Chapter 41 - 41: 41: Go ahead and draw the blade

"Takeo-san, you're back? Did you pass the Selection?" As soon as Takeo returned, Senjuro came out to greet him. Takeo nodded and smiled at him, replying warmly, "I passed. So I came straight back. Is Kyojuro-san home?" "My brother came back a few days ago, but he only stayed for a day before leaving again." "He went on another mission? Was it a demon that required a Hashira to handle?" Takeo looked at Senjuro in surprise. Of course, for a Hashira, they were either fighting demons or on the road to slay one. It wasn't unusual for them to be away from home. Still, it was rare for cases to arise that specifically required a Hashira's intervention—unless there had been heavy losses among Demon Slayer members, or if a demon suspected to be one of the Twelve Kizuki had appeared, and lower-ranked Slayers couldn't handle it. Otherwise, Hashira usually had a bit more breathing room in their schedule. That breathing room was what made it possible for them to even consider training a tsuguko. "That I don't really know," Senjuro said. "Maybe it's a particularly elusive demon or something." Senjuro shook his head in response. As mentioned before, demons were excellent at hiding. If it were one of those with specialized concealment abilities, even sending regular Demon Slayers would likely lead to nothing. So it was reasonable for a Hashira to handle that kind of situation personally. Besides, while dealing with standard missions, Hashira were also constantly investigating any traces of the Demon King—and that kind of search took time. "I see…" Takeo said with a hint of disappointment. "I was hoping to tell Kyojuro-san about the Breathing Style I developed." "Wait—your own Breathing Style…? You really pulled it off?!" Senjuro's eyes widened in shock. Takeo nodded. "Yeah, I did. Though… the process was kind of messy." Just thinking about his newly created Wolf Breathing brought Muichiro Tokito to mind. That guy had practically invented his own Breathing Style on his first day wielding a blade (well, not really), and by the third day, he'd entered the Final Selection with terrifying strength. Takeo had only managed to beat him by relying on his extraordinary regeneration. But even so, now that a few more days had passed, Muichiro had probably grown even stronger. I'm never catching up to him at this rate, Takeo thought, unless I find a way to earn 2B's power. He sighed, even feeling a bit jealous of Muichiro's overwhelming talent. Meanwhile, Senjuro seemed to admire Takeo even more: "You've really got amazing talent, Takeo. If I had even half of what you do… I'd probably already be a member of the Demon Slayer Corps by now. Then I could help my brother too." "…I know you mean well, but right now it kinda feels like you're mocking me." "Eh?! T-Takeo-san! I didn't mean it like that at all! Why would you think that?!" Senjuro flailed, waving his hands frantically in protest. Takeo stepped forward and gave his shoulder a pat. "Don't worry about it. I'm just being petty." "..." Senjuro didn't quite understand what Takeo meant. But setting aside Takeo's talent for now, something suddenly came to Senjuro's mind, and he quickly said: "Oh, right! Before my brother left, he said he had a gift for you. In case he didn't make it back in time, he asked me to give it to you instead. I'll go get it!" A gift? Takeo watched Senjuro's retreating back with curiosity. Kyojuro had left him a gift? He wondered what kind it might be. With a mix of curiosity and anticipation, Takeo sat on the porch in front of the courtyard, sipping tea that Senjuro had brewed for him while waiting patiently. Before long, he saw Senjuro walking back toward him—carrying a neatly folded piece of clothing in his arms. As Takeo rested, he set down his teacup and looked toward Senjuro, asking curiously: "This is…?" "It's a haori my brother prepared for you," Senjuro explained as he unfolded the garment in front of him. "When Mitsuri-neesan passed her Final Selection, he gave her one just like this." The haori was a pure white—completely unadorned, with no patterns or embellishments. Senjuro added that if Takeo ever decided he liked a certain color or symbol, he could have it sewn on later. Just like how the flame motif on Kyojuro's haori had been added by Kyojuro himself. Though the flame pattern was also part of the Rengoku family crest. Takeo took the haori, slipped it on, and gave a little spin in front of Senjuro. And sure enough, despite only having worn