Sabito stood still, watching as Yoriichi disappeared within mere breaths. After a moment of dazed silence, he let out a wry smile. "He's really both gentle and terrifyingly strong... Do you think I'll ever be that powerful when I reach his age?"
"You're not like him."
"Ah, Giyu, you're awake." Sabito quickly set Giyu down, worry flickering across his face. "Even if you've got ridiculous stamina—so much that Makomo calls you a stamina idiot—you can't just throw yourself in front of a demon's attack to protect someone else! Do you have any idea how worried I was when I saw you get sent flying?"
"...I forgot," Giyu replied in his usual calm tone. "Didn't think that far."
"Honestly, you're impossible..." Sabito sighed, silver eyes full of concern. "Anywhere hurting?"
"...Dizzy."
"Still dizzy? You're lucky you didn't die! I swear, can you stop giving me heart attacks for once?"
Giyu quietly looked at Sabito's worried, exasperated gaze. He listened in silence until Sabito ran out of breath and sighed. "Because I have Sabito."
"Seriously—I can't always be by your side." Sabito reached out and ruffled his hair. "You need to grow up, Giyu."
"I'm different."
Sabito groaned, covering his face. "You're hopeless, you know that?" After a moment, he stood up. "Come on. Let's find somewhere to rest. We'll deal with the demons tonight."
"Alright."
...
Truth be told, Sabito had acknowledged Yoriichi's overwhelming strength and believed he was far stronger than himself—but he hadn't expected Yoriichi to be so powerful that he could locate and slay every hidden demon on the mountain during the brief daylight of late autumn.
So when the Kakushi in their Demon Slayer uniforms found him that night to inform him that the trial had ended early, Sabito was completely stunned.
"Huh? It's over? Wasn't it supposed to last seven days? This is only the second day!"
The Kakushi looked equally helpless. "All the demons on the mountain have already been eliminated. Continuing the test serves no purpose."
Sabito fell silent. It was true—there was no point continuing. Any swordsman who couldn't even survive a few days in the forest probably wasn't cut out for this path anyway.
And judging by how quickly the Kakushi arrived, this entire trial had probably been monitored from the start.
Sabito nodded thoughtfully, then led Giyu to follow the Kakushi down the mountain.
...
By the time they returned to the platform, over twenty participants were already gathered there. Sabito and Giyu were among the later arrivals. Scanning the area, Sabito spotted his targets beneath a wisteria tree in the corner.
"Yoriichi! Hiru!"
Yoriichi looked up and nodded with a gentle smile, while Hiru sat nearby, completely absorbed in a picture book, not even glancing at Sabito.
"Hiru's drawing again? He's really focused..." Sabito led Giyu over. "Didn't expect you two to get here before us. So it really was Yoriichi who killed all the demons, right?"
"Yeah. I was the one who reported the reduced demon numbers, so technically, I arrived first." Yoriichi turned to Giyu. "Is he alright?"
"He's fine. He woke up not long after you left. He doesn't talk much, but his body's tough enough," Sabito sighed. "Still, Yoriichi, you really are amazing. Daytime demons are usually good at hiding, yet you managed to find every single one."
"You just have to look where it's darkest."
"Finding them's one thing, but killing them's another..." Sabito muttered, sounding a bit defeated. "I thought I was strong enough, but I nearly got killed instead."
"The difference between people can be vast."
Sabito winced as if struck. "...Giyu, maybe don't comment right now."
Giyu gave him a blank stare before looking away. "We're just different."
Sabito sighed helplessly and turned back to Yoriichi. "I wonder how many demons you killed in total?"
"Hmm... counting from when we entered the mountains, about twenty-seven," Yoriichi said thoughtfully. "Not that many. Most had only eaten two or three humans—not hard to deal with."
"In big brother's eyes, no demon is hard to deal with," Hiru said as he closed his sketchbook and stood, glancing at Yoriichi. "Not many could even survive your second strike, could they?"
"Speaking of swords..." Sabito's tone softened with curiosity. "I remember you didn't use a Nichirin Blade, right?"
Yoriichi paused briefly, then nodded. "Yes. Just a normal blade."
"Then how did you kill them? Ordinary weapons can't kill demons." Sabito rubbed his chin. "And I didn't see you using any Breathing Techniques... Fighting demons without those would be incredibly difficult, wouldn't it?"
"I was using Breathing Techniques the entire time," Yoriichi explained patiently. "It's just that without a Nichirin Blade, I channeled the Form that would normally manifest externally into the sword's core. That temporarily gave it the properties of a Nichirin Blade—enough to slay demons."
Sabito: "...Huh?"
[Wait, isn't Form supposed to only manifest when used with a Nichirin Blade?]
Sabito was completely baffled.
"No one could do what my brother just described... If someone could, they'd be a demon," Hiru said, patting Sabito's shoulder. "Take my advice—don't talk swordsmanship with my brother. You'll just end up depressed."
Yoriichi chuckled softly. "Hiru has talent—he just doesn't take it seriously."
"No, I don't. I can't even learn Breathing Techniques," Hiru said flatly, deadpan eyes dull. "Forget everything else—claiming I have sword talent in front of you would just be masochism. After living with you in the mountains all these years, I've learned that the hard way."
Yoriichi simply shook his head in mild exasperation. It wasn't that Hiru couldn't learn—it was that he refused to, thinking swordsmanship would steal time from his art.
...
"Welcome back."
A clear, feminine voice echoed through the platform. The twin white-haired girls appeared once more, speaking in their same peculiar alternating rhythm.
"We're glad to see everyone return safely."
"Returning safely is what matters most."
"Since all the demons were slain ahead of time, this Final Selection will end early."
"However, not all survivors have passed the test."
"The names of those who passed will now be announced."
Unsurprisingly, Yoriichi's name was first, followed by Hiru, Sabito, and Giyu.
In the end, only eleven participants passed—each one either having slain a demon or faced one without fleeing.
Those whose names weren't called grumbled about not encountering any demons, while others broke down in tears, vowing never to become Swordsmen again. But none objected to the results.
Those who wished to retry confirmed the next examination date before descending the mountain, cursing under their breath. Soon, only the eleven successful candidates and the two white-haired girls remained.
"Once again, congratulations to those who have passed."
"First, you'll pay for your uniforms. After that, we'll take your measurements and engrave your Corps ranks."
"There are ten standard ranks within the Demon Slayer Corps."
"They are: Kinoe, Kinoto, Hinoe, Hinoto, Tsuchinoe, Tsuchinoto, Kanoe, Kanoto, Mizunoe, and Mizunoto."
"Above these ranks stand the Hashira—the Pillars who support the entire Corps."
"Except for a few exceptional individuals, all who have just passed are ranked Mizunoto."
"Now, each of you will choose a piece of Tamahagane. Your personal Nichirin Blades will be forged and delivered within ten to fifteen days to the address you provided."
"From this moment forward, a Kasugai Crow will accompany each of you. Once you receive your Nichirin Blade, the crow will assign your first demon-slaying mission."
"Now, please step forward and choose your Tamahagane."
...