How do you persuade someone who wants to die?
The most effective way isn't to try to open their heart, but to give them a reason to live.
Aoki had succeeded.
At least for now.
He would worry about later later.
Madam Tamayo couldn't kill herself now.
Tamayo and Yushiro saw Aoki out.
The streets of Asakusa were quiet. No one was there.
Aoki stopped and looked back at them. "I'm leaving!"
Tamayo bowed slightly. "Please be careful, Mr. Aoki."
Huge bat wings spread. Aoki waved and shot into the sky.
Yushiro's expression returned. He looked up. "What ability is that?"
Eating demons, traversing space, and now he had wings. What was that guy?
They were both demons. Why was there such a big difference?
"Mr. Aoki is amazing!"
Tamayo looked in the direction Aoki had left, her beautiful eyes full of hope.
After saying goodbye to Tamayo and Yushiro, Aoki hurried to his next destination, making space marks.
He made some portable ones. He carved others in hidden corners of the city, shady spots on mountains, and so on.
It was a test for him.
The number of space marks put a lot of pressure on his mind.
A month later, Aoki returned to the Butterfly Mansion.
Kanae Kocho had heard the news and hurried over. She paused.
"Mr. Aomura, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just a little mental stress!"
Aoki rubbed his forehead.
He looked the same. He didn't have dark circles. He had always been pale since becoming a demon.
He just looked tired.
The space marks were putting pressure on his mind.
Each space mark was like a signal tower, constantly sending information. Some were even moving. He had to receive all that information. He couldn't turn it off.
The space marks were distracting him. It was like having countless speakers in front of him, playing different things. He had to tell which speaker was making which sound.
It was a challenge.
He had been practicing and gaining experience. He could handle it for now.
"Maybe I should learn Unyielding Will!"
Aoki thought.
He had been thinking about how to solve this problem.
Increasing Intelligence would solve the problem, but he couldn't do that quickly.
He had thought of a temporary solution: Unyielding Will.
Unyielding Will was a mental skill. Martial Artists could unleash more power under pressure.
It was a great skill for Martial Artists facing strong enemies. It made them stronger when facing stronger opponents.
He wasn't facing an enemy, but he was under mental pressure. Unyielding Will might help.
Kanae Kocho looked worried. "Should you rest, Mr. Aomura?"
"No!"
Aoki refused quickly.
Rest wouldn't solve his problem.
His body was fine.
He could wait to kill demons.
Aoki thought. "What are the Pillars doing? I'm going to start sparring again."
Martial Artist was level 4. He needed a little over a hundred more experience to reach max level. He could get enough experience by sparring.
He had to thank Muzan again.
He wouldn't be level 3 Martial Artist if Muzan hadn't made the Upper Moons fight him.
It was a good time to level up Martial Artist.
He could spar with the Pillars and test his power after breaking level 18 and getting all stats over 22.
It would help him adapt to the mental pressure from the space marks.
He was getting stronger. Fewer people could fight him. It would be harder to level up Martial Artist later. He should level up now.
Also, he could learn Unyielding Will and get a free stat point after maxing out Martial Artist.
"Sparring?"
Kanae Kocho looked hesitant.
The Pillars wanted to spar with Mr. Aomura.
He was strong and put them under pressure. They could attack freely.
He was a rare opponent.
The only downside was that they always lost. It hurt their confidence.
But the Pillars were strong-willed. They wouldn't give up because of that.
The real problem was that the Pillars were busy. They didn't have time to travel.
Aoki threw a bunch of space marks after hearing Kanae Kocho's explanation.
"Give one to each Pillar."
Kanae Kocho knew what they were. She was key to the Demon Slayer Corps' recent changes.
"Mr. Aomura, Master's plan is to give space marks to members with clear goals first. The Pillars aren't included..."
Aoki rubbed his forehead. "They're not for you to keep. You're just holding them for me. I can find you to spar. I'll take them back after."
"That's okay then."
Kanae Kocho's eyes lit up.
The Pillars couldn't spar easily because traveling took too much time.
Stamina and injuries from sparring were minor.
The benefits were worth the cost.
"I'll be the first challenger!"
Shinobu Kocho jumped out, with Kanao.
"Are you sure?" Aoki looked at her.
He didn't care who he fought.
They just couldn't be too weak.
He wouldn't get any experience if they were too weak.
Shinobu Kocho was strong enough.
Shinobu Kocho nodded seriously, looking eager. "I'll surprise you this time!"
"Okay, you're first!"
Aoki smiled.
He knew Shinobu Kocho was competitive.
She was small, but she had a lot of energy.
"Let's start now!" Shinobu Kocho said, gripping her sword hilt.
"Wait, one more thing."
Aoki took out a shuttle-shaped device.
"This is poison. A doctor friend of mine made it for Muzan. You can study it. Just don't break it."
Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho didn't take it. They looked at him strangely.
"What's wrong?" Aoki asked, puzzled.
Shinobu Kocho said, "You have another doctor outside? Behind our backs?"
Aoki: "?"
He was confused.
Why did she sound like he was cheating?
---
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