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Six months...

Six months have passed, and Tanjiro remained unable to cut the boulder.

At this rate, they weren't going to be ready for Final Selection.

Every day, Tanjiro practiced for the Final Selection. With the support of Rimuru, he would practice over and over what he learned from Urokodaki.

The basics like holding the breath and flexibility... He performed them all according to what he had written in his journal. Frankly, he was glad that he had written them down.

But...

Even after suffering through grueling training, even after being supported and taught by Rimuru, he still couldn't slice the boulder.

~

Tanjiro stood in front of the boulder, sword at the ready and gasping for air. His throat burned, his entire body was sore, and he felt like he could pass out at any moment.

Was he that hopeless? Was Nezuko going to die without ever waking up?

Tanjiro shook his head, trying to dispel the thoughts. If he thought like that, he'll almost give in! He'll break down!

Finally, he smashed his head into the large boulder.

"Keep working, Tanjiro! You can do it!"

"Oi, Tanjiro!" Rimuru shouted, approaching.

Tanjiro smashed his head into the boulder again.

"Shut up!"

A voice came from above. Tanjiro flinched, moving back and looking up.

Atop the large boulder sat a boy. He had flowing pink hair. a patterned kimono, and a white haori. However, his most defining feature was his mask:

A Fox Mask.

He sat, a wooden sword at his side. "A man shouldn't whine. It's unseemly." The boy muttered.

Rimuru looked at the boy. 'When did he show up? He has a fox mask, and- what's with this aura?'

The boy simply continued, despite the confused looks on both RImuru and Tanjiro's faces. "No matter how you suffer, bear it in silence..." The boy stood up. "If you're a man."

The boy flipped off the boulder, sword ready for an overhead swing. Rimuru jumped back and Tanjiro blocked the attack with the hilt of his sword. The boy then countered by twisting his body, kicking Tanjiro in the face.

The kick sent Tanjiro flying. He landed painfully, rolling into a sitting-up position. The taste of crimson blood in his mouth as he groaned in pain.

The boy simply stared forward, uninterested.

"Slow. Weak. Immature." The boy noted.

"That's not what you call a man."

"What are you doing?" Tanjiro questioned. "I'd like to know what you think you're doing." The boy responded.

"What do you mean? I'm training."

"How long do plan to keep your butt on the ground without even taking a stance?"

Tanjiro gasped, quickly getting up and taking a stance. "Come on. Come at me." The boy taunted. "But you have a wooden sword and I have a real sword," Tanjiro said.

The boy started chuckling. Tanjiro only stared as the mere chuckle broke out into full-on laughter. "Well, well! Thank you for worrying about me." The boy said. "So, you think you're actually going to injure me!"

At this point, Rimuru thought it best to intervene. Just before he was about to say something, he stopped. This could be beneficial for Tanjiro. Six months have passed and little progress has been made. This boy seems to have good intentions. Like that, Rimuru let the fight continue.

Without a warning, the boy dashed forward, disappearing into a blur. Tanjiro had barely enough time to block the overhead swing. They were now face-to-face, both staring into each other's eyes.

"Well, you have absolutely nothing to worry about! I'm more powerful than you because I've sliced that boulder!" The boy said.

Tanjiro flinched. He sliced that boulder?

The boy just flipped over Tanjiro, performing inhuman feats. He landed on the trunk of a tree, jumping off it, he moved in to attack. Tanjiro turned around, blocking the attack, but sending him into a slight tumble.

As soon as he had recovered from the blow, Tanjiro looked around. The boy had vanished. He could be seen moving through the trees in blurs.

He was fast.

Suddenly, the boy appeared by Tanjiro's side.

Tanjiro could only gasp before he was struck.

The sound rang throughout the entire forest.

"You've learned nothing." The boy said.

Tanjiro was on the ground, struggling to get up.

"You haven't mastered a single thing!"

"Particularly the breathing technique that Mr. Urokodaki taught you... Total Concentration Breathing."

'He knows Mr. Urokodaki?' Tanjiro started getting up. 'And that breathing technique, too?'

"All you did was memorize it as a fact." The boy pointed his wooden blade at Tanjiro. "Your body has no clue what it needs to do. What the hell were you doing for a whole year and a half?"

