Once they were done with breakfast, his younger siblings except for Nezuko went with Aoi to the study room, accompanied by three little girls. Those girls were Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho, all between seven and eight years old. Like Aoi, their families had been killed by demons, so Kanae and Shinobu had taken them in back then. Interestingly, they had been brought in a few months before Aoi was dispatched to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Hanako had wanted to see Mother, but because of her current state, Tanjiro didn't let Kie out of the basket at all. This caused the little girl to pout. As for Kie, she had remained inside the basket the whole time, without making any noise or causing a scene.
He promised he would let them meet at night as much as they wanted. Only then did Hanako go away.
Currently, he was wandering the nearby area around the mansion. Nezuko was by his side.
Her small hand was locked with his.
A big smile had covered her face since earlier, showing how much she enjoyed this personal time with Tanjiro.
Suddenly, she seemed to notice something and muttered with self-doubt, "Hmm, have I become smaller? Onii-chan's shoulders, no, your entire height seems to have increased a lot today. Eh…?"
Tanjiro looked at the blue sky with a calm face while responding, "Hah, how should I say this… My body suddenly became like this when I woke up. The only cause I can think of for such a phenomenon is this unusual Mark…" He touched his Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead.
A lot of thoughts raced through Nezuko's head at that moment. Her fingers tightened around his subconsciously.
"Onii-chan… I'm worried. That Mark's harmful to your body. Why don't we let Shinobu-san check it? Maybe she could fix it entirely…" Her voice was soft, filled with caring love.
Tanjiro patted her head at that point.
"Silly girl, it's alright. I'm fine. You don't need to worry. I'm full of energy, see." His fist punched ahead sharply in demonstration, making a "shoo" noise.
His confident smile reassured her heart immediately.
"Mm… If Onii-chan says so." She nodded reluctantly. Her trust in him was absolute, so she believed his every word, though her mind was still troubled by the potential dangers of the Mark.
Shortly after, she asked, "Onii-chan will also stay with us from today, right?"
"Yes." He replied. "After my meeting with the leader today, I'll move here too, along with Mitsuri."
Nezuko tilted her head in confusion.
"Who is this Mitsuri person, Onii-chan?"
He sat down beside a flower garden where sunlight was most abundant, followed by Nezuko.
Kie had been left in Nezuko's room, and Kanae was with Shinobu.
Only then did he explain with his usual heart-warming voice.
"Her, heh… she's a very kind and jovial girl I met after separating from you guys yesterday. She's seventeen and has great potential to become a remarkable swordswoman, choosing to become a demon slayer willingly… The thing is, her training was entrusted to me by Amane-san, so I'll be her sword teacher."
Pausing for a moment, he looked at Nezuko's focused face and added with a smile.
"I'm sure you'll get along with her really well. She's a lovely girl… that I can be sure of."
Nezuko puffed her cheeks in slight jealousy and looked away. "Hmm, I see, so she's a lovely girl according to Onii-chan…"
Hearing such praise for another girl from Tanjiro made her heart feel disarrayed; it gave her an uncomfortable feeling she was well aware of.
'Oh lord…' Tanjiro caught the scent of her jealousy almost instantly, chuckling inwardly.
Next, he squished her cheek with a chuckle. "What are you thinking, heh."
Nezuko's pout vanished as he caught her other cheek too, squishing both together.
"Um, s-stop it, hehe…" Shortly after, she started to laugh in enjoyment.
'It's too early for you, good grief…' He sighed inwardly.
Like that, both siblings spent some quality time together, away from the others.
....
While returning to the mansion, Tanjiro and Nezuko stumbled upon little Kanao, who was standing quietly in the training ground. She held a realistic wooden sword pointed ahead, lost in a trance.
From what it looked like, she was likely training the sword forms in her mind.
'Hoh, what a girl… Her fighting spirit is refined for someone her age and size…'
"What's Kanao-chan doing, Onii-chan?" Nezuko asked, confused.
Sitting on the engawa with Nezuko, he answered, "She's practicing her sword forms without moving her body… It's like mental training, but it takes a lot of concentration and focus. It's admirable."
