to participate in special training," Tanjirou said sincerely. "I want to ask you to train me."
Tomioka Giyu replied flatly, "No."
"Why? I smell a hint of anger emanating from you. What are you angry about?" Tanjirou's straightforward demeanor prevented Tomioka Giyu from feeling any irritation. "Is it because I disturbed your rest?"
It's good that you understand.
Tomioka Giyu muttered inwardly, then said flatly, "I'm angry that you haven't trained Water Breathing to its limit."
"You must become the Water Hashira."
Tanjirou scratched his head anxiously: "I'm sorry about that, but I also spoke with Master Urokodaki, and it seems changing the Breathing Technique one uses or deriving a new one is not that uncommon."
"Especially Water Breathing; the skills follow the fundamentals, so many derivative Breathing Techniques exist."
"Furthermore, Young Miss Mizuki said that my Physique seems more suitable for practicing Sun Breathing."
Young Miss Mizuki had discussed this matter with Master Urokodaki even before I participated in the Final Selection.
In fact, everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps doesn't care whether their swordsmanship is recognized by others; as long as they can slay demons more effectively, it doesn't matter even if their Breathing Technique and Sword Form are replaced.
But Tanjirou clearly misunderstood Giyuu's meaning.
"That's not what I meant," Tomioka Giyu said calmly. "The Water Hashira position is currently vacant, and someone must become the Water Hashira quickly."
Tanjirou was stunned for a moment: "The Water Hashira position is vacant?"
"But isn't Mr. Giyu here?"
Throughout the hundreds of years of the Demon Slayer Corps' history, the Water and Flame Hashira positions have almost never been vacant across generations.
In response, Giyuu merely said with a placid expression, "I am not the Water Hashira."
Tanjirou couldn't help but show a look of worry regarding this.
He could smell a scent of profound sadness coming from Mr. Giyu.
What happened?
"You should go back." Giyuu stood up, making a gesture that he was about to leave.
If you won't leave, then I'll leave, alright?
However, even though he had said so much, Tanjirou remained motionless where he sat.
Tomioka Giyu: "..."
"Go back," he repeated.
Tanjirou said confidently, "Mhm! I understand!"
Tomioka Giyu sighed in relief. He finally understood.
However... Tanjirou still sat motionless in his spot, looking at him with a very sincere gaze.
What does that mean?
Perhaps realizing the confusion on Giyuu's face, Tanjirou declared confidently, "Don't worry, Mr. Giyu, I won't leave you!"
It was exactly as Young Miss Mizuki had said.
Tomioka Giyu: "???"
Seeing that Tomioka Giyu really didn't refute him, Tanjirou felt deeply moved.
Sure enough, just like Young Miss Mizuki said, Mr. Giyu's words must be interpreted in reverse.
Asking him to go back actually meant he didn't want him to leav— *Bang!!!*
The door was slammed shut, and Tanjirou's smug expression was frozen on his face.
S-something must have gone wrong... "Pfft~"
In the Butterfly Mansion corridor, Mizuki, having heard Tanjirou's entire process of persuading Giyuu, nearly spat out the floral tea in her mouth.
Tanjirou: "...Didn't you say that treating Mr. Giyu's words as the opposite of what he meant would be fine?"
Mizuki choked twice, looking at him with a wry smile: "I meant the words that sound unpleasant."
Tanjirou: "But those *were* unpleasant words."
Mizuki rolled her eyes: "Just asking you to leave the premises counts as unpleasant?"
Tanjirou's mouth twitched slightly, and he thought: "Right, Young Miss Mizuki, Mr. Giyu said he isn't the Water Hashira. What does that mean?"
"He's not the Water Hashira?" Mizuki frowned.
She couldn't quite recall the plot development of the characters, and her little notebook didn't record much about Giyuu, nor did Master Urokodaki talk much about Giyuu.
She only knew that Giyuu was cold on the outside but warm-hearted and socially awkward.
As for why he felt he wasn't the Water Hashira, Mizuki wasn't entirely sure.
The meaning of this sentence must be that Giyuu felt unworthy of the title Water Hashira, right?
It must be related to something that happened in the past. Regarding Giyuu, the only thing she could think of was Sabito, who wore the Disaster Removal mask.
He seemed to be in the same cohort as Giyuu and died during the Final Selection.
If she had to guess, Mizuki could only link it to this incident, but she still couldn't figure out Giyuu's thoughts.
Mizuki shook her head: "Sorry, I'm not very clear on that either."
"If you want to know, you can go and ask Kanae. She might know something."
As the most popular woman in the Demon Slayer Corps, Kanae could chat easily with anyone.
"I see." Tanjirou sounded slightly disappointed.
Just then, a Kasugai Crow flew over from a distance.
"Young Miss Mizuki, Lady Tamayo requests your presence."
It was the Kasugai Crow that Ubuyashiki Kagaya had given Tamayo for communication.
Because she and Yushiro were demons, it wasn't very convenient for them to go out and look for people, and not everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps was accepting of them.
Few Swordsmen knew of their existence, apart from the Hashira.
Just like now, there are still many Swordsmen who don't know her true identity, only that a female Swordsman whose swordsmanship rivals a Hashira lives here at the Butterfly Mansion.
Tamayo is looking for her?
"I'll go right away." Mizuki nodded, then turned to Tanjirou and said, "Giyuu isn't good at communicating with people. If you pester him enough, he'll surely reach his limit quickly."
Tanjirou scratched his head: "Is that so?"
Mizuki smiled and patted his shoulder: "In any case, good luck, young man."
Tanjirou was startled: "Did Young Miss Mizuki get some inspiration from Mr. Giyu's Sword Form?"
"Huh? Why do you say that?" Mizuki asked, slightly puzzled.
Tanjirou gestured twice: "Because, Young Miss Mizuki looks really relaxed."
Previously, the scent he detected from Mizuki always carried a feeling of anxiousness and restlessness.
Now, that feeling is gone.
Mizuki paused, thinking of what happened yesterday, and couldn't help but cough twice, her face slightly flushed: "It's nothing."
He smelled the scent of a lie.
Tanjirou scratched his head, deciding not to pursue Young Miss Mizuki's lie.
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