After talking to Master Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Ishida walked out of the Ubuyashiki residence and decided to head back to his mansion for the time being.
But as he was walking, he realized he wanted to meet with Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, for an important question—something he thought would be best to ask Giyu only, as he was the only person among the Hashira he knew and had talked to enough times to ask for suggestions.
As he continued walking toward his mansion, surprisingly, Giyu was walking toward him from the opposite direction. Judging by the route he was coming from, it seemed like he'd been near Ishida's place.
'Did he visit my place?'
Before he could think more about it, Giyu had already noticed him. With a slight knowing nod, he walked forward as Ishida moved slightly ahead to meet him.
"So, you're awake, and it seems you're doing well now," Giyu said, observing his condition with his usual stoic expression.
"Yes," Ishida simply nodded. "I was actually going to your place to meet you."
"I see. Did you need anything?"
Ishida nodded slightly. "Well, I needed a simple favor from you."
"A favor? What kind?"
"Can you train Kazuki and Sakura on my behalf? I mean, they have great potential, but I don't really have a clear path or instructions in mind to train them properly."
"Training a slayer is the responsibility of a Hashira. As a Hashira yourself, you should be training them, or taking help from any other Hashira if needed."
"Any other Hashira? Well yeah, I thought about that too, and that's why I was asking you—another Hashira."
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a Hashira," Giyu said, slightly turning his gaze away from Ishida and looking in the opposite direction with his usual stoic expression. "You'll have to find someone else for it."
Ishida was slightly taken aback by his response. Until this point, he'd known Giyu as a Hashira—one of the pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps. But now he was saying he wasn't a Hashira?
'What could this mean?'
'It's probably something personal. It's better not to dwell into someone else's personal matters,' Ishida thought to himself, though he mentally noted the response just in case.
"Then who would you suggest? Without you, I don't know anyone from the Hashira well—not quite, anyway," Ishida asked for a suggestion with the simple and direct tone he always spoke in, while still carrying respect.
Giyu was quiet for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "The Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, would be a good choice for both of their training. Especially for Kazuki, given his Flame Breathing style. Rengoku is experienced, passionate about teaching, and has a structured approach to training that could benefit them both."
Ishida nodded, considering the suggestion. "Rengoku... I've heard the name but haven't met him yet."
"He's enthusiastic," Giyu said in his characteristic monotone, though there might have been the faintest hint of... something in his voice. Fondness, perhaps? "Sometimes overwhelmingly so. But he's an excellent teacher and takes his duties seriously. He'd be well-suited for what you're looking for."
"I see. Thank you for the suggestion, Tomioka-san."
Giyu nodded slightly, then turned as if to leave. But he paused after a few steps, glancing back.
"He's currently out on a mission, so you'll have to wait until he returns to speak with him about it."
"Understood. I'll reach out to him when he's back."
With that, Giyu gave a final nod and walked away, his blue haori catching the breeze as he disappeared down the path.
Ishida stood there for a moment, processing the conversation. Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira—that was the answer he'd been looking for. Now he just needed to wait for the right moment to approach him.
'Kazuki will probably be excited about training with the Flame Hashira,' Ishida thought, a small hint of amusement crossing his mind. 'And Sakura will benefit from structured training as well. But, for her training under Tomioka-san would have been better due to their similar breathing form."
Ishida thought, as he started walking towards his mansion.
'Now, need to think about my own training. There is no way I will be able to fight let alone Defeat Muzan with current strength.'
Ishida pondered his future of being a Hashira and getting stronger from his current '79' Level, he was in currently.