The So-Called 'Breathing'

---

"I'm dying, but before I go, I want to teach you something important."

"Let's begin."

Kamado Tanjuro lifted his head, gazing at the dark winter sky. For a brief moment, he spotted a shooting star streaking across the heavens, its light flickering before vanishing into the night—like a dream, gone as quickly as it had appeared.

Tanjirou, puzzled, watched his father's back. His father, who looked as if he was getting better, had just said he was going to die. Why? And what did he want to teach him? What did he still want to do for him?

Before Tanjirou could ask, Kamado Tanjuro had already moved, his hand suddenly gripping Tanjirou's shoulder. In an instant, Tanjirou felt his body lift off the ground.

The wind howled around him, biting at his face as the trees and snowy landscape flew past. His father's movements were fast—astonishingly fast, especially considering the waist-deep snow.

How could he move so swiftly?

Tanjirou felt his mind reel with disbelief. His father had been so weak that he struggled to breathe. How could this frail, sick man move with such strength and speed?

"Tanjirou, focus on my breathing," Tanjuro said calmly.

Tanjirou snapped out of his thoughts, his senses sharpening as he turned his attention to his father's breathing.

Despite the rapid pace, Kamado Tanjuro's breath remained steady and gentle, like the wind rustling through leaves. It was a peaceful rhythm, unshaken by the speed of his movements.

Tanjirou felt something stir inside him—a faint understanding of the technique his father had spoken of so many times.

He began to comprehend.

...

After what felt like both a moment and an eternity, they arrived at their destination.

They stood before a cave, but it wasn't the cave that caught Tanjirou's attention. A massive bear—easily towering three or four meters high—stood at the entrance. Its sheer size and presence exuded raw power, a feral energy that sent chills down Tanjirou's spine.

This bear was even larger than the one Ryuji had encountered before.

The beast huffed, each exhale like a gust of wind. Tanjirou's legs felt weak, his instinct to flee overwhelming. But he couldn't move, his father's firm grip anchoring him in place. Unlike Tanjirou's terror, Kamado Tanjuro remained completely calm, as though the giant bear before them wasn't a deadly predator.

Instead, it seemed as if the bear was Tanjuro's prey.

"Watch closely," Kamado Tanjuro's deep voice resonated.

Despite his fear, Tanjirou's eyes widened, his attention locking onto his father. He felt a warm sensation spreading from his father's hand, enveloping him.

Suddenly, the world seemed to shift. Tanjirou's vision sharpened, his surroundings becoming crystal clear. He could see every detail of the giant bear before him—even through its thick fur and skin, he could make out the flow of blood in its veins.

Everything was illuminated, as though he had entered a different world.

"This is the 'Transparent World,'" Kamado Tanjuro whispered beside him.

"Never forget this feeling."

Though Tanjirou didn't fully understand, he nodded earnestly, determined to hold on to the lesson.

Satisfied with his son's understanding, Tanjuro smiled faintly, then released Tanjirou's hand. He drew an axe from his waist, its blade gleaming in the dim light.

"Now," Kamado Tanjuro said softly, "I'll show you the true essence of 'breathing.' Watch carefully."

---

**In front of the cave**

The giant bear let out a roar, shaking the surrounding trees, causing a 'rustling' sound as leaves and branches trembled from the force.

At this moment, the bear could no longer tolerate the weak humans invading its territory, provoking its wrath.

"Roar…"

The bear stood upright, towering at three to four meters in height, like a mountain, exuding an overwhelming aura of menace.

**Boom…**

The ground shook with each of the giant bear's footsteps.

Yet, Kamado Tanjuro's thin frame remained calm in the face of the massive threat. He simply stood there, unmoved, holding an axe in his hand, his back to his son, Tanjirou.

The wind rustled through Tanjuro's hair as it fluttered in the breeze.

"Tanjirou, pay attention. This… is the essence of 'breathing'," he murmured.

