"Hello!"
Sabito jumped at the sudden touch on his shoulder, instinctively placing a hand on his sword hilt as he spun around. His gaze locked with the youth's expectant, dark eyes.
"Sorry, did I startle you?" Hiru took a few steps back, smiling until his eyes crinkled. "My name is Hiru. Hello!"
"Uh... hello?" Sabito looked at the slightly shorter youth before him, realizing his own nervousness from the assessment had been the cause. Seeing him clearly now, he relaxed slightly. Though surprised by the boy's silent approach, he remained good-natured. "What can I do for you?"
"Yes, I wanted to ask where you bought your mask!" Hiru couldn't help but take another step closer. "The patterns are absolutely stunning, and the carving technique is incredibly delicate! If you look closely, you can see the wood grain is perfectly continuous without any breaks! I was instantly drawn to it and just had to come over and ask! It's truly a perfect piece of work!"
Sabito leaned back slightly. "Uh, this isn't something I bought. It's a disaster-warding mask my teacher carved by hand for us."
"A disaster-warding mask, indeed!" Hiru looked even happier. "It must have been carved with such good wishes, since the fox face itself symbolizes protection! Could I meet your teacher? I'm truly fascinated by this carving technique! I wonder if I could learn it too!"
"Hiru, don't be so impolite."
Only then did Sabito notice the white-haired youth trailing behind Hiru, who appeared significantly older. His expression instantly grew serious—he hadn't sensed this person's presence at all.
[What terrifying power.]
Sabito couldn't help but grow wary once more.
"But, but really... I rarely see things like this..." Hiru turned to look at Yoriichi, puffing out his cheeks. "Seriously... all my brother ever thinks about is swordsmanship! He just doesn't understand the beauty and romance in this!"
"Ah, speaking of which, are you two also heading to the Demon Slayer Corps selection?" Sabito noticed the long swords at their waists, a faint smile playing beneath his mask. "If so, we could travel together. After the assessment, I could bring you both back to Mount Sagiri. It's been ages since we had guests at home. Master would surely be delighted—he might even agree to teach you mask carving."
"Eh—" Hiru's expression visibly dimmed. "The Demon Slayer Corps selection..."
"Yes, it's in two days at Mount Fujikasane." Sabito nodded slightly. "From the base to the mid-slopes, beautiful wisteria blooms year-round. Looking up from the base is truly breathtaking. Above the mid-slopes, however, lie the evil demons captured by the swordsmen for the trials."
"Wisteria blooming year-round from the base to the mid-slopes?" Hiru repeated, as if confirming.
"Yes. This season, Mount Fujikasane is the only place to see wisteria. It's truly breathtaking."
"Brother!" Hiru turned to Yoriichi. "Should we go? A sea of wisteria stretching across the entire mountain—it sounds gorgeous!"
Yoriichi just smiled and nodded, though he clearly remembered how just minutes ago, Hiru had been complaining about how troublesome the Demon Slayer Corps was.
[Hiru still gets drawn in by beautiful things so easily.]
"Would it be inconvenient for us to join you?" Hiru looked at Sabito again. "Are you planning to travel through the night? Or do you already have lodgings arranged?"
"Well, actually, we were just about to have dinner. Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Sabito. This is my junior, Tomioka Giyu."
Sabito glanced back apologetically at Giyu, who'd remained silent despite his stomach growling, then turned back. "If you don't mind, shall we talk over dinner?"
"Sure! I'm Hiru. This is my brother Yoriichi!" Hiru pointed behind him. "What are you guys planning to eat? As an apology, I'll treat you!"
"Eh, isn't that too extravagant? We can just pay our own way."
"Then consider it a thank you!" Hiru kept staring at Sabito's mask. "Because Sabito answered me so patiently, right? Let's just call it making a friend!"
Sabito finally couldn't stand it anymore and took off the mask, handing it to Hiru. "You can borrow this mask to look at, but please stop staring at me."
"Thank you so much! I'll be careful looking at it." Hiru took the mask with both hands and examined it meticulously. "Hmm... truly exquisite craftsmanship."
