"Shinobu Kocho. Please guide me."
Shinobu bent slightly at the waist. After speaking, she gripped the hilt of her sword and waited, fully prepared for the man—who only knew how to speak ill of others behind their backs and, in her mind, had little real ability—to make the first move.
But… nothing happened.
Soma remained where he was, quietly watching her. That annoyingly calm smile still lingered on his handsome face.
"…Why aren't you attacking?"
Shinobu tightened her grip on the sword, irritation creeping into her voice.
"It's not very polite to strike first against a lady," Soma replied casually.
"And is it gentlemanly to speak ill of a lady behind her back?" Shinobu's taut face let out a cold laugh.
Soma shrugged helplessly. Looking at her delicate features, he said softly, "Miss Shinobu, you shouldn't think I'm speaking ill of you just because I spoke the truth. Though… sometimes, the truth hurts more than a lie."
Hooo...
Her breathing suddenly grew sharper, more uneven. Those beautiful violet eyes narrowed, now glinting with unmistakable danger.
"Let's see if you're still this talkative in a moment."
She gritted her teeth as she spoke, and in the very next instant, her figure flashed forward. Appearing at Soma's side, she swung her slender Nichirin Sword in a swift arc.
Yet, just before the blade could land, she hesitated ever so slightly.
A trace of concern flickered in her mind—what if he really wasn't strong enough and she actually injured him?
No matter how annoyed she was at the nickname he had given her, she would never truly harm him. At most, she would refuse to show him a kind face… or teach him a small lesson.
She had no intention of actually cutting him with a Nichirin Sword.
At that moment, Shinobu even found herself regretting not bringing a wooden practice sword instead. If she had, she wouldn't be hesitating like this—there would be far less risk.
Clang!
Her wavering strike was effortlessly blocked as Soma casually raised his own blade. The clash rang out with a sharp metallic note.
"Hesitation is a fatal flaw when hunting demons."
Soma looked up, his gaze meeting Shinobu's as she used the momentum of the parry to retreat a short distance. His expression was calm. "Miss Shinobu, your skill is quite good. But if you want to hurt me, that won't be easy. You should go all out."
Her strength was simply too lacking. She couldn't even sever a demon's hardened neck—naturally, there was no way she could cut through his.
Shinobu pressed her lips together.
The strike she had held back out of concern had been dismissed as "hesitation." The words lodged in her chest, leaving her feeling stifled and indignant.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
She attacked again.
Her speed was faster now—much faster.
Clang!
And yet, the strike was still blocked.
"…Your strength is too weak. With power like that, how could you ever sever a demon's neck?"
Soma deflected her blade once more, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
A flash of anger surfaced on Shinobu's tightly composed face. She said nothing further, her figure already moving again—darting around him like a drifting shadow.
Her speed was astonishing. Light and silent with every step, she moved like a butterfly in flight. Now that she was fighting with full effort, her speed had risen to an entirely new level.
Several times, her blade came close to landing on Soma. However, her breathing had grown disordered, throwing her off balance and clouding her judgment. Unlike when she fought demons—calmly identifying their weaknesses before delivering a precise, fatal strike—she was now driven by agitation rather than control.
After her first attack was blocked, her unsettled state only worsened. Eager to put Soma in his place, she struck again hastily—only for that blow to be blocked as well.
Having devoured numerous demons on Mount Fujikasane, Soma's strength had already improved significantly. Though Shinobu's speed was remarkable, it wasn't so fast that he couldn't react. Moreover, she had clearly underestimated him.
After several failed attacks, Shinobu's frustration only continued to grow.
"My turn."
The soft murmur reached her ears, and her heart tensed slightly as her grip on her Nichirin Sword tightened.
At the same instant, Soma lowered his stance, bending forward.
In a flash, he leapt forward, closing the distance in an instant. Just as he reached her, he drew his blade in a motion so fast it was almost impossible to follow.
The next moment, a razor-sharp strike was already descending toward her.
Sensing the fierce pressure carried by the blade, Shinobu's first instinct was to dodge. But then a thought flashed through her mind—he had blocked so many of her attacks, yet she hadn't blocked even one of his. Wouldn't that only give this man, who spoke ill of others behind their backs, more reason to look down on her?
In that split second of hesitation, she chose to stand her ground.
She tightened her grip and raised her sword to block.
Clang!
The moment the blades met, a thunderous metallic crash rang out.
Though Shinobu managed to block the strike in time, the combination of a demon's immense strength and the "super-speed" of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu gave Soma's strike terrifying destructive power. Even the neck of the Hand Demon, which was harder than stone, would have been sliced open by such a blow.
So in the instant their swords met, an immense force surged through her weapon and into her hands.
Shinobu's strength had always been lacking. Faced with such sudden, overwhelming power, her grip gave way almost instantly—her Nichirin Sword was knocked from her hands.
The deadly blade continued its path, carrying a chilling killing intent straight toward her head.
Just as the tip reached the space between her brows, Soma halted the strike and smoothly sheathed his sword.