a simple brown kimono before, the addition of the haori made a visible difference—it transformed his entire presence. To put it bluntly, it was like he had gone from being a nameless background character to a full-fledged supporting cast member—he now had something uniquely his own. "The sleeves are kind of long, though," Takeo commented as he shook his arms, eyeing the fabric that extended past his wrists and the hem that nearly reached his ankles. "Feels a bit big." Senjuro explained, "My brother said you're still growing, so he had the haori made a little bigger on purpose." Takeo was currently around twelve years old (actually eleven), and his body was still in the middle of a rapid growth phase. He would definitely grow taller in the months to come. Since Kyojuro, being the Flame Hashira, couldn't always be at home, he wouldn't be around to replace or adjust Takeo's haori in real time. That's why he had it made a bit larger—so even if it couldn't be updated immediately, Takeo would still be able to wear it for at least a whole year. Understanding Kyojuro's intention, Takeo looked down at the haori and smiled. He turned to Senjuro and said, "I really like it. When Kyojuro-san returns, I'll thank him in person." "I'm glad to hear that," Senjuro replied with a smile. Then he added, "Oh, and one more thing—my brother said if you came back, you're welcome to use the training grounds anytime. Until your uniform and Nichirin sword are ready, you're free to stay here as long as you like… Also, he left behind a training plan for you. He asked me to supervise your progress." Senjuro went on to explain a lot more, especially detailing the training regimen that Kyojuro had carefully prepared for Takeo. The mention of a "training plan" made Takeo tense slightly. He was honestly a bit worried that Kyojuro had made it even more intense than before. But then he remembered that his regeneration had improved since the Final Selection… and that gave him a little peace of mind. Maybe it was because of his age, or maybe it was due to training in Breathing Techniques, but Takeo's recovery ability had clearly improved compared to when he had first received his inheritance. Even without actively using Breathing to enhance his body, his natural regeneration speed was increasing—and it seemed to be improving bit by bit each day. Perhaps one day, Takeo wouldn't even need to activate his powers consciously—his wounds might just heal instantly on their own. He might even gain abilities identical to the peak Logan. But by that point… he'd probably be no different from a demon, huh? A "demon" who doesn't fear sunlight and doesn't eat humans… actually, maybe he couldn't be called a demon at all. Still, if real demons ever found out about him, would they go mad with jealousy? Well… more importantly, it might also make Takeo a target. After all, a human who can regenerate indefinitely would be the perfect long-term food source... Shit! Don't think about it! Donning his haori, Takeo followed Kyojuro's training regimen each day. And just like that, over twenty days passed in a flash. During that time, Kyojuro never returned—but someone else did. The one who came to deliver Takeo's Nichirin sword. The swordsmith was an eccentric uncle wearing a flame-colored mask. The mask was honestly hilarious—its mouth stuck out like it was trying to blow something, entirely painted red, with huge eyes and eyebrows so thick they were nearly the same size as the eyes. It might've been rude to think so, but Takeo genuinely found the mask ridiculously funny. Thankfully, Takeo didn't laugh out loud—because he knew exactly who this man was. This was one of the swordsmiths of the Demon Slayer Corps. They were the ones responsible for forging the Nichirin swords used by Demon Slayers. It was no exaggeration to say that without them, even the strongest swordsmen in the Corps would be powerless against demons. They were deserving of respect. Takeo respectfully welcomed the swordsmith into the Rengoku estate. The man carefully set down the finished sword with great precision, then bowed politely and introduced himself: "I am Tetsudoshi. From today forward, I will be the swordsmith responsible for forging swords for Kamado-dono. Now… please, go ahead and draw the blade." The man who called himself Tetsudoshi raised his head to look at Takeo, rubbing his hands together unconsciously. He looked even more excited than Takeo was about seeing the sword unveiled. ________ 12 Advance chapters—P@treon/HornyFBI