The fight between Saeko Busujima and Tomioka Giyu was still going strong.
But Tanjiro, watching from the sidelines, was completely frozen in shock.
"Eh?"
It took him a long moment to process what he'd just heard. Then he burst out, voice thick with disbelief. "Shuya-san… you're really not part of the Demon Slayer Corps?!"
"Nope," Shuya answered with a light chuckle.
"I—you—this—"
Tanjiro was at a total loss for words.
He had genuinely believed Shuya belonged to the secret organization that hunted demons. Never in a million years did he expect to hear the opposite.
And now one of Shuya's companions was fighting a real Demon Slayer—using the Kamado family's own Dance of the Fire God, no less.
Was that even okay?
Tanjiro sneaked a glance at Shuya. A seed of doubt began to sprout in his heart.
Could Shuya actually be a bad guy?
The thick, dangerous bloodlust rolling off that purple-haired woman earlier had been so intense it made him want to run. He had never met anyone who felt that terrifying—her aura was even scarier than the so-called demons.
Yet the second Shuya gave the order, she had instantly pulled all that bloodlust back in, hiding it completely so his nose couldn't pick up even a trace of danger.
So what about the seemingly gentle Shuya standing right in front of him?
Was he hiding his true power the same way?
Had giving away their family's Dance of the Fire God been a mistake?
Right now, Tanjiro's head was a chaotic mess—like someone had poured concrete into his skull and stirred it around.
"You idiot brother! How could Shuya-san possibly be a bad guy?!"
Nezuko, noticing the complicated look on her brother's face, stepped forward.
She marched right up to Tanjiro and gave him a light bonk on the forehead with her small fist.
Then she turned back to Shuya and asked, "Right, Shuya-san?"
Nezuko had her own clever little plan. After sensing her brother's doubts, she deliberately teased him to ask the question both siblings were desperate to know the answer to—in a light, casual tone.
"Well… yeah, pretty much," Shuya replied with a smile. "At the very least, I'm not a bad guy. If I had to describe myself, I'm just an ordinary person who happens to have some power. Maybe a tiny bit stronger than the Demon Slayer Corps, but not by much."
As he spoke, he held up his fingers in a tiny pinching gesture.
Nezuko nodded seriously. "I believe you, Shuya-san."
She didn't forget to shoot her brother a disdainful look.
If it weren't for Shuya, they wouldn't even have known how special their family's Dance of the Fire God really was.
Plus, knowing her brother's personality, if Shuya had bad intentions he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble. He could've just taken what he wanted.
And now that he'd already learned the technique, if he really were a villain, what else could he possibly want from their family? There was no reason for him to keep pretending.
"Yeah… I believe you too, Shuya-san," Tanjiro said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head after catching his sister's glare. He had finally snapped out of it.
"All right, let's keep watching their fight," Shuya said with a smile, not bothering to explain further. "Especially you, Tanjiro. Weren't you saying you wanted to join the fight against demons and do your part?
"That man is Tomioka Giyu, the Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. He practices Water Breathing—a style derived from Sun Breathing, also known as the Dance of the Fire God.
"Out of all the Breathing Styles, Water Breathing is currently the most suitable one for you to learn.
"If you manage to join the Demon Slayer Corps, he could even end up as your senior."
Shuya wasn't just saying this because Tanjiro had learned Water Breathing in the original story. Water Breathing was one of the five major branches derived from Sun Breathing. It was the most accessible for ordinary people, had the largest number of practitioners in the Corps, and branched out into styles like Flower Breathing, Insect Breathing, and Serpent Breathing.
As for Sun Breathing itself?
Not everyone was Yoriichi Tsugikuni. The style placed an enormous burden on the user's body. Even without the Demon Slayer Mark, constant training in Sun Breathing usually led to a drastically shortened lifespan.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield between Saeko and Giyu…
Saeko had already run through all twelve forms of Sun Breathing and was starting to get the hang of the strongest style.
On the other hand, the Water Hashira was having a much harder time.
"Her swordwork… it's getting even smoother?!"
Though his face remained completely expressionless, Giyu was feeling far more pressure than before.
She had only just learned the Breathing Technique and run through it once, yet her improvement was already this dramatic.
If she weren't a demon, he thought, her talent would easily rival that of the late Kanae.
If she were human, she could probably become a Hashira herself.
"I can't keep holding back."
Giyu's eyes sharpened.
From the very beginning, he hadn't gone all out. Part of his attention had stayed on Shuya the entire time.
The woman fighting him was already this strong. He didn't even want to imagine how powerful the man who commanded her must be.
Was he one of the Twelve Kizuki?
Or perhaps… the Demon King Muzan himself?
Either way, he had to focus completely and use his full strength against the woman in front of him.
Otherwise…
He might actually lose.
Losing to a demon in a Breathing Style duel?
Unacceptable!!
The thought made Giyu's breathing hitch for a split second.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust—"
Just as he adjusted his breathing to unleash the technique at full power—
"Ara ara~ Isn't this Tomioka Giyu? What a coincidence.
"I never thought I'd see our esteemed Water Hashira looking so… pathetic. How very unusual~"
A clear, calm voice suddenly drifted through the night air.
It interrupted Giyu's next move and made Saeko pause right as she was about to continue with another Sun Breathing form.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice.
Perched lightly on a nearby tree branch was a petite girl wearing a haori patterned with butterfly wings.
She had short black hair with purple tips at the ends and bangs. A butterfly-shaped hairpin adorned the back of her head.
Bathed in moonlight, the small-statured girl looked just like a butterfly about to take flight.
"Shinobu?!"