*ting*
The rice cooker replied with a metallic sound to signal that the rice was done being cooked.
Taking that signal as a cue, I opened the rice cooker.
*woosh*
A stream of warm air rushed out from the opening straight to my face. Slightly shaking my head to remove the lingering warmth and the small droplets of water, I slid the wooden scoop into the rice cooker. The grains were soft and steaming as I filled a bowl and turned to the three sitting behind me.
"This is my first time cooking rice on my own," I said, handing it over. "Well? How'd I do?"
"Cooking rice isn't that hard, brat," Jigoro grumbled between bites. "That said… It's pretty good. The first time I used a rice cooker, I spent half the day trying to figure out the buttons. All those beeps just confused me. You, on the other hand, seem like a natural."
"Mhm," I hummed. "Of course. I'm an inventor, after all. Before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, I made my living designing electronics and fixing old machines. A rice cooker's nothing complicated to me."
"An inventor?' Zenitsu perked up, "Really? Thank goodness."
"Thank goodness? What are you so happy about?"
"Agh, you don't get it," Zenitsu groaned, rubbing his head. "Everyone here's clueless about technology. They still use oil lamps instead of proper bulbs, and nobody will even touch the rice cooker. I end up doing everything myself."
"I get how you feel. My condolences," I said. "Back in school, whenever we had group projects, my teammates never did a thing. I built everything myself, and the only part they did was the speeches, which I wrote for them."
"School? Projects?" Zenitsu murmured, tilting his head. "Wait, you went to school?"
"Ah, yeah." I nodded, "I had to work a lot, but I aced the practicals and the theoretical exams. It's a shame I wasn't able to score well in the fight in the city, but oh well, I wanted to enter the support class anyway."
"Practicals? Theory? Support? City fight?" Zenitsu said, his eyes spinning "I don't understand any of what you're saying."
'Wait, could it be?' Zenitsu thought as his eyes widened, 'Am I the country bumpkin here?'
"IYAAAHHH, NOOOOOO"
"Wh-what the" I shouted, startled by his cry, "What happened?"
"Zenitsu?" Jigoro shouted in confusion, "What happened?"
"G-g-g-GRANDPAA"
As Zenitsu cried to his "grandfather", I turned my attention to the third person in the room.
"...Hello."
"Hello," I answered back.
"Um, you didn't make rice for yourself?' Itsuki asked.
Takada Itsuki, also known as scar-man.
That's not what he's actually called, I just say that because of his Harry Potter-shaped scar.
But damn—this guy had a lightning-shaped scar stamped right on his forehead. His breathing style couldn't be any more obvious if he wore a sign. It's also like a sign that he's "made" for the breathing or something.
'Actually, is that the Demon Slayer Mark?' I thought before shaking my head, 'No, this guy doesn't even know Total Concentration: Constant yet, it's impossible.'
"No, I don't feel hungry," I replied.
As Slayers grow stronger, they require more nutrition to sustain themselves. Rengoku alone could eat over fifty bento boxes in one sitting, and Mitsuri could probably empty an entire restaurant if she wanted to.
Yet for some reason, the stronger I become, the less food I need. Ever since that visit to the temple, my appetite has steadily decreased—now I can go entire days without eating. In fact, it's been nearly half a week since I last had food, and two days since I last drank water, yet I don't feel even the slightest fatigue.
"Long time no see, AYD—"
"Agh, stop." I frowned, the nickname dragging up memories I'd rather leave buried.
"Don't call me that." My voice cut through his words before he could finish. "The name's Aoyama Yuito Daichi. AYD is just a shortcut. Call me Aoyama."
"Aoyama Yuito Daichi," Itsuki said, as if testing the name "I see, then, I will just call you Aoyama."
"Here." I handed him the bowl of rice. "Call me whatever you want—just not AYD."
"Thank you, uh," Itsuki paused, "Should I call you Senpai now?"
"Senpai? No need." I refused, shaking my head, "We passed the Final Selection together. There's no seniority here."
Though I said it casually, I meant it. I wanted a friendship without seniority—no titles, no hierarchy. I'd seen envy and jealousy ruin too many bonds that way.
"Even if you say that, it feels weird not calling you a senior after all the things you've done."
"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath with a wry smile, "Just how far did Ubayashiki spread his propaganda?"
"Don't worry about it, child," Jigoro said, joining in, "If anything, he should be calling you Senpai."
"Huh?" I asked in confusion, before realization hit me. "Wait, don't tell me your rank got promoted?"
