Training with Kanao went on for quite a while before it finally ended. She stepped back a few paces, breathing heavily. Her posture was still correct, her body aligned as if she were ready to keep going… but her shoulders weren't as steady anymore.
Sweat ran down the side of her face, glinting in the late afternoon light.
I was tired too, but my Tier 2 Physique gave me a natural advantage in endurance. My breathing was still relatively steady, while Kanao looked like she had reached her limit.
Then she finally sheathed her sword, turned around, and walked a few steps away without saying anything.
I wasn't sure what to do, but that's when another voice appeared behind me.
"What a surprise~"
I didn't even need to turn around to recognize who it was.
"I leave for a few hours and when I come back I find Kanao-chan training with Hayato-san?"
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Shinobu-san standing near the hallway that led into the mansion, her hands clasped behind her back and that familiar gentle smile on her face.
"And it looks like it was quite a long training session too..."
I looked back toward the courtyard. Kanao had already sat down near the wooden veranda, her breathing slowing down now.
"She's strong," I commented while sheathing my katana.
"Yes, she is." Shinobu-san walked slowly across the courtyard, observing the marks left on the ground.
"But still…" she tilted her head slightly. "It's surprising that Hayato-san managed to get close to Kanao-chan."
"Get close?" I asked.
Besides… Shinobu-san didn't mind talking about that while Kanao herself was still right there?
"Kanao-chan normally has trouble interacting with new people."
I looked at the girl again. She was sitting quietly, staring up at the sky as if she were watching the butterflies drifting through the air.
"I think it's simple," I said. "We're both interested in training."
Shinobu-san let out a quiet laugh. "If only it were that simple…"
She stopped beside me.
"Kanao-chan doesn't express much of what she's thinking," she explained. "A lot of people end up confused or uncomfortable around her because of that."
'…that makes sense,' I thought.
Without my prior knowledge of the canon…
I would probably think Kanao was just a weird girl who liked staring at people without saying anything. In other words, kind of a freak.
Shinobu-san kept watching Kanao for a moment before speaking again.
"So thank you."
"Hm? For what?"
"For being kind and patient with her," her tone still light. "And please continue being kind to Kanao-chan from now on, Hayato-san."
I shrugged, mentally accepting the task. "If she wants to keep training, I don't have any reason to refuse."
Actually, considering my technical deficiencies, it's more likely that I'll be the one chasing after her for training...
"That's already more than enough."
The wind swept through the garden at that moment, making a few butterflies drift away from the flowers.
After a few seconds of silence, Shinobu-san spoke again.
"Ah, and by the way."
I looked at her, waiting.
"I received the response to the report I sent about the incident with the Oni and about Hayato-san."
"And?" I asked, trying not to show too much curiosity.
Judging by the widening smile on Shinobu-san's lips, I'm not sure I succeeded...
"Oyakata-sama has allowed me to supervise your training until the date of the Final Selection."
Shinobu-san kept looking at me, so I held back the urge to grin.
"That means," she continued with a playful smile, "that Hayato-san will be staying at the Butterfly Mansion for a while."
"So I've been officially adopted?"
Shinobu-san laughed. "Not adopted… but a provisional member."
Sounds almost the same to me.
"It also means," she added, "that I will personally monitor your progress."
Now… that definitely sounds more dangerous.
"We're going to have a lot of work ahead of us, Hayato-san~!"
...
When Shinobu-san said we had a lot of work ahead of us… she wasn't exaggerating.
Honestly, looking back now, I probably should've suspected that someone with medical skills like hers would be very interested in testing the limits of my body. In other words, Shinobu-san didn't let me relax until she found my endurance limits.
Sparring with Kanao-chan… lung training… reaction training… movement drills… more sparring…
I was living entirely for the grind!
But at least I kept eating well and sleeping in a comfortable bed. So there's really nothing to complain about!
And after a few days of observing me and occasionally stabbing me with some suspicious needle, Shinobu-san finally came to a conclusion.
"Misogi-kun," she said while writing something in a small notebook, "you are naturally physically gifted."
'Yeah… because I paid for that…' I thought while sitting on the ground, trying to catch my breath after a particularly brutal reaction drill.
One notable change was that as the days passed, Shinobu-san naturally started treating me more casually. At some point, "Hayato-san" turned into "Misogi-kun."
According to Shinobu-san, she thought that was appropriate since I already used her first name and she could also be considered a "trainer" for me now.
I didn't mind… but I really wanted to tell her to be careful with the ambiguous things she says… especially when she's smiling.
'I mean… what the hell is "physically gifted" supposed to mean, Shinobu-san?!'
But today it looked like the evaluation phase had finally ended.
"Considering your natural strength… Breathing Styles focused on power would be ideal."
Shinobu-san closed the notebook and looked up, starting to count on her fingers.
"Flame Breathing, Stone Breathing… both would make good use of your brute strength."
"On the other hand…" she tilted her head, watching me closely. "Misogi-kun also likes to use speed quite often."
I nodded. I mean… isn't it badass when your opponent blinks and you're suddenly standing right next to them?!
"Taking that into account," she continued, "Sound Breathing could also work…"
'Sound Breathing?'
Thinking about it, whenever I imagine speed, Thunder Breathing is usually my reference. But Sound Breathing is also really good for that, since it was derived from Thunder Breathing, if I remember correctly…
"I could ask one of my colleagues to teach you one of those styles," Shinobu-san continued thoughtfully, but soon shook her head. "Unfortunately, all of them are busy with missions. It's unlikely any of them would have time before the Final Selection."
