And so, the group of four—plus one dog—arrived at the house where Jigoro lived.
Horitake opened the door and stepped inside, carrying the slumbering Zenitsu on his shoulder, while ushering Shinobu Kocho and Yae in behind him.
Inside, Jigoro was a bit puzzled by the scene.
"Horitake, what on earth is wrong with Zenitsu? Surely he didn't actually fail to kill two common demons? That would be far too pathetic, wouldn't it? And... who might these young ladies be?"
Horitake casually tossed Zenitsu to the side and began the introductions.
"Old Man, this is the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinobu Kocho. She is a friend and colleague of mine."
Realization dawned on Jigoro, and he hurriedly stood up to offer a greeting.
"So it is the current Insect Hashira. My apologies, I have been disrespectful."
Shinobu bowed to Jigoro with a gentleness that was polite, proper, and perfectly befitting her station.
"Not at all. Master Kuwajima is a greatly respected senior of our Corps. I have long admired your name."
The two exchanged pleasantries.
Horitake chose not to mention that Shinobu was currently his lover. partly to save her from embarrassment, but also because their relationship was still quite new.
After the initial courtesies were exchanged, Horitake introduced Yae.
"And this sister here is named Yae. She is my junior apprentice sister!"
Jigoro smiled, his eyes crinkling warmly as he went to greet her.
"Yae, is it? Ah, so she's your junior sister... Wait a minute! Whose junior sister?!"
Horitake replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"My junior sister."
"Your junior sister?! Since when did you have a junior sister? As your master, how is it that I don't know about this? When did I acquire another disciple without even being aware of it?!"
Horitake, possessed of remarkably thick skin, shrugged indifferently.
"Old Man, isn't having one more disciple a good thing? I've already vouched for you to Sister Yae. I told her beforehand that you would absolutely accept her as an apprentice!"
The little old man, Jigoro, looked somewhat troubled.
"Well... it's not that having another disciple is bad, but to suddenly have one spring up like this? I'm completely unprepared. I knew nothing of this beforehand."
Seeing the anxious, uneasy look on Yae's face, Jigoro's paternal instincts—the protective love of an elder—began to rise. He immediately softened his tone and turned to Horitake.
"What exactly is going on? I don't mind taking on a student; I trust your judgment, and this young lady seems like a good sort. But you must at least explain the situation to me clearly."
"No rush, no rush. It's not complicated at all. Come, let's sit down and talk properly."
And so, Horitake poured tea, and the four of them sat facing one another. Horitake took the lead, narrating Yae's circumstances and the sequence of events that had led them there.
He explained this and that, covering every detail...
When Horitake finished, Jigoro understood. He looked at Yae, this resilient young girl, with a mixture of admiration and pity.
"I see. Originally a family of hunters, but the father turned into a demon... resulting in a broken home and the loss of loved ones, leaving only a faithful dog as a companion. In that sense, this young lady has lived a hard life."
Horitake nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. We are all people who have been ravaged by demons. Yae's family is gone; she is the only one left. She couldn't continue living there, with no one to rely on and nowhere to go, so I brought her back.
"I believe that if Sister Yae joins the Demon Slayer Corps, she could achieve great things.
"So, after I invited her and she gave it some serious thought, Sister Yae decided to join the Corps.
"As the saying goes, 'don't let fertile water flow into an outsider's field.' I saw that Sister Yae was a promising seed, so I claimed her as my junior sister and brought her back, asking you, Old Man, to nurture and teach her. To mold her into an excellent swordsman."
"So that's how it is..." Jigoro nodded, though he shot a slightly disgruntled look at Horitake. "But for you, you brat, to recognize a junior sister without my consent—that was far too reckless, wasn't it?"
Horitake spread his hands.
"Strike first and you hold the advantage; strike late and you suffer. My junior sister is a rare talent with excellent potential. If I hadn't claimed her first, what if someone else snatched her away?"
As he said this, Horitake cast a discreet glance at Shinobu, implying that she had nearly poached Yae herself.
Shinobu returned the look with a subtle glare of her own.
Their silent exchange of eye contact went unnoticed by Jigoro.
Jigoro, however, found Horitake's explanation quite convincing. He looked at Yae and couldn't help but nod.
"It is true. To learn the skills of hunting from a father since childhood, to become a qualified hunter at such a young age... spending all day hunting in the mountains, accompanied by danger, yet never making a mistake.
"This shows that you, young Yae, truly possess excellent aptitude. You are indeed a good seed."
At this point, Jigoro laughed, a sound full of kindness and joy, and made his decision.
"Fine then! Since you are a promising talent, and since my eldest disciple has already recognized you as his junior sister, I will accept you! From this day forth, you are my third disciple!"
Yae was overjoyed and, showing her sharp wits, immediately bowed to Jigoro to formalize the apprenticeship.
"Thank you, Master, for accepting me!
"I will work hard to learn your skills, become a swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, and strive to kill the evil demons of this world so that the tragedy of my family is never repeated!"
Hearing Yae's promise and determination, and seeing the unwavering resolve radiating from the small girl, Jigoro could not stop the tears from streaming down his face.
It wasn't easy. Finally, a normal disciple had arrived.
His eldest disciple, Horitake, had never let him worry—but that was the problem. He had become strong inexplicably, joined the Corps inexplicably, slain powerful demons inexplicably, and become the Sky Hashira inexplicably.
In short, it was all so inexplicable that Jigoro felt absolutely no sense of accomplishment as a teacher.
His second disciple, Zenitsu, was the other extreme.
His character was cowardly and weak; he spent his days finding various excuses to escape training. Jigoro had poured his heart and soul into the boy, yet the brat remained disappointing—though, at least he was a kind-hearted child.
Now, at long last, a fine third disciple had arrived.
Her aptitude was considerable, her character was excellent, and she appeared to be a respectful child who honored her teacher and valued the way of the sword.
To teach such a child, to groom her into a powerful swordsman... that would surely bring a sense of achievement! It would surely be a great comfort to him!
Horitake also clapped his hands happily in celebration.
"Excellent! With this, Yae is officially my junior sister!
"And from now on, Yae is Zenitsu's Senior Sister!"
"No, wait a moment..." Jigoro felt a bit confused. "This matter of senior and junior siblings... it should follow the order of arrival. It depends on who entered the sect first and who entered later.
"Zenitsu became my disciple before Yae. Yae should be Zenitsu's junior sister."
Horitake shook his head, clearly holding a different opinion.
"Old Man, times have changed. Don't cling to the old ways.
"Look, Yae is obviously older than Zenitsu in age.
"And how is Yae's character? Firm, resilient, and full of heroic spirit.
"Now look at Zenitsu—what is his situation? I'm too embarrassed to even say it.
"Do you really think Zenitsu can be a qualified Senior Brother? Can he become a Senior Brother that anyone would actually respect?"
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