"Ah, yeah." Itsuki nodded, "I got promoted to Tsuchinoe."
Mizunoto
Mizunoe
Kanoto
Kanoe
Tsuchinoto
Tsuchinoe
Hinoto
Hinoe
Kinoto
Kinoe.
There are a total of 10 ranks in the Slayer Corps, excluding the Hashira, in which Mizunoto is the lowest rank and Kinoe the highest. Tsuchinoe, being the 4th rank out of 10, places him right in the middle of the hierarchy, if not a bit above.
'But how did he get that high a rank? Didn't we both become slayers at the same time?'
"Yeah," Itsuki nodded, "Apparently, they counted the missions I completed and the demons I killed before I joined the Slayer Corps."
'Right,' I thought, 'Itsuki isn't exactly a rookie. He had been hunting demons for well over two years before completing the Final Selections.'
"Aoyama," Jigoro said evenly, "ranks within the Demon Slayer Corps are not determined solely by strength, but by the contributions one has made to aid the organization. In addition to slaying demons, Itsuki has encountered Muzan Kibutsuji on two separate occasions. His ability to provide a detailed description of Muzan's appearance is an invaluable asset in our search for him."
Muzan Kibutsuji.
Hearing that name, I fell into thought.
'Itsuki encountered him twice.' I thought, 'The first one was obviously when his parents died, and the second one was a complete chance encounter where his former teacher died fighting Muzan to make sure Itsuki could escape.'
From the examples above, it wasn't hard to see why Itsuki was promoted. In the original media, the Hashira were greatly surprised when they heard that Tanjiro had encountered Muzan Kibutsuji, so much so that they postponed his judgement for a while just to hear what Muzan looked like.
'Unfortunately, his descriptions won't be of any use. Muzan Kibutsuji has complete control over his body, which lets him shapeshift into any person he wants, even a woman or a child.'
Following the timeline, he should be in Tokyo, passing as a father right now.
That said, Ubuyashiki placed great importance on Tanjiro's encounter with Muzan Kibutsuji, long before learning about his Sun Breathing. The mere fact that Tanjiro had survived after meeting Muzan was enough for him to label the boy a "magnet" for the Twelve Kizuki and Muzan himself, even if there was no clear logic behind the claim.
And Itsuki here had survived meeting Muzan twice. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that Ubuyashiki and the Hashira paid him a considerable amount of attention as well.
'Wait, pay attention?'
Now that I think about it, there's no way this is pure coincidence. The only Sun Breather in the Corps and the man who survived meeting Muzan—two of the most valuable people—just happen to meet, and both are being trained by a former Hashira?
'But did Ubayashiki really do this?'
Even if our meeting is suspicious, it's not enough to convict Ubuyashiki of orchestrating it.
Normally, I'd confirm a hunch like this right away, but the circumstances make it harder. I was the one who asked to be guided to the Thunder Hashira's estate, and Itsuki happens to be a Thunder Breather. Under those conditions, our being here together isn't all that strange—making Ubuyashiki's intentions harder to read.
'I can't understand him at all.'
The main reason I can't confirm this, however, is simple—I don't care enough to investigate.
So what if Ubuyashiki arranged our meeting? Does it really matter? In the end, he's on humanity's side, and our goals align perfectly: kill Muzan Kibutsuji. Even if he is pulling a few strings, does it really matter?
It's not like he's Danzo or whatever. He's clearly on our side and wishes no harm upon us whatsoever.
"Um," Zenitsu replied, raising his hand, "I'm not in the Slayer Corps yet, doesn't make me the least senior member here?"
"Individuals not part of the Slayer Corps can't be compared to ranked Slayers." I replied, closing the rice cooker, "In these cases, we go by age, in terms of which, you surpass me by a few months."
This fact might sound odd, but it's true. The Slayer Corps isn't an official organization, so its ranks mean little in the real world.
It's like starting your own company and naming yourself CEO. Sure, you have the top title in your own business, but that doesn't mean you earn more or hold more authority than some intern at a major corporation.
If the Demon Slayer Corps were an actual government organization, however, things would be different.
"Eh? I'm older than you?" Zenitsu shouted, before sulking, "Someone younger than me is already a Slayer, I'm such a dunce."
"Now, now," I comforted him, "Even though I'm a Slayer, I am still just a Mizunoto."
"Mizunoto?' Jigoro asked, "Didn't you get the news?"
"What news?" I asked, confused.
