After finishing his training at the Butterfly Mansion, Taka would lean against a veranda pillar alone, closing his eyes to reflect on the day's training content.
This kind of body technique practice was not a one-day achievement. He couldn't always rely on Shinobu for help. He had to learn to summarize experiences and constantly strengthen the training results at all times to gain anything.
"Taka-san!!" Tanjiro's heavy footsteps approached from afar, stopping breathlessly in front of him.
Due to his injury recovery training, he had also been working very hard these days and had barely spoken to Taka.
He stood up straight, his forehead hair damp with sweat and plastered to his full forehead.
Those bright eyes looked directly at Taka, burning with pure gratitude within them: "I've never been able to properly thank you! On Mount Natagumo, without your help, Nezuko and I would probably have... Thank you so much!!"
Tanjiro suddenly bent over, bowing deeply, a standard ninety degrees, his attitude extremely sincere.
Taka opened his eyes, not really caring how sincere Tanjiro's thanks were, merely speaking calmly:
"Your injuries... are they better?"
"Thanks to the friends at the Butterfly Mansion, I'm slowly recovering!"
"Hmm... that's good. No need to thank me. This was originally a transaction." He nodded, pointing to the wooden training sword in his hand: "Since you're feeling better, pay up."
Tanjiro straightened up, a warm smile appearing on his face: "Even if it was a transaction, you still saved us! This debt of gratitude, I will forever hold in my heart!"
His eyes were bright: "Do you want to learn Hinokami Kagura now? I see you've been training all day, would you like to rest a while?"
"It's fine."
Tanjiro said no more. He took a deep breath, calmed his rapid breathing, and walked to the sunniest open space in the courtyard.
There were no drums, no accompaniment.
The boy sank his hips and lowered his stance, his hands loosely clenched as if holding invisible drum sticks and Kagura bells.
Slowly beginning the movement, every motion carried the solemn rhythm of an ancient ritual, steady and fluid.
Arms swung, waist twisted, toes stepped on the ground.
His steps shifted and turned within a small space, tracing powerful arcs.
'Was this the Flame Sword Form?' Taka's brow furrowed silently.
His gaze closely followed every one of Tanjiro's movements… the stretching of muscles, the shifting of center of gravity, the rise and fall of his spine… none escaped his observation.
But... this looked like nothing more than an ancient ritual dance....
Soon, Tanjiro, whose body had not yet fully recovered, stopped halfway through the Kagura dance, panting heavily.
He scratched his head apologetically, giving Taka an embarrassed smile: "I'm so sorry, Taka-san, I'm still a bit..."
"It's fine." Taka wasn't unreasonable, so naturally, he wouldn't quibble over such a matter. "Is this your sword form? Why was it different from what I saw that night?"
He imitated a movement Tanjiro had just completed, both arms raised as if offering a sacrifice: "The movement itself doesn't seem particularly special. How does it produce such a powerful slash?"
"A powerful slash...." Tanjiro panted, a confused expression also appearing on his face.
He looked frankly at Taka, his tone very uncertain: "To be honest, I don't really understand the principle behind it either."
"When my father taught me, he only said this was a Kagura dance passed down from our ancestors, a ritual dance to express respect and gratitude to the Fire God, praying for the gods' protection..."
"It itself also contains a special breathing method, completely integrated with the dance. I think... maybe that day, by accident, I fused Water Breathing with it, and that's how I was able to perform those movements."
'Fusion, huh...' Taka fell into thought.
'Could different Breathing Styles also be fused together?'
'Come to think of it, existing Breathing Styles all evolved from the original breathing. Perhaps there is also a way to find synergistic effects between them....'
"I understand. Rest a while and slowly show me the complete set of movements."
"Yes!"
And so, every few minutes of rest, Tanjiro would demonstrate a portion of the Kagura dance to Taka, and Taka would observe earnestly, occasionally trying to imitate the movements himself, trying to find the key point.
However,
When Taka attempted to perform a movement that required a large bodily rotation and the breath to circulate accordingly, the Wind Breathing within him, which usually obeyed his will like an arm, suddenly stalled.
Like a rushing torrent hitting an invisible dam, the breath instantly reversed in his chest and abdomen!
"Ugh..." An uncontrollable muffled grunt escaped his throat.
Taka instinctively covered his ribs, his expression somewhat displeased.
That reversed force wasn't particularly strong, and with his physique, he could instantly suppress it. But that awkward obstructed feeling and conflict clearly told him… this path was impassable.
'It seemed the key of the Kagura dance didn't match the lock of the Wind Breathing within me.'
'I would have to start with the prayer breathing passed down in Tanjiro's family.'
Just then, from the other end of the courtyard came a cry of surprise and the clatter of a wooden basin falling.
A Kanoe-ranked member, newly recovered from injury and still unsteady on his feet, awkwardly fell to the ground. The spilled water soaked his pant legs and the surrounding area.
"Ah! Murata-san!" Tanjiro's attention was instantly drawn, and a look of unfeigned worry appeared on his face.
Without even taking the time to say another word to Taka, he rushed over.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Tanjiro quickly crouched down, carefully supporting the arm of the member named Murata. "Here, slowly, get up."
He half-supported, half-helped the other to a dry spot under the veranda to sit down, then quickly ran to pick up the wooden basin. With agile movements, he used a cloth to soak up the water stains and clean up the mess on the ground.
"I'm... I'm really sorry to trouble you, Tanjiro." Murata's face was full of apology and gratitude. He hadn't wanted to be so miserable either.
"It was nothing!" Tanjiro's smile was bright. "Just sit still. I'll go get another basin of clean water!"
Having said that, he bustled off again.
This wasn't the first time Taka had noticed this. This boy always had an extraordinary concern for others.
Helping a member with an arm injury rewrap loosened bandages, talking to a young member who was feeling down, helping Kakushi members carry heavy medical kits....
Taka had noticed these past days at the Butterfly Mansion that sweat never ceased on Tanjiro's forehead. He didn't look like an injured patient at all.
His eyes were always bright. After every time he helped someone, that pure, warm smile that could dispel the gloom would naturally bloom on his face....
'Survival of the fittest, equivalent exchange.'
'Behind every kindness could be a trap. Every helping hand required a clear price.'
'That was how the world should work, shouldn't it?'
Taka could understand Tanjiro's desperate protection of his sister Nezuko. That was stemming from a bond of blood, only natural.
But behaving like he did, as if there was a never-exhausting furnace inside him, burning himself to warm every unrelated person....
It was nearly irrational, even carrying a dangerous foolishness.
When Tanjiro had finished cleaning up for Murata and hurried back, Taka asked in confusion:
"Why?"
Tanjiro was taken aback, but looking at Taka's gaze, he immediately understood what he meant.
He walked over to the pillar beside Taka and leaned against it, grabbing the water jug and taking a few big gulps. His smiling face still had a blush from his busyness.
"Taka-san means helping everyone with things?"
Taka didn't nod, merely confirming with his gaze.
Tanjiro put down the jug, looking at the members in the courtyard who were supporting each other or rehabilitating alone. His gaze was gentle and firm:
"Because everyone is having a hard time..... They're injured, they hurt, they're suffering. When I see someone needs a hand, if I can help, I just help."
He paused, turning to look at Taka. Those flame-like clear eyes reflected the afternoon sunlight: "My father said: Helping others brings joy, and in the end, you'll receive a reward yourself!"
"I think, when you help others and see their relieved smiles, your own heart warms up too. You feel happy. That happiness is the best reward!"
'Helping others brings joy?' Taka chewed on this word, finding it strange.
"....Is that so."
Confusion, like a vine, quietly grew on his hardened heart.