Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

At this moment, with my extremely rare blood type, I'm afraid I'll end up like the other three.

......

......No!

I'm sure I'll be in an even worse situation!

No one will collect your body.

Or rather, given my physical condition, if I were caught by an evil spirit, I would be utterly destroyed.

I'm afraid the evil spirits wouldn't waste even a drop of blood or a piece of bone.

Gee...

Thinking about it this way, that amazing strike I just delivered seems far from being able to protect me.

That strike appeared to be powerful and heavy, with an exceptionally wide range.

But when you think about the future, even Tanjiro, who has just mastered Water Breathing, can split boulders weighing tens of tons, so his feat doesn't seem so exaggerated.

Moreover, most ghosts are agile and wouldn't just wait to be cut down.

Ultimately, it all comes down to a lack of strength!

I want to live a good, carefree, and unrestrained life in this world!

He needs to be even stronger!

The morning light completely illuminated the entire forest, but the atmosphere in front of this newly erected tomb was particularly solemn.

After straightening up, Urokodaki's gaze fell on Tanjiro.

The tengu mask concealed his expression, but his voice clearly reached Tanjiro's ears.

"Tanjiro Kamado."

"Yes!" Tanjiro immediately straightened his back.

"If your sister Nezuko," Urokodaki asked, enunciating each word clearly, "had the audacity to eat people... what would you do?"

Tanjiro's body tensed instantly.

Pain and struggle flashed in his bloodshot eyes.

But it was eventually replaced by an almost stubborn determination.

He believed that it was impossible!

My own sister! She would never eat people like those evil spirits.

He opened his mouth, about to loudly proclaim his promise—

"Don't worry, Master!"

(￣３￣)a

A voice spoke before him.

Shirakawa Yu took two steps closer, a relaxed smile on his face, and patted his chest.

"I'll keep a close eye on Nezuko! With me here, with my alluring scent, Nezuko won't even glance at anyone else! I promise!"

Tanjiro: "!!!"

The scar on his forehead seemed to have become even redder due to the congestion, and a clear "#" shaped vein suddenly bulged out.

"You, you, you... what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Tanjiro abruptly turned and glared at Shirakawa Yu, his voice trembling with anger, "My sister is my responsibility! What does it have to do with you!"

"Hey, Tanjiro, don't get excited." Shirakawa Yu waved his hand, looking like he understood.

“I know you care about your sister, but wouldn’t it be better to have someone else take care of her? Look, I even know a special breathing technique that can ‘soothe’ Nezuko, isn’t that perfect!”

"Suitable my foot!" Tanjiro almost jumped up.

"That's my sister! My own sister! She doesn't need someone like you... this random person to take care of her!"

"What do you mean by 'a person who's just a random person'?" Shirakawa Yu raised an eyebrow.

"We're practically comrades who've been through life and death together now, aren't we? Isn't it only natural for comrades to help each other and take care of each other's younger sisters?"

"Shirakawa Yu!" Tanjiro gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he was about to pounce.

"Enough." Urokodaki snapped, interrupting the argument that was about to escalate.

He covered his mask, feeling a bit of a headache. It was already tiring enough to deal with one troublesome person, and now it seemed like there were two.

......No!

There are three!

There's another troublemaker!

"Shut up, all of you. Tanjiro, answer my question first."

Tanjiro glared fiercely at Shirakawa Yu, forcing himself to calm down.

He used to be gentle and good-tempered, and rarely got angry with others.

But his sister Nezuko is his only family, and also his Achilles' heel.

Unfortunately, Shirakawa Yu couldn't stop talking about his sister, constantly rubbing salt into his wounds.

They even tried to remove their own Achilles' heel!

But now is not the time to argue with him.

Tanjiro took a deep breath, shifted his gaze from Shirakawa Hare, and looked at Urokodaki with unwavering determination in his crimson eyes.

"I will find a way to turn Nezuko back into a human! Until then, I will watch over her closely and guarantee with my life that she won't harm anyone! If... if she really does eat a person..."

