At last—
The time had come.
Kamado Tanjiro saw it.
A thread.
A thin, invisible line connecting his blade to the opening in his opponent's defense. When that thread tightened, his sword was pulled forward, slicing cleanly into the gap.
Whoosh—
Sabito's fox mask split cleanly in two.
Beneath it, the faintest smile of relief appeared on his face.
"Tanjiro… you finally did it."
As his words fell, his figure gradually faded away.
In front of Tanjiro stood the massive boulder—now split into two perfect halves.
He stared at it blankly.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
Throughout the duel between Tanjiro and Sabito, Aoyama had been watching.
He had clearly seen the thread connecting the two.
More importantly—
He had also seen two other threads just now.
One end connected to his own blade.
The other ends were tied to Tanjiro and Sabito.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
So that's how it is…
Stepping forward, Aoyama walked up behind Tanjiro.
Tanjiro slowly turned, still dazed.
"Senior Brother Aoyama… I…"
Aoyama wore his usual grin and slapped a hand onto Tanjiro's shoulder.
"What are you spacing out for? You did it! Want to set off fireworks to celebrate?"
Tanjiro couldn't help but smile.
He had trained for so long for this very day.
He had finally split the boulder.
Maybe… it was worth celebrating.
"C-can we really set off fireworks?"
Before he could finish asking, Aoyama smacked the back of his head.
"Are you dumb? Just because I said fireworks, you think we actually have them? I was joking—don't take everything so seriously…"
He turned around—
Only to see Urokodaki-sensei slowly walking toward them from the forest.
Aoyama immediately understood.
The old man was about to deliver an emotional speech.
And emotional scenes weren't his specialty.
Better to slip away and let Tanjiro handle it.
"You—stay right there!"
Urokodaki's voice stopped him mid-step. Out of the corner of his eye, he had already locked onto the most unreliable disciple.
Aoyama froze in place, standing obediently as he waited for the lecture.
"I originally had no intention of letting you attend Final Selection."
"I don't want to see any more children die."
His voice was heavy.
The memory of those lost students tightened his chest.
"I always believed you wouldn't be able to split that boulder."
His gaze flicked toward Aoyama.
"You're the exception."
Aoyama scratched his nose and chuckled awkwardly.
He couldn't help it.
Being excellent was simply his nature.
Urokodaki placed a hand on Tanjiro's head.
"You've worked hard. Tanjiro… you truly are an incredible child."
He then turned, intending to pat Aoyama's head as well. After all, both were his disciples—he had to treat them equally.
Aoyama reacted instantly.
With a light leap, he landed on a tree branch overhead and called down:
"No need to pat my head! I know I didn't work that hard—but I'm still amazing!"
Before Urokodaki could respond, Aoyama vanished into the forest with a few swift jumps.
Fortunately, Urokodaki wore his tengu mask.
Otherwise, the irritation on his face would have been impossible to hide.
After the two figures disappeared into the woods, Aoyama quietly returned to the split boulder.
A soft breeze drifted through the clearing.
Makomo appeared behind him, gently tugging at his sleeve.
"You're leaving, aren't you?" There was a hint of reluctance in her voice.
Aoyama turned around.
This time, his expression was serious.
Looking into her eyes, he gently held the hand clutching his sleeve.
"I came to say goodbye to you."
Makomo understood.
Tanjiro had split the rock.
That meant he would attend Final Selection.
And Aoyama… would go too.
He was usually quick with jokes, able to ramble endlessly from one topic to another.
But when it came to goodbyes—
He wasn't good at them.
He raised his hand and gently ruffled her black hair.
"Don't worry. I'll avenge you. All of you."
Makomo nodded firmly.
Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
…
By the time Aoyama returned to the wooden house, the rich aroma of grilled fish and meat drifted through the doorway.
He pushed it open.
Sure enough—a feast had been prepared.
"Oh? Celebrating Tanjiro, huh? Urokodaki-sensei, that's a bit biased~"
"When I split my boulder, I don't remember you cooking this much!"
Even as he spoke, he sat down swiftly, ready to eat.
Urokodaki still carried the earlier emotions and snorted.
"Haven't you eaten enough good food already?"
Grumbling aside, he handed Aoyama a freshly grilled fish and filled a large bowl with meat and vegetables.
Aoyama grinned.
"Urokodaki-sensei isn't just powerful and skilled—he's also thoughtful and an amazing cook. Most importantly, he knows how to care for people~"
With that, he buried himself in the food.
Hearing those words, the last bit of irritation in Urokodaki's heart finally faded.
He looked at Tanjiro and Aoyama.
Both were disciples he was proud of.
And so were the children who had gone before them.
All of them—
His pride.