Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Rinko feels that Mr. Urokodaki's training of him is essentially the same as Akaza wanting to smash Douma's head in.

In either case, nothing happens; the only change is the time it takes. Douma's brain will instantly heal, and so will his body.

Perhaps the intensity of human training is simply not as strong as the friction between ghosts risking their flesh, blood, and brains, or perhaps he simply cannot become any stronger.

Lin Guang didn't know the exact answer, but he thought that daily training was more like a slightly boring game, the purpose of which was to make his friends a little happier, although most of the time the other party was confused and embarrassed by his lack of change.

Rinkou thought this was normal. Oni were much stronger than humans. Even he, after years of accumulation, had already opened up a gap with humans. Depleted energy could be restored in the blink of an eye, even if he was left running around the mountain all night. The next morning, Rinkou only had to sit in the tree for a short while before he could return to swinging his sword. That short period of sitting was mainly to wait for Mr. Urokodaki to come up and inspect the results.

But all this is a different matter in Urokodaki's eyes. To him, Rinkou is a child with a special physique that he has never seen before. No matter how he trains, he cannot make any progress based on his current foundation.

The boy's body was in a delicate balance, and nothing in the outside world seemed to have any effect on him. He wouldn't get weaker, but neither would he get better.

In the end, Urokodaki attributed this predicament to the fact that Rinkou was too young. Perhaps as he grew older and his body matured, he would be more able to accept this talent that exceeded his physical condition.

Rinkou didn't know what Urokodaki was thinking, but he noticed that his training plan had changed. Urokodaki gave him more time to explore on his own.

-

Unlike Rinko's stagnation, Shinkomo's progress is visible to the naked eye.

Zhengu's strength is not as great as that of an average child, but he has faster reactions and lighter movements. He has also mastered full-concentration breathing and can perform the Water Breathing technique smoothly.

Finally, one night, Lin Guang witnessed the moment the boulder was split apart.

The huge boulder split into two halves in front of him, and the moonlight shone down. Looking through the separated boulder, Lin Guang saw the smile on Zhengu's face. It was from the heart, pure joy.

Makomo was very happy because he finally passed the test successfully, and Rinko was also happy because of Makomo's success.

But Mr. Urokodaki didn't seem that happy.

His palm fell on the top of Makoto's head, and his rough hand stroked it lightly. Through the Tengu mask, no one knew what he was thinking. But Lin Guang felt that the congratulations were mixed with more emotions that did not belong to happiness.

-

"The assessment for Fujikiyama will begin soon. If I pass it successfully, I can join the Demon Slayer Corps. I'll be waiting for you in the Demon Slayer Corps, Rinkou."

Having successfully completed her mission, Makoto returned to the small house at the foot of the mountain after a long absence. Thanks to her, Rinkou was also able to go back and rest for a while.

Urokodaki prepared a big meal for Makomo to celebrate her successful passing of the test. Rinko witnessed for the first time how human food is made.

Unfortunately, he only had the chance to watch and not eat. Although Urokodaki hadn't made much progress in his training plan for Rinko, he was very experienced in judging whether Rinko was truly hungry or just greedy after smelling the food.

"Because Master has adopted many children, he must be very experienced."

This is how Zhen Gu explained it.

"Master wants you to eat, but if you're not hungry, you'll feel uncomfortable if you eat."

The girl's palm fell on the boy's head, comforting the boy whose eyes were shining with enchantment from the aroma of food.

This was the scene that Urokodaki saw when he put down the bowl. He finally filled a small bowl and placed it in front of Rinkou.

"If you really want to eat, just eat less. I'll find medicine for you later."

Lin Guang got a dinner. Although he knew that he would inevitably vomit it out later, he was still happy when he held the bowl.

-

The days of waiting are always the longest. Makomo is looking forward to the day of going to Fujisukan for the assessment. At first, Rinkou doesn't understand what is so worth looking forward to in becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, but after hearing Makomo say that Master Urokodaki will be very happy, he feels a little bit of the same feeling.