"Ah, is that really possible?" She was baffled.
"With consistent training, yes…"
"Amazing!"
They continued to watch her silently.
Kanao remained unmoving, her form filled with tranquility.
Only after a few minutes did she exhale sharply and drop her fixed posture.
Opening his Transparent World, Tanjiro noticed that she was using Total Concentration Breathing, but it wasn't continuous. She was still learning to control it. On the other hand, her lungs were capable of pumping a lot more air than Nezuko's, clear proof of her hard work.
'Her body may be small, but her determination is on another level…'
It was at this moment the system's notification sound reached his ears.
[Ding!]
[𖤐 Mission: Give Kanao some pointers]
[𖤐 Reward: Senzu Beans]
He wasn't shocked by the sudden mission; he had gotten used to it.
He glanced at the mission and reward, raising an eyebrow afterward.
'Senzu Beans? Isn't that from the Dragon Ball world? Related to a talking cat?'
Realizing what Senzu Beans were, he nodded inwardly.
'Their effects were wonderful if I remember correctly… So how many will I get? Let's hope it's a bucket full of beans, heh.'
Next, he wasted no time and stood up immediately.
"Stay here, Nezuko. I have some advice for Kanao. I'm sure it will help her a lot in training."
She blinked in surprise.
"Onii-chan… Kanao had gone through a horrible childhood and was only saved a few years ago, so she isn't used to expressing herself like others…" Nezuko let out those empathetic words, informing him about Kanao's condition, as a gentle reminder.
Tanjiro gave a nod while moving toward the little girl, who had already noticed his arrival.
She was quiet by herself, ignoring his presence.
'Oh, well, the system didn't say I have to teach her by holding her hand or something. As long as she's observing, it will be fine…'
He picked up a twig from the corner, catching her attention. Even Nezuko smiled awkwardly.
"Watch closely…" he said while giving her a warm smile.
His presence suddenly vanished, his fighting spirit gone.
An overwhelming aura descended in the training ground, alerting Kanao's senses.
First, he performed Sun Breathing's twelve sword forms in a row like a mastered dance.
Afterward, he started to perform Flower Breathing's sword forms that Kanao had been practicing earlier. They were too easy for him, so he had no trouble whatsoever performing them.
Swift strikes, using rotation, flexibility, and maximum footwork to achieve a balanced combination of graceful sword forms.
A total of six forms, truly developed with the sole purpose of a female body in mind.
'The first user must have been a talented swordswoman to develop these sword forms…' He praised mentally.
After performing those techniques carefully and continuously a few times, he mastered them entirely.
Hurls of wind stopped as he finally ceased moving.
'Should be enough…'
[Mission completed!]
[You may claim your reward now]
[Claim]
"Did you get a good look, Kanao?"
Looking at the little girl, he noticed she was completely shocked and her eyeballs were staring wildly.
"H-How?" she ultimately let out a single word unknowingly.
On the other side, Nezuko's hand covered her open mouth. She was still lost in those beautiful sword forms.
'Ohh… That's a great reaction.'
Showing a smile, he answered. "Heh, this much is nothing for me… Anyway, I hope you got a good look, and if it was still not enough, you can just ask me anytime later. I'll help out whenever you want."
Her mind was still glitching, but she did give him a thankful or grateful nod.
"Well then, I'll see you again later. Practice hard until then."
Waving his hand, he left the training ground, leaving a marvelled girl behind.
Nezuko waved at the silenced Kanao happily as the siblings entered the mansion.
"That was wonderful. When did you learn those moves, Onii-chan?" she asked, curious.
"I didn't."
"…Eh?"
"Haha, I watched her practicing this morning and refined her sword forms myself. After continuously practicing mentally, I demonstrated those moves just now for the first time. I was amazing, right?" he said with complete confidence.
Nezuko's eyes widened.
"Onii-chan, that's like cheating…!"
'…'
'…In a way, yes… My cute little sister.' He chuckled inwardly.
....
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