Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The scarred and battered Tanjiro remained in a coma for three days and two nights, only slowly waking up on the night of the third day.
At this moment, aside from other patients in the ward, only Ren was there as a caretaker. Seeing Tanjiro wake up, he hurriedly leaned over.
"Tanjiro? Great, you're finally awake. Did you know you were in a coma for three days? But well, it's good that you're up."
Seeing Tanjiro regain consciousness, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is that so? I've been in a coma for three days..."
Tanjiro tried to sit up from the hospital bed, but a sharp pain from his abdomen forced him to lie back down.
Ren, seeing his intention, gently pressed him back down and said, "It's better if you don't move around right now. Although your wounds have been stitched up, you haven't fully recovered yet, so you'd best lie honestly in bed."
"I see. Then, Brother Ren, what about Nezuko? How is Nezuko?"
Tanjiro asked anxiously. He only remembered that while they were out buying groceries, a demon had suddenly attacked.
In the haste of the moment, he could only pick up a solid iron rod from the roadside to strike at the demon, yelling for Nezuko to run.
Unfortunately, even though he had learned the Hinokami Kagura Breathing, he was still no match for the demon. He was eventually beaten into a heavily injured state and fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss. He didn't remember anything that happened afterward.
"Don't worry, Nezuko is safe and sound!"
Ren poured a glass of warm water for Tanjiro while offering him some reassurance.
"Nezuko came back in time to report to me, so I could rush over to save you."
"So it was Brother Ren who saved me. No wonder... I thought I was dead for sure!"
"Tanjiro, you did very well! You successfully protected your—no, you successfully protected our shared sister!"
Ren patted Tanjiro on the shoulder, a gentle smile on his face, but then his tone shifted, and his expression became stern.
"But just this is not enough! There may be more demons attacking us in the future, so we must become stronger! Not just me, but you as well!"
"Brother Ren, do you want me to fight demons? But didn't you say before that you didn't want me to join the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Tanjiro asked in return. Had Brother Ren changed his mind?
"Correct. Even now, I still do not agree with you joining the Demon Slayer Corps! However, killing demons and joining the Demon Slayer Corps are two different things. Even without joining the Corps, you can still hunt demons and protect people! Most importantly, you need to become stronger to protect our family..."
Speaking to this point, Ren paused, then spoke with a firm, decisive tone, "So Tanjiro, please become my so—cough, cough, become my Tsuguko!"
"I will diligently guide you in swordsmanship and make you stronger. This way, you can protect your family properly, instead of ending up covered in cuts and bruises like today. Although you protected Nezuko this time, do you know? A true powerhouse makes their family and friends feel safe and at ease. That is why I hope you can become my Tsuguko!"
Three days ago, during a casual chat, Ren had revealed some things about the Demon Slayer Corps to Tanjiro, such as the term "Tsuguko," which referred to a Hashira's core disciple and personal apprentice.
After thinking for a moment, Tanjiro nodded slightly and agreed.
"Brother Ren, I am willing to be your Tsuguko. I must become stronger to protect Mom and my younger siblings."
If it were in the past, Tanjiro would absolutely not have agreed because his family's financial situation was poor, and he needed to earn money to support them.
But now, Ren had a monthly salary of several hundred thousand yen, so there was no need to worry about money at all. Tanjiro had ample time to exercise and hone his swordsmanship.
"Good lad, very spirited! That's what a big brother should look like!" Ren patted Tanjiro's shoulder with gratification and chuckled lightly. "Continue resting. Once you are discharged, I will guide your training."
"Brother Ren, it's night now. Don't you need to go home and check? What if a demon attacks now..."
"Rest assured. The girl who came with me, she is also a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and she is the Insect Hashira. She will protect Auntie Kie and the others. Also, that cold, stone-faced guy you met before is secretly protecting them too. Furthermore, the demons near Tokyo have quieted down a lot recently. Auntie Kie and the others will be fine."
The battle three days ago could be described as earth-shattering; it had frightened the demons within a radius of several hundred miles.
At night, they would rather go hungry than dare to pop their heads out to attack humans, terrified of being cut down by Ren, the "Demon Slaughter Machine."
The name of the Cloud Hashira had become a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all demons!
Not only that, but with the defeat of five of the Twelve Kizuki, the morale of the Demon Slayer Corps had soared.
Even Ren had risen to fame. After learning that he had beheaded two Upper Ranks in less than a month, he gained quite a few fangirls and fanboys within the Demon Slayer Corps.
After recovering in the hospital for three days, Ren took Tanjiro home. Then, on the very next day, he unveiled a brutal, hellish training regimen on the mountain behind the town.
"Before today's training begins, take this first." Ren took out a Nichirin Sword and handed it to Tanjiro.
This Nichirin Sword was the one the Demon Slayer Corps had forged for him after the Final Selection. A few days ago, the swordsmith from the Swordsmith Village had delivered the Nichirin Sword and the Hashira-level haori to him.
Ren simply passed this Nichirin Sword on to Tanjiro.
"Is this a Nichirin Sword?"
Tanjiro took the Nichirin Sword and carefully examined the well-crafted katana. Although the blade was a bit heavy, he could lift it easily with his strength.
The moment he gripped the Nichirin Sword, the originally silvery-white blade turned as black as ink. This was the color of Sun Breathing.
Sun Breathing was the progenitor of all breathing styles; naturally, it was all-encompassing, blending the characteristics of all breathing styles, which was why it manifested as black.
"It actually changes color, how amazing..."
"Heh, save your emotion for later. You will have chances to use this Nichirin Sword in actual combat training in the future. For now, let's proceed with physical rehabilitation training."
"Yes, Brother Ren! Please train me with all your might!" Tanjiro sheathed the Nichirin Sword and shouted with determined eyes.
"Very good. The first stage is physical training!"
As he spoke, Ren revealed a devilish smile, pointing to the mountain path they had come up. "Run down the mountain now, and then run back up to me. When you can complete two round trips within an hour, the first stage of training will end."
"Eh?! Brother Ren, you aren't joking with me, are you?"
Looking at the winding and rugged mountain path, Tanjiro's eyes widened instantly. Running two round trips in an hour—that was fundamentally impossible!
"Are you questioning me? What a pity, doubting me counts against your time too!"
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