Chapter 59: Encountering Tanjiro
Ryuji stretched and stepped out of the Oyakata Residence; talking with the Master was always like a spring breeze.
He didn't return to his ward immediately, but instead took a familiar path toward the research lab of the Butterfly Mansion.
Before he even got close, he heard a wave of irritable complaints coming from a half-open window.
"Argh! Why! Why do I recognize every word, but when they're put together, I can't understand them at all!"
"I'm dying! Sister! Do I really have to memorize this?"
It was Shinobu Kocho's voice.
Ryuji shuddered; hearing those screams reminded him exactly of when he had to memorize Materials during final exam week.
Tragic, truly tragic.
Peeking inside, he saw Shinobu Kocho slumped over the desk, looking as if her bones had been removed.
The medical book spread before her had been battered beyond recognition, covered in all sorts of strange doodles.
Her hair was a mess, and her small face was scrunched up, looking exactly like a cat forced to learn math, with an expression that screamed "I'm done for" and "I'm dying."
Beside her, Kocho Kanae sat elegantly, resting her chin on one hand while holding a pen in the other.
She was diligently taking notes in a notebook, occasionally frowning slightly in thought as she looked at the medical book.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, and her profile seemed bathed in a soft glow under the afternoon sun.
"Shinobu, you'll be punished if you don't finish memorizing it... Keep at it. I think you're so smart that you'll definitely be able to do it."
Her voice carried a sense of gentle encouragement.
Shinobu, still sprawled on the table, only groaned twice and rolled her eyes, saying nothing more.
Knock, knock.
Ryuji knocked on the door and walked in.
"Mr. Ryuji!"
Kocho Kanae was the first to look up, greeting him softly.
"Teacher Ryuji! You're finally here!"
Shinobu looked as if she had seen a savior. She sprang up from the desk, rushed to him in a few steps, and grabbed his arm, shaking it vigorously: "Quick, take me out of here! I'll go to training, or even go kill demons!"
Her watery eyes were wide and round, even showing a few bloodshot streaks: "I'm being driven crazy by these cryptic texts!"
Ryuji shook his head slightly, finding it a bit amusing to see Shinobu looking like a poor student struggling with gibberish.
He said softly, "Eh, that's quite unfortunate, because I'm also here to take you to learn."
"Huh?"
Shinobu's face instantly fell, returning to that expression of utter despair.
Looking at the rapidly changing expressions of Shinobu, Ryuji couldn't help but laugh: "I'm going to take you to Mount Sagiri to learn Water Breathing."
"Water Breathing?!"
Upon hearing this, Shinobu's eyes lit up instantly, even brighter than before, and she practically jumped up:
"Really? I finally don't have to study these headache-inducing things?"
"It's true, but I have to speak with Mr. Kocho Jiro first."
As Ryuji spoke, he looked at Kocho Jiro, who was walking out from the inner room of the lab: "It's like this..."
As Kocho Jiro listened to Ryuji's explanation, his expression was very complicated.
It was the kind of conflict and annoyance an old father feels when he sees his precious little cabbage about to be uprooted by a pig.
"Sigh, alright then. Since Shinobu wants to learn... then let her learn."
Kocho Jiro couldn't bear to refuse when he saw the anticipation in Shinobu's eyes, so he turned to Kocho Kanae and said:
"When the time comes, listen to Ryuji, and also keep an eye on Shinobu."
"Yes, Father."
Kocho Kanae glanced slightly at the overly excited Shinobu: "I will keep a close watch on Shinobu."
"Mhm, Shinobu must be obedient too. When are you leaving? Are your bags packed? If not, I'll have my wife prepare some..."
Ryuji looked at Kocho Jiro and smiled: "Tomorrow morning, I'll come here to get them."
Kocho Jiro nodded, but just as he was about to speak, he heard Shinobu's voice:
"Teacher, I've hit a Bottleneck with my thrusting technique!"
Shinobu's eyes darted around; she couldn't let her father keep talking. She had to get out and couldn't stay in this room any longer.
If she stayed with those books any longer, she really would go crazy!
She quickly ran to Ryuji's side, grabbed his hand, and started running out, calling back to Kocho Jiro:
"Father, the teacher is usually very busy, so I need to learn from him first. As for medical arts... wait until I get back!"
While pulling him, she kept winking at Ryuji.
Ryuji's mouth twitched. Had he just become the scapegoat?
Also, haven't you only been practicing thrusts for half a day? How have you hit a Bottleneck already? Have you even mastered the basics?
Of course, more importantly, he didn't understand thrusts... or rather, the thrust he understood wasn't a swordsmanship thrust.
After all, what he was good at was blowing people up with a single punch.
"Mhm, Ryuji, then I'll leave Kanae and Shinobu in your care!"
Kocho Jiro bowed formally to Ryuji: "Aside from medical arts and my wife, they are what I value most. Please!"
