After half a day, Giyu Tomioka finally returned to Mount Sagiri.
Looking at the fiery red sky, Giyu remained silent for a while. He didn't know how to face Master Urokodaki.
Just as he was struggling to decide what to say, the door of the cabin suddenly opened.
"Now that you're back, why don't you come in?"
"Master, I…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was pulled into a hug by Urokodaki Sakonji.
"It's good that you came back alive. You don't have to blame yourself for what happened to Sabito."
Giyu shook his head gently while in Urokodaki's arms.
"Master, it has nothing to do with you. From now on, I'll carry Sabito's will and destroy the demons."
"As for the Hand Demon… it won't live much longer."
After entering the house, the master and disciple talked for a while. Giyu said he wanted to stay on Mount Sagiri for a while.
On one hand, he was waiting for his Nichirin Blade to be forged. On the other, he wanted to continue his training.
Urokodaki had no objections and told him to come to him if he had any questions or ran into difficulties.
After thanking Master Urokodaki, Giyu took a wooden sword and climbed the mountain.
He wanted to meet Sabito—or more precisely, Sabito's spirit.
Soon, Giyu arrived at a large, round boulder. He slowly closed his eyes and called out softly:
"Sabito… Sabito…"
"Giyu, how did you know I'd be here?"
On top of the boulder, a young man in a patterned haori, with a scar at the corner of his mouth, looked at him with a smile.
Giyu didn't know why, but his tears began to fall uncontrollably.
"Sabito… you shouldn't have died…"
Sabito smiled knowingly. He understood what Giyu wanted to say, but he had his own beliefs.
"Saving the weak—that's what a man should do!"
"You're always like this…" Giyu sighed, then wiped his tears and looked at Sabito seriously.
"Can we train like before? My swordsmanship is still immature. Please, Sabito.
I want to become stronger—strong enough for both of us. I will avenge you and slay every last demon!"
Sabito was slightly surprised. The Giyu standing before him felt different, but in a way that pleased him.
"Of course! And I believe you can do it!"
Giyu felt warmth in his heart. From the moment he met Sabito, he had known that Sabito was truly a good person.
Steeling himself, Giyu raised the wooden sword with both hands and charged.
Unfortunately, he was a little slow, and Sabito easily saw through his move.
With a bang, Sabito blocked the strike and used the rebound force to spin and counterattack.
'Such a fast defensive counter!' Giyu was shocked and had to fall back, having no time to make another move.
The attack missed, but Sabito didn't stop. He squatted low and swept Giyu's legs.
As expected, Giyu fell, and the tip of Sabito's wooden sword pointed at his neck.
"You're still too slow. Your form is off. Get up—again!"
Sabito reached down and helped Giyu up.
"Yes, I'll try harder!"
Giyu stepped forward again. He knew that if Sabito used the terrain, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Sabito's greatest strength was his agility in using the environment and attacking from blind spots.
After a few rounds, Sabito noticed Giyu's intention.
"Don't rush! Your breathing's unstable!"
Right after speaking, Sabito evaded Giyu's sword at a tricky angle and slashed at his waist from behind.
"Hiss…" Giyu winced. Just as he stabilized, the wooden sword was once again pressed against his neck.
"You're faster now, but your attacks are all over the place. It's better to be slower and precise."
"Random slashing will only get you killed—remember that, Giyu!"
"…Got it, Sabito!" Giyu nodded seriously. "Let's keep going…"
A few hours later, Giyu could no longer hold out. He collapsed, gasping for breath.
Even though he managed to land a few hits by trading blows, he had clearly lost.
If they were using real swords, he would have died long ago.
"Not bad. Your talent isn't far off from mine. I believe you'll become great one day."
"Heh… that's what being a man is all about."
Giyu smiled quietly as he looked at the moon, not replying.
Seeing that Giyu had no intention of leaving, Sabito asked curiously, "Hmm? Sleeping here tonight?"
"Yeah, I've already spoken to Master." Giyu said, casually resting with hands behind his head. "I'll be here the next ten days or so—training while I wait for the Nichirin Blade."
"Alright. Good night, then~"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sabito's figure faded away.
Giyu closed his eyes and, feeling a bit drowsy, quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Just then, a girl wearing a pink kimono patterned with plum blossoms quietly approached.
She gently draped another kimono over Giyu's sleeping body and silently vanished.
—
The next morning, Sabito dragged Giyu up for training.
As for the kimono covering him, Giyu knew immediately whose it was.
In this place, the pink plum-blossom kimono could only belong to his senior—Makomo.
Fifteen days passed in a flash.
During this time, Giyu mastered Total Concentration Breathing: Constant and became more proficient in Water Breathing's Tenth Form.
Most importantly, he could now keep up with Sabito's movements.
At noon that day, Urokodaki came and informed him that his sword had been completed.
Giyu nodded slightly, took a deep look at the boulder, and silently thought:
'I'll come back again, Sabito… And thank you, Makomo, for your kimono.'
Back at the wooden hut, Giyu saw a burly man with a strange mask sitting inside.
When he saw the katana in the man's hand, Giyu couldn't help but wonder—
Were you once part of the Demon Slayer Corps and then became a swordsmith?
With a physique like that, he looked like the Stone Hashira with a mask.
The swordsmith noticed the two at the door and stood up. A deep voice echoed in the room:
"You must be Tomioka Giyu, right? I'm Mori Tessei. From now on, I'll be forging your swords."
Seeing Mori Tessei extend his hand, Giyu smiled and reached out to shake it.
He guessed that Mori Tessei was a middle-aged man, judging from the thick calluses on his hands.
He seemed like a stable person—certainly not like Tanjirō's swordsmith, who might chase you with a knife at any moment.