Sabito carefully put away the shattered Nichirin Sword; it was a gift from Urokodaki, and even a broken blade could not be discarded.
Tatsuya quickly scouted the area, finding herbs and wild fruit. The two returned to the tree cave where Giyu was hidden.
Sabito cleaned Giyu's jagged wounds and applied the crushed herbs. Giyu woke up shortly after, his gaze lingering on the stranger in the black haori. Sabito introduced Tatsuya, and while Giyu remained quiet and socially awkward, Tatsuya's cheerful nature eventually broke the ice.
"He's like this," Sabito whispered to Tatsuya. "You'll get used to it."
Tatsuya laughed. "I see! Master Kuwajima's letters said Urokodaki's student, Giyu Tomioka, had the potential to be a Water Hashira!"
The effect was immediate. Giyu turned beet-red, his ponytail twitching like a startled hedgehog. "I-I-I'm... not..."
Sabito pushed Giyu's stammering face back. "Yeah, he means 'I'm not like you guys, you're strong and I'm weak.' Don't tease him too much; he's easily rattled."
Sabito invited Tatsuya to finish the selection with them. Tatsuya agreed.
The rest of the seven days passed with relative ease. They moved as a trio, rescuing several other examinees along the way. When the seven-day limit finally ended, the survivors returned to the wisteria at the foot of the mountain.
Out of fifty who started, only a dozen or so remained. Tatsuya spotted Takeshi, the Stone Breathing user he had saved, who grinned and waved his bandaged arm.
Amane Ubuyashiki appeared beneath the gate. "Congratulations, you are now official Demon Slayers."
The Kakushi distributed uniforms and the "Scarlet Crimson Ores" used for their future swords. Amane then approached Tatsuya, Sabito, and Giyu.
"Slayers Tatsuya, Sabito, and Giyu," she said with a dignified bow and an apologetic tone. "The incident with the Hand Demon was a severe oversight by the Corps. We apologize for the danger you were placed in."
She continued, "Based on your performance and the subjugation of such a high-tier threat, the Master has decreed: Sabito is promoted to the rank of Mizunoe (9th rank)."
She turned to Tatsuya. "Izumo Tatsuya, for your pivotal role in the rescue and the hunt, you are promoted to the rank of Kanoto (8th rank)."
This was a staggering leap. Normally, one starts at the bottom (Mizunoto), and killing ten demons is required for Kanoto. The other examinees watched in awe.
Tatsuya looked at the "Kanoto" insignia on his new uniform. The real journey was just beginning.