Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

"Teacher, this place is so big!"

As soon as Xue Nai stepped into the training ground, she was stunned by the sheer size of the space in front of her.

"……Um."

Kokushibo was quite satisfied with this newly opened site.

His right hand unconsciously rose, his slender fingers lightly touching his waist as if in a dreamlike state.

He looked down at the little guy at his feet, who was tilting his head back and staring wide-eyed.

"You...stay here...don't come any closer."

He placed Xue Nai on a row of benches that had been specially set up at the edge of the venue.

The bench was wide, and she sat on it, swinging her legs back and forth.

Then, Kokushibo turned around and walked away into the distance.

His steps were steady and unhurried, his long hair swaying gently behind him.

As he walked further and further away, his figure gradually shrank in the open space, finally stopping at a point in the far distance.

Yukina craned her neck, staring intently at that spot.

Then, she saw it.

The purple figure in the distance moved.

A flash of light appeared.

"Breath of the Moon - First Form"

"Dark Moon, Palace of Twilight".

The sound came from afar.

The blade flashed like a crescent moon, slashing out diagonally with a chilling arc.

"Type II: Pearl and Moon".

"..."

The purple figure in the distance wielded a blade whose light shone like moonlight, each swing creating a large swath of blade light.

Yukina was stunned.

Her eyes were fixed on the magnificent scene in the distance, her mouth agape.

teacher……

That's amazing...

That was the only thought left in her mind.

He's many, many times stronger than any Demon Slayer Corps swordsman I've ever seen.

The teacher is like...like...

She couldn't find the right words.

It's like the moon itself is breathing.

After unleashing all forms of Moon Breathing in one breath, Kokushibo sheathed his sword and stood still.

The flashing blades faded, and the training ground returned to silence.

He lowered his eyes, looking at the illusory Weeping God in his hand.

This place has stood for a century...

He slowly closed his eyes.

A century is enough time for the ocean to turn into mulberry fields.

And so, throughout those long years, he gripped the sword tightly day after day, unleashing the Breath of the Moon, chasing after that figure he could never reach.

That person's eyes were as scorching and distant as the sun.

No matter how many swords I wield, no matter how strong I become, those eyes will always be higher up, watching me quietly and compassionately.

Chasing through centuries of time...

But he always knew his path, didn't he?

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

The only way is to hold on tightly to the illusory path of the God of Weeping and keep going.

This is his path.

"teacher--!"

A child's voice came from afar, its crisp sound pulling Kokushibo back to reality from his memories.

He looked up and saw the little guy on the bench waving at him vigorously, his legs swinging back and forth on the edge of the bench, looking both eager and hesitant to run over.

He nodded slightly.

The child over there immediately seemed to have been granted a pardon, slid off the bench in a flash, and charged straight at him with his short legs.

"Teacher! Teacher! Teacher, you're amazing! What a magnificent move..."

"It's absolutely amazing! Like the moon! So many moons! Yukina was completely mesmerized!"

Xue Nai chattered away, her little hand somehow climbing onto his fingers again, waving it as she spoke.

After talking for a while, she finally realized that it was getting late.

"Ah, Yukina has to go back..."

She reluctantly let go of her hand, tilted her little face up, and said, "Teacher, Yukina will come again the day after tomorrow!"

Kokushibo nodded slightly.

Satisfied, Xue Nai turned around and walked back the way she came.

Take a few steps, look back, wave; take a few more steps, look back again.

Kokushibo only looked away when the small figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

He lowered his eyes again and looked at the knife in his hand.

...The day after tomorrow.

He gently sheathed the knife.

*

Xue Nai skipped and hopped all the way back.

She was still replaying the dazzling sword flashes in her mind, planning how to pester her teacher to demonstrate them a few more times the day after tomorrow. As she walked, she returned to her own courtyard.

Huh?

My brother isn't in the room.

She pushed open the door and looked around, then peeked out and surveyed the surroundings.

Just as I was about to shout, my eyes suddenly caught something.

On a thick branch of a cherry blossom tree, a white figure sat quietly.

His white hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and his eyes were gazing at her from afar.

Yukina was taken aback, then her eyes crinkled into a smile as she waved vigorously in that direction.

The tree immediately began to move.

He leaped lightly from the branch and jogged towards her.

"younger sister!"

Yukina ran over, stopped in front of him, and looked up at him. "Brother, have you been waiting for Yukina here all this time?"

He nodded wearily.

Yukina took his hand: "Come on, let's continue digging the stream! I accidentally flattened the previous one..."

The two little ones continued to tinker with the pile of mud under the tree.

Lei used a stick to dig a few more bends in the riverbank, while Xue Nai diligently poured water into the river, chanting "River water, river water, flow quickly" as it dripped.

After playing for a while, Xue Nai suddenly looked up at the cherry blossom tree above her head.

"Brother, how did you climb up there?"

Lei looked up at the not-too-tall tree, thought for a moment, and gestured to her:

"Just... step on that protrusion, then grab that branch, and with a mighty pull..."

He put it very simply.

So Xue Nai threw down the stick, patted the mud off her hands, walked to the tree, and looked up at the lowest branch.

It's a bit high.

But it should be possible... right?

She stretched out her little hands, hugged the tree trunk, and kicked upwards with all her might with her two short legs.

I tried to push off twice, but didn't step on the raised part and slid down.

I tried to push again, but I slid down again.

Undeterred, she changed her position, hugging the tree trunk with both hands, hanging on it like a little koala, trying her best to climb up.

I just brushed it a little bit, and my hand slipped.

"ah!"

She stood under the tree, pouting, looking up at the branch with her little face.

"Does your sister want to go up?" Lei walked to her side. "I can help you."

Just as Xue Nai was about to nod, she suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a moment!"

She took a step back and took a deep breath.

Lei looked at her with some confusion.

A moment later, Xue Nai stretched out her small hand.

Several vines emerged from her fingertips and gently wrapped around the branches above her head.

"Hey--!"

She pulled hard, the vines tightened, her little feet left the ground, and she wobbled upwards.

"Ahhh, wait, wait—!"

Halfway up, she panicked and flailed her arms and legs in the air.

Lei quickly reached out and supported her ankle, holding her steadily.

With Lei's help, Xue Nai finally managed to climb up the thick enough branch and sat down on it with a thud. Her little face was flushed, whether from excitement or from exerting too much force, it was hard to tell.

"Finally up!"

She swung her legs excitedly, looking down at the tired boy still craning his neck under the tree, "Brother, come on up, come on up!"