Watching Hiru become engrossed in his own world, Yoriichi nodded apologetically to Sabito. "Sorry about my brother's rudeness."
"Haha, no worries. Hiru doesn't seem like a bad person, just a little scary in his enthusiasm..." Sabito glanced around and pointed to a kanto-nabe stall. "If you don't mind, how about we grab some kanto-nabe?"
"Sure." Yoriichi gave a slight nod, tugging Hiru—still engrossed in examining the mask—along to follow Sabito's pace.
The group took seats one after another and ordered food from the vendor.
Without Hiru's lively chatter, the atmosphere among the four grew slightly subdued. Finally, Yoriichi couldn't help but speak up upon noticing Giyu steadily eating only radish. "Is that okay?"
"What?"
"I see Giyu eating nothing but radish... Won't he become malnourished?"
Sabito finally turned to look at Giyu, his cheeks puffed out from concentrating on eating radish. Sighing, he gave a helpless smile to Yoriichi. "It's fine. My boy's a bit picky, but he gets all his nutrients normally... But is Hiru okay?"
"He's fine. He ate a lot of strawberry daifuku earlier, so he shouldn't be hungry now."
"Huh? Won't eating mochi this late give him a stomachache?"
"It hasn't happened yet." Yoriichi watched Hiru, who was engrossed in studying a mask, with a resigned look. "Besides, when strawberry mochi is available, Hiru won't even glance at other foods."
"Looks like your kid has eating issues too." Sabito patted Yoriichi's shoulder sympathetically. "Speaking of which, has Yoriichi come of age yet?"
Yoriichi paused slightly before nodding. "Yes, I'm an adult now."
"Huh? Older than me? Then I should call you big brother. Though judging by your face, you just turned eighteen, right? Haha, I thought I'd have the age advantage." Sabito chuckled. "What about Hiru? He must be quite a bit younger than you, right?"
"Hiru is three years younger than me."
"Huh... that's not exactly young. He's even a bit older than me." Sabito's gaze toward Yoriichi grew even more sympathetic. "But judging by the personality Hiru has shown so far, Yoriichi, you must really have your hands full with him."
"It's okay, I'm used to it." Yoriichi shook his head slightly. "He can be a bit childish sometimes, but in terms of ability, he's quite reliable. What about you, Sabito?"
"Ah, I'm fourteen this year. Giyu is a year younger than me, thirteen." Sabito smiled, but quickly lowered his head, looking troubled. "But this kid has always been so bad with words... it's really worrying me about the future."
"...Bad with words?"
Sabito absentmindedly poked at the meatballs in his bowl. "Well, how to put it? He always manages to turn 'I'm useless' into 'You're useless.' It's so frustrating. He's such a gentle, capable kid... Ah, but this constant self-denial is just... impossible to deal with."
Giyu calmly set down his chopsticks. "I'm done eating. And yes, I am different from you."
"See? That's exactly it." Sabito's silver eyes held resignation. "He's actually saying 'I'm not as good as you,' but it comes out as 'You're not worthy to compare to me.' I really don't know how to correct that."
"It's fine." Yoriichi smiled gently, showing no offense. "I knew the moment I saw him—Giyu isn't a bad kid."
"Haha, Yoriichi really is a gentle soul. Honestly, when Giyu and I first started interacting, he used to drive me absolutely crazy..." Sabito lowered his head again, unable to suppress another sigh. "If only there were some way to help him change..."
"There's no need for him to change. It's part of his character, part of who Giyu is."
Yoriichi smiled at Giyu, who had turned to look at him. Seeing the boy's momentary startled expression before he looked away, Yoriichi's smile widened slightly. "Besides, the world is so vast. You'll always meet people who understand you without needing words."
Sabito stared at Yoriichi, his expression shifting from surprise to something more complex. "I think... Yoriichi-nii, you bear a significant part of the responsibility for Hiru's personality today..."
