"...."
"Does it hurt a little? Bear with it."
Shinobu carefully applied the swelling and pain-relieving medicine to Taka's wound, then meticulously wrapped medical bandages around his forearm.
"You still need to be careful, you know. If you keep getting injured, your body won't be able to recover."
Taka's training had now entered its third week. According to Muichiro, it could basically be considered complete.
Without using Breathing Styles, Taka's mastery of swordsmanship had become quite proficient. His reactions to life-or-death crises were also more natural and rapid. At the very least, he no longer fought relying solely on brute force.
Also, because after today, Muichiro would be leaving the Ubuyashiki Estate to carry out other missions-
So this time, he had gone all out against Taka, and also required Taka to use Breathing Styles in their sparring.
The battle was intense. Taka suffered four cuts. The most severe one directly split his collarbone, which even startled Amane, who was watching, and made her worry that Taka might be seriously injured.
As for Muichiro, he hadn't received a single wound.
However, his Nichirin Sword had been severed by Taka.
Looking at Taka, who remained silent, still immersed in the afterglow of the battle, Shinobu sighed: "Taka-san, training should have its limits. Tokito-san's situation is a bit special. You can't just go along with his whims."
"....Thank you. I'll be careful."
"Sigh, you always say that, but your injuries get worse each time. You really...."
Shinobu helplessly put away the medicine and also collected Taka's damaged haori: "Your newly made clothes are torn again. Let me mend them and give them back to you."
"Shinobu-senpai, can you do such things?"
"Of course. Kanao's clothes are altered by me. See? They're a bit different from the ordinary Demon Slayer Corps' uniform, aren't they?"
Kanao was the girl who had pursued Nezuko that day and fought with Taka.
She was also Shinobu's adopted younger sister and Tsuguko, always living with her at the Butterfly Mansion.
Taka had tried to greet her, but unexpectedly, this girl was even more silent than he was. She merely smiled at him without saying a word, so he stopped trying.
"Then I'll trouble you, Shinobu-senpai."
"Ara, is it my imagination, or do I feel Taka-san has become more and more polite lately?" Shinobu covered her mouth, striking a pose of disbelief. "Before, you were so cold, just as hard to get along with as Tomioka-san."
Taka frowned seriously: "Is that so?"
He thought carefully, 'Perhaps it was the influence of spending time recently with Tanjiro, Amane-sama, and the members of the Butterfly Mansion.'
Sometimes he felt that if they were comrades in the same team, it might be better to be as friendly as possible.
"Haha, you really have changed, Taka-san." Seeing his puzzled expression, Shinobu laughed and stopped teasing him. "This is a good thing, you know. People need to trust and support each other. It's ultimately too tiring to be alone."
As Shinobu finished tidying up and prepared to leave, Taka couldn't help but call out to her:
"Shinobu-senpai."
Shinobu stopped and turned back, her gaze holding a gentle inquiry:
"Hmm? What is it?"
"You...."
Taka had originally wanted to ask about that strange dream, whether the woman in Shinobu's arms was real or his fantasy.
....But looking at Shinobu's smile and the reassuring Reiatsu emanating from her, Taka could be sure that her current smile was not forced.
At least for now, it was better not to remind her of sad things.
"....Nothing. Good night."
"....You too, Taka-san. Remember to drink some calming tea before bed. It can help with your nightmares."
Although she felt Taka had left something unsaid, Shinobu didn't pry.
She still maintained her gentle smile and slowly slid the door of the room shut, silently marking a question in her heart.
…
The next morning, the Butterfly Mansion became lively.
Today was Taka's rest day. He usually stayed at the Butterfly Mansion to help Shinobu.
He leaned against the veranda, eyes closed, enjoying the mountain breeze and contemplating the words Muichiro had spoken: Finding his own breathing....
"Taka-san! Good morning!" Tanjiro's energetic voice broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
He, along with the yellow-haired user of Thunder Breathing, Agatsuma Zenitsu, and the always boisterous user of Beast Breathing, who wore a wild boar mask, Hashibira Inosuke, came into the courtyard.
They were wearing the uniform recovery training clothes of the Butterfly Mansion, their spirits much improved since their arrival.
Zenitsu still had dark circles under his eyes and was yawning continuously. Inosuke, meanwhile, was noisily swinging his arms. His gaze under the boar mask frequently swept towards Taka, white vapour snorting from his nostrils, representing his burning fighting spirit.
Taka opened his eyes and nodded slightly in response.
