Normal text in Kanao's memory: Narration
The three little girls were outside doing laundry.
"Naho! Kiyo! Sumi!" Nezuko called.
"Huh?" They replied.
"I'd like you to help me train. If I stop doing Total Concentration Breathing while I'm asleep, can you hit me with these carpet beaters?"
"Ahh..."
"Please?"
"Ahh... Very well!"
"Thanks!"
At night, Nezuko slept soundly while the three girls stood watch.
"It's all good, right?" Naho said.
"Miss Nezuko's doing a good job!" Kiyo said.
"Yeah!" Sumi said.
Suddenly, Nezuko began to snore. The girls immediately began to beat Nezuko with the carpet beaters.
"Haaah!" The girls laughed.
"Ah!! Gah!!" Nezuko cried.
Nezuko stood up and bowed.
"Dammit... let me try again!" Nezuko asked.
"Okay!" The girls accepted.
"Thanks." Nezuko said.
"Give it all you got!" The girls said.
"This time, for sure!"
Nezuko laid in her bed and slept. At first, she slept fine, but eventually she started snoring again. The girls beat her again.
"Hahhh!" The girl cried.
"Ahh! One more time!" Nezuko exclaimed.
In the morning, Nezuko arrived at Rehabilitation Training.
"Just you again, Nezuko?" Aoi asked.
"I did ask them to come, but..." Nezuko said.
"Well, it doesn't matter to me."
"I'll give them another nudge later!"
Nezuko continued her training.
"Ngh...ugh... urgh..." Nezuko huffed, 'I'm starting to get used to training while doing Total Concentration Breathing! Although I can't sustain it all day unless I really get myself pumped up, the longer that I can keep doing Total Concentration Breathing, the bigger the stamina boost I get!"
Later, Nezuko practiced with Kanao.
"You can do it!" The three girls cheered.
"Urahhh!" Nezuko cried.
She aimed to tag Kanao, but she barely missed.
"Ah.." Kanao gasped slightly.
'Hey, I can chase after her! I'm able to chase right after Kanao! I can keep up with her!' Nezuko cried out, "urahhh!"
She aimed for Kanao's hand, but Kanao pulled away at the last second.
"Ah..!" Nezuko gasped.
Nezuko tumbled forward onto the ground.
"Ahhh! Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Nezuko cried.
In the late evening, Nezuko finished her training.
"Thank you!" Nezuko said.
"Ah.. hmph." Aoi said.
"Hm?"
Nezuko turned to see Inosuke and Zenitsu watching her from the doorway.
"Zenitsu! Inosuke!" Nezuko said with happiness.
They quickly left.
"I refuse to get involved." Aoi sighed.
The next day, Nezuko took a deep breath and blew into the small gourd in front of her.
"Mmmph!" Nezuko huffed.
"You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!" The girls cried.
"Mmmmmph!" Nezuko huffed once more.
The gourd suddenly shattered.
"Haha!" The girls cheered.
"It broke!" Nezuko exclaimed.
"Yay!" The girls exclaimed.
"Now all you have to do is break this huge gourd!" Naho exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Nezuko chuckled.
"Hehehehe!" The girls giggled.
"I did it! Just a little more! Thanks!" Nezuko said.
'Oh, shit..' Zenitsu thought, spying on Nezuko from afar with Inosuke.
That next morning, both Zenitsu and Inosuke were asleep.
"Ngh... Ngh... Mm.." Zenitsu rubbed his eyes.
He woke up completely and saw that Nezuko's bed was empty.
'So, Nezuko's already gone off to train. Jeez, it's the crack of dawn. Putting in effort isn't my thing. There's nothing more draining than preserving every day.' Zenitsu thought.
Zenitsu's sparrow, Chuntaro, flew onto his arm.
"Oh, it's you. Maybe getting left behind by Nezuko is making me panic, but I can't get the hang of anything even if she shows me for hours, and she usually gets angry at me halfway through. Now I realize that we're a total lost cause. Wait, did you just say, 'yes, you are'? How can you be so cruel? Would it kill you to say just once, 'you're working hard, too'? Did you just say, 'work harder'? Haaa... I guess there's no way out of it."
Zenitsu picked up his cup of medicine.
"Ngh.." He groaned.
He quickly drank the cup and set it down.
"Blegh! Gross!" Zenitsu complained.
Inosuke stood up on his bed.
"Huh?" Zenitsu questioned.
"Let's go, Monitsu." Inosuke said.
In the mansion, Zenitsu and Inosuke speak to Shinobu.
"What Nezuko is trying to accomplish is called 'Total Concentration, Constant'. By continuing to do Total Concentration Breathing every second of the day, your basic stamina level will skyrocket." Shinobu explained.
