"Good enough."
On the way back, dusk settled in.
Sui casually swung the wooden cane, the whooshing sound of it slicing through the air following each motion. After telling Ayumiya Aka that the old man's cane had broken and she wanted a sturdier one, the girl immediately offered to help and invited her over, claiming she had connections.
Since Aka volunteered, Sui didn't refuse. The girl put in the effort, while Sui simply stood at the flower shop entrance for a while as compensation.
According to Aka, Sui just standing there for the time it took to burn a stick of incense could bring in a full day's worth of sales.
On top of that, Sui could feel the inexplicable pity others had for her—likely mistaking her for being blind.
Aka's parents had shown the same sentiment before, sighing about how such a beautiful girl had lost her sight. Sui knew it was a misunderstanding, but explaining it would be troublesome.
And she hated trouble.
Passing through the dense peach forest and following the winding mountain path inward—when she first came, she had struggled to keep up with Kuwajima, stumbling and gasping for breath. Now, she moved with ease.
Clearly walking—
Yet unnaturally fast.
Like wind and lightning, her crimson haori fluttered like the petals of a blooming flower.
Before long, the courtyard came into view, already lit with warm orange light.
"I'm back, old man."
Sui pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Kuwajima sat upright on the tatami. At her arrival, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Your new cane."
Sui handed it over.
"Good quality."
He examined it briefly, then shifted his gaze to her.
"While you were in town, Kaigaku passed my trial. He has the talent to inherit Thunder Breathing."
"From now on, he is your junior. I expect you to treat him properly."
"Don't bother sensing where he is. I've arranged for him to train in the back mountain."
His tone turned firm, cutting off her subtle attempt to probe the surroundings.
"That's fine."
Even having her thoughts seen through, Sui remained expressionless.
"Rubbish! You don't take your junior seriously at all!"
The old man suddenly erupted in anger. His white brows twisted together—this was the first time he had ever truly gotten angry at her.
"Why do you look so indifferent? Do you think he's not worthy of being your junior?! Listen well—yes, your talent is the highest I've ever seen. But the Demon Slayer Corps is not a battlefield for one person alone!"
"Swordsmen must learn not only skill, but also respect and trust. And the one training beside you—will be the one you trust the most!"
After venting his frustration, Kuwajima stared at her.
Even though he cared deeply for the girl, he wouldn't allow this kind of attitude.
The Corps had endured for generations because of trust.
"I don't dislike him."
Sui spoke softly.
The old man's expression eased—only for her next words to land.
"But I don't like him either."
"You—!"
He raised his cane, ready to strike.
But after holding it there for a long moment, he let out a sigh and lowered it.
"…Forget it. That boy should be back soon. Go rest."
As Sui slid the door open to leave, his aged yet powerful voice came from behind:
"Remember—both of you are inheritors of Thunder Breathing."
Sui paused briefly, then left.
At the same time, a figure outside quickly slipped into the shadows, staring at her back with a vicious gaze.
…
Night fell. The moon hung high—just like that night.
A black-haired boy with thick brows ran frantically through the forest, gasping for breath. He kept glancing back—
Even though nothing was there.
Only endless darkness.
Yet it terrified him to the core.
"Ha… ha…"
Damn it… damn it!
A man-eating demon—he had actually encountered one. Those things from legends were real.
Pale skin, fangs, blood-red eyes—
And strength beyond imagination.
A single punch could shatter tree trunks. If that hits a person… every bone in their body would be crushed.
Instinctively, he wanted to return to the temple—
Only to remember he had been driven out by the other children.
That place had closed its doors to him forever.
"Damn it!"
He roared inwardly.
He had only stolen a little money—what right did those brats have to drive him out?!
They hadn't even gotten permission from that blind monk!
If he hadn't been expelled, he wouldn't have run into a demon!
"Oh? Running pretty slow there, kid~"
A hoarse voice suddenly sounded behind him, along with a suffocating stench of blood.
His body went weightless.
The world spun.
"Honestly… don't get hurt. It ruins the meat."
Even the demon didn't expect its prey to trip and fall down the mountain. Scratching its head, it followed.
…
The boy slowly woke.
He didn't dare check himself—only cared where the demon was.
"That is…"
Firelight.
Familiar firelight.
He had returned to the temple.
The scent of wisteria filled the air. The monks and children rested peacefully.
Everything was calm.
Except him.
"Heh… I see…"
His grin twisted—more terrifying than a demon's.
He glanced back at the mountain's darkness—
Then stepped forward and extinguished the wisteria incense at the temple gate.
"If not for you… I wouldn't have ended up like this!"
He ran.
The demon, arriving moments later, watched him leave—then stepped into the temple instead.
Why chase one child when there was a feast inside?
The scent of wisteria faded.
A crimson shadow swallowed the temple whole.
…
Wait—
Why was there still a wisteria scent?
No—stronger.
Mixed with something unfamiliar… like peach blossoms in warm spring.
Kaigaku jolted awake.
Darkness.
Moonlight.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
…A dream.
A disgustingly real dream.
Right—he remembered now.
He had successfully become the disciple of that old swordsman.
From now on, he was a swordsman.
Then—
A face appeared in his mind.
Delicate. Perfect.
Eyes closed. Expression cold.
His excitement instantly cooled.
That woman who looked down on him—
He would make her regret it.
"Sui… right?"
He muttered the name.
Not even a surname. Nobody.
He grinned, thoughts turning dark.
She just trained longer, that's all. A blind woman—what use was training?
Better to rely on that pretty face.
"Bad dream?"
A calm voice cut through his thoughts.
"Huh?"
He froze, looking toward the source.
A slender figure in a crimson haori sat in the shadows.
If she hadn't spoken, he wouldn't have noticed her at all.
"You—!"
Realizing she had entered his room, he lashed out, striking a stance like a cornered animal trying to appear fierce.
But—
He stopped.
A cold blade rested against his throat.
Moonlight reflected off it, chilling him to the bone.
Sui looked at him quietly.
He was stunned.
She wasn't blind.
Those inhuman eyes shone in the dark—deep, eerie blue, like waves beneath a frozen sea.
"Outside the door earlier… that was you, right?"
she said.
"I—"
He tried to lie—
The blade pressed closer.
He swallowed his words.
"Shh."
She placed a finger to her lips, smiling faintly.
"Just listen."
"I'll be here for about another month before the Final Selection."
"That means I have to put up with you for a month."
Her voice remained light.
"But you're really disgusting."
"I can't even eat when I see you."
"So behave, okay?"
"Especially don't look at me with those revolting eyes."
She suddenly leaned in.
A faint peach blossom fragrance surrounded him.
So that scent in his dream…
It was her.
Her fingers brushed across a hidden spot on his body—
At first, it was cool.
Then—
Agony.
His skin split open. The wound festered instantly, like days of infection compressed into seconds.
Fear gripped him completely.
His gaze dropped.
"Now that you know."
she said softly,
"Keep yourself in check around the old man."
"Understood?"
She withdrew the blade.
Her figure melted back into the shadows.
Only after ten minutes did Kaigaku dare move.
The pressure had been overwhelming.
She hadn't seen him as human at all.
Those eyes—
They belonged to something else entirely.
Like a demon from ancient tales.
And what she said—
She knew what happened that night?
How?
Even that monk—didn't know.
Fear churned in him.
For a moment, he wanted to run.
But he couldn't.
She wouldn't allow it.
The only way—
I had to wait.
Wait until she left for the Final Selection.
…Final Selection.
In the dead of night, the boy endured the pain, his twisted mind already plotting what came next.