"Are we practicing blowing gourds again today? Or—"
"Hey! You, the one who uses wind!" Inosuke finally couldn't contain himself, pointing at Taka and interrupting his words. "Come! Fight me too! I'm starting special training!"
"Don't shout, you stupid pig!!" Zenitsu was scared out of his wits and immediately pounced, wrapping his arms around Inosuke's waist. "Do you want to get us killed by Nee-chan?! And Taka-san is a semi-Hashira!! He'll break your newly healed bones!!"
"Shut up! Monitsu! I've been healed for ages!"
"Who's Monitsu?!"
Seeing the two arguing fiercely, Tanjiro quickly stepped forward, placing himself between Inosuke and Taka:
"Calm down, Inosuke! Wanting to train and get stronger is a good thing, but you have to be respectful to Taka-san!"
"Huh?!! Fight me first!!"
Watching this familiar chaotic scene, Taka had grown used to it.
He ignored Inosuke's daily provocation and calmly addressed Tanjiro: "Tanjiro, maintain Total Concentration - Constant for me to see."
Tanjiro immediately stood up straight, his expression becoming extremely focused:
"Yes!"
He expanded his chest, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, striving to adjust the rhythm of his breathing.
Visibly, the lines of his muscles throughout his body seemed to tighten, and his entire spirit instantly elevated, full of a sense of power.
After this period of training, all three of them had basically mastered this ability. It was a necessary foundation for becoming stronger swordsmen.
Whether day or night, they did not slack off. This was good.
"Not bad. Your progress is very fast. As long as you maintain this breath as naturally as your heartbeat, never interrupting it at any time, your strength will advance further."
He couldn't teach Tanjiro and the others much else, so he started with the fundamentals he was familiar with, helping Shinobu with their recovery training.
"Yes!" Seeing his efforts finally paying off, Tanjiro replied happily.
However, Inosuke had other ideas. He finally shook off Zenitsu and roared angrily:
"Hmph! Take a look at me! Boar Rush!!"
He roared impatiently, and the violent aura of Beast Breathing instantly erupted!
His feet violently pushed off the ground. Inosuke's entire body shot like a cannonball towards a thick training log in the center of the courtyard, crashing headfirst into it!!
Boom—!!
The log was split with a deep crack by the violent force. Wood chips flew everywhere.
"Inosuke! That's training equipment!" Zenitsu screamed again, watching the destroyed log with distress.
"Haha! How about that! Even Gantetsu can't outdo me now!"
Inosuke scrambled up awkwardly, rubbing his boar mask, shouting excitedly and passionately.
"....The power is acceptable, but the openings are too big." Taka pointed at Inosuke's body: "If the charge is too forceful, you can't turn. If you encounter an enemy who can nimbly dodge, or one with a second or third phase of attack, you'll be the one to die."
As he spoke, Taka imitated Muichiro's manner, executing a swift and subtle slight sidestep. His center of gravity instantly adjusted for balance, while his right hand loosely clenched near the sword hilt, maintaining a preparatory stance ready to block or counter at any moment.
He was showing Inosuke that if he wanted to, he could easily dodge Inosuke's attack and immediately counter.
Inosuke froze on the spot. Behind his boar mask, his eyes seemed to flicker.
Although he still let out an unconvinced 'tch' sound, his gaze subconsciously looked at the deep crater his own feet had just made, then tried to imitate the tiny adjusting movement Taka had just made. It was clumsy, but he seemed thoughtful.
"You're up early, Taka-san."
A gentle voice sounded from behind Taka. Shinobu had appeared at the corner of the veranda at some point, holding a wooden tray with medicine bottles and clean gauze.
"Time to change your bandages. And you three..." She looked at Tanjiro and the others. "Kiyo and the others are waiting in the room. Start with the tea-spilling training today."
Tanjiro and Zenitsu immediately stood at attention: "Yes, Shinobu-senpai!"
Inosuke also snorted and followed Tanjiro and the others towards the side courtyard. Before leaving, he gave Taka a long, thoughtful look.
Taka silently walked back under the veranda and sat down at the spot Shinobu indicated.
Shinobu set down the tray, gently undid the ties at his collar, carefully peeled back the gauze covering the wound on his collarbone, and spoke in a conversational tone:
"That advice you gave earlier was very practical. Although simple, for him right now, it's more helpful than deep techniques."
"It seems that during this time at the Butterfly Mansion, Taka-san hasn't just been improving yourself, but have also begun to understand how to pass on your experiences to others."