"True enough." Yoriichi nodded, smiling indifferently. "Other friends have told me the same—to be a bit stricter with Hiru. But since he's always been so well-behaved around me, I'd subconsciously let it slide. By the time I realized it, I was already at a loss about how to handle him."
"Hmm—so it seems you're the type who finds it hard to say no, Yoriichi." Sabito popped a rice ball into his mouth. "That must make you vulnerable when dealing with others, right?"
"I am rather bad at refusing. Hiru often lectures me about it." Yoriichi chuckled softly. "But when it comes to that, he gets surprisingly stubborn."
"Haha, doesn't that just prove how close you two are?"
The two grew more animated as they chatted. Clearly, discussing their younger brother and junior was a topic that suited both Yoriichi and Sabito.
Meanwhile, Hiru had finished examining the wood grain and put on the mask. He couldn't help but marvel. "It's amazing! It looks completely sealed from the outside, but once you wear it, it's not stuffy at all and doesn't obstruct your vision. Plus, there's this subtle woody scent that helps clear your mind—you can't smell any of that harsh paint odor... Truly masterful craftsmanship!"
"Haha, if Master Urokodaki heard that, he'd be delighted," Sabito said, looking at Hiru. "Speaking of which, you seem quite fond of these things, Hiru?"
"Yeah, but it's just a fondness. I mostly stick to painting." Hiru removed the mask, handing it to Sabito with a satisfied expression. "Thanks for letting me see it."
"Drawing?" Sabito froze, then took the mask and placed it on his head. "That seems like a pretty rare hobby among swordsmen."
"I wouldn't call myself a swordsman." Hiru waved it off. "I just swing my sword around recklessly because I'm strong. Honestly, I have zero talent for swordsmanship. Even when I hunted demons with my brother before, my sword skills were practically useless—he did all the heavy lifting. When I hunt alone, I mostly just chop off limbs and wait for sunrise."
Sabito saw Yoriichi's expression turn resigned again.
[Looks like that 'no talent' thing was just an excuse?]
"And you still find time to paint? Unbelievable."
Hiru immediately shifted his gaze to Giyu, his expression turning subtly annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean, you jerk?"
"Giyu meant, 'Despite possessing the skill to slay demons, you claim no talent, yet still find time to study painting? Impressive,'" Sabito explained with a smile. "Sorry, this kid isn't very articulate."
"Is that so?" Hiru's expression looked somewhat skeptical. "That's a bit too blunt, don't you think? It feels like a provocation. Even I would find it hard to say something like that to a stranger I've just met and haven't done anything with yet..."
"Haha, I apologize for him." Sabito reached out to ruffle Giyu's hair. "But this kid is actually very shy. Unless he feels comfortable with someone, he barely speaks to outsiders. Even when Kakushi visited our house before, he hid far away practicing swordsmanship."
"You'd never guess it..." Hiru muttered. "So what's your plan now, Sabito? Hit the road tonight or find an inn to rest?"
"Rest, I think." Sabito considered the journey. "The trial starts the day after tomorrow. We can reach the town at the foot of Mount Fujikasane tomorrow, rest another day, then set out after dinner. That way we'll be in top shape for the trial."
Hiru nodded, then suddenly stood up. "I'll go buy a few more strawberry daifuku! Wait here, everyone—I'll be back soon!"
Watching Hiru's receding figure, Yoriichi couldn't help but shake his head. "Honestly... he never acted like this even when we went without food for ages in the mountains..."
"If Hiru gets an upset stomach tonight, come to my place. I have digestive medicine prepared."
"Thanks in advance, then."
Sabito merely smiled, lowering his head to focus on his meal.
But when Hiru returned with the packed strawberry daifuku to pay, Sabito couldn't help but inwardly gasp at the three-tiered food box. There were easily thirty inside, right?
[Is he really going to eat all of these today? But won't that cause indigestion...?]
He found himself inexplicably impressed with Hiru—though he didn't know the extent of his abilities, he himself certainly couldn't manage eating nearly thirty strawberry daifuku in one evening. No, he'd probably be overwhelmed by the sweetness after just seven or eight.
[You're amazing, Hiru.]