Tanjiro got up and stared at the boy. He gasped as he blocked another attack from the boy. "Slam it into your flesh!" The boy said.

The boy continued his flurry of attacks.

"More!" Tanjiro's guard was weakening. "More!" Tanjiro was starting to lose his balance. "So that you'll never forget the secret Mr. Urokodaki taught you!"

"Pound it into the marrow of your bones!"

Tanjiro blocked an attack. "I'm trying!" He shouted. "I'm trying every single day! With everything I've got!"

"But I'm not making any headway! I just can't go any further!" Tanjiro remembered all the moments, all the pain. All of that just amounted to little progress.

"Go further!" The boy struck Tanjiro while his guard was down. "If you're a man!"

"There's no other way to go but forward!" The boy attacked and Tanjiro blocked. "Bring it on!" The boy shouted.

"Show me what you're capable of!"

The boy took a stance and Tanjiro dashed forward. The final interaction.

Tanjiro let out a scream full of rage and swung. The boy simply twisted his body, avoiding the attack; No challenge whatsoever. Tanjiro gasped and that was all he saw before it all went black.

The boy had struck Tanjiro, knocking him out.

"Don't you think you went a little bit too far?" Rimuru approached. He hated to see Tanjiro beaten like this, but it was certainly a valuable lesson that he needed to learn.

The boy simply turned towards Rimuru, uninterested.

Just then, a small girl wearing a similar fox mask on the side of her head, turquoise eyes, and flowery kimono emerged from the forest.

"I'm leaving the rest to you." The boy said to the girl.

The girl simply nodded and the boy walked away, leaving the three.

The girl then slowly walked over to Tanjiro and sat down. She just sat, observing Tanjiro.

"Uh, hello there." Rimuru said. The girl turned towards Rimuru, her eyes going over his form. After a few moments, she responded.

"Hello."

Rimuru walked over and sat next to her. "So, do you have a name?" Rimuru asked. "My name is Makomo." The girl said with a smile.

"Ah, Makomo. That's a nice name." Rimuru said.

"Do you know who that was? The guy that just left."

"That was Sabito. Both he and I love Mr. Urokodaki very much."

"Oh, you know Mr. Urokodaki?"

"Yes. Mr. Urokodaki raised us after we both lost our parents."

Makomo had a lot of very interesting things to say. Although at first, she seemed quiet, once Rimuru had started talking with her, she was had a lot of interesting stories to tell.

Rimuru and Makomo talked deep into the night. The moonlight illuminated the desolate forest and the small noises of the night filled the atmosphere.

Just then, Tanjiro's eyes slowly opened.

"Are you all right?" A small voice asked him.

He immediately sat up, looking around. He saw Rimuru and a small girl sitting right next to him. "Hey, you. You're finally awake." Rimuru said. "You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."

"Huh? Rimuru, what are you talking about? What border?" Tanjiro questioned. "Oh, it's nothing," Rimuru said with a smirk. "Are you all right?" The girl asked again, shifting Tanjiro's attention towards herself.

Noticing the fox mask, Tanjiro remembered everything that had occurred before waking up. "Did you see that just now?" Tanjiro asked in an excited tone.

"What a strike that was! Not a single bit of wasted motion!" Tanjiro continued.

"It was really beautiful! I want to become like that! You think I can become like him?" Tanjiro asked.

The girl smiled. "I'm sure you can... since I'll be looking after you." She said.

She gave a calm smile.

'She's so cute.' Tanjiro thought.

"Who are you?" He asked. "I'm Makomo and that person from earlier was Sabito. Both he and I love Mr. Urokodaki very much." Makomo answered.

"You've been taking a nap for quite a while. Ms. Rimuru and I-"

"Oh, I'm actually a guy."

...

"Hm?" Rimuru looked up, noticing the sudden silence.

"Wait. Rimuru-san... You just said you were a guy, right?" Tanjiro asked, sweating slightly.

"Hm? Did I not mention it?" Rimuru said with a small head-tilt.

Tanjiro died.

"Eh?! Did you seriously not know this whole time?!" Rimuru stood up.

"I'm so sorry!" Tanjiro said, getting into a dogeza position.

Makomo chuckled at the duo's antics.

"From now on, I'll be helping you train."

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