There was no room for negotiation; all of the stashed Soda was confiscated by Kochou Shinobu.
This was a massive blow to Kiyokawa Izumi.
During this period, he and the Soda had depended on each other, and they had already established a very deep bond.
Although his face showed an expression of great reluctance, what he was thinking in his heart was—you have to leave eventually, right?
As a Hashira, you can't stay here for long.
As soon as you leave, I'll root out the traitor first!
The Soda I buy back can't be hidden under the bed anymore; I have to find a more discreet place.
Kiyokawa Izumi had a private deal with the Hidden Members stationed here—it wasn't as sordid or dirty as one might imagine.
They were simply attracted by the stories he told.
One story in exchange for a bottle of Soda was not a bad deal for Kiyokawa Izumi; as a transmigrator and already a Hashira, he had too many stories to share.
Whether it was the ones he had heard or seen in his past life, or his own battles with the Twelve Kizuki, they could all mesmerize these young people.
After finishing the routine check-up, Kochou Shinobu naturally had to leave.
Seeming to have sensed Kiyokawa Izumi's thoughts, she suddenly said, "Aoi seems to miss you quite a bit. Why don't I let her take care of you for a while?"
"?"
Kiyokawa Izumi, reacting extremely quickly, naturally refused in a hurry, "If she comes over, won't it affect the normal operation of the Butterfly Mansion?"
Please don't!
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't want to be stared at by that girl all day long.
If that one was really sent over, how could he still sneak drinks of Soda?
"Do you hate Aoi that much?"
"How could that be?"
"Then it's settled!"
"?"
Think twice, Shinobu-nee!
Won't you consider it a bit more?
Is there no trust at all between Hashira?
I swear on Muzan that if I sneak another drink of Soda, let him die a horrible death!
Kiyokawa Izumi's opposition was clearly ineffective.
Or rather, the more he opposed, the more suspicious Kochou Shinobu became.
Although the two hadn't known each other for long, she knew what kind of personality he had—Kochou Shinobu would never believe that he would turn over a new leaf and stop drinking Soda from then on.
How could that be possible?
...When Kanzaki Aoi appeared before him, the corner of Kiyokawa Izumi's mouth twitched slightly, and he could only silently complain in his heart that there really was no trust at all!
At fixed times, Aoi would appear in his room carrying medicine, with a stiff face, urging him to drink it quickly.
He couldn't even refuse, because this girl was meticulous in her work; she would just stand there beside him and watch him, and if he didn't finish it, she wouldn't leave.
Kiyokawa Izumi was very distressed.
After all, they were considered acquaintances.
He wouldn't put on the airs of a Hashira, nor could he say anything excessive.
Facing Aoi, who was supervising his medicine-taking, he really had no way out, being firmly handled by a certain woman.
Ordinary Hidden Members certainly couldn't control him.
But Aoi was different; Kiyokawa Izumi just happened to have no way to deal with this serious girl, and having some shred of a bottom line, he couldn't possibly bully her with tricks.
"These are all confiscated!"
Before long, Kanzaki Aoi walked into the room holding several bottles of Soda and said very unceremoniously.
"!!"
Another stash of Soda was discovered; Kiyokawa Izumi had a bitter face and was speechless.
'How exactly did she find it? It was clearly hidden very discreetly... Could it be that there's still a traitor who hasn't been rooted out? That shouldn't be right!'
"This... can you let me have one bottle? Just one bottle!"
"No! Don't even think about it!"
Aoi stood with her hands on her hips, refusing with an expressionless face.
"..."
During his recovery period, Kiyokawa Izumi didn't just spend his time outwitting these girls—after all, it was mostly because he was too bored.
A small portion of his time was used to think about how to stash Soda, while more of his time was used to perfect his Breathing Technique.
It mainly revolved around his Third Form.
The segmented explosive breathing he used before was, in his current view, still too crude.
When facing an Upper Rank, it had already become somewhat useless.
A crude breathing method could certainly enhance physical functions, but the degree of enhancement did not satisfy him; an explosion at full strength was not enough to truly threaten an Upper Rank.
Besides that, it would also cause great damage to the body, seriously affecting subsequent battles.
The enhancement couldn't keep up, and the drawbacks were very obvious.
Out of various considerations, Kiyokawa Izumi decided to optimize the Third Form, and currently, there were two optional plans.
The first direction was still explosive power, referencing the Seven-Day Breathing Method and integrating its essence, using a special breathing rhythm to make his lung capacity reach several times its usual level.
In the end, it was an explosion at any cost, pursuing power that broke through the limit.
Never mind whether it would affect subsequent battles, whether it would damage the body, or whether it would leave any after-effects.
None of these were considered.
The only consideration was how to possess power that broke through the limit.
The second plan was endurance.
It was normal to consider this; whether it was the Third Form or the Fourth Form, they were both very lacking in endurance.
Setting aside fighting a war of attrition with demons, he should at least have the stamina to engage in a fierce battle for several hours, right?
What was pursued was not an extreme explosion, but a lasting explosion, an all-around enhancement of physical functions.