With those quiet words, Kamado Tanjuro tapped his foot lightly—and in that instant, his presence vanished.

To Tanjirou's astonishment, his father moved with a speed so swift it defied the eye, yet it was somehow clear and deliberate before him. It was as if the world had slowed down just for him to witness it.

A sudden flash lit the night sky like a silver arc, blindingly bright. Tanjirou blinked in disbelief.

When he regained his senses, the enormous, ferocious bear that had been moments away from devouring them stood still, frozen in place.

**Crack!**

A crisp sound broke the silence. The giant bear's head tumbled to the ground, severed cleanly. Scarlet blood gushed from the neck, staining the pristine snow with dark crimson.

The beast that had appeared invincible just seconds ago was felled—effortlessly, as if it never posed a threat at all.

Tanjirou's gaze was drawn back to his father.

Kamado Tanjuro stood exactly where he had been, as though he had never moved. Yet, Tanjirou knew better. It was his father who had slain the beast.

"Father... in that moment, you swung the axe twice, but it felt like one strike. How did you..."

But before Tanjirou could finish his thought, Kamado Tanjuro coughed violently, his body trembling from the effort, as though the strain of what he had done had finally taken its toll.

"Did you see it clearly?" Tanjuro's voice, now hoarse and strained, reached Tanjirou. His father's eyes were dim, on the verge of extinguishing, yet they still glimmered with a faint light of hope as they rested on his son.

Faced with the weight of his father's gaze, Tanjirou found himself unable to speak the truth of his uncertainty. He closed his eyes, trying to relive the moment when his father struck.

Though it had happened so quickly, in his mind, the image of his father wielding the axe was crystal clear.

After a long silence, Tanjirou opened his eyes, meeting his father's tired, expectant look. "When you swung the axe, Father, I could smell your scent. There was no fear in it, no anger, no hesitation... just peace."

Tanjirou paused, searching for the right words. "It was like… the scent of the plants in the forest. No, it wasn't just like plants. It was like your usual self, always carrying the breath of nature."

"Yes," Kamado Tanjuro smiled faintly, his pride evident. "That's what it means to breathe properly."

Though Tanjirou's understanding was still incomplete, Kamado Tanjuro knew he had planted the seed of knowledge. With time, Tanjirou would grasp the full meaning of 'breathing.'

But then, another coughing fit wracked Kamado Tanjuro's body. His face paled even further, and his breath grew weaker by the moment.

Yet despite the pain, Tanjuro smiled, content.

He approached Tanjirou and gently placed his hand on his son's head, stroking his hair with the same care he always had.

"From now on, the Kamado family rests on your shoulders," Tanjuro whispered.

With shaking hands, Kamado Tanjuro removed the Nichirin earrings he had worn all his life and placed them in Tanjirou's hands.

"These... these are yours now. Pass them on, Tanjirou. Carry the legacy."

"I will, Father. I promise," Tanjirou said, his voice trembling with emotion.

"Good… that's good," Kamado Tanjuro repeated, his voice softening with each word. Finally, he embraced Tanjirou one last time. "Now, let me take you home."

…

The journey back was swift, just as it had been earlier. Trees, snow, and mountains blurred as they moved at incredible speed. Yet this time, Tanjirou didn't marvel at his father's remarkable pace.

He felt it—the coldness in his father's touch, the fading warmth of his body.

Kamado Tanjuro's breath grew weaker with every step, becoming slower and slower, as if he was struggling against the inevitable.

When they finally arrived at their familiar house in the mountains, Kamado Tanjuro gently set Tanjirou down before him.

Tanjirou knew. His father's breath… it had stopped.

The wind howled through the trees, but it was soon drowned out by the heart-wrenching cry of a boy, echoing through the forest.

His cry reached the house, waking everyone inside.

---

..

.

Get early access to the next 10 chapters by joining my Patreon. Support my work and dive deeper into the story by becoming a member today!

patreon.com/Kentaro_69