Unfortunately, Giyu Tomioka would not give him the time to be stunned. After all, this was about a bet.
In the blink of an eye, Tomioka placed his wooden sword against the neck of Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"You lose."
Sanemi snapped back to his senses, veins bulging along his forehead. He was clearly unwilling to accept the outcome.
"Hey! Who are you calling the loser?! Even if you cut me down, I won't die! Come again!"
As he spoke, Sanemi batted away the wooden sword with the back of his hand and lunged, adjusting his stance and swinging upward.
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mountain Mist!"
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin."
Their blades clashed violently, and Giyu quickly leapt back with his usual blank expression.
He had already guessed this guy—Sanemi—wouldn't give up so easily.
"I was trying to go easy on you, but you just had to push it. Don't blame me now."
"Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow Turbulent!"
Giyu accelerated, a torrent of water bursting beneath his feet. His form became a blur, flowing like a shadow, pressing Sanemi so hard that the Wind Hashira could barely land an effective counterattack.
Finally, Sanemi spotted an opening—just as Giyu's Ninth Form was coming to an end.
"Wind Breathing, Ninth Form—"
Unfortunately, Giyu was faster. A split second later, a roaring water dragon surged from his blade.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
Sanemi tried to evade, but the strike came too fast, too sudden. With a loud crack, the wooden blade struck him square in the neck.
Giyu looked down at the broken sword and the collapsed Sanemi.
"…Uh. Sorry. I didn't mean to hit that hard."
After a while, Sanemi finally regained consciousness. He rubbed the back of his neck, blinking in confusion.
When he saw Giyu casually sitting nearby, munching on a rice ball, it all came flooding back—he'd been knocked out cold.
This time, though, he didn't explode. He spoke in an uncharacteristically calm tone:
"I'll beat you one day. Now, what the hell do you want my help with?"
Giyu nodded, unfazed. He understood that beneath the rage, Sanemi Shinazugawa was someone with a strong sense of duty and a good heart.
As for him beating Giyu one day… well, maybe in the original story, yes. But not now—not with Giyu determined to push Water Breathing to its utmost limits.
Then, Tomioka began to speak. Slowly, quietly, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, he told Sanemi everything about Kanae Kocho.
After listening, Sanemi stared at him blankly, his eyes filled with disbelief. That expression said:
Seriously? That's why you beat me up?
Sanemi still couldn't quite believe it. He asked carefully, "That's it?"
"Yeah. That's all." Giyu nodded, face calm as ever.
Sanemi took several deep breaths, then gritted his teeth.
"…Got it. Now get the hell out of my sight."
Tomioka, pretending not to notice Sanemi's simmering frustration, added casually as he walked away:
"Oh, by the way, I can't guarantee she won't encounter fatal danger."
"So you might have to make a few more trips. Just be prepared."
Sanemi didn't respond. He didn't take it seriously.
He didn't realize that what Giyu meant by "a few more trips" was not two or three times.
Soon, Sanemi found out exactly what Giyu meant.
First time: When Tomioka and Sanemi arrived, Kanae Kocho had already eliminated the demon and was casually walking back.
"Huh? When did you two become so close?" Kanae asked, her soft pink eyes brimming with curiosity.
"We just happened to run into each other on a mission," Giyu said quickly. "Anyway, I'm leaving."
Sanemi fake-coughed twice and vanished like the wind.
Kanae tilted her head, puzzled. Something about those two felt… strange.
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go home~"
Second time: They missed her again. This time, Kanae didn't notice them. Sanemi grumbled and left quietly.
Third time… Sixth time… Eighth time…
By the twelfth, Sanemi finally snapped.
Both of them were crouching in the grass, watching as Kanae gracefully turned and walked away after dispatching another demon.
As soon as she disappeared from view, Sanemi grabbed Giyu by the collar and growled:
"Hey! Are you screwing with me?! You think I've got nothing better to do?!"
"She's a Hashira for crying out loud. Stop insisting she's in danger every damn day!"
He turned to leave, seething. Giyu didn't stop him. He simply said, in a flat tone:
"Huh. Didn't expect Sanemi Shinazugawa to be a man who breaks his word."
"Forget it. Just pretend that whole duel never happened-"
Sanemi's shoulders stiffened. His veins twitched.
Those damn words. Every time he tried to back out, Giyu would pull that line on him. It was like punching cotton. Maddening.
Taking a deep breath, Sanemi forced his fury down.
"Fine. I'll go five more times. That's it."
"There's been an increase in demon activity in my area. I don't have time to be your babysitter."
Giyu nodded, understanding. Outwardly calm, but inwardly panicking.
The fact that Kanae Kocho hadn't met Doma yet gnawed at him.
His own patrol zone was larger than Sanemi's—but he couldn't just ignore Kanae. And thanks to this mess, he'd even been summoned by Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
His excuse? He claimed he had a unique sixth sense that allowed him to foresee fatal events.
It sounded ridiculous—but Giyu wasn't worried. After all, he was the a lucky bastard who had finished the entire manga before getting thrown into this world.
The five promised chances flew by. None brought the result he feared.
Sure, there was one especially tricky demon, but Kanae, serious and focused, dispatched it without issue.
Perhaps because of Giyu's warnings, she now killed any man-eating demon without hesitation. The softness and mercy she once showed had faded.
"Ha. See ya," Sanemi muttered before disappearing.
Giyu exhaled slowly. He would be lying if he said he wasn't exhausted.
Running back and forth. Constant tension. Endless doubt.
"Forget it," he muttered. "Let's rest for a few days. If I she happens to run into Doma during that time… well, that's fate."
For now, at least, Kanae Kocho was still effortlessly cutting down every demon in her path.
***
Raising Red Flags 🚩 💀