With the mission complete, Aoyama didn't linger in town. He prepared to return to headquarters with Nezuko.
"Caw! Caw!"
A crow circled overhead. Aoyama raised his arm, allowing it to land.
"Aoyama-kun! Aoyama-kun! Shinobu-sama requests your immediate return to the Butterfly Estate! Return at once!"
He smiled faintly.
Their information network was efficient—he had barely finished clearing the town when the message arrived.
"I'll head back."
At the Butterfly Estate, Tanjiro and the others were still undergoing functional recovery training.
Well—
Not exactly all of them.
Zenitsu and Inosuke had skipped training for three consecutive days.
Their reason?
Severe psychological trauma.
Inosuke—who once lived for battle—now lay flat on his bed like a salted fish, refusing to move.
"Inosuke, let's go train!" Tanjiro urged. "Sulking won't help. We need to get stronger!"
Zenitsu suddenly jumped off his bed.
"What a vibrant new day!"
Tanjiro brightened.
"Zenitsu, you've decided to go today?"
Before he could finish praising him—
Zenitsu continued:
"Which young lady from the Kakushi should I have tea with today?"
He pulled out a small mirror from under his pillow and adjusted his appearance.
First impressions were important.
Tanjiro sighed deeply.
He had been foolish to expect anything.
Just then—
The ward door opened.
Aoyama stood there, smiling and waving.
"Aoyama-senpai!!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened in surprise. Shinobu had mentioned he might be gone several more days.
Inosuke lifted his head.
Zenitsu threw away his mirror and sprinted forward.
senior brother Aoyama
His face bloomed like a flower.
Aoyama looked at him coldly.
He didn't need to guess Zenitsu's target.
The wooden box on his back.
As Zenitsu approached, Aoyama pressed a palm firmly against his face, stopping him mid-charge.
"Keep your distance from Nezuko," Aoyama said flatly. "Don't make me repeat it."
Zenitsu instantly lost all color and shuffled to a corner, drawing circles on the floor.
"Why can't I approach Nezuko… what meaning does life even have…"
Tanjiro blinked.
Wasn't he just excited about tea with girls?
How did Nezuko suddenly become his entire purpose?
The emotional whiplash was astounding.
Light footsteps approached.
Aoyama turned.
Shinobu stood behind him.
"Welcome back, Aoyama-kun. Thank you for your hard work."
Her gaze lingered briefly on the wooden box.
"Not hard at all," Aoyama replied casually. "Just took Nezuko out for a little outing."
Shinobu covered her mouth with a soft laugh before reminding Tanjiro and the others to head to the training room.
Tanjiro glanced at Inosuke on the bed and Zenitsu sulking in the corner.
He was discouraged too.
But he had to go.
He clenched his fists and marched out like a soldier heading to battle.
"Tanjiro."
Aoyama called out.
Tanjiro turned.
"Yes, Aoyama-senpai?"
One glance at the others' defeated states was enough.
They'd been crushed by Kanae—
No.
By Kanao.
Aoyama understood immediately.
"If you want to improve," Aoyama said calmly, "extend the duration of your Total Concentration Breathing."
Tanjiro blinked.
"But… isn't Total Concentration Breathing only for combat? Holding it too long exhausts the body."
Aoyama said nothing further and returned to his room with Nezuko.
Tanjiro stood there, half-understanding, before heading to training.
Elsewhere, behind a folding screen, Kagaya Ubuyashiki gently stroked the crow perched on him.
"So… that town was another trap."
"Muzan Kibutsuji… how cunning."
Demon activity was increasing.
More victims suffered daily.
As the current Master of the Demon Slayer Corps, his lifelong wish remained unchanged:
Eradicate Muzan completely.
Later that evening, Tanjiro returned from training utterly defeated.
Another merciless day under Kanao's hands.
Hide-and-seek—he couldn't even touch a strand of her hair.
Reflex training—either she snatched the cup first, or he was splashed with medicine.
Every attempt ended in failure.
He crawled into bed and buried himself under the blanket.
Aoyama walked in, yanked the blanket away.
"Get up. Come with me."
Tanjiro followed silently into the courtyard.
Aoyama faced him.
"Do you know why Kanao is stronger than you?"
Tanjiro shook his head.
"She maintains Total Concentration Breathing twenty-four hours a day."
"WHAT?!"
Tanjiro's jaw dropped.
Thinking back—
Her speed.
Her reactions.
Everything made sense.
"But… wouldn't that exhaust her body?"
Aoyama smacked him lightly on the head.
"Train. Practice. Repeat. Didn't you do the same at Mount Sagiri? Now do it more."
He turned to leave.
He had said enough.
The rest depended on Tanjiro.
"Wait, Aoyama-senpai!"
Tanjiro called out.
"Can you do it too? Eat and sleep while maintaining Total Concentration Breathing?"
Aoyama paused.
Under the moonlight, he didn't turn around.
"…Yes."
And with that—
He walked away.
Tanjiro stood alone in the courtyard.
A new goal forming in his heart.
If Kanao could do it—
If Aoyama could do it—
Then he would too.
Even if it meant—
Breathing without rest.
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