"..."
The room was filled only with silence.
"Ubuyashiki..."
Tatsuo finally spoke.
"Strength is not only something that exists on the outside. There is also strength on the inside."
"You may be lacking in the former, but it seems you have plenty of the latter."
Just like the old man...
Tatsuo swallowed the rest of the thought.
"Your will comes through clearly. The way you deal with people, from a simple gesture to the tone of your voice. Whether intentional or not, you put others at ease."
That too reminds me of the old man.
Tatsuo’s eyes closed and opened naturally. He kept thinking of the old man.
I’ll reflect on that later. For now, I should focus on this man.
Having finished his thoughts, Tatsuo continued.
"From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’ve already finished gathering information about me... and yet you still haven’t given me another reason."
"If you had tried to persuade me by saying I could enjoy battle, I would have joined under you, but I never would have truly followed you."
"But that’s not it. You put your own people first. I can feel that sincerity. Now I understand why that self-centered Uzui shows you such respect."
"Ubuyashiki Kagaya... I acknowledge you."
Tatsuo looked Kagaya straight in the eye.
"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Tsunokake Tatsuo. From this moment on, I will fulfill my duty as your blade, as a member of the Demon Slayers."
Kagaya’s eyes widened, then he smiled.
"Thank you, Tatsuo. But I’m sorry to say that you are not yet a Demon Slayer."
"...?"
"Didn’t Tengen tell you? Only those who pass the Final Selection can become Demon Slayers. Of course, with your skill, I’m sure you’ll pass without issue."
"What...?"
Tatsuo’s face flushed slightly red, as if he were deeply flustered.
"Oh? So you can make that kind of expression too. It’s rather human. Quite nice, actually."
"...Forget what you just heard and what you just saw."
Having regained his composure, Tatsuo said, "Being too stiff isn’t good either. You look fairly young, but may I ask your age?"
"I’m fifteen this year."
"Hmm..."
Kagaya let out a low hum.
"I won’t ask any further. From now on, I look forward to working with you, Tatsuo."
"Likewise, Lord. And please excuse my tone if it sounds stiff. There are reasons for that."
Kagaya nodded as if he understood.
"If you leave the estate now, you’ll find a Kakushi waiting. Follow him, and he’ll take you to your trainer."
Kagaya paused mid-sentence.
"I’m sorry. I may not have explained that well. The Kakushi are also members of the Demon Slayers."
"They aren’t combat members, but they handle many other important tasks."
"As for trainers, they are exactly what the name suggests—those who train new members. I’ve heard that you can use Breathing, but training under them will still be a great help."
"Also, through them, you’ll be able to take the Final Selection."
When he finished speaking, Tatsuo offered a light bow and left the mansion.
The Kakushi could be seen at the entrance.
Their uniform was similar to that of the ordinary members Tatsuo had seen on the mountain, though different in some ways. The cloth covering the lower half of the face stood out in particular.
"I’ve been ordered to guide you. Tsunokake, I will take you to your trainer."
Tatsuo nodded and began following the Kakushi.
""
"Walk this way, and you’ll come to the house where the trainer lives."
"Thank you."
After offering a brief word of thanks to the Kakushi who had escorted him, Tatsuo headed in the direction he had been told.
After some time, he arrived in front of a small hut. Wisteria vines grew thickly around it.
Wisteria? Come to think of it, I remember there being a lot of wisteria at the Lord’s estate too.
Turning his head, he saw a river. Clear, transparent water flowed through it, so clean that you could almost see your reflection.
Flowers blooming along the riverbank added to the scenery, their beauty blending with the surroundings.
"So you must be the guest Lord Kagaya mentioned."
A voice came from somewhere nearby. It was a deep, cavernous baritone.
Looking toward the source, Tatsuo saw a middle-aged man standing there.
More precisely, he was a middle-aged man close to old age. His half-covered white eyebrows and hair, which had already begun to lose its color, seemed to confirm it.
"Are you the trainer?"
Tatsuo asked as he sized the man up.
Sizing people up was one of Tatsuo’s casual habits.
His eyes sharpened. The man’s body was far more impressive than he had expected.
He was clearly a body worn down by age, but he did not look weak.
The body that age should have made smaller was instead made to seem massive by the thick muscle packed across it.
And the small scars scattered across his arms and body seemed to prove he was a warrior with plenty of real combat experience.
But...
A man like this probably could not live as a warrior anymore.
It wasn’t a matter of age.
He was missing his left arm.
Losing an arm is a huge blow for a warrior.
It’s not just the inconvenience of having no arm. His balance would be off, and the variety of his attacks would be greatly reduced.
"Excellent physique. Not a flaw on you."
The middle-aged man spoke first. While Tatsuo had been analyzing him, the man had been doing the same.
"Your body is still far from its prime... impressive."
"I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Ichihana Nobushige. I was once the Stone Hashira in the Demon Slayers, and I now serve as a trainer."
"My name is Tsunokake Tatsuo."
Tatsuo said, looking at Nobushige.
"Lord Kagaya said it would be good for me to train under you. Normally I would have ignored that, but he wouldn’t have said something so pointless."
"I see..."
Nobushige closed his eyes and stroked his chin, his voice full of curiosity.
"Why send you to me instead of Urokodaki or Kuwajima...?"
"Come to think of it... both of them already have disciples, don’t they...?"
As if his thoughts had settled, Nobushige opened his eyes.
"You said your name was Tsunokake, yes? Would you care to spar with me?"
"When raw beginners came to me, I would have them do basic conditioning like moving boulders or waterfall training, but for a warrior already at your level, that sort of thing is less necessary."
"So I’d like to offer advice through a spar instead. What do you say?"
Tatsuo’s lips curled slightly upward.
"Gladly."
"Then would you wait a moment?"
Nobushige pointed to the flat ground across the river.
"Let’s hold the spar over there. Go on ahead. I’ll make my preparations and come shortly."
With a small gust of wind and a puff of dust, Tatsuo’s figure vanished.
The river was fairly wide, but that was no problem.
With a single step, Tatsuo crossed it and was already standing at the spot Nobushige had indicated.
What a light body. Even with a weapon that looks fairly heavy, all he leaves behind is a little wind.
But was there any need to arrive that early?
With that thought in mind, Nobushige entered the hut.
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