Chapter 49: Sensei?

{Author felt like dying in the process of making a 2k word chapter, send him love.}

The rest of the day, Eri and I ran around, going from garden to garden, chasing butterflies, and even finding a pond to jump into. Overall, it was a pretty fun day. Now, I was carrying a sleeping Eri in my arms as I made my way to where Tanjiro would be.

I found a note in the room where he was earlier, saying he'd be in his sister's room, with directions to get there. It didn't take long to find. When I arrived, Tanjiro opened the door.

"Evening, Sasaki-san." He gave a slight bow, and I returned it.

"Evening."

We walked in, and I was greeted by the sleeping form of his sister, Nezuko.

"Right, I never introduced myself. I'm Kamado Tanjiro, and this is my sister, Kamado Nezuko." He gestured from himself to Nezuko with the introduction, then scratched his cheek awkwardly. "But please, call me Tanjiro so it's less confusing."

I nodded and set Eri down next to Nezuko, who immediately hugged her in her sleep.

"Then call me Ryou. I'm not one for formalities unless needed."

Tanjiro gave a nod, then gestured toward the cushions and table. We sat down, glancing at the sleeping forms of Eri and Nezuko for a moment before Tanjiro turned to me.

"I have a good sense of smell." he said suddenly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Please don't take my next words as offensive," he added, bowing his head slightly.

I waved him off. "Say what's on your mind, Tanjiro-kun."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "You have a rotten smell, similar to that of a demon, but you're not a demon. And... you don't seem to be a bad person."

I raised an eyebrow again at that, and he smiled.

"What I mean is, you don't seem completely bad. But going back to the smell... it's like that of a demon, yet not. I'm confused by it. I was hoping you could explain?"

I hummed. 'Makes sense, I guess. He does have an amazing sense of smell.' I stretched out my hand toward the center of the table, channeling a small amount of cursed magic into my palm. A tiny flame ignited, and I noticed Tanjiro's eyes widen.

"This is cursed magic." I explained. "I can use it because I'm connected to a cursed weapon."

I didn't summon Muramasa, not wanting to risk any reaction from Nezuko. Instead, I shaped the small flame into the form of a katana, and Tanjiro remained wide-eyed.

"I reckon the rotten smell you sense comes from the katana. It tries to drive its wielder insane, putting them into a violent trance that doesn't stop until everything is destroyed... or they die. We're connected at the soul."

I didn't lie, but I didn't say everything about Muramasa either. Tanjiro continued staring at the flame before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, he looked at Nezuko. I extinguished the flame and joined him in watching them.

"I became a Demon Slayer to help turn my sister back into a human." he said quietly. "She was turned by the leader of the demons, Kibutsuji Muzan."

I stayed silent, listening as he took another breath. When he exhaled, it felt like a wave of determination was released.

"The other reason was to avenge my family, my siblings and mother." he added, his voice tight. He looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists before turning to me. "You're strong, right?"

I nodded. 'I'd say I'm fairly strong. Not sure how I compare to back home, but I should be among the strongest here.'

"Train me." Tanjiro said suddenly.

His words froze my thoughts. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, so he continued.

"Please teach me Ryou-san. Help me become strong enough to protect my sister." He bowed down on his knees.

'What? Me?' My mind raced as I looked at his determined face. Finally, I let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Fine."

Tanjiro shot up immediately.

"It'll start as a trial period, okay?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "That's fine!"

I sighed again, glancing over at Eri and Nezuko cuddling together.

"I'll also be leaving Eri with your sister. Is that okay?" I asked.

He nodded again, this time more subdued. "It should be fine. I guess you mean at night?"

I nodded. 'It'll help her get used to being around others.'

I got up and headed for the door, taking a few steps outside before turning back to Tanjiro.

"Right, we'll start tomorrow. I'm sure your injuries are mostly healed by now." I said, not waiting for his response before closing the door and heading back to my room for the night.

Once I arrived and lay down on the futon, I smiled. 'Guess I get to beat someone up in the name of training.' I fell asleep with that thought.

Two months. That's how long I've been training Tanjiro. That was on top of the Demon Slayer training he was already doing. 'Fucking freak.' was all I could think watching him train. Even when he was beyond exhausted, he'd still meet with me in a secluded spot not far from the mansion and keep up with whatever I threw at him. I'd cut some trees down for him to use as weights, and he was progressing fast. 'He might get stronger than he was in canon real quick.' It was good, but it didn't stop there.

Zenitsu and Inosuke noticed Tanjiro leaving them in the dust, so they asked each in their own way, if I could teach them too. At first, I beat them with a stick hoping they'd back off. But they kept coming back. I relented after six days. Tanjiro asked why I'd refused, and I told him I just didn't want to bother training them. He laughed awkwardly, so I upped his training as punishment.

Right now, I was watching the three of them sleeping in a pile under the stars while I sat on the roof of the Butterfly Mansion. I looked up at the sky. 'Doesn't matter what world I'm in, the stars never stop being beautiful.' I thought smiling as I took a gulp of plum wine I'd borrowed. 'Good stuff.'

