But Su Chen was gone.
He had been standing right next to Kanao, but now only Kanao remained, standing obediently in her spot. As for Su Chen... he was using Kanao's small figure as a cover, stealthily trying to creep back toward the Butterfly Mansion.
Swish.
A light, butterfly-patterned haori swayed. Kochou Shinobu's small hand shot out and suddenly grabbed the back of his collar. The girl smiled like a flower.
"Mr. Su Chen, where are you rushing off to?"
Shinobu's small hand pulled him back easily. Then, she gave him a little push, sending him right back into the center of the group.
Su Chen felt like the sky was about to collapse. After hearing Kyojuro's words, he knew exactly what was coming. He wanted to be taught the Flame Breathing sword techniques!
Su Chen had already taught him for an entire afternoon yesterday. In all that time, Kyojuro had only managed to learn the First Form. The new Flame Breathing Su Chen had developed had eleven forms! At this rate, how long would it take to teach him all of them?
Su Chen truly did not want to do it. He originally thought that by taking Kanao and secretly escaping yesterday, Kyojuro would understand his intentions. But instead, the Flame Hashira had come directly to the Butterfly Mansion today! He was being direct and frank, and Su Chen had nowhere to run.
Su Chen's steps were heavy. It felt like just walking back to Kyojuro had used all his strength. He tightly gripped the other man's hand.
"Brother Rengoku, actually, I think Shinazugawa's words make a lot of sense. I really don't have the qualifications to teach you right now. You're the Flame Hashira! This is skipping ranks!"
"Oh! What are you talking about!" Kyojuro, in turn, grabbed Su Chen's hand with his powerful grip. "Who dares say Mr. Su Chen doesn't have the qualifications to teach a Hashira? I, Kyojuro Rengoku, will be the first to disagree! This honor belongs to you alone!"
After he finished speaking, a look of genuine guilt appeared on Kyojuro's face.
"But it's truly shameful to talk about! Yesterday, Mr. Su Chen promised to teach me the new forms, but my own talent is just too poor. After learning for half a day, I only learned one move. After I went home, I couldn't figure it out, so I planned to come and ask Mr. Su Chen again today!"
When he finished, Kyojuro actually looked a little shy. He genuinely seemed to feel deep guilt over not having learned the technique.
This scene stunned everyone present.
What an unusual conversation! Su Chen was actually teaching the Flame Hashira a Breathing Technique?!
Everyone stared at Su Chen with a mix of confusion, disbelief, suspicion, and shock. A single thought popped into all their minds: Is this real or fake?!
When did Su Chen become capable of teaching a Hashira a Breathing Technique? He didn't even hold a Nichirin blade at first! And the most outrageous part was that the Flame Hashira himself said he couldn't learn it!
Just then, a black Kasugai Crow suddenly flew in from the sky.
It was Kochou Shinobu's Kasugai Crow. It had flown back from Kagaya Ubuyashiki's residence.
The crow circled above everyone in the Butterfly Mansion's courtyard, constantly shouting, "Caw! Caw! Kochou Shinobu! Kochou Shinobu! The Master has ordered you to get a set of Demon Slayer Corps Hashira-level exclusive attire for Su Chen! Additionally, the Master has allocated a Nichirin blade slot to Su Chen, expected to arrive tomorrow! Caw! Caw! Message delivered!"
The Kasugai Crow chirped twice more and then flew down to land on Kochou Shinobu's shoulder.
At this, the entire scene fell into an eerie silence again.
Inosuke and Kyojuro both blinked their big eyes, processing the news. Kochou Shinobu's and Kanao's mouths were both slightly open in surprise. As for Shinazugawa, his expression was as dark and uncomfortable as if he had just been forced to eat a demon.
Kyojuro was the first to speak, beaming. "I didn't expect Oyakata-sama to receive my message so quickly!"
Shinobu put a hand to her cheek. "Oh my, oh my~ I didn't expect Mr. Su Chen to be so highly regarded! Now I don't have to buy him a Nichirin blade!"
Kanao just smiled softly. I knew Mr. Su Chen was the best.
Inosuke tilted his boar mask. "Su Chen? Isn't he called Su Geng?"
As for the protagonist, Su Chen, he just shrugged helplessly. What can I do? I'm just too outstanding.
He had only taught the Flame Hashira one form yesterday, and today the higher-ups were already rewarding him with a new Demon Slayer Corps 'skin.' Overall, Su Chen felt it was a pretty good deal. Besides, it was clear Kochou Shinobu couldn't afford to buy him a proper Nichirin blade anyway. Why refuse something that was free?
Suddenly, Kochou Shinobu, who seemed to notice something out of the corner of her eye, lit up. Her sweet, soft voice immediately blossomed among the crowd.
"Mr. Shinazugawa, where are you going?"
Shinazugawa, who had been quietly walking towards the exit, froze. He trembled slightly.
The next moment, everyone's gaze turned and fell upon him. Confusion, surprise, and understanding seemed to dawn on their faces. Those gazes cut into Shinazugawa's skin like knives.
Was he... leaving?
This scene immediately sparked everyone's imagination. A single thought popped into their heads: Was Shinazugawa trying to run away from Su Chen? As soon as the news about Su Chen's official recognition arrived, Shinazugawa was already in a hurry to leave. It was hard to explain this scene in any other way!
By the door, Shinazugawa stiffly turned around. His face was crimson, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He wore a complex expression of pure anger mixed with a forced, pained smile. His resentment was instantly heavier than a demon's! Because of his anger, the scars on his face appeared even more ferocious.
At this moment, Kochou Shinobu spoke again, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Oh dear, look at me, I almost forgot. Mr. Shinazugawa, weren't you just about to ask Mr. Su Chen for guidance?"
These words pierced Shinazugawa's heart like a knife. He truly couldn't understand how he had offended this woman. Her mouth was as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey.
Shinazugawa took a deep, shaky breath. He gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't..."
Slap!
Before he could finish his sentence, Kochou Shinobu had already glided over to him and abruptly grabbed his arm. Her fair little hand also deftly unhooked his sword from his belt, holding it away from him. Then she said with a bright smile, "Mr. Shinazugawa, look how impatient you are! You're in such a hurry that you're even walking in the wrong direction!"
After speaking, she didn't wait for Shinazugawa to resist. She began to pull him back towards Su Chen, right in front of everyone. To prevent him from "getting lost" again, Shinobu even pointed specifically to Su Chen's location.
"It's this way, silly!"
Shinazugawa: "..."
During this whole time, it wasn't that Shinazugawa hadn't thought of resisting. But he was trapped. If he resisted, especially after the crow's announcement, wouldn't it make him look afraid of Su Chen? And in front of so many people!
So, Shinazugawa could only grit his teeth and let Kochou Shinobu drag him along. There was no other way. Rather than be controlled... he might as well act first and deal with the situation later!
So, along the way, to show his "composure," Shinazugawa actually started walking quickly on his own. He even arrived in front of Su Chen a step before Kochou Shinobu did.
Seeing this scene, everyone in the crowd suddenly realized. It turned out they had misunderstood!
According to what Kochou Shinobu said, Shinazugawa wasn't afraid of Su Chen at all. It was just because there were too many people, and he was feeling too shy and inconvenienced to ask Su Chen for guidance!