7 months had past, I didn't have. Place to stay at when I'm out from this mansion, though I still 16 years old. I didn't find any place or job I can apply to when I'm out.
So I decided to ask Kanae-san to allow me to stay in her mansion for a longer time, embracing my role as assistance to those who need my hands.
Within the opulent walls, I found myself crossing a path with Aoi, a young girl with deep blue eyes that mirrored the deep ocean, and possessed an unwavering dedication over her young age.
She has straight soft hair, with parted fringe, and twin-tails using butterfly clips to hold her hair. Wearing a white and clear cloud nurse dress, and a regular demon slayer uniform underneath.
The eyes show her strong dedication, taking care of this mansion, helping Kanae and Shinobu. I often help her do laundry, organize medicine, organize and recipes, and prepare training tools.
The first month I passed was really hard. I couldn't even manage my stamina, focus and priority. Aoi really helps me define my task. I can't believe she had such great management at that age.
One of the tasks I should do rather than working as a household task, is helping train with Aoi. For Kanae, since she is a Hashira, I didn't help her much. She maintained herself with duty she kept on her shoulder.
But for Shinobu, I often help her do her training, such as flexibility, reflection, and endurance training.
First is flexibility, since Shinobu is flexible enough already, she often does it by herself. Second is reflecting on training.
There are medicine cups and we need to seize the cup each other, the one who hold opponent's hand while she taking a cup, the opponent cannot lift the cup and should take another cup, work also in reverse.
The last one is endurance. Shinobu needs to catch me while I'm running away from her or I need to catch her while she is running away from me. We do it almost every day in the morning and evening.
One time, I went past the training room-
"Sena-san, help me" said Shinobu with a strong voice.
"What can I help? Shinobu-sama"
"Don't say it really formal with me, I see you as my friend Sena". Answer Shinobu to me in little
"Hahaha, I'm just mocking you either. So what can I help?"
"My sister has a mission today. She might not return in a short time". While stepping forward to the training tools, she said those words to me. I guess she will ask for help with her training.
"So?"
"Hold this, help me train this day" uttered Shinobu while handing me a bokken.
"Shinobu, I have never used a katana before. Are you crazy?"
I feel she just wants to mock me or make me as living target, but I still accept the bokken with my hand. With a giggle, Shinobu answered my question "Sena, I just wanted to muscle, you didn't have to fight me seriously."
"Well, start it slowly, or I will smack your face with my slipper while you sleep really hard until you need to sleep with one eye open!"
"Alright-alright, put up your stance, and get ready!"
I put my stance as I know, holding my bokken with two hands. I see Shinobu with her straight strong face ready to attack me.
The sound of pressure from our feet hit my ears, Shinobu is ready to attack, and her legs straighten, along with a shocking vibe. She approached me quickly and stabbed her sword right in my face.
I'm really shocked. In a second, I avoided that attack by moving my head to the side. It's not all, she pull her bokken really quickly to her left side and wanted to stab me again in my right side.
On her second attempt, she nearly hit me but I successfully found her with my bokken. But still, she is stabbed really fast. I guess she was stabbed more than four times in less than 2 seconds.
I feel I was going to be dead if I was stabbed. In a short time, I saw a momentum I could unleash my attack. I swung my bokken from her left body diagonally up to her upper right body.
Amazingly, she jumped from my attack so high like she didn't have body weight, which was impossible movement. I was stunned for a while looking at her movements and forgetting that I was in the middle of a duel.
At a quick speed, flashing my eyes, she hit me on my forehead, she really hit me so hard and made me fall down.
"What happened? Are you finished?" mocking Shinobu, seeing me falling.
"I really will smack you in the face! It's not enough. Let's try again."
At this time, I tried to use breathing techniques. Even if I didn't use the precise didn't even like wind, water, stone, or fire breathing. I only used total concentration breathing.
Surprisingly, I could avoid almost every attack from Shinobu this time. Total concentration on breathing allows me to react in an instant, reflect and increase my adrenaline.
I often avoid her attack by moving my body, because I still usually don't usually with the sword I'm holding on. While I was focusing on avoiding her attack, a hand swung right in front of my face, punching my right cheek.
It lost my focus for a while, but somehow her punch didn't hurt me so much. In a second, I remember the feeling of being punched wasn't as hard as my father's and wasn't as thin as my mother's.
My father always hit me when he was still working as a blacksmith. His punch was heavy, but my mother's the sharpest punch, like being hit by a strong staff.
That is the time when everyone is really temperamental. The memories increase reflect more on this duel with Shinobu, but I don't know why, I feel like I was smiling at that time.
Shinobu's face seemed surprised seeing my face, like I was enjoying the duel. She also started smiling. Five minutes past, finally our duel ended with three final stabs hitting my stomach, left and right ribs.
Well, experience and expertise will win anyway. There is no way I could win fighting Shinobu in this state. I might have the total concentration muscles, but my muscles aren't used to moving and reacting in this pressure situation.
"Good fight!" amazed Shinobu to me while offering her hand to me.
"Well, that is such pressure on me."
"You can use total concentration breathing, don't you?"
She knew the total concentration breathing I was using. She wondered how I could do that. I answered her that I'd been using breathing techniques while I was doing the task with Aoi.
I feel like my stamina in that state is not equal as Aoi's. When I read the book Breathing Technique, I read the basic things of total concentration breathing. I use it to maintain my stamina and strengthen my power when I lift heavy laundry, training tools, and many tasks.
"Sena, you have the potential to be a demon slayer! Join me in the Demon Slayer Corps!" said Shinobu while holding my hand, which was still trembling because of that duel.
"What!? I mean, I can't even keep up with you, Shinobu, the duel is just lucky for me."
"Sena, not everyone can use total concentration breathing, though the technique gives pressure to your lungs."
"What? I thought Aoi also used it? Since I saw her stamina, it is likely endless."
I could really think at that moment. Should I take this offer or not? I remembered my family for a moment. What if they came back? What if I brought another bad luck to this mansion?
From the door of the training room, Aoi called me. There is a guest in the mansion who wants to meet me. I think it will be Rengoku or Tomioka Giyuu.
I walked to the living room, seeing a lady with deep purple hair wearing a cream kimono with a flower pattern and an elegant hairstyle. I can't believe what I saw that moment. She is my mom.
She has come to this mansion after nearly a year, leaving me behind. She came to take me back to our home. When I asked her why she didn't pick me up earlier, she didn't answer directly and moved to the conversation about the home that they rebuilt again.
I see, maybe she left me as punishment, or they just forgot about me. While my logic said I shouldn't come back. My heart cannot resist the fact that I need love from my family.
My mind wasn't so clear and didn't catch much of that conversation, despair, disappointed, regret, happy become once like a crowded wind in my head, makes me cannot react much and make my face flattened as polished mirror. Still with a crowded mind like a big storm in my mind, I followed my heart to go back with my mother.
I packed my old clothes and took Rengoku's haori back with me.
"Shinobu, I think I cannot follow you to be a demon slayer. I'm so sorry, Shinobu. Maybe next we will meet again. Thank you."
"That is okay, Sena, I know how precious your family is. I think I'm too arrogant to hold you to be a demon slayer" answered Shinobu, with a gazing sight reflected in her eyes.
"You need to keep your health, Sena! Do not get sick and sleep well" uttered Aoi, knowing I didn't sleep really well while I was in the mansion.
I asked for Kanae to say farewell but Shinobu said she was on a mission far from the city, so I just left a note on her table and left the mansion in the evening.