Tanjiro's voice suddenly choked, and he couldn't bring himself to say the words in his heart.

The gaze beneath the Urokodaki mask was deep and unfathomable. Although they hadn't known each other for long, he had already discerned the boy's general character.

Urokodaki spoke those words for him in a commanding tone, words he himself couldn't bring himself to say.

"If Nezuko really ate a person... I want you to kill her with your own hands, and then commit suicide to atone for your sins!"

The resounding words echoed through the forest in the early morning.

"Yes!" Tanjiro jumped up and answered in a jolt.

Urokodaki nodded without comment, "Remember what you said today."

"Now, I will test you to see if you are qualified to become a true demon slayer."

"A Demon Slayer!" Tanjiro's eyes lit up as he pointed at Shirakawa Yu excitedly, "Was that the Demon Slayer's ability he just used?"

Urokodaki glanced at the nonchalant Shirakawa Yu beside him, sighed, and nodded.

"Yes... he was indeed using the abilities of a demon slayer."

OS: It's completely different from what I taught you...

Shirakawa Yu happily hooked his arm around Tanjiro. He was 1.84 meters tall and had become incredibly strong over the past eight months. With his arm around Tanjiro's shoulder, it was like he was using a small cane.

"Don't be so formal with 'him' and 'him,' don't stand on ceremony. How about this: you call me 'Senior Brother,' and I'll call you 'Sworn Brother.' From now on, we'll each address each other as we see fit."

(Sister-in-law, Japanese version of brother-in-law)

呲!

Tanjiro's veins bulged again.

Suddenly I don't want to study anymore!

But... without the ability, how could you possibly help Nezuko become human?

Why should I avenge my family?

I must endure!

Seeing Tanjiro reluctantly call out "senior brother" under Shirakawa Yu's pressure, Urokodaki shook his head, turned and walked towards the temple: "Let's go, it's dawn, let's get her away from here first."

Back at the temple, Nezuko still looked like a well-behaved little dog waiting for its owner while lying in its cage, but judging from how her little head was nodding, she was clearly getting sleepy.

Nezuko.

Upon seeing his sister, Tanjiro's gentle smile returned. He quickly stepped forward and naturally reached out to carry the bamboo basket.

Just then, another hand reached out from the side and pressed down on the other side of the bamboo basket.

Tanjiro paused, then looked up.

Bai Chuanyu had followed him over at some point and was looking at him with a smile, her hand firmly pressing on the edge of the bamboo basket, showing no sign of letting go.

Now that Nezuko has unlocked Gear Second, as long as you stay with her, you can maintain your breathing technique. Naturally, Shirakawa Yu wouldn't miss the opportunity to get stronger by sticking close to her.

“Brother-in-law, junior brother.” Shirakawa Yu smiled brightly, “You just fought with a demon and dug a pit for half a day, you must be very tired, right? Take a rest, I’ll carry Nezuko back for you.”

Tanjiro's brows furrowed instantly, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

He gripped the other side of the bamboo basket tightly, meeting Shirakawa Yu's eyes without flinching.

Their eyes met in mid-air, and you could almost hear the crackling of sparks.

Chapter 6 You have flashbacks, I have catnip!

"Don't call me brother-in-law!" Tanjiro said, emphasizing each word.

"I'm not so tired that I need you to carry my sister."

“You can’t say that,” Shirakawa Yu’s smile remained unchanged, even becoming brighter. “Carrying Nezuko on my back was my own choice. I was happy to do it, so it doesn’t count as ‘helping’. So you don’t need to feel guilty.”

"I have no mental burden!"

Tanjiro practically spat out those words through gritted teeth, "I just don't want you to touch my sister!"

"Oh, don't be so formal, Tanjiro. We might be family in the future..." Shirakawa Yu started talking nonsense.

"Who says we're family?!" Tanjiro snapped.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, and even began to secretly compete by pulling on the bamboo basket, although they were very careful not to startle Nezuko inside.