Days passed quietly.
For the time being, Aoyama had no missions to carry out. Instead, Tanjiro dragged him around daily for guidance in training.
To his credit, Tanjiro truly worked hard. From morning till night, he maintained Total Concentration Breathing without pause. Now, he could barely sustain it twenty-four hours a day.
That was no small progress.
Standing in the courtyard watching Tanjiro train tirelessly, Aoyama's thoughts drifted elsewhere—
To Nezuko.
Ever since they returned, she had been asleep.
Again.
His eyes widened slightly.
Don't tell me… she's going to sleep for another two years like last time?!
A wave of unease rose in his chest.
Just then, a faint medicinal fragrance drifted into his nose.
Shinobu.
Because of her constant work with medicine, she always carried a soft herbal scent.
"What are you thinking about, Aoyama-kun?"
She sat down beside him, tilting her head slightly.
He looked at her smiling face, and the irritation in his heart slowly faded.
"Nothing," he said. "You, on the other hand, seem to have something in mind."
She pouted lightly in mock grievance.
"The back mountain has been rather noisy lately. And the people at the Butterfly Estate have been… frequently disturbed. Would Aoyama-kun be willing to help resolve it?"
Back mountain?
That was Inosuke.
After being crushed repeatedly by Aoyama, Shinobu, and Kanao, his pride had taken a heavy blow. He'd started throwing a childish tantrum, talking about returning to the forest.
So every day he caused chaos in the rear mountain—riding deer, catching birds, wrestling wild boars.
As for "frequently disturbed"?
That was Zenitsu, pestering the Kakushi girls for tea daily.
Shinobu's meaning was clear.
Since they traveled with Aoyama, he should rein them in.
Even if they refused to train, they couldn't disrupt the estate.
Aoyama smiled awkwardly.
Those two really were troublemakers.
Time to teach them a lesson.
At the back mountain—
Aoyama leaned casually against a tree with his arms folded.
"Tsk tsk, Inosuke. Still riding deer up here?" he called lazily. "Tanjiro's already mastered Total Concentration Constant. You probably can't manage it, huh? Looks like you're about to lose to him."
Inosuke, who was perched proudly on a deer's back, fell off with a thud.
"What did you say?! I can't?!"
He stormed forward.
Aoyama rubbed his ear as if annoyed by the volume.
"Tanjiro trains day and night to get there. You? Probably not capable. Your body can't handle it."
Three consecutive denials.
Each one struck Inosuke like an arrow.
His nostrils flared violently.
"If Forehead Boy can do it, I definitely can! I'm going to train right now!"
"Inosuke," Aoyama added calmly, patting his shoulder, "if you can't manage it, don't force yourself. It's understandable."
That was the final blow.
Inosuke slapped his hand away.
"Boar Charge!!!"
He sprinted down the mountain at full speed.
He would surpass Tanjiro.
No matter what.
One down.
Next target.
At the Kakushi rest area, Aoyama found Zenitsu—face swollen, red finger marks still visible.
He had clearly been slapped.
Zenitsu ran up tearfully.
"Aoyama-senpai, wuuuuu…"
Aoyama patted his head.
"It's fine, Zenitsu. With enough determination, even an iron rod can be ground into a needle. You'll shine in someone's eyes someday."
Zenitsu's heart warmed instantly.
"Aoyama-senpai…"
Aoyama sighed softly.
"On my way here, I ran into Shinobu. She said she thinks highly of you. Said you're quite excellent. But…"
"Eh?! Shinobu-san really said that?! But what?!"
Zenitsu leaned forward eagerly.
Aoyama clicked his tongue.
"Inosuke's been training hard lately. If you're not careful, he might surpass you. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"WHAT?!"
Zenitsu exploded.
"We agreed not to train! That pig tricked me?!"
He was furious.
And when Zenitsu was angry—
He unconsciously activated Total Concentration Breathing.
Without another word, he dashed toward the training grounds.
He absolutely could not let Inosuke show off in front of Shinobu.
Absolutely not!
Watching him rush away, Aoyama snapped his fingers cheerfully.
Both handled.
The Kakushi girls came out one after another to thank him.
"Aoyama-sama, would you like some afternoon tea? We prepared pastries."
He waved them off.
"No need. If that guy bothers you again, just slap him. He needs the lesson."
He offered the advice with perfect sincerity.
"Thank you, Aoyama-sama!"
"Pfft—"
A soft laugh came from nearby.
Shinobu had been watching the entire scene.
The Kakushi hurried off when they saw her.
She waved gently.
"Hello. Goodbye."
A butterfly fluttered over and landed on her shoulder.
"Aoyama-kun," she said sweetly, "I don't recall ever saying those things. Lying isn't exactly admirable."
Caught red-handed—
Aoyama merely smiled.
"That was a benevolent lie. You understand, don't you?"
She turned away for a moment, then glanced back and nodded with a faint smile.
In the courtyard—
Inosuke dragged two massive stones, building strength.
Zenitsu ran along the walls at full speed, improving his agility.
Tanjiro stood nearby, repeating Aoyama's advice while encouraging them.
The three trained with fiery determination.
Not far away—
Kanao stood quietly, watching them.
But she herself made no move.
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