Asuka's unease deepened, and for a moment, he did not want to speak.
But he also knew that the dangerous aura radiating from the old man before him was not something he could resist.
Rukongai had taught him its second most important lesson: before you have strength, never bark at a big dog.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.
"...Asuka."
"Do you have a surname?"
"Nanajūhachi."
"Hmm..."
The old man did not pursue the matter of his name. In times like these, nameless and homeless children wandered the streets and alleys everywhere, only to be eaten by demons or sold off by people with pitch-black hearts. Whether they had a surname or not hardly mattered.
"Asuka, your injuries were caused by demons... three fatal wounds, yet none of them killed you. Your vitality is remarkable. Don't waste it!"
As he spoke, he handed the bowl of medicinal soup back to Asuka.
Seeing the lingering distrust in Asuka's eyes, the old man said in a deep voice, "I can sense that your aura is different from theirs. I know this is the difference between street strays and ordinary civilians, but here, everyone is the same."
"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to go through all this trouble."
Hearing that, Asuka twitched the corner of his mouth. Internally, he felt the logic held up.
So he stopped insisting. Taking small sips, he drank the now lukewarm, bitter medicine in one go, not letting a single drop spill from his lips.
The old man nodded and pointed at himself with his only remaining right hand.
"My name is Arasaki Tetsushin. This is my training ground, Hayama, a place dedicated to cultivating swordsmen for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"You've already seen what demons are. That was my failure. I didn't expect demons to be lurking near Hayama without me noticing..."
"Normally, becoming a disciple of a training ground requires passing some basic trials... but for a normal person capable of killing demons, I believe those trials are unnecessary."
Arasaki Tetsushin then pointed at Asuka and asked the question he cared about most.
"The Demon Slayer Corps reported finding large swathes of torn blade marks at the scene... boy, how did you do it?"
Asuka's pupils contracted sharply, and Elder Arasaki caught that reaction, his expression turning solemn as he stared at him.
What should I do? Should I say it? Asuka thought rapidly, trying to figure out how to make something up.
Some of his memories had returned. The broken longsword in his possession was a special weapon called an Asauchi, one that resonated with the user's inner world and released a unique power.
He did not know whether he had truly mastered that power, but it was obvious that it did not belong to this world. If he told the truth, would it bring him trouble?
Just as Asuka was thinking frantically, Arasaki Tetsushin answered for him.
"I've lived for decades, and I've heard that there are people in this world who are born with the ability to comprehend the mysteries of breathing and sword momentum... could you be one of them?"
"Breathing..." Asuka opened his mouth. Cunning and caution quickly helped him cobble together a story as he spoke haltingly, struggling to recall. "...I'm not sure. I only remember wanting to avenge the old man. In my anger, I just swung and slashed wildly..."
"Sometimes, the blade would carry... a howling wind, like a barking dog, completely out of control... and sometimes it just felt like my strength suddenly increased for no reason..."
Arasaki Tetsushin listened quietly to Asuka's fragmented and chaotic description, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Uncontrolled gale..."
He could sense the flow of aura within a person.
The boy before him was lying, but it did not feel entirely fabricated. It was more like an exaggerated metaphor.
Is he exaggerating his strength to intimidate me? Or is it simple distrust, emphasizing his power out of fear that I might harm him...
He stared at Asuka for a long time, continuously sensing the flow of aura around him. It was a faint red surge, indicating hostility, but not malicious intent.
Self-preservation... Arasaki made his judgment.
"Enough..." His voice was steady and calm as he reached a decision.
Perhaps it was simply a rare, unpolished combat instinct that had never been refined or cultivated. That seemed the most reasonable explanation.
"Whatever it is, the fact that you can kill demons is real. Use it well. It will be one of the important supports that keeps you alive."
"One of?" Asuka repeated the word in confusion, while Arasaki Tetsushin had already risen to his feet.
He walked to the sliding door of the tatami room and gently pulled it open. Without turning back, he left behind a single sentence.
"Hayama isn't a chaotic street. No one here will steal your food or hurt you for no reason."
"When you can stand firmly on your feet, I'll show you what real wind truly looks like."
The door closed, cutting Asuka off from the outside world.
He fell silent, staring at the unreal warmth of the tatami room before him.
After a moment of thought, he crawled back beside the Asauchi, pulled it into his arms, then climbed into the warm bedding, carefully wrapping himself up tight.
Perhaps Arasaki's words had sparked a bit of curiosity in him. Or perhaps he simply wanted to stay here peacefully for a few more days.
Once again, he sank into a hazy, drifting sleep.
Several days later, outside the training grounds.
When Asuka finally stepped out of the tatami room, he realized the place was a connected complex of buildings that occupied nearly half the mountaintop.
The training grounds were divided into indoor and outdoor areas. Miss Rika was now taking him to an open-air training field carved out on the western slope of the mountain summit.
The wind atop the mountain was even colder and sharper, carrying fine snow and withered leaves that quickly reddened one's face.
Asuka stood at the edge of the outdoor training ground. He wore a loosely fitted, light green kendo uniform Miss Rika had given him, while underneath, he still had on the old, patched cotton coat left behind by the bald old man.
The temperature was very low. Normally, it would not be suitable to let a patient come out into the wind, but Asuka's vitality was indeed as extraordinary as Arasaki had said.
In just a few short days, with the help of herbal medicine, his wounds had scabbed over and were slowly healing, much to Miss Rika's surprise.
Though large movements still caused a dull ache, he could at least move freely, which satisfied Asuka greatly.
He still had his worn Asauchi strapped to his waist, his gaze fixed tightly on the tall, one-armed figure in the field, Arasaki Tetsushin.
The old man was dressed the same as ever, except today he held a heavily worn wooden sword that looked extremely weighty.
He stood there quietly, facing the distant layers of mountain peaks, as if he had merged into one with the howling mountain wind.
"Watch closely, boy."
Arasaki did not turn around, yet he had already sensed the arrival of Rika and Asuka.
"This is the Breath of Wind!"
The moment his words fell, the aura around Arasaki Tetsushin changed instantly.
If the Arasaki from before was like an intangible existence blended into heaven and earth, merged with the mountain wind—
Then now, he was like a blade drawn from its sheath, splitting the air of the world in an instant, or like a sudden tornado rising from flat ground, forcefully crashing into Asuka's perception!
Arasaki Tetsushin gripped the wooden sword, raised his only remaining right arm, and unleashed a vast, razor-sharp killing intent that seemed capable of tearing everything apart!
Whoosh!
The raging wind trembled with his breathing, and the air hummed with his movements.
Wisps of pale blue-white air hissed as they continuously surged into his mouth and nose, transforming into powerful force that spread through his entire body!
Wild currents wrapped around the wooden sword, even condensing into an almost tangible emerald-green glow!
"Breath of Wind, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Lowering his stance, Arasaki Tetsushin let out a deep, fierce shout. The wooden sword traced a half-circle before him, slashing upward violently from below!
Shriek—!!!
A piercing tearing sound exploded across the field! Asuka felt his eardrums sting as his vision blurred!
In the next instant, he witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.