During the meal, Hiru was fortunate enough to witness Giyu's terrifying laugh once more, while Sanemi, hearing it for the first time, nearly dropped his rice bowl in shock.
"What the hell is that laugh?" Sanemi leaned back, holding his bowl, his expression a mix of disgust and terror. "You're disgusting!"
"Because," Giyu replied, bowl in hand, expression earnest, "the salmon and radish are delicious."
"That makes absolutely no sense!"
"Finally, someone shares my feelings... An innocent smile paired with a demon laugh. Why must my mind hold such memories?" Hiru silently set down his chopsticks and bowl. "Thank you for the meal. I'm done."
Giyu popped another piece of radish into his mouth. "Didn't we just eat together?"
"Swallow your food before you speak!" Hiru rolled up his sleeves and gestured at Giyu. "And you'd better not talk to me when Sabito or my brother aren't around. I don't have their level of understanding."
Giyu's chewing halted. He held his bowl in silence for a moment, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately chose to lower his head and continue eating earnestly.
"Genya is receiving instruction too, right?" Hiru sighed, glancing at the quiet, cock-crested boy sitting nearby. "How's your progress?"
"Eh? I..." Genya lowered his head. "...I have no talent."
Seeing Hiru's puzzled expression, Makomo spoke up, a hint of regret in his tone. "Genya's physical strength is improving rapidly, but he just can't seem to grasp the Breathing Styles."
"Hmm—isn't that just like me?"
"Eh?!" Genya looked up. "You don't know the Breathing Styles either, Mr. Hiru?!"
Sanemi also turned to look in surprise. "Is that true?"
"Didn't I tell you guys?" Hiru tilted his head, holding his teacup. "The entire Demon Slayer Corps should know I'm a Hashira who can't use Breathing Styles."
"Then... then how can I become as strong as Mr. Hiru?!"
Hiru glanced at Genya's sparkling eyes, then looked away, unable to bear it. "Please, don't look at me. Your hairstyle is already testing my patience."
Genya: "...Huh?" (@Д@)?
"What's wrong with my brother's hair?" Sanemi glanced at Genya. "It looks pretty sharp."
"It's just... too avant-garde," Hiru sighed, lowering his eyes. "I'm a man of rather classical taste..."
Shinazugawa: "...You're disgusting, you know." (－"－)
Hiru: "If you want to fight, you bandit-faced jerk, just say so." (▼皿▼#)
Urokodaki Sakonji watched the lively scene with a sense of comfort, but lingering doubts prompted him to pull Hiru aside later.
"Is there something you need to discuss with me, Teacher Urokodaki?"
After confirming no one else was nearby, Urokodaki spoke softly, "The aura of a demon within you has grown stronger. Has something happened?"
Hiru paused slightly, lowering her gaze. "Stronger, huh..."
Probably because of the recent full demon transformation, making it hard to conceal the aura. Seems it's time to visit Miss Tamayo again for more medicine to hide it.
Urokodaki nodded. "Hmm, I'm a bit concerned. Did something happen?"
"Actually, not long ago, I encountered my older brother."
"The one who became a demon?"
"Yes." Hiru's mood sank. "I met him when I went back to our family's original home to mourn our relatives. He's incredibly strong—far beyond what I could handle... but in the end, he spared my life."
Nothing but sorrow... Urokodaki looked at Hiru's calm expression, sighed, and reached out to pat his shoulder. "Don't let this stop you."
"Yeah, I'll definitely bring him back." Hiru lifted his head to gaze at the rare clear night sky over Mount Sagiri. "My older brother shouldn't be like that."
Urokodaki was about to say more when he saw Sanemi emerge from the house carrying something. Hiru followed Urokodaki's gaze and froze upon recognizing the object in Sanemi's hands.
"Hey! That's my weapon, right?"
Sanemi carried a bundle wrapped in cloth, his smile looking slightly menacing against his scarred face. "Hiru, your weapons are pretty impressive! They look like they could be used for weight training!
But a Swordsman just abandoning his weapons like that? You're being pretty irresponsible!"
"You're the one messing with other people's stuff!"
"You were the one who tossed it in the corner—I just picked it up," Sanemi chuckled, shrugging the bundle closer. "Seriously, what is your weapon? This weight doesn't feel like a sword or blade."
Hiru offered no pretense. "Two short spears."
"Mind if I take a look?" Sanemi mimed untying the bundle.
"Sure. Just re-wrap it afterward."
Sanemi opened the bundle and picked up the spears inside with obvious excitement. "Fighting with weapons this heavy... your arm strength is impressive. How do they handle?"
"Hmm... pretty good." Hiru stroked his chin. "Since I got them, I've only sharpened the barrels once."
Sanemi's expression darkened. "I meant how effective they are against demons."
After a moment's thought, Hiru answered, "It feels great."
Sanemi: "...Huh?"
"I'll show you." Hiru stepped forward, picking up a short spear and bouncing it in his hand. "Don't be scared, okay?"
"What could possibly happen when you're killing demons..."
The others in the room gathered closer, curious to see Hashira's demon-slaying technique.
After asking Urokodaki which parts of the training ground were damaged and wouldn't affect practice, Hiru lifted one of his short spears, made a throwing motion, and grinned. "Don't blink."
The moment he spoke, the blade of the short spear in his hand turned bright red, then shot forward as a streak of crimson light—so fast it vanished from everyone's sight with a piercing whistle.
Before they could track the streak, an earth-shattering boom erupted nearby. Looking toward the sound, they saw a four-meter-wide crater at least half a meter deep abruptly appear, surrounded by shattered trees. At the pit's center stood the short spear Hiru had just hurled.
Genya swallowed hard. "Is... is this the power of a Hashira...?"
"No. Though I haven't joined the Demon Slayer Corps yet, I know this absolutely isn't proper combat..." Sanemi recalled the Nichirin Blade that had whizzed past her ear, her face twitching. "Should I thank you for sparing my life back then...?"
"You're welcome." Hiru shrugged, smiling. "Besides throwing it, it's also handy for direct slashing. All in all, it's a pretty versatile weapon."
"...He's a complete freak." Sanemi felt the weight in his hand lighten, then saw Giyu's perpetually poker-faced expression. "What are you doing? You're not going to try copying him too, are you?"
Giyu held the short spear in silence for a moment. Without a word, he returned it to Sanemi's hand and turned back into the house.
"...What is that guy thinking now?"
Makomo finally snapped back to reality and chuckled softly. "It's nothing. Giyu's just doing his usual solitary thing. He'll probably just add more training to his regimen later."
Sanemi weighed the short spear in his hand, whistling in surprise. "He looks like a weakling, but he's got some serious strength..."
"...I'd advise you to think before you speak."
"No matter how much I think about it, you still look like a weakling." Sanemi shoved the short spear into Hiru's hands, ran off to grab another one, then stood beside Hiru and turned to look at Makomo. "Makomo, tell me—which one of us looks tougher?"
Makomo propped her face in her hand, studied them both for a moment, then shot Hiru an apologetic glance. "Sorry, but I just can't bring myself to say Hiru looks stronger..."
Hiru: ...Seriously, give me a break.