"Join… the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"That's right," Asato said, nodding. "Even though you're still young—twelve, maybe?—your talent is undeniable. I've never seen anyone who could use a Breathing Technique imdiately after first learning it. Soone like you… You were born to slay demons. So, I'd like to invite you to join the Demon Slayer Corps."
Yoshizuru Asato's voice was firm and sincere.
In all the ti since he had joined the Corps himself, he had never seen soone grasp Breathing Techniques so quickly. Soone with this kind of natural aptitude… was exactly the kind of rare talent the Demon Slayer Corps needed most.
Asato even believed Takeo had the potential to beco a Hashira—one of the nine elite swordsn who stood at the very top of the Corps. And perhaps not even that far into the future.
He didn't know much about Takeo's background—but that didn't matter. So long as he wasn't a demon, that was all that mattered.
Takeo didn't respond right away.
He first finished off the rest of his breakfast at a steady pace.
Then, after wiping his mouth and sitting quietly for a mont, he finally turned toward Asato, who had been patiently waiting.
"…Joining the Demon Slayer Corps—what benefits do I get out of it?"
"Benefits… uh…"
Takeo's question caught Asato completely off guard.
He opened his mouth—but for a long mont, nothing ca out.
Benefits? Well… there was the Nichirin Sword they issued. And free rest and recovery at Wisteria Houses. Plus the Corps uniform, which could block most ordinary blades.
But none of that really sounded like benefits.
If anything, joining the Demon Slayer Corps ant risking your life in battle against demons, with death lurking around every corner…
Asato wracked his brain for an answer, but ca up empty.
Seeing his expression, Takeo realized he'd asked the wrong question. He quickly corrected himself.
"Sorry, that was the wrong question. What I ant was—If I join the Corps, I'll be able to learn your Breathing Technique… the full version, right?"
"Exactly! Breathing Techniques are a requirent for all mbers of the Corps. Once you're in, you can choose to train in any Breathing Style—any of them!"
Asato sounded almost desperate, blurting out that answer like he was afraid Takeo might change his mind and run off.
But what surprised him most—was that after hearing that, Takeo simply nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. I'll join."
"…Huh?"
"What's wrong? Didn't you want to join?"
Takeo smiled as he sipped his post-breakfast tea, looking calmly at Asato.
Asato was stunned for a mont before chuckling helplessly. "…Yeah, that's true. I just didn't expect you to agree so quickly. Joining the Demon Slayer Corps ans fighting demons, you know. Like the one you encountered that night—you'll be seeing a lot more of those."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"…Huh?"
Asato froze again at Takeo's response.
Takeo took another sip of tea and spoke in a calm, almost indifferent tone. "Well… I think I used to have a happy family."
"'Think'? What do you an?"
"I an, I'm not entirely sure. I've forgotten a lot of things…But I'll never forget the sll of blood when I woke up. I'll never forget the family mbers who were 'sleeping' beside ."
"I may not know exactly what happened… but I'm pretty sure my family was killed by a demon."
"So.. even if you hadn't invited , I would've joined the Demon Slayer Corps anyway."
Takeo's voice was soft—but the way he said it made it sound like he wasn't even talking about himself.
But Asato chose to trust him. He stared silently at Takeo for a long mont before finally letting out a sigh.
"…In that case, I've got no problem."
After a pause, Asato added, "Actually, most people who join the Demon Slayer Corps carry a deep hatred for demons. To be honest, I thought you didn't. You looked like soone who had never seen a demon before—but now…"
"I really was seeing one for the first ti. I just can't rember anything from before, that's all."
Takeo smiled as he replied, and that smile made Asato unsure how to respond.
The two of them sat in silence for a while. When the sun finally climbed to the top of the sky, Asato spoke again:
"Since you're willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps, I won't say anything more. Later, I'll give you a letter. You'll take that letter and deliver it to soone. Once you hand it over, he'll start teaching you a Breathing Technique. After you learn it, you'll participate in the Final Selection. If you pass, you'll officially beco a Demon Slayer."