Muzan would also be happy if he could become a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Lin Guang felt that many years later he might not remember Makoto's name and appearance, but he would remember that there was a girl who carefully taught him how to breathe correctly under the moonlight.

After Makomo went to take the exam, Rinkou became the one waiting.

The passage of time has never been so long for Rinkou. Day and night alternate in his eyes, but Shinkomo has not returned yet.

When Urokotaki woke up at night, he would often see the empty bed beside him. When he walked out of the house, he would see the missing boy sitting on the tall tree in front of the door.

I kept looking at the road I took towards Zhengu from afar.

"When will Makoto come back?"

This is the question that Rinkou asks Urokodaki most often. At first, Urokodaki would answer him by saying that Fujikiyama's exam is in a week, and that the way there should be taken slowly, and the way back should also be taken slowly.

But later on, Urokodaki would not answer. He would remain silent for a long time, look at the road, and finally shake his head in silence.

-

"Makomo. He won't be coming back."

This is what Urokodaki said to Rinkou when he once again caught him from the tree and put him on the ground.

Rinkou stood on the ground and looked up at Urokodaki.

The Tengu mask was silent, and the man behind the Tengu mask was also silent. For a moment, it seemed that even the air was frozen.

"She's not coming back."

It was like I was talking to him. But it was more like I was talking to myself.

Zhengu said so.

The mountain was surrounded by wisteria flowers and was full of evil spirits. Only those who survived could pass the test, and Zhen Gu did not tell anyone about the rest.

Lin Guang knew it better than anyone else.

Lin Guang knew better than anyone what would happen if humans stepped into the territory of a group of evil spirits.

-

"Thank you, Mr. Urokodaki. Although I haven't learned anything, thank you for taking care of me for so long."

Urokotaki heard a voice behind him, a very soft whisper, and the voice seemed muffled through the quilt.

He said nothing, just thinking that he was really asleep. After a long time, he didn't know how long, until he heard the boy's even breathing behind him. He sighed silently.

Urokotaki opened his eyes before dawn and turned around to look behind him as usual. The bedding was neatly folded.

Although it was anticipated, when it really happened, all the preparations we made were just assumptions.

The quilt was folded neatly, the tableware was put back in its place, the hidden pot was nowhere to be seen, and the paper left on the table had slightly childish handwriting on it.

Thank you very much for your care over the years, Mr. Urokodaki. I'm deeply sorry that I haven't learned anything. It was rude of me to secretly take the pot you had hidden away, but it's something very precious to me, and I couldn't easily abandon it, even if it meant facing danger. I've also taken the Nichirin sword you gave me. I hope you take care of yourself in the future.

There was no signature, but there was no need for one. Urokotaki carefully folded the letter, carefully put it away, and finally walked out of the room.

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【tips：

In fact, Sakonji should have felt that something was wrong with Rinkou. After all, how could a child survive without eating almost anything and still be so energetic? This was unreasonable.

But Sakonji had already repeatedly tested Rinkou and confirmed he wasn't a demon. Drawing a sword on a child without proof, or testing someone who couldn't be exposed to the sun due to a medical condition, was against the rules. Sanemi would have done that, but Sakonji wouldn't (as the Miku-Kami do). It was just a matter of personalities and how people behaved.

Sakonji ultimately concluded that Rinkou might be one of the rare children raised by a ghost, a kind of captive food. He also tried to find the ghost by relying on the pot, but the pot wasn't stupid, and Rinkou would knock on the door of the pot in his head, so he couldn't find the ghost.

Rinkou had always refused to become Sakonji's disciple, and had never truly mastered the art of water breathing, so strictly speaking, he was just a passing child. This wasn't his home, and he wouldn't stay here, leaving Sakonji with no legitimate reason to keep him. So, even though he knew it would be dangerous for him to leave, all Sakonji could do was pray.

After all, he is a trainer of the Demon Slayer Corps, not a wild man living in the mountains who can just leave whenever he wants. He has no choice but to stay here because of his responsibilities.