Looking at the petite girl now frozen in place, he spoke in a calm, even tone:
"A swordsman who can't even hold onto their blade… what do you think awaits them?"
Shinobu stood there, teeth clenched.
"It seems, for now, Miss Shinobu isn't quite capable of guiding me."
Soma shook his head, his tone tinged with unmistakable disappointment.
"I had thought you'd be much stronger."
Her delicate face flushed red and pale in turns. Thinking back to her earlier words, she felt both humiliated and furious. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to contain her emotions.
Her lowered hand tightened into a fist.
"…I lost."
Though unwilling to admit it, she still forced the words out through gritted teeth.
Soma looked at her in mild surprise. He had expected her to refuse to accept defeat, perhaps even challenge him again immediately. Instead, she acknowledged her loss so directly—it made him regard her more highly.
"Next time we spar… I'll win."
Shinobu bit down on her words, her tone resolute.
"I'll be looking forward to it." Soma nodded with a faint smile.
"…I'm sorry."
The girl lowered her voice and said quietly, "I spoke out of line earlier… I apologize for that. If you want to mock me now, or humiliate me…"
"I'm not that bored."
Soma shook his head, then turned and walked back to the flat stone, sitting down again as if nothing had happened. He resumed watching everyone's training, and before long, his gaze settled on Genya Shinazugawa, who had just arrived despite his injuries not yet fully healed—the younger brother of the Wind Hashira, still forcing himself forward.
Shinobu had already braced herself for harsh ridicule.
But none came.
That man, who liked to speak ill of her behind her back, didn't seem to be the person she had imagined at all.
Completely different from what she expected.
She silently watched his resting figure, then lowered her head, looking at her still trembling hand. The force from that single strike earlier—transmitted through the blade—had been overwhelming. No matter how tightly she had gripped her sword, it had still been knocked from her grasp.
Her strength… was simply too weak.
It had always been her weakness.
Not only was her frame small—far less tall and imposing than her elder sister—but in terms of strength, she fell short by a wide margin as well.
A flicker of frustration crossed her eyes. She stepped forward quietly, bent down, and picked up her Nichirin Sword from the ground.
Her fingers traced the blade as she clenched her teeth, irritation rising at the thought that she hadn't even managed to hold onto her weapon.
…
After resting for a while, Soma called out to Tanjiro, signaling him to stop his training.
"Come with me."
Though puzzled, Tanjiro immediately obeyed, gripping his Nichirin Sword as he followed behind.
Along the way, Makomo also stopped her sword practice and followed with light, graceful steps.
Before long, Soma led the two of them to a clearing deep within the forest, stopping in front of a massive boulder.
Makomo was very familiar with this rock. Every time her fellow disciples left, they would carve marks into it. The stone was incredibly hard—almost as tough as the neck of the Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane.
At the thought of the Hand Demon's neck, Makomo began to understand why Soma had brought them here.
Could it be… Soma-san is going to teach us how to cut through something as hard as that demon's neck?
The realization made her visibly excited.
"Tanjiro, your task is to find a way to cut through this boulder."
Soma pointed at the massive rock as he spoke. "This will be your training objective."
Tanjiro looked at the enormous rock, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward. He gripped his sword hilt and began to perform his Breathing.
Clang!
A strike gathering all his strength fell on the huge boulder, accompanied by a metallic clang.
Sparks flew.
Not only did the rock remain uncut, but the sheer resistance of the stone sent a jarring vibration back through the blade, leaving Tanjiro's hands numb.
"It's impossible to cut," Tanjiro said, looking back at Soma.
"The Hand Demon's neck was just as hard as this stone. If you can't cut through this, then facing it again will end the same way. And beyond that, there are demons far stronger than it—some with skin just as tough."
Soma spoke in a low, steady voice.
"Then… how were you able to cut through its neck?" Tanjiro asked, curiosity filling his eyes.
"A combination of strength and speed." Soma answered simply.
Hearing that, Tanjiro's expression dimmed slightly. Whether it was strength or speed, he knew he couldn't reach Soma's level. If he couldn't match that…
"Then… how am I supposed to cut through this rock?"
Looking at the massive boulder before him, Tanjiro felt lost.
Soma stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, his tone gentle.
"Nothing in this world is truly flawless. Everything has a weakness—something that can be exploited."
He continued calmly, "Take humans, for example. Bones are strong, the skull is hard enough to be used as a weapon… but other parts are fragile. The throat, for instance—apply just a bit of pressure, and even a strong person can be killed."
"Humans are like this. Demons are like this. Everything is like this."
His gaze fell upon the boulder.
"Even this stone."
He patted Tanjiro's shoulder again.
"If you can find the opening thread in this rock… then cutting it will become easy."
"Find its flaw… and sever it."
Makomo, who had been listening nearby, parted her lips slightly, her delicate face filled with astonishment. Her eyes drifted toward the massive boulder.
To find the opening thread… of a stone?
That idea felt almost impossible to believe.