Seeing this, Ryuji hurried forward to help Kocho Jiro up: "What are you saying? You saved my life; we're like family."
Hearing this, Kocho Jiro nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes.
"Oh, stop talking, you two. Teacher, let's go! Sister, take your time; the teacher and I are heading to the training ground first!"
Shinobu glanced at the hypocritical adults and spoke rapidly, "Teacher, you might get a mission at any time, so teach me quickly..."
The three of them soon arrived at the training ground.
When Shinobu said she hit a Bottleneck, it was actually true... Yes, this girl had mastered the basics of thrusting in just half a day.
Yes, mastering the basics of swordsmanship took her only half a day!
Watching Shinobu's increasingly fast and proficient thrusts, Ryuji felt a bit overwhelmed for the first time.
Good grief, what kind of talent is this... "The essence of a thrust isn't in the Move itself, but in the application of force."
Ryuji put on an unfathomable air as he moved behind Shinobu and adjusted her grip on the sword.
"Right, the force starts from the waist, drives the shoulder, passes to the arm, and finally explodes at the tip of the blade. Can you feel it? All your body's strength is concentrated on this single point."
As he spoke, he guided Shinobu in adjusting her posture.
This process suddenly reminded him of something.
The Marine Recruit Manual... the Finger Pistol tutorial!
That's right! Isn't the force application technique for Finger Pistol about concentrating the entire body's strength into a single point and letting it explode through the finger?
It was exactly the same principle as a thrust!
"Here, try it like this."
Ryuji's eyes lit up with interest. Maybe... He held Shinobu's hand that was gripping the sword and said softly, "Imagine the tip of the blade as your finger..."
Flipping through the recruit manual in his mind, he directly taught Shinobu all the force application techniques of Finger Pistol.
Then, something that left him dumbfounded happened.
It was as if Shinobu were born for this kind of technique.
In just a few minutes, she mastered the force application technique of Finger Pistol.
She even extrapolated from it, perfectly applying the technique to her thrusts and creating a Move of her own!
Swish!
The wooden sword created a sharp whistling sound as it accurately struck the red dot on the target post in the courtyard.
Almost the entire wooden sword was buried deep within the post!
Ryuji was completely stunned.
This little girl learned one of the Six Powers in just a few minutes?
Although her physical strength was nowhere near the standard, her flexibility and agility were already enough to perform a simplified version of the Six Powers!
Even if it was a simplified version, it was still one of the Six Powers!
[Ding! Detected that the trainee Marine Shinobu Kocho's understanding of 'Finger Pistol' is ten times that of the host.]
[Detected that the host has improved the strength of a Marine reserve member; here is a verbal reward.]
Ryuji: "..."
He took a deep breath and decided not to compare himself with such a Genius.
"Good! Excellent, you truly do have an understanding of thrusting..."
To the side, Kocho Kanae sat on a bench holding a book, her eyes full of tenderness as she watched Shinobu focus on her training in the sunset.
This is wonderful.
Early the next morning.
"You two, we're ready to head out."
Ryuji, carrying his luggage, woke up early to find the Kochou sisters; he hadn't been able to sleep much.
Shinobu had shocked him too much yesterday... He needed more military merit points; he wanted to become a dragon!
"Yes, yes! Teacher, wait for Sister..."
Shinobu grumbled, skipping along with a backpack on her shoulders.
She really didn't understand why her mom had pulled her sister into a room before they left, telling her with a mischievous grin not to eavesdrop.
Her dad was the same, telling her to find the teacher first... Humph, probably so her sister could keep a good eye on her.
"Mhm."
Ryuji nodded; it was normal for girls to take their time getting ready, so he could just wait a bit.
After a few minutes, Kocho Kanae walked out with her backpack, her head slightly bowed and her face a bit flushed.
"Well then, Mr. Kocho Jiro and Mrs. Kochou, we're off. Don't worry, I'll protect your daughters and won't let any harm come to them!"
Ryuji said, waving his hand.
"Sister..."
Walking behind, Shinobu gently poked Kanae: "What did Mom say to you?"
Hearing this, Kanae's cheeks turned crimson, and she whispered, "Nothing, just some girls' secrets."
After saying that, she looked up at Ryuji and then immediately looked down again.
Shinobu raised an eyebrow: "Secrets? Then..."
"Alright, Shinobu, don't ask anymore. You'll understand when you grow up."
When Ryuji heard Kanae's words, even a straight man like him understood... there's only one kind of "girls' secret."
It was about her period.
It certainly was an embarrassing topic.
"Humph, fine then... let's go!"
Shinobu huffed and ran to the front.
They left the headquarters and headed straight for Mount Sagiri. They had been traveling for two days, camping outdoors both nights.
Ryuji hunted, Shinobu gathered firewood, and Kanae cooked; the division of labor was clear.
As a side note, Kocho Kanae was a good cook.
"Ugh, do we have to sleep outside again today? Being in the Demon Slayer Corps is too hard..."
