The sun was setting, and the sky was dyed with orange and red. The clouds glowed like fire, while the earth below had already dimmed, like someone had poured molten iron over it.
There was movement in the forest. Shouts echoed in the trees.
"Water Breathing, First Form!"
"Water Breathing, Second Form!"
Wooden stakes flew through the air. Traps lined with sharp bamboo sprang open. Boulders crashed down in the path.
Despite the dangerous setup, boys and girls kept training over and over again, moving through the deadly course with focus and determination.
I stood at the edge of the forest, holding two baskets full of food. I watched them with a bit of envy.
Nobody ever shouted, "Dinner's ready!" for me.
After the training ended, the group came running out of the forest. At the front was a boy with short peach-colored hair, wearing a white training robe. He had a long scar across his face, but it didn't make him look scary. His smile was calm, confident, and warm. Everyone liked being around him.
"Sato-senpai! How did I do today?"
"Sato! Look at my second form!"
While they surrounded Sato, a smaller girl walked over to me. She had long dark green hair and bare feet. She wore a cherry-pink kimono and looked a bit too small for this kind of training.
Without asking, she pulled two steamed buns from one of the baskets and started eating.
"Sato's really something," she said while chewing. "He only joined a few months ago, and he's already mastered the basics of Water Breathing. He even reached the Unbridled Form. That took me almost a year."
I crouched down and began laying out a blanket so the food wouldn't get stepped on.
"Jealous, Makoto-senpai?"
"You don't have to say it so directly, Arata." She pouted, then sighed. "Yeah, I'm jealous. I've been here longer."
She looked at Sato again and smiled softly.
"But I'm happy for him. The stronger you are, the more people you can protect."
"…Yeah."
The atmosphere turned a bit heavier after that.
We were just twelve or thirteen years old, yet we were already talking about protecting people.
But this was the Demon Slayer world. I've lived here for twelve years.
In the middle of modernization, with cars, lights, and growing cities… demons still existed. They hid in alleys, wandered lonely roads, and waited in the shadows to devour people.
We were the kids taken in by Urokodaki-sensei. He raised us, trained us, and gave us a purpose.
Everyone else trained with swords.
I cooked.
"Arata-kun, do you have any plans for the future?" Makoto asked suddenly.
I looked at her and said firmly, "Live."
She was stunned for a second but didn't doubt my answer.
I still remembered what Sensei said the first time he started our ghost-slaying training:
"This path is hard. Some of you may die before you even become swordsmen."
Most of us lost family to demons. Whether it was hatred or duty, everyone chose to fight.
I tried, but I couldn't pass the basic entry test. My breathing technique was awful, and my physical stats weren't much better.
Since I was still too young to live on my own, Sensei gave me a different role—cook for the others. I've been doing it for almost two years now.
"Arata-kun, do you have soup today?"
Makoto looked at her steamed bun. Some strange purple liquid was oozing out of the filling.
"…It's not bad, but it kinda messes with my appetite."
"I've got soup."
I pulled out a bowl and poured it from the clay pot. A rich meat aroma filled the air, with a few purple petals floating on top.
Makoto gave me a weird smile but didn't say anything.
"Arata-kun… you really like wisteria flowers, huh?"
"…Yeah."
I stood up. I still had a bit of baby fat, and my outfit was… let's just say a little flashy. I wore a thick robe, a homemade cockscomb hat decorated with wisteria flowers, and even had flower garlands tied around my waist, wrists, and ankles.
Under a tree nearby, a black-haired boy sat silently, staring into space.
That was Tomioka Giyu. He was also a student under Urokodaki-sensei. Technically my junior, but he didn't act like it.
Quiet, stubborn, anti-social… but cool. Completely different from Sato and his fanclub.
I walked over to him with a lunchbox.
"I don't eat weird stuff like this," he said bluntly without looking at me.
"Oh come on, at least eat something. You'll get hungry later."
I felt like a zoo visitor trying to feed a big cat. I stood a safe distance away and tossed a bun at him.
Just like Sensei taught—aim, time the throw, and apply power.
Smack.
Right on the head. He didn't even flinch.
Smack. Another one.
Still no reaction.
"…Okay. Today's Tomioka feeding mission, complete."
I clapped my hands and turned to go home, humming as I walked.
This was my routine. Day after day. Cooking with wisteria, the one plant demons couldn't stand. If my food could help even a little… I was fine with that.
Even if I couldn't become a swordsman, I could still support them. It wasn't so bad.
"…That reminds me, someone said my new dish gave them diarrhea," I muttered. "These brats are too picky. Do they even realize how expensive wisteria petals are? It's good for them…"
Just as I grumbled to myself—
Ding!
[Congratulations: You have activated the Heavenly Reward System.]
"…Huh?"