Considering there are only a handful of Hashira covering the entire country… it's hard to imagine they'd have any free time at all...
"I could teach you my style or Flower Breathing..."
"However," she concluded, "neither of those would fully take advantage of Misogi-kun's brute strength, which would be a waste~"
She raised her eyes to me. "So, what do you prefer?"
If this were earlier, maybe I would've hesitated. But after all this training and sparring, Sword Breathing had been growing fast.
I mentally opened the screen.
–––
[Sword Breathing <19/100>
Type: Technique
*A Breathing Style created by a beginner that prioritizes direct cutting power, fast advances, and continuous rhythm.]
–––
It didn't look like much, but it was already enough to cover the full pattern of movements. Now I just needed to improve the breathing rhythm and keep repeating it until it became natural.
"I'll continue with my own style."
Another piece of good news was that Total Concentration Breathing was also advancing quickly. After breaking the medium gourd and starting on the large one, the skill was already almost halfway there.
–––
[Total Concentration Breathing <48/100>
Type: Technique
*Consists of inhaling the maximum possible amount of oxygen through specific patterns to drastically increase blood flow and muscular strength.]
–––
Shinobu-san nodded as well.
"Misogi-kun really is improving quickly…" she said, touching a finger to her chin before shaking her head. "But if that's the case, we can't waste any time!"
Holding back a sigh, I stood up and kept going.
Not just because Shinobu-san was incredibly demanding, or because Kanao-chan would probably look devastated if I stopped training with her… not even because my skills were improving…
–––
[Physique: Tier 2 <4/50>]
–––
It was because of that.
Pushing my body to the absolute limit of endurance over and over again was improving my Physique.
After all, the grind never disappoints!
...
The day of the Final Selection was finally approaching. The days of training passed almost without me noticing, but now it was time to continue my journey!
On the morning of my departure, the air was fresh and the garden of the Butterfly Mansion was quiet. The flowers were still covered with early morning dew, and a few butterflies were already starting to flutter between the bushes.
My backpack felt light on my shoulders. The Nichirin Shinobu-san provided for me was secured at my waist. The dark sheath contrasted with the white haori (I finally got one!) that I was wearing now.
It was a shame I had to leave the katana Yoshizawa-san made… but Shinobu-san said she would keep it safe for me, waiting for the day I returned to pick it up.
When I turned to take one last look at the garden, I saw two figures walking toward me. Shinobu-san had her hands behind her back, walking with light steps. Kanao-chan followed silently a few steps behind.
"So the day has come," Shinobu-san commented with a smile, her haori swaying slightly in the wind.
'Damn… why does this feel like a dramatic manga panel?' I thought, trying and failing to look away from her.
"…Looks like it," was all I managed to say.
Shinobu-san stopped a few steps away.
"Good luck, Misogi-kun," she said, looking directly at me. "I hope the next time we meet, it will be as a Demon Slayer."
All I could do was nod and smile.
"I'll try to become a Hashira as fast as possible," I replied. "That way Shinobu-san won't feel embarrassed about having trained someone like me."
Shinobu-san brought a hand to her lips and laughed softly.
"How ambitious," her smile grew a little warmer. "Then I'll be looking forward to that day."
The wind passed through the garden again, lifting a few petals from the ground.
After that, I turned my attention to Kanao-chan. She was looking down, her fingers lightly gripping the fabric of her uniform. And even more surprising… she was biting her lip in frustration.
Shinobu-san had told me the night before that Kanao-chan, encouraged by our training over the past weeks, had asked to participate in the Final Selection this time too. But Shinobu-san refused, saying she was still too young to get officially involved in that.
She would only be allowed to participate once she turned sixteen… which was already the age of Shinobu-san, a Hashira.
It was a little unfair, especially for someone like Kanao-chan, who probably already had the strength to defeat most members of the Demon Slayer Corps…
But even without my knowledge of the canon, I could tell this was simply Shinobu-san trying to protect her little sister.
So without saying anything, I placed my hand on top of her head. Kanao-chan's hair was softer than I expected.
Well… I couldn't resist! Because it was the first time I had ever seen Kanao-chan show any kind of emotion!
Kanao-chan froze for a second. "…?"
"It's the duty of older people to protect the younger ones," I said, blurting out the first bullshit that came to mind.
Kanao-chan finally looked up.
"For now, it's our turn," I continued while keeping my hand there. "But your moment will come too, Kanao-chan!"
She stared at me silently, and I could also feel Shinobu-san's gaze on me.
Now I don't have a choice! I have to fully commit to the act!
"When that time comes…" I said with all the confidence I could fake, "I hope you'll do the same for the younger ones!"
The wind passed through the garden again and butterflies flew around us.
I wanted to thank her for the support, but I kept going. "So keep working hard!"
I gave her head a small pat before finally pulling my hand away.
"I'm counting on you, Kanao-chan!"
She stood still for a few seconds, as if processing every word.
"…Hmm!" That was her reply. It was just a small sound, but it was full of determination.
Behind her, Shinobu-san thanked me with a sweet smile.
"See you later!" I said as a farewell and finally started walking away.
Next stop, Mount Fujikasane!
–––
[Employee Profile]
Name: Hayato Misogi
Points: 65
Current Mission:
Become a Hashira (Incomplete)
Kill one of the Twelve Kizuki - Repeatable (Incomplete)
Kill Kibutsuji Muzan (Incomplete)
「Attributes」
Physique: Tier 2 <9/50> [+]
「Skills」
Total Concentration Breathing <74/100> [+]
Sword Breathing <39/100> [+]
「Perks」
N/A
–––