"Huh?" The two questioned.
"Heh... let's just go ahead and try it!" Shinobu suggested.
They try to maintain their Total Concentration Breathing, but it led to no avail.
"Gah! Impossible!! Seriously impossible!" Zenitsu complained.
Later, Zenitsu and Nezuko sat with Nezuko.
"I still can't sustain Total Concentration Breathing all day unless I really throw myself into it, but I bet you two can!" Nezuko seemed to be excited to have company, "you just go like this to make your lungs expand! When that rattles your blood, your bone and muscles will go 'boom boom', and you gotta stop it!"
"Huh?" Inosuke and Zenitsu questioned.
"All that's left to do is train like crazy!" Nezuko exclaimed.
"Ugh.." Zenitsu and Inosuke groaned.
They shook their heads.
"Ahh..." Nezuko sighed in defeat.
"Now, now. We're talking about a basic skill, or should I say a beginner skill, so why wouldn't you be able to do it? But it's also true that one must put great effort into mastering it, right?" Shinobu said.
She walked over to Inosuke.
"Ah.." Inosuke gasped.
She pat Inosuke's shoulder.
"Well, why wouldn't you be able to do it, though?" Shinobu asked.
"Ngh..." Inosuke groaned.
"I was sure that it would be child's play for you, Inosuke. Are you sure you can't do it? Even though there's no reason you can't do it? It can't be helped, then, if you can't do it. Can't be helped." Shinobu taunted.
"Ugh... ngh... huh?! I can do it, all right?! Why wouldn't I?! Don't mess with me, or I swear I'll rip off your breasts!" Inosuke yelled.
Shinobu took Zenitsu's hands.
"H-Huh?" Zenitsu stuttered.
"Please give it your all, Zenitsu! I'm your biggest cheerleader!" Shinobu smiled.
"Ahhh..." Zenitsu imagined seeing Tanjiro in a cheerleader outfit and blushed furiously, "y-yes ma'am!"
"Wow! Haha!" Shinobu giggled.
Zenitsu and Inosuke immediately ran to train in the courtyard.
"Urahhh!!" Zenitsu and Inosuke screamed.
"Kanao, you're in the same class, so why don't you join them?" Shinobu suggested.
Kanao bowed to Shinobu while she turned to get water. Kanao watched the trio train.
"Ngh!!" Zenitsu groaned.
"More! More! Boom! Boom! Boom!" Nezuko yelled excitedly.
"You god damn wimp!" Inosuke degraded.
"Boom! Yeah! You've got this, Zenitsu!" Nezuko cheered.
Kanao flipped a gold coin, it landed on heads.
In the past, a young Kanao was beaten by her father.
"Ah!" Kanao cried.
Her father dragged her outside and threw her to the ground.
"Ngh.." Kanao groaned, 'it hurts... I'm hungry... I'm sad... I feel hopeless... I'm in agony... I'm lonely...'
'That was my life. But then, one day, I heard a sound like a snap... and I never knew pain again.'
Kanao's new owner led her with a rope tied tightly around her waist.
'I never knew pain again. While living in poverty, even when my parents sold me, it didn't make me feel sad.'
Two woman, Kanae and Shinobu approached Kanao's owner.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment?" Kanae asked the owner.
"Huh?" The owner asked.
"Could you tell us why that child is all tied up? Is she a criminal, perhaps?"
"Isn't it obvious? She's flea-ridden, and her face is dirty. Not to mention, she might try to escape."
"Hello there. Nice to meet you. My name is Kanae Kocho. What's your name?"
Kanao stayed silent.
"Oh.." Kanae sighed.
"She's got no name, all right? Her parents never gave her one. Happy now? Get away from her." The owner said.
The owner reached to shove Kanae, but Shinobu slapped his hand away.
"Wha..!" The owner exclaimed.
"Please don't touch my sister." Shinobu said.
"What's your problem, you two?! If you wanna talk to this kid, pay up!"
"All right, then, we'll purchase her. Would this be enough?"
Shinobu threw a bunch of cash into the air.
"Ah..!" The ownder exclaimed.
Shinobu grabbed Kanao's rope and started to runaway with Kanae.
"Hey! Come back here, dammit!" The owner cried.
"I'd pick up the money now if I were you! After all, there's a hungry crowd here, and the wind is strong!" Shinobu taunted.
"Ahh, are you sure about this?" Kanae asked.
"It's fine!" Shinobu said.
"Please excuse us!" Kanae said.
"Hands off! It's my property!" The owner screeched when people came near him.
"Oh my. Oh my." Kanae shook her head.
At the Kocho Manor, Shinobu cleaned up Kanao. Then she returned to Kanae.