Shinobu grumbled like a lazy fish, taking a few quick steps to catch up with Ryuji and Kanae.
Ryuji looked up at the moon and smiled: "Almost there, just ahead is..."
Before he could finish, a piercing scream shattered the silence of the night.
"A village..."
Ryuji's eyes sharpened. He scooped up Kocho Kanae and Shinobu Kocho, tucking one under each arm.
He moved forward rapidly!
He spread out his Observation Haki and sensed a demon attack in the village ahead!
In just a few seconds, Ryuji brought the two girls to the top of a wall.
From the wall, they could clearly see the scene in the courtyard: a grey-skinned demon was clutching an infant in swaddling clothes.
Dead bodies were scattered around. In front of the demon, a young woman was crawling, her legs leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was screaming incessantly.
"Mhm, keep screaming. If you get quiet, I'll eat your child!"
"No, I'll scream! Please don't kill my child!! Aaaaah!"
The woman continued to scream, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. Even though her voice was extremely hoarse, she didn't stop.
"Hey."
Ryuji's right hand was wrapped in Armament Haki as he set the two girls down on the wall.
"Hmm?"
The demon heard the voice and turned toward the wall. In its cloudy pupils was a human-shaped silhouette.
However, two red glows shone from where the silhouette's eyes should be.
"Fist Breathing Style, First Form: Fist Bone!"
Boom!
Ryuji reached out and caught the infant. He knelt down and said softly to the weeping woman:
"It's okay now..."
"Ugh, sob sob!"
The woman reached out and pulled the child into her arms, only able to make whimpering sounds. She had screamed for so long that her throat was too congested to speak.
[Ding! Killed a pirate. military merit points +100.]
Shinobu watched the demon rapidly turn to ash in the Moonlight, then looked at the still-weeping woman, her fists clenching involuntarily.
So this is a demon... This is the kind of monster that Mr. Ryuji and the Demon Slayer Corps face every day.
Killing so many people just for amusement!
It's simply... At this moment, her desire to become stronger and slay all demons became firmer than ever before.
After checking the village and finding about a dozen households still alive, Ryuji notified the Kakushi Members to come and clean up the aftermath.
At the insistence of the remaining villagers, the three decided to rest in the village for the night.
But they didn't stay inside the village proper.
In the dead of night, Shinobu had long since fallen asleep, and Ryuji sat cross-legged by the fire keeping watch.
However, Kocho Kanae tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Her mother's instructions before they left kept echoing in her mind.
"Kanae, Mr. Ryuji is your savior and is willing to teach you; he's a good man you can rely on. On the road... be proactive, take care of him, and also... take care of yourself."
Take care of yourself?
Be proactive?
She peeked open her eyes and, by the firelight, looked at Ryuji's broad and solid back, her heart skipping a beat.
"Not asleep yet?"
Ryuji's voice suddenly rang out, giving her a start.
"If you can't sleep, then don't..."
Don't sleep?
Could it be... Kocho Kanae's face turned beet red. She slowly sat up and looked timidly as Ryuji approached and reached for her... forehead.
"Are you sick? Why is your face so hot?"
Feeling the temperature with his hand, Ryuji frowned at Kanae. Was she having a fever because of her period combined with the travel?
He didn't understand these things... it was tricky.
He took a pot from the luggage, set it over the fire, and poured some clean water in. He said softly, "I'll boil some hot water for you; you'll feel better after drinking it. Also, when you're traveling, you must be cautious. Especially in the wild, you can never let your guard down."
Kocho Kanae: "..."
The rest of the night passed in silence.
The next day, the three continued their journey and arrived at a small town.
As they walked, Ryuji suddenly paused.
Not far away, a young boy with a scar on his forehead, wearing Hanafuda earrings and a green checkered Haori, was carrying a bamboo basket almost taller than himself, selling charcoal along the street.
Kamado Tanjiro!
Ryuji was somewhat surprised. At this time, Tanjiro looked only about ten years old, didn't he?
He had already started carrying charcoal down the mountain to help support his family.
What a gentle and strong child.
Just then, a disheveled wandering samurai blocked Tanjiro's path.
"Hey, kid, I'll take all the charcoal in your basket."
The samurai said lazily.
Tanjiro was startled and frowned slightly. The scent his nose picked up told him this person was not good.
But if this person bought all the charcoal, he could go home early to see Nezuko.
Tanjiro looked at the tall samurai and said softly, "Okay, the total is..."
"Hah? You brat, I'm a samurai! You little..."
Hearing that he had to pay, the samurai immediately became enraged and raised his hand to slap Tanjiro!
Slap!
Tanjiro squeezed his eyes shut and fell to the ground. The bamboo basket behind him tipped over, and charcoal spilled out.
Thud.
The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed.
Tanjiro opened his eyes to see a tall back in front of him. He had to tilt his head to see the person's profile.
So tall, so strong...
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