"Due to the valuable information you provided concerning the location of an Upper Moon along with their abilities and physical appearances, you have been promoted." Jigoro stated, "Congratulations, you are a Kanoe now."
~~~~
"Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash"
The world around me slowed down as a barrier of sparks of lightning covered my very being.
*BOOM*
A sound akin to the rumbling of thunder echoed throughout the clearing as I zoomed past everyone in a trail of lightning.
"Amazing," Jigoro said, rubbing his beard, "You really can copy breathing techniques just by looking at them."
"No fair," Zenitsu whined, "I had to get struck by lightning to learn the first form, and here he just copied it after seeing it once?"
"Wait, you got struck by lightning?" Itsuki asked, surprised, "Is that why you have yellow hair? I thought you came from a life of crime."
"SHUT UP," Zenitsu yelled, "You're not one to point at things when you have a lightning-shaped scar on your forehead."
"Delinquent," Itsuki muttered
"What did yo-"
As Zenitsu and Itsuki quarreled with each other, Jigoro approached me.
"They seem close," I said. "Do they know each other?"
"Itsuki has been here for a month." Jigoro answered, "Even the quietest of people get along with someone after living with them for a month."
"A month?"
'That confirms it then. Ubayashiki really had no hand in our meeting.'
After all, I didn't even have Hinokami Kagura 2 days ago.
"Aoyama," Jigoro said, "Please, become a Thunder Breather."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, I will train you to become the greatest Thunder Breather of all time." Jigoro said excitedly, "Come on, look how fast it is, doesn't it make you want to perfect it? You can kill demons before they even realize your presence."
"I'm flattered," I replied, "but my path is clear."
"Haah," Jigoro sighed, "I expected that, but...Ah, well, whatever. I just wanted a decent Rumble Hashira for this generation."
"Rumble Hashira?'
"Ah, right." Jigoro replied, "I don't know why, but when a Thunder Breather becomes a Hashira, they aren't called Thunder Hashira, but rather the Rumble Hashira."
'Oh yeah, there was something like that.'
"You don't need to worry about that, though. You have two promising candidates, don't you?"
"Yes," Jigoro said with a soft smile, "I certainly do."
Saying so, he glanced at Zenitsu and Itsuki quarreling.
"Zenitsu is everything I could've hoped for."
...
I fell silent at those words.
'You are everything I could have hoped for.'
In the Infinity Castle Arc, after Zenitsu kills Kaigaku, who became Upper Moon 6, he almost dies. While near death, he encounters the spirit of his deceased grandfather, who killed himself after his lineage of Thunder Breathers produced a demon.
Those words are the exact words that Jigoro tells Zenitsu when Zenitsu encounters him in the afterlife, before being forcibly pulled back to the land of the living.
"His will to survive, and his compassion and empathy are rare traits that I have never seen in anyone." Jigoro continued, "If anyone deserves to be a Hashira, it has to be him. If only he trained a bit harder."
"What about Kaigaku and Itsuki?"
"Kaigaku is strong," Jigoro nodded, "But his attitude is not suitable for being a Demon Slayer. Someone like him cannot understand the rules and responsibilities of being a Demon Slayer, and he despises protecting the weak.
Even if the Hashira are not the most amicable people, all of them put their lives on the line to protect the purity and happiness of innocents. Compared to them, Kaigaku could not care less about civilians."
"Then why do you train him?" I questioned, "Why name someone like that your successor?"
"He reminds me of myself when I was younger," Jigoro said. "I mastered Thunder Breathing within a month as a trainee and achieved Total Concentration Constant even before entering the Final Selection.
I was gifted in the art, and I loved it. The rush of wind against my hair, the satisfaction of demons not even realizing they'd been beheaded, the admiration in my comrades' eyes—it all fed my ego.
But that changed during my very first mission. I was sent to slay a powerful demon that had annihilated an entire squad of Slayers. When I found it, all that remained was a ruined village… and one lone survivor."
At those words, Jigoro clenched his crane, producing a creaking sound.
"A little girl, no older than eight. The emptiness in her eyes was haunting, as if she had lost all reason to live. In that instant, my pride shattered. What was the point of strength if I couldn't even protect a child?"
*crack*
The cane under Jigoro's hands shattered from the force he was exerting.
"My arrogance turned into hatred. The demon fell easily, but there was no joy in the kill. If Kaigaku is like I was, then one day, when he faces a true demon, he will abandon those petty vanities."
At his words, I fell silent before speaking up.