"Sister! Sister! Sister, this child is hopeless!" Shinobu complained.
"Hm?" Kanae asked.
"She can't do anything without being told! That goes for meals, as well! She won't touch her food unless I tell her to eat! Even as her stomach growls and growls!"
"Oh my, oh my."
"What exactly are we going to do with her?"
"Now, now, don't be like that, okay? I just love that smile of yours, Shinobu."
"Ngh...! But we can't do anything with a kid who can't even think for herself! It's dangerous!"
"Well, you do have a point."
"She can't do anything on her own! She can't decide for herself!"
Kanae held out a coin to Kanao.
"All right, when you're on your own, you can decide by flipping this coin. Right, Kanao?" Kanae said.
"Sister!" Shinobu scolded.
"You don't have to take this so seriously, you know, since Kanao is so adorable!"
"That's not a good reason!"
"As long as it's given a chance, a person's soul will open up, so don't worry. When you fall in love with someone someday, you'll change too, Kanao."
In the present, Kanao looked at the coin in her hand.
"You're doing great! Keep it up!" Nezuko cheered.
"Urahhh!" Zenitsu screamed.
"Right now! Harder! Bam! That's it! You can do it, Zenitsu! You've got this! Looking good!" Nezuko exclaimed.
Later, a Kasugai crow went to Nezuko.
"Ah.. huh?" Nezuko nodded.
Nezuko ran through the hallways.
"Inosuke! Inosuke!" Nezuko called, "they'll be bringing out reforged Nichirin blades soon!"
"For real?" Inosuke asked.
"Yeah! I just heard it now from the crow!" Nezuko happily exclaimed, knowing full well she was acting like a child.
She sniffed the air.
"That's Mr. Haganezuka's scent!"
Nezuko grabbed Inosuke's hand and raced through the halls with him.
"Yahoo!" Inosuke exclaimed.
"Mr. Haganezuka! Hey! Hey! Mr. Haganezuka!"
She let go of Inosuke's hand to wave at the two swordsmiths.
"Long time no see!" Nezuko exclaimed.
Haganezuka brought out a cleaver and started running towards Nezuko.
"How have you been...?" Nezuko saw the cleaver "ahhh..!"
"Urahhh!" Haganezuka growled.
"Ah!" Nezuko gasped.
She dodged Haganezuka's attack.
"M-Mr. Haganezuka?" Nezuko muttered.
"How dare you snap my sword in two... you've got a lot of nerve!" Haganezuka screamed.
"I'm sorry! But to be honest, I came really close to being killed! My opponent was insanely strong!"
"Not true! That has nothing to do with it! You're the one to blame! It's all your fault! You're pitifully weak! That's why it broke! Otherwise, my sword would never snap like that!"
"But..."
"I'm gonna kill you!"
Haganezuka chased Nezuko around.
"Ahhhh! Inosuke! Help meee!" Nezuko screeched.
"Is that a new training regimen?" Shinobu questioned.
"Probably not." Aoi answered.
After Haganezuka calmed down, they began to present the swords.
"Well, Haganezuka is a very passionate man." The other swordsmith said.
"Yes..." Nezuko muttered.
"He loves his swords more than anyone. There's no one like him, even in the sword-forgers' homeland."
"You're probably right."
"Grrr..." Haganezuka growled.
"Oh, my name is Kanamori. I was the one who forged Master Inosuke's swords. I would be thrilled if they proved useful in battle." Kanamori said.
Inosuke held both of his new swords, they each turned an aqua blue.
"Ahh, beautiful, aren't they? The dull sheen of that indigo-grey hue, it's so cool. It's a fine colour for a sword." Kanamori commented.
"I'm happy for you, Inosuke, since your sword was chipped all over." Nezuko said.
"Huh?" Inosuke looked up.
"How do you like the grips? The thing is, this is the first time I've ever forged swords for dual-wielders." Kanamori asked.
Inosuke stood up and walked to the side of the pond. He knelt down and looked at the rocks.
"Master Inosuke?" Kanamori asked.
"Huh?" Nezuko asked.
Inosuke picked up a large rock.
"Hm?" Kanamori wondered.
Inosuke set down his sword and began making large chips in the blade.
"Ngh..." Inosuke grumbled.
"Ahhhh!" Nezuko screamed.
"Gahhh!" Kanamori screamed.
"Better." Inosuke looked at one of his swords.
"I'll kill you! You miserable brat! You bastard! Are you flaunting it?!" Kanamori tried to attack Inosuke, but Nezuko held him to keep him away.
"He's sorry! He's sorry!" Nezuko cried.
"Hmph." Inosuke huffed.
