"..."
"Does it hurt a little? Bear with it."
After carefully applying medicine to reduce the swelling and ease the pain, Shinobu Kocho meticulously wrapped a clean medical bandage around Asuka's forearm.
"You still need to be more careful. If you keep getting hurt like this, your body won't be able to recover properly."
Asuka's training had already entered its third week. According to Muichiro, it was basically time to wrap things up.
Without using any Breathing Techniques, Asuka had become quite proficient in swordsmanship. His reactions in life-or-death situations were now more natural and swift. At the very least, he was no longer fighting with brute force alone.
And after today, Muichiro would be leaving the Ubuyashiki estate to carry out other missions.
So this time, he had gone all out against Asuka and demanded that Asuka use his Breathing Technique in their spar.
The battle had been intense. Asuka had taken four slashes. The most serious one had split open his collarbone, shocking even Lady Amane, who had been watching. She had worried that Asuka might be gravely injured.
As for Muichiro, he had not taken a single hit.
However, his Nichirin Sword had been snapped by Asuka.
Watching Asuka remain silent, still immersed in the lingering aftertaste of battle, Shinobu sighed softly.
"Mr. Asuka, training should also have its limits. Muichiro is a bit special. You can't just go along with whatever he wants."
"...Thank you. I'll be more careful."
"Oh my, you always say that. But your injuries get worse every time. Honestly..."
Shinobu helplessly put away the medicine and gathered Asuka's torn haori.
"The clothes I just finished making are already in tatters again. I'll mend them and return them to you."
"You can do that too, Shinobu-senpai?"
"Of course. Kanao's uniform was altered by me. It's a little different from the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, isn't it?"
Kanao Tsuyuri was the girl who had chased after Nezuko that day and fought Asuka.
She was also Shinobu's adopted sister and Tsuguko, living together with her at the Butterfly Mansion.
Asuka had once tried to greet her, only to find that the young girl was even more reserved than he was. She had simply smiled at him without saying a word. He had given up after that.
"Then I'll trouble you, Shinobu-senpai."
"My, is it just my imagination? It feels like Mr. Asuka has become more polite lately." Shinobu covered her mouth in mock surprise. "You used to be so cold, just like Tomioka-san. Quite hard to approach."
Asuka frowned seriously. "Was I?"
He thought about it carefully. Perhaps after spending time with Tanjiro, Lady Amane, and the members of the Butterfly Mansion, he had been influenced a little.
Sometimes he felt that if they were comrades in the same squad, being as kind as possible might be better.
"Haha, you really have changed, Mr. Asuka." Seeing his puzzled expression, Shinobu laughed and stopped teasing him. "That's a good thing. People need to trust and support one another. Carrying everything alone is exhausting."
As she finished tidying up and prepared to leave, Asuka suddenly called out to her.
"Shinobu-senpai."
She paused and looked back, her eyes warm with inquiry.
"Yes? What is it?"
"You..."
He had wanted to ask about that strange dream. About the woman Shinobu had been holding in her arms. Was she real, or merely his imagination?
But looking at Shinobu's smile and the reassuring spiritual pressure she exuded, Asuka could tell that her smile now was not forced.
At least for now, he would not make her recall something painful.
"...It's nothing. Good night."
"...You too, Mr. Asuka. Remember to drink some calming broth before bed. It should ease your nightmares."
Though she sensed he had left something unsaid, Shinobu did not press him.
She kept her gentle smile as she quietly closed the sliding door, only a small question mark forming silently in her heart.
The next morning, the Butterfly Mansion was lively.
It was Asuka's day off. He usually stayed to help Shinobu with her work.
Leaning back against the veranda, he closed his eyes, enjoying the mountain breeze while pondering Muichiro's words: Find your own breathing...
"Good morning, Mr. Asuka!" Tanjiro's energetic voice shattered the courtyard's tranquility.
He entered the yard together with the yellow-haired Thunder Breathing user Zenitsu and the boar-masked Beast Breathing user Inosuke.
They wore the Butterfly Mansion's standard rehabilitation training uniforms. Compared to when they first arrived, they looked much more spirited.
Zenitsu still had two dark circles under his eyes and yawned constantly. Inosuke swung his arms restlessly, the eyes behind his boar mask frequently sweeping toward Asuka, white vapor puffing from his nostrils with blazing fighting spirit.