Asato continued explaining who this person was.
The Demon Slayer Corps had existed for hundreds of years. Over that ti, it had developed a well-structured system for training new recruits.
Once a suitable person was identified, they would be recomnded and sent to a nearby cultivator.
A "cultivator" was soone within the Corps responsible for training new mbers—a ntor who would guide them through the path to becoming a Demon Slayer.
There were many cultivators within the Demon Slayer Corps, but the most famous were, of course, those who had once served as Hashira—the Nine Pillars—before retiring peacefully from their positions.
However, forr Hashira who beca cultivators were rare. Most new recruits were trained by ordinary cultivators.
"But you're lucky you ran into ," Asato said suddenly, sounding quite pleased with himself.
"I'm ranked as a C-level slayer. I once worked alongside a Hashira and made it out alive. The letter I'm giving you is for that Hashira. He's still an active Pillar, but he should be willing to help find the right cultivator for you… After all, you're far too talented to waste!!"
Within the Demon Slayer Corps, the hierarchy was structured as follows: at the top was the Oyakata-sama (the Master), followed by the Nine Hashira, and beneath them were the regular Corps mbers.
Ordinary Demon Slayers were further divided into ten ranks:
Mizunoto (癸)
Mizunoe (壬)
Kanoto (辛)
Kanoe (庚)
Tsuchinoto (己)
Tsuchinoe (戊)
Hinoto (丁)
Hinoe (丙)
Kinoto (乙)
Kinoe (甲)
— from lowest to highest.
The higher the rank, the stronger and more experienced the slayer.
Asato Yoshiro was currently at the Tsuchinoe (C-rank) level. Thanks to surviving a mission with a Hashira in the past, he now held the privilege of recomnding recruits directly to a Pillar.
And now, he was using that privilege to recomnd Takeo for Breathing Technique training under the guidance of a Pillar-approved cultivator.
Takeo quietly committed everything Asato had said to mory.
But as he reflected on it all, his gaze dropped to the wounds on his body—now nearly healed—and he suddenly fell silent.
"…Asato-san," Takeo asked softly after a pause, "You've noticed my… body, haven't you?"
"Ah, you an your rapid healing ability?" Asato replied. "Yeah, I noticed. Honestly, I was startled the first ti I saw it. I even thought you might be a demon. But demons can't survive under sunlight, so there's nothing to worry about. No one will think you're one. I even ntioned that in the recomndation letter."
"…That's it?"
Takeo looked at him in disbelief, stunned by how casually Asato brushed it off.
"What else should it be?" Asato laughed. "As long as you're not a demon, it doesn't matter even if your regeneration is just like one's. Actually, it's even better—it ans you're not going to die easily. You're definitely soone who can beco a Hashira!"
To the Demon Slayer Corps, what mattered most was simple: as long as you were human—and not a flesh-eating demon—you could be trusted.
So what if you had a superhuman healing factor?
Compared to a real demon, soone who stayed unconscious for two days before recovering was still basically human. It wasn't like there weren't any Hashiras with demi-human abilities.
All Asato cared about was whether Takeo was a demon. And since he wasn't, there were no problems at all.
Listening to Asato, Takeo felt like he understood this world just a bit better.
It seed the Demon Slayer Corps really did harbor an intense hatred for demons—but conversely, as long as soone wasn't a demon and was willing to slay them, it was incredibly easy to earn the Corps' trust.
Because of that, Takeo didn't need to deliberately hide his unique physical condition—no one in the Demon Slayer Corps would care about it.
With that realization, Takeo felt a little more at ease.
He held the letter Asato had written for him and finally asked with curiosity:
"Asato-san, who's the Hashira you're recomnding to?"
"It's Rengoku Kyojuro-sama," Asato replied, his tone filled with reverence for the man.
"He's the current Fla Hashira, a master of the Fla Breathing Technique that can burn through anything. Even among the Hashira, he's incredibly powerful. With his help, I'm sure he'll find you the perfect cultivator!"
Asato had absolute faith in that.
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