He began to chip away at his other sword.
"Ngh! Ngh! Ngh!" Inosuke yelled.
"Bastard! That's it! You're a dead boar!" Kanamori exclaimed.
"Ahhh!" Nezuko screamed.
Later in the evening, the two swordsmiths leave.
"Unbelievable! He's unbelievable!" Kanamori cried.
"He's sorry! He's sorry!" Nezuko replied.
"Taking a stone to those swords? Unbelievable!"
"He's sorry!"
At night, Nezuko slept soundly as the girls watched.
"Looks like she'll be fine." Naho said.
"After all, Miss Nezuko was really giving it her all!" Sumi said.
"Let's make her some rice balls again!" Kiyo said.
"Yeah!" All the girls agreed.
The next morning, Nezuko joined Kanao for more training. She was currently playing 'tag'.
'My body's changed! I can't wait to swing my sword with these hands! My Nichirin blade!' Nezuko thought.
Nezuko successfully grabbed Kanao's hand.
'I did it!' Nezuko thought.
Nezuko continued with the reflex training. Before you knew, you couldn't even see Nezuko and Kanao's hands, they were both moving so fast.
"Ngh!" Nezuko groaned.
"Good move! You can do it!" Sumi exclaimed.
'Urahhh! Don't let up for a second! You can do it!' Nezuko cried out, "urahhh!"
Nezuko blocked Kanao's hand and grabbed a cup.
'I did it! Go! This medicated water stinks. It would be cruel to splash water in her face when she seems really kind.' Nezuko thought, "Ah! Urk.."
She placed the cup on Kanao's head.
"She won!" Sumi exclaimed.
"That that count as winning?" Kiyo asked.
"Either way, it's still the same thing!" Naho said.
"Yeah! I did it! I did it!" Nezuko cheered.
"Oh, shit.." Inosuke and Zenitsu muttered.
Inosuke and Zenitsu also continued their training.
"Urahhhh!" Zenitsu screamed.
"Ngh... Urahhh!" Inosuke yelled.
A day or two later, Shinobu examined Nezuko.
"All right! Open up!" Shinobu requested.
"Ahhh..." Nezuko opened her mouth.
"Okay! Looks like your jaw is good as new! All right, you can close your mouth now. That concludes this exam. Since you're physically sound now, you may take on your missions without any misgivings."
"So I'm done with my training?"
"Yes. All that's left for you is actual combat."
"Right! Oh, before I forget, Lady Shinobu... there's something I wanted to ask you."
"What would that be?"
"Have you ever heard of the Hinokami Kagura Dance?"
"I have not."
"Huh? Uh, well then, how about Fire Breathing?"
"Never heard of it."
"Eek! Actually, this is something that happened in my childhood."
"Yes, yes."
Nezuko told her tale of the Kagura Dance.
"I see. So, for some reason, Nezuko, your father used Fire Breathing. All I can tell you is that while Flame Breathing does exist, it's not Fire Breathing." Shinobu said
"Huh? They're not the same thing?" Nezuko asked.
"I'm not very familiar with the details myself... please forgive me. But I do know that they're very strict about the exact phrasing. 'Flame Breathing' must never be referred to as 'Fire Breathing'. The Flame Hashira, Rengoku, might know something about this, but unfortunately, he is out on a mission."
"Understood. Thank for what you've taught me. I'll ask Mr. Rengoku if I ever get the chance to see him again."
"Right."
"Now then, please excuse me."
"Kamado?"
"Yes?"
"I'm expecting great things of you."
"Ah! Right!"
At night, Nezuko sat in Tanjiro's room.
"He's been asleep all day again.." Nezuko muttered.
Nezuko sat down on the bed.
"I know they said you could be sleeping to recover your stamina, but it does worry me if you don't open your eyes for a while. Hey, I'll probably be leaving this place soon to go on my next mission. I've healed physically and I've gotten a little stronger, too. And I'm still doing Total Concentration, Constant right now. I think Zenitsu and Inosuke will be with me, too. Having those two idiotic boys by my side gives me confidence."
Tanjiro remained asleep.
"I see... you think so, too, Tanjiro? They're both good, but dumb, guys. To turn you back into a human, I gotta bring down the strongest demons that I can and send Miss Tamayo their blood samples." Nezuko said, 'am I capable of doing that?'
"I know you can do it, Little Sis!" Tanjiro's voice rang in her head.
"Huh?"
Nezuko saw Tanjiro still asleep.
"Thanks, Tanjiro. You just encouraged me, didn't you? I'll try my hardest, all right?"
On a steam train somewhere, a woman is walking.
"Ahh!" The woman screamed.
Blood splattered on the window as a demon feasted on the body.