"Do you think, if Kaigaku was about to die, and he was given the choice to become a demon, would he accept it?"
"No," Jigoro refused, "I trust Kaigaku. He would never do something like that. Even if he is a bit mean, I believe he still possesses a pure heart. Someone like him wouldn't abandon his humanity."
...
I couldn't muster the strength to correct him.
The fact that he had this much trust in someone he considered his grandson, only for said grandson to reveal that he never cared about you, and then sullying your legacy by becoming a demon...
When Kaigaku became a demon, Jigoro split his stomach. Since there was no one to cut his head off, he suffered a slow and gruesome death as his innards spilled out and he bled to death.
But now, I understand one thing.
The pain of having his insides spill onto the floor was nothing compared to the pain of betrayal he endured.
'Damn you, Kaigaku.'
"As for Itsuki." Jigoro continued, "He is talented, but I have only known him for a month, whereas I have raised Zenitsu myself, so I might be a little biased."
"Has he started Total Concentration Constant yet?"
"He's almost done." Jigoro answered, "It's just that he can't keep it up while sleeping."
Jigoro grumbled as he rubbed his eyes.
"I haven't had good sleep for a while." Jigoro complained, "Don't these brats realize that I'm not young anymore? I need my damn sleep! At this point, I might not be able to survive the next month."
"Two months is pretty good, isn't it?" I answered.
"Of course it is," Jigoro grumbled, "If only we had met sooner, he would have been much stronger and faster by now."
"The-"
"Enough about him. What will you do now?"
At his words, I fell silent.
"Leave me alone for a while," I said, turning around. "I have to train a bit more."
"Good luck, child."
Jigoro turned around before going straight towards the quarreling duo.
"Shut your traps, you two dolts-"
The world around me turned quiet, as I went into a deep meditative state.
'Wind, Thunder, Flame, Water, Stone. The five fundamental breathing styles are complete.'
As I took in a deep breath, the surroundings turned warm.
*ssss*
Steam began to generate from every part of my body. Every breath I took fueled the flame within my heart.
In order to complete and perfect Hinokami Kagura, I first need to weed out all the imperfections in it. Now that I have mastered all five basic breaths, all I need to do is unleash the same move dozens of times.
That's easier said than done, though. After thinking for an entire day, I was unable to come up with my own form of training to weed out all the impurities.
That is, until I remembered something from the series.
'Dance Tanjiro, the Kagura dance will protect you.'
Tanjuro Kamado, the father of Tanjiro Kamado, is a master of Sun Breathing.
Not only did he have complete mastery over the Total Concentration Constant of Sun breathing, but he even possessed the Demon Slayer Mark, Selfless State, Transparent World, and the Red Hot blade.
While he is no Yoriichi, in terms of power, perhaps only Upper Rank 1 could fight him head-on.
Tanjuro Kamado danced in a ritual ceremony practiced every new year, where the Breathing Style user offers the Fire God a dance from sunset to sunrise to ward off threats and diseases. The dance is composed of twelve segments repeated throughout the night until dawn, which are actually the sword forms of Sun Breathing, with the entire dance that lasts the whole night actually being the Thirteenth Form.
Every generation of the Kamado learned Sun Breathing through the Kagura dance, and if they could do so, why couldn't I?
"Hinokami Kagura."
And so, I danced.
"Dance."
"Clear Blue Sky."
"Fake Rainbow."
*rumble*
The flame grew.
One by one, I unleashed every single form of Sun Breathing form by form, just like Tanjuro Kamado, who danced from night to morning by seamlessly blending all the moves of Sun Breathing into one, I too danced.
''Burning Bones Summer Sun"
*rumble*
The flame grew.
Of course, I was nowhere close to his mastery.
'It hurts.'
In just a few minutes, my lungs began to hurt, and my body screamed in pain after unleashing more than a dozen moves of Hinokami Kagura at once.
*rumble*
The flame grew.
The transition from one form to another was also completely awkward. Having minimal experience with Hinokami Kagura, I could barely even unleash one form without hesitating for a second.
So for me to magically unleash all of them in one go? I might as well have mastered the final form of Sun Breathing at that point.
And yet, the more I danced, the more I felt, and the more I felt, the more I understood.
*rumble*
The flame grew.
"Flame Dance."
'Left, Right, Up, Down, Backwards, Frontwards.'
Six directions encompassed the entire world, and I attacked in six directions one by one.
Many forms of Sun Breathing were comprised of multi-dimensional attacks
Raging Sun, for example, requires the user to somehow attack from both left and right at the same time, and Flame Dance requires the user to attack from both up and down at the same time.