I didn't turn when I heard footsteps approaching or react when Shinobu sat down beside me. I just took another gulp of the wine.

"You shouldn't be drinking." Shinobu said. I snorted.

"I'll be fine. You should have some, it'll loosen you up." I offered her the wine, glancing at her as she raised an eyebrow.

"Loosen up?"

I snorted again, taking another swig. "Yeah, loosen up that mask you're always wearing."

She tried to hide her surprise, but I caught it. "The only people who might not realize you're putting on an act are those three young girls. Eri figured something was off with you a month ago." It was true, Eri had opened up a bit more as she spent time around Nezuko. Turns out Nezuko would wake up sometimes and fall asleep again a few moments later, but she and Eri spent time together. Doing what? I had no clue.

Shinobu spoke again, this time more somber as she took the wine from me for a sip. "Is that so? Seems like I need to work on it better."

I hummed, looking back up at the stars. "Or just be your true self."

She took another sip. "Is that what you do, Ryou-san? Be true to yourself? And who are you to judge me?"

I hummed again as the wine found its way back into my hand. I took another gulp. "I stay true to myself. I know what my goals are. I know how I want to live."

Shinobu grabbed the wine again, taking a longer sip. "I heard you had an older sister Shinobu, and that she died to an Upper Rank demon."

She took a longer sip and handed the wine back roughly. "And? Are you going to tell me I should live to make her happy?"

I handed the wine back. "No. I believe she'd want you to live to make yourself happy." I glanced over at her. "As an older brother, I'd want my sibling to be surrounded by love and kindness if I was to die. But the world doesn't work like that."

She took a gulp of the wine this time and handed it back to me. I did the same.

"You're an older brother?"

'Trying to change the subject?' I thought. "I was an older brother. Shinobu, I know what you're doing to your body."

She froze, her hand halfway reaching for the wine.

"You're a strong woman, so I'll say this one fighter to another." I looked her in the eyes, and she met my gaze. "Find a reason to live. Find a purpose to give the world a smile." I said. turning away to look at the stars again. "Or else you'll abandon the ones who look up to you."

I didn't say anything as she stood up without responding. Nor did I speak when she grabbed the plum wine and walked away.

'I'm really not cut out for giving people motivation.' I thought, falling asleep on the roof that night.

A week had passed quietly. Shinobu and I didn't talk much unless it was necessary. 'Pretty much how it was before.' I still hadn't seen Nezuko when she was awake, and now my three dumb students surrounded me, each gripping a dull katana. It was Zenitsu's bright idea to spar. I told them to come at me all at once, and they warily agreed. 'Dumbasses.' I thought, hiding a wicked grin. Instead, I kept a calm smile on my face, which only made them sweat as they circled me, waiting for the right moment.

Inosuke was the first to strike. He crouched low, his katanas pointed outward. "Eighth Form: Explosive Rush!" With a burst of energy, he hurtled toward me, closing the distance in seconds. Just before impact, he transitioned into another stance. "Second Fang: Slice!" His arms whipped downward with the might of a wild animal.

I stepped forward to meet him, catching the momentum of one of his katanas, twisting it into the second. The force sent him stumbling off-balance. Before he could recover, I brought my weapon down on his head with a dull thud.

"That's one." I said to the remaining two, who exchanged a nervous glance.

Tanjiro and Zenitsu nodded at each other, clearly preparing something. 'Seems like they have a plan.' I thought.

Tanjiro moved first, his breathing steady as he entered his stance. "Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" His body twisted gracefully, each movement a fluid wave of consecutive strikes. The air around him almost shimmered like water as he approached.

I waited until he was within striking range, then surged forward, ducking low as his blade passed over me. In the blink of an eye, I switched my grip into a reverse grip and struck upward with the blunt side of my weapon, catching Tanjiro's chin. His head snapped back, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

I straightened up, turning my gaze to Zenitsu, whose eyes widened. With the same smile on my face I spoke. "And then there was one."

Zenitsu started trembling then dropped his katana. "I-I surrender!" he yelled, eyes squeezed shut in fear.

I paused, letting the tension build, while Tanjiro and Inosuke lay stunned on the ground, watching him. Tilting my head, I hummed. "Alright."

Relief washed over Zenitsu's face, but before he could even exhale, I moved, dropping my weapon. Faster than any of them could track, I was behind him, crouched. I positioned my fingers and jabbed them forward.

"One Thousand Years of Death!"

Zenitsu's scream echoed as he was launched into the air, landing face-first with his rear pointed skyward. I stood, brushing my hands off, while the others lay in shocked silence.

"A demon won't accept your surrender." I said simply. "Now don't be late for lunch."

As I walked away, I couldn't help but wince. 'They've gotten stronger.'

In the growing distance, I could hear Tanjiro mutter. "He beat us with a stick."