Would You Save Me Too?

Chapter 25

Tanjiro got into a fighting stance and the doll easily hits him with the sword making Tanjiro fly like the wind.

"You're too slow Tanjiro! That's no good at all! You'd be dead if the doll wasn't using practice swords! Get it together! This is day 5! Tomorrow I'll give it real weapons!"

You felt a drip of sweat roll down your forehead since the "practice swords" were basically a rolling pin the size of a sword.

(you don't know true pain unless you've been hurt by those weapons from hell. I accidentally dropped it on my foot and I was crying internally for the rest of the day)

Kotetsu walks to Tanjiro and hits his back as he was wheezing on the floor.

"No food again today!"

Kotetsu may have very impressive skills of analysis but he has no skill whatsoever in training swordsmen. He didn't know the limits of the human body making his style of training incredibly harsh. It was terribly inhumane to deny food and water to Tanjiro when he couldn't do as he was told. Without water, humans die within 3 days. Tanjiro's life was saved by the fact it started raining.

You did say you were gonna do your own training but you couldn't help but just watch Tanjiro get hit around and beat up. You were surprised that Tanjiro was still alive to be honest. A fearsome amount of exercise, no food, barely any water, and no sleep you knew he was crossing the bridge to the afterlife.

After watching again on the 7th day, he finally got a hit in but fell on his face, failing to break his fall.

"Hey Tanjiro you got a hit in! Sure it was weak and it didn't even faze the doll but that deserves some food!"

"RICEBALLSANDPICKLEDPLUM! TEA!! HIGHQUALITYREFINEDGREENTEA!!!"
(rice balls and pickled plum. tea. high quality refined green tea)

His first meal in a week. He was crying with snot dripping down his nose and waterfalls running down his eyes as he ate happily.

During training you had noticed that Tanjiro was evading the movements of the doll easier than he could last time. You weren't quite sure but assumed that he could predict the moves of his opponents by their smell, similar to the "Opening Thread" he has told you about. Tanjiro's body was still immature and didn't have the reflexes as fast as a Hashira's, but that was a powerful weapon that can make him comparable with a Hashira.

In the next couple of days, Tanjiro was sparring with the doll like always and was actually withstanding the attacks from the doll. Such a noticeable improvement was formed from the past 10 days or so. He blocked the attacks from the doll with his own sword and flipped. He was now upside down in midair swinging his sword at the doll's neck. Your eyes were glowing in admiration as you watched his incredible performance. You looked at him more closely and saw a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"Swing! It's okay if it breaks! I can fix it!"

"You can't hesitate now Tanjiro!"

Tanjiro moves his head as the doll cut off a lock of Tanjiro's hair and he swings at the doll's neck. Tanjiro then lands hard on his butt as a piece of his blade dropped to the floor. You run to Tanjiro hugging him and smiling.

"Tanjiro! You did it!"

"The sword I borrowed broke! Sorry..."