Asuka opened his eyes and gave a slight nod in response.
"Are we practicing blowing gourds again today? Or—"
"Hey! Wind guy!" Inosuke finally burst out, pointing at Asuka and cutting him off. "Come! Fight me too! I'm starting special training as well!"
"Stop shouting, you stupid boar!" Zenitsu shrieked, lunging forward to grab Inosuke around the waist. "Do you want Sister Shinobu to scold us to death? And Mr. Asuka is practically a Hashira candidate! He'll break the bones you just recovered!"
"Shut up, Monitsu! I've already healed completely!"
"Who are you calling Monitsu?!"
Seeing the two escalating again, Tanjiro quickly stepped between Inosuke and Asuka.
"Calm down, Inosuke! Wanting to train and grow stronger is a good thing, but you need to show Mr. Asuka some respect!"
"Hah? Fight me first and then we'll talk!"
Asuka had long grown used to the familiar chaos.
Ignoring Inosuke's routine provocation, he turned his gaze to Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro, show me your Total Concentration: Constant."
Tanjiro immediately straightened, his expression turning utterly focused.
"Yes!"
He expanded his chest, inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled, adjusting his breathing rhythm with precision.
Visibly, the lines of his muscles tightened. His presence rose instantly, brimming with strength.
After this period of training, the three of them had basically mastered this ability. It was the fundamental requirement for becoming stronger swordsmen.
Whether day or night, they had not slackened. That was good.
"Not bad. You've improved quickly. As long as you make this rhythm as natural as a heartbeat, never letting it break at any moment, your strength will advance further."
There was little else Asuka could teach them. He could only help from the fundamentals he understood best, assisting Shinobu with their rehabilitation training.
"Yes!" Tanjiro responded brightly, delighted that his efforts were bearing fruit.
Inosuke, however, had other ideas. Shaking off Zenitsu, he shouted arrogantly.
"Hah! Then watch me! Boar Rush!"
With an impatient roar, the wild aura of Beast Breathing erupted instantly.
He stomped hard, launching himself like a cannonball toward a thick wooden training post in the courtyard, ramming into it headfirst.
Boom!
A deep crack split through the post under the violent impact, wood splinters flying.
"Inosuke! That's training equipment!" Zenitsu screamed again, heartbroken at the damaged post.
"Hahaha! How's that! Even Forehead Tarou couldn't beat my head now!"
Inosuke scrambled up awkwardly, rubbing his boar mask as he shouted excitedly.
"...Your strength is decent, but your opening is too large." Asuka pointed at Inosuke's stance. "With that much momentum, you won't be able to change direction. If you meet an opponent who can dodge nimbly or follow up with a second or third strike, the one who dies will be you."
As he spoke, Asuka mimicked Muichiro's style, making a swift and subtle sidestep. His center of gravity adjusted instantly, his right hand loosely resting near the hilt, ready to block or counter at any moment.
He was demonstrating that if he wished, he could easily evade Inosuke's attack and retaliate at once.
Inosuke froze in place. Beneath the boar mask, his eyes seemed to flicker with light.
Though he still clicked his tongue in defiance, his gaze drifted toward the deep crater he had left behind. He awkwardly attempted to imitate Asuka's slight adjustment, clumsy yet thoughtful.
"You're up early, Mr. Asuka."
A gentle voice sounded behind him.
Shinobu appeared at the corner of the corridor, carrying a wooden tray with medicine bottles and clean gauze.
"It's time to change your dressing. And you three..." She looked toward Tanjiro and the others. "Aoi and the others are waiting in the tatami room. We'll start with the tea-splash training today."
Tanjiro and Zenitsu immediately stood straight. "Yes, Shinobu-senpai!"
Inosuke snorted and followed them toward the side yard, casting a long look at Asuka before leaving, something unreadable in his thoughts.
Asuka silently walked back under the corridor and sat where Shinobu indicated.
She set down the tray, gently untied his collar cord, and carefully removed the gauze covering his collarbone wound, speaking in a casual tone.
"That advice just now was very practical. Simple, but far more helpful to him at this stage than advanced techniques."
"It seems that during your time at the Butterfly Mansion, Mr. Asuka, you haven't just improved yourself. You've also begun to understand how to pass on your experience to others."