Chapter 61: A Couple of Years Over Tea |
The screen continued to display Tanjiro's training.
Time flew by unnoticed.
In just one year, he mastered the forms of Water Breathing and was released by Sakonji to forge his own path.
On one hand, Tanjiro needed to gain experience and find his own way, but on the other, the former Water Hashira was afraid to send him to that ill-fated Final Selection, where almost all his students had perished ingloriously in recent years.
"It's so huge... isn't old man Sakonji overdoing it?" Mitsuri asked, genuinely indignant at the sight of Tanjiro standing frozen before a massive, round boulder encircled by a rope.
"Is Sakonji trying to prevent him from going to the Final Selection?" Kanae wondered aloud, her tone thoughtful.
It was a simple enough task for any Hashira, but not for the inexperienced Tanjiro, who hadn't even managed to master Total Concentration Breathing properly yet. It was obvious that the former Water Hashira had intentionally set his pupil a task that was meant to be impossible.
"Yes," Yeruashi nodded, explaining, "because in recent years, not a single one of his students has returned alive from the Final Selection. But sooner or later, their souls will find peace, and their will—its manifestation."
Just as predicted, Tanjiro did not give up the following day; instead, he doubled his efforts. However, even after half a year, he still hadn't managed to slice the stone...
"Mmm, who is that..." Mitsuri said, her eyebrows arching in surprise.
"Sabito, one of those very students of Sakonji who died during the Final Selection. Does that mean he's appeared as a spirit?" Kanao mused.
She had known before about the existence of spirits whose will could influence the living to a certain extent, but only on the condition that the living were able to sense their presence. Most of Sakonji's deceased students had become such spirits, yet Tanjiro only managed to sense their will after six months of the most grueling training.
"Yes," Yeruashi nodded, taking a sip of tea and accelerating time once more.
After another six months of persistent training, Tanjiro mastered Total Concentration Breathing under the guidance of Sabito's spirit and finally sliced the massive boulder in half using Water Breathing.
"Hooray, hooray!" Mitsuri cheered with all her might.
Even though these two years had passed in just a couple of hours for those present due to the time acceleration, they had still grown fond of the determined Tanjiro.
Kanae also nodded happily.
Next.
Tanjiro headed to the Final Selection!
There, he demonstrated outstanding ability and a great heart in his battle against the Hand Demon, earning the respect and recognition of Kanae, not to mention Mitsuri, who had essentially become his fan.
It is worth noting that while Yeruashi and the others followed Tanjiro's two-year story in just a few hours, to the outside world, they hadn't shown their faces outside the residence for those same two years.
However, despite the fact that food and other basic necessities—regularly delivered to the Sword Hashira's residence by Kagaya's orders—remained untouched, no one dared to enter.
Only Makomo had been inside during those two years.
"I'm back, Teacher," Makomo exclaimed joyfully as she swung the door open. She neatly removed her shoes and sat at the table. "How much time has passed here?"
"About fifteen minutes," Mitsuri replied, adding, "You're just in time for dessert."
"Sigh, and I spent about two months outside," Makomo took her cup and couldn't help but sigh, feeling that it hadn't even cooled down yet.
In the two months she had spent hunting demons, only fifteen minutes had passed here. This discrepancy in time had greatly puzzled the Sword Hashira the first time it happened, until Yeruashi explained everything to her in detail.
Makomo had also been invited to watch Tanjiro's story, but realizing her importance to the Demon Slayer Corps, she preferred to decline, only dropping by the residence occasionally.
Yet, every time the Sword Hashira returned, only ten or fifteen minutes had passed inside.
"Look, if this continues, I'll have to start calling you big sister soon," Kanae said with a sweet smile, holding her dessert.
"Oh, that's quite a predicament," Makomo said, looking somewhat troubled.
"Well, if we're talking about actual age, Makomo is already slightly older than you, so it's about time," Yeruashi added nonchalantly.
"Really?" The Sword Hashira froze, tea cup in hand, looking stunned.
"Well, if you'd like, you can keep calling me big sister, since I witnessed the birth of the world with Yeruashi and can't even count my own age anymore," Mitsuri smiled proudly, continuing to eat her cherry cake.
"Auntie Mitsuri?" Makomo muttered blankly.
"Grandma Mitsuri?" Kanao added playfully.
"Stop it! That doesn't count at all!" Mitsuri froze as if struck by lightning before exclaiming indignantly.
Amidst these arguments, Tanjiro finally passed the Final Selection and set off on his first mission, where he dealt with a demon he encountered without much trouble.
"Teacher, I must be going," Makomo said, setting aside a piece of cherry cake after Tanjiro finished off the second demon.
Ten days had passed on the water screen.
Her break was over...
"Go on, good luck," Yeruashi waved his hand, adding casually, "I can show you the replay later if you want, of course."
Makomo responded with a polite bow, then hastily grabbed her Nichirin Sword and ran off to her next mission.
"Oh, finally," Yeruashi became noticeably animated at that moment.
With a flick of his hand, a second water screen formed in the middle of the room. It showed a beautiful woman in a purple kimono with her dark hair pinned up, surrounded by a massive pile of various test tubes and beakers.
She held a test tube containing a glowing green solution before her eyes.
After so many years of failed experiments and gathering ingredients, Tamayo had finally managed to replicate the medicine that had turned Muzan into the Progenitor of Demons, all based on Yeruashi's recipe!
"Just about as I predicted," Yeruashi nodded.