Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 258 A brief farewell

Rinko is very powerful.

This is a phrase that Rinko often hears Tanjiro say. It's not always the same; the words might change, the order might be reversed, but the meaning is always the same. And it happens often. Most of the time, it's after training or fighting, as a sign of recognition of Tanjiro's skills and strength. This is understandable, after all, Rinko has undergone rigorous training, studied hard for a long time, and has definitely mastered something.

But apart from this, Tanjiro would often say this at other times, saying that he was great and that he was very good. This was something that was not easy to understand. The compliments given on such special occasions always confused Rinko, because Tanjiro's compliments were always strange, with too many reasons and justifications, and they were different every time. It seemed that any characteristic of Rinko could be a reason for him to praise and compliment her.

Rinko doesn't really understand Tanjiro. He doesn't approve of the compliments, but Tanjiro never backs down on this point. Every time Rinko shakes his head, he gets a more resolute rebuttal than his own. Tanjiro believes he deserves the compliments and never backs down from such behavior.

Lin Guang didn't understand, but couldn't stop it. He could only learn to adapt, and then imitate it subconsciously after adapting.

So he felt that Tanjiro was actually very powerful, at least Rinkou thought so. Putting aside his naivety and stupidity that even demons would find unbelievable, and only discussing his objective strength and performance, and evaluating him from the level and perspective of humans.

The human boy named Tanjiro is indeed very powerful.

As a witness who has truly faced Tanjiro both past and present, Rinko is well-qualified to offer this assessment. From a frail, ordinary child to his current, equally visibly strengthened self, Tanjiro has indeed undergone a truly profound transformation. This transformation has occurred in just a few short months, a blink of an eye for a demon, and not even a moment for a human.

Considering the naturally short lifespan of humans, Tanjiro's progress can be described as rapid. Just a few days ago, he would be beaten so badly that he could only leave the field trembling, and would also drag those poor teammates into being beaten with bruises. But now, only Tanjiro is being beaten, and his injuries are no longer at the same level as before.

"That's amazing, Tanjiro."

Lin Guang expressed this sentiment sincerely.

The boy sat on the ground, his arms supported by his bent knees, his cheek supported by the palm of his forearm, and his other hand holding the long knife that passed under his knees. The expression on his face was not obvious, but his eyes were slightly widened. The young man who was stared at by those eyes turned around, and the surprise and joy on his face were beyond words, unable to hide it at all.

"Really?! I'm so happy to be recognized like this by Rinko! But I still have a lot to learn! I'm still a long way from being as good as the Hashira!"

Gentle, reserved, and modest by nature, the young man never knew what satisfaction was. Even if he made some progress, it was only a fleeting smile of recognition. He would not let this stop him, but instead used it as motivation to continue working hard. The swing of the blade was proof more effective than words, but he still felt it was not enough, far from enough.

"Well, that's true."

Lin Guang nodded in approval. The boy's movements stiffened noticeably, and the face turned to look at him again. The smile on his face was a little forced, and his brows were slightly wrinkled.

"Rinko is really rude."

The soft smile did not seem to be dissatisfaction, but more like helplessness. Lin Guang did not know where this emotion came from, and judging from everything that had just happened, the only conclusion he could draw was that it was because of what he said.

"Um...will it?"

The boy, not realizing that sometimes excessive honesty could hurt others, asked so sincerely. And the response he got was a hand on his head, a gentle touch, and then warm words.

"Yeah, but this is also good, Rinko is fine just like this."

Very good. That's all.

This sounded like a recognition, not exactly the same as praise, but the meaning was not much different. Rinko blinked, he still didn't understand why Tanjiro had so many reasons to praise him.

Because I'm a very nice person, everyone I see becomes nice to me.

He didn't know, but he could only guess.

----

----

The training here at Obana ended faster than expected. Tanjiro's progress was visible to the naked eye. At first, he not only had to take beatings, but also accidentally hurt others. Later, he would not cause accidental injuries, and after that, he would not even be beaten. Now, he can successfully withstand Obana's sudden attacks and fight back in the gaps. When the swung blade cut the corner of his clothes, silent victory came in a moment of silence.

"Congratulations. Well done, Tanjiro. You're making rapid progress."

The voice that suddenly sounded in the silence came from Lingguang. The boy was not stingy in his recognition. He clapped his hands slowly and rhythmically, one after another, clapping steadily, until Xiao Banai's gloomy face turned away, and those eyes instantly stared at him. Lingguang stuck out his tongue at him and put his hands down.

“You’re not wrong.”

Lin Guang shrugged, but unfortunately, Xiao Banei obviously did not agree with what he said. Her face was still very gloomy. Lin Guang had to put his hands behind his back as a concession, and the other party's eyes finally moved away.

-

"Thank you for your teaching!"

The voice was clear and loud with a strong voice and even the ending tone was rising. Tanjiro bowed seriously with a big movement and a sincere attitude.

"Goodbye. Go to hell, you bastard. Don't try to get close to Ganlu Temple."

However, this was the response he received. Facing him, Banai's face was gloomy, and Rinko could even see the veins bulging beneath his drooping hair. It was unclear where the anger came from. Even Kabutomaru, who cocked his head, seemed to be extremely disapproving of Tanjiro's performance.

"Then I'll take Rinko with me..."

Although Tanjiro didn't understand why Obana always had such strong hostility towards him, and was even full of disgust towards him until the end of the training, he still lowered his head obediently, picked up the boxes that had been piled in the corner for several days, and prepared to take Rinko to the next training location.

"You can go and leave the boy behind."

However, before the hand could be extended, the wooden sword was raised to block the view, and the tip of the sword landed on the wooden box.

"Hey?"

"Ok?"

The two confused voices came from Tanjiro, who didn't get the box, and Obana, who had just put down her wooden sword and was about to walk over.

"You didn't receive any orders, right? I didn't tell him he could leave, so of course this kid has to stay here and help me."

Obanai's words came across as matter of course, and it was then that Tanjiro realized what he had overlooked. Although Rinko seemed to be keeping pace with him, in reality, it was only because the previous pillar's training had just concluded and the busiest period had ended that he had asked him to help send someone over. No one had asked him to take Rinko with him this time, and since Obanai wouldn't let anyone go, he really couldn't take Rinko with him.

"Ah. That's true."

The first one to react was Rinko.

"See you later, Tanjiro. I hope you have fun."

Lin Guang waved at the other party naturally, not feeling that there was anything wrong.