The essence of Sun Breathing is to be able to attack from anywhere and attack anything. It doesn't matter if the enemy is behind you or below you; your attacks must always hit. So, the mastery of Sun Breathing naturally indicated the ability to attack all six directions at once.
'Truly, the pinnacle of swordsmanship.'
A perfect blend of attack and defence. Any form could be used to attack, and any form could be used to defend.
And yet, the more I understood, the more helpless I felt.
*rumble*
The flame flickered.
'How am I supposed to master this?'
I never "learned" anything. The only thing I did was shamelessly copy the results of other people's years of hard work and dedication. So for me to somehow reach enlightenment and comprehend the original breathing style seemed impossible.
'Incomprehensible.'
Sun Breathing seemed to go against the law of biology. How could a human, or even a demon, somehow attack from two opposing directions at the same time? Much less attack from all six directions with just one sword?
Was this why Yoriichi-Zero possessed six arms to mirror Yoriichi's movements? And why Kokushibou possesses six eyes, just to see Yoriichi's movements?
In another world, a Japanese swordsman trained his entire life by trying to cut a swallow. In the end, even he was only able to slash in three directions at once.
So, for me to somehow slash in all six directions at once?
Even if that were possible, how could I replicate Yoriichi's movements?
"Sunflower Thrust"
In the end, the Hinokami Kagura possessed differences. Despite being replicated with a surprising degree of accuracy for hundreds of years, it had unnecessary movements, such as different wrist angles, footwork, and breathing rhythm, compared to the Sun Breathing directly performed by Yoriichi.
Tanjiro was able to weed out these differences thanks to the memory possessed by his ancestors, but I have no such privileges. How could I somehow replicate his movements if I could never see him in the first place?
"Dancing Flash"
But I still tried.
Even if it seemed impossible, even if it appeared incomprehensible, I still danced.
'If I don't master this, I won't stand a chance against Muzan.'
*woosh*
The air seemed to whistle as I continuously went through all my sword forms.
This isn't a trial or something fancy. This is simply my desperation, my will to survive, and my stubborn, perhaps foolish, desire to save others.
No matter how sharp my mind might be, no matter how many plans I can come up with, no matter what fancy inventions I make, none of it matters if I lack the strength to carry them out. The world will not be saved by intelligence alone. Without the physical power to fight, to defend, and to destroy the threats before me, all my thoughts are just whispers in the dark.
'I am not charismatic.'
I am not. I've never been. I can barely hold a conversation without fumbling over my own words. How could I possibly expect others to rally to me, to follow my cause, when I can't even speak with confidence? The ability to inspire, to lead — it's something I simply do not have.
'I am not brave.'
The very thought of death chills me to the core. Danger makes me freeze before it makes me act. I am not the kind of person who charges forward without hesitation. I am not the kind who willingly throws their life away for a cause, no matter how noble it might be. That kind of courage has never been mine.
'I am not one to sacrifice others'
I can't make the hard decisions, the ones that require sacrificing someone else's life for my own survival. Even if I know it's the logical choice, even if I know it might be the only choice, my hands would still tremble. My conscience would still resist. I would rather risk everything than deliberately ruin another person's life.
So, the only thing I have left is my strength.
'Strong.'
So what if I can't rally others to my cause? I will simply become so strong that I won't need anyone else.
So what if I'm not brave? I will simply become so strong that nothing could threaten me.
So what if I can't sacrifice others? I will simply become so strong that there won't be a need for sacrifices.
'Stronger'
When others are unable to, I will handle all conflicts.
When the others are unable to, I will eliminate all the threats.
When others are unable to, I will save everyone.
'I need to...'
I will become the pillar that supports all.
'I need to become stronger.'
And then, the world disappeared.
The burning in my heart grew stronger, consuming me.
For me, in this instance, the only thing in the world was me, and me alone. And so, the only thing I needed to worry about was dancing.
'Let go of doubts, let go of fear, let go of joy, let go of pride'
One by one, it was as if I picked up my emotions, before burning them in my heart, which only fueled the flame within it.
'Let go of hate, let go of rage, let go of love, let go of happiness.'
Up.Left.Down.Right.Back.Front.
'Let go of humility, let go of disdain.'
*jingle*
The sound of jingling bells ran through my mind.
'And finally, let go of your humanity.'
And in that instant, the fire in my heart grew to the size of the sun.
And my world burned.