Under the eaves of the corridor, Shinobu Kocho cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to the boys.
"Everyone, back to training."
"Yes ma'am!"
Tanjiro Kamado was the first to snap to attention, then turned to Vincent Fox.
"I heard Miss Shinobu say you have not really trained like this before. Do you want to try it now?"
"Sure."
Vincent agreed readily.
Led by Tanjiro, the two of them walked over to one of the training areas.
"First is this."
Tanjiro pointed to a gourd off to the side.
"Mr. Fox, you need to use your breath to blow the gourd apart. That proves your lung capacity is strong enough, and that you are ready for Total Concentration Breathing."
"At the beginning you start with this small gourd. This one is still pretty easy…"
Boom.
A sharp pop cut him off mid explanation.
Tanjiro turned his head in shock.
Vincent was standing there holding a shattered gourd. The floor around his feet was covered in fragments.
The three little attendants standing not far away stared at him with sparkling eyes.
"Mr. Fox is amazing!"
"He blew the gourd apart on his very first try. It looks like his breathing is already past the beginner stage!"
"Tanjiro spent a long time just to blow up the first gourd. Mr. Fox really deserves to be someone with real experience slaying demons!"
Tanjiro hurried over too, genuinely happy for him.
"Mr. Fox, you are incredible. I remember it took me such a long time to blow up my first gourd. For you to do it so quickly is great news."
He really meant it.
But this training did not end here.
Tanjiro reached behind him and dragged out a massive gourd that was as tall as a person.
"But there is an advanced version of this exercise too. Right now, Miss Shinobu's Tsuguko is already able to blow up a gourd this big. It is really hard."
He spoke seriously as he pointed to an enormous gourd standing nearby.
"To be honest, that one is mine. It has not moved at all until now, not even a little. But I feel like I am close. I should be able to blow it up soon."
With a bright, sunny smile, Tanjiro patted the big gourd.
"Try this one, Mr. Fox. And do not get discouraged."
Vincent smiled and nodded, walked over, and picked up the gourd with both hands.
This gourd was specially made, far tougher than anything grown in an ordinary field.
It felt cool and hard to the touch.
The surface gleamed with a slick sheen, like aged lacquer.
"Go, Mr. Fox, go!"
As soon as they saw him lift the gourd, the three little attendants transformed into a cheer squad, waving their arms and hopping around him.
"Alright, let's give it a try."
Vincent chuckled and lowered his mouth to the opening.
He had never trained this type of breathing exercise before.
But Breathing Styles were meant to raise physical ability. At this point, his body had long surpassed normal human limits, and his lung capacity was nothing to worry about.
He drew in a breath, sinking his air deep into his core.
Then exhaled with all his strength.
Boom.
The man sized gourd exploded in an instant.
Shards flew like fireworks, scattering in all directions. Some even landed on the far side of the courtyard.
The three girls brushed gourd fragments off their shoulders and stared at the remnant still in Vincent's hand.
Only the gourd's neck was left. The rest had been blown to pieces.
"Mr. Fox is incredible!"
"That sound was so loud. It feels like his breathing is already close to Hashira level!"
"He seems even stronger than Lady Kanao. Looks like Miss Shinobu has another candidate for Tsuguko."
"Tanjiro, do not be discouraged. You will definitely manage it too."
"That is right. Tanjiro is the most hard working person I have ever seen."
"Keep it up, Tanjiro!"
They even took time to comfort Tanjiro at the end.
After all, he had been working on that gourd for an entire week without so much as a hairline crack.
They were worried that seeing Vincent's performance might make him lose heart.
But Tanjiro's mental fortitude was far stronger than they imagined.
Watching the big gourd burst into pieces in Vincent's hands, he was so excited he almost jumped.
He threw his arms around Vincent.
"Mr. Fox, you really are amazing. That means you should be able to return to missions very soon."
As he spoke, his eyes fell to Vincent's leg.
The thick layer of plaster was still wrapped around it.
It looked like he had been badly injured.
"Mr. Fox, do you want to take a break? Your leg…"
Sadness flashed in Tanjiro's expression. He was someone who empathized very easily.
Vincent smiled and shook his head.
"It is fine. My leg is already healed."
He tapped the cast lightly with his knuckles.
Crack.
A fracture line appeared across the plaster.
It spread quickly, spider webbing its way over the entire cast.
It really did look like someone had pasted a web over it.
Vincent shook his leg and a shower of plaster dust rattled down to the ground, leaving a few clumps still stuck to the bandages underneath.
He grabbed the bandages and tore them off in one go.
Then, in front of Tanjiro, he took a few steps.
He even lifted his knee and bounced on his toes a couple times.
"See? No problem."
"That is wonderful!"
Tanjiro's excitement was genuine.
Then he suddenly realized how much of his training time had already slipped away.
"Sorry, Mr. Fox, I need to get back to my drills."
"It is alright. I will just walk around the Butterfly Mansion."
Hearing that, Tanjiro nodded and turned back to his own training.
Watching them all sweating and pushing themselves, Vincent did not disturb them further.
He turned and headed off on his own.
The Butterfly Mansion was Shinobu Kocho's residence.
The layout was simple and clean, but the grounds were expansive.
There was a large building in each of the four directions, east, west, south, and north.
In the center of the courtyard lay a wide artificial pond, ringed by flowers and greenery. Butterflies flitted between the blossoms.
It suited the "Butterfly" name perfectly.
Vincent strolled slowly, wandering through the mansion alone.
"I have to say, this place is huge. It might be as big as Master Ubuyashiki's estate."
He spoke quietly to himself.
By comparing it to Kagaya Ubuyashiki's base, he made it clear just how large the Butterfly Mansion really was.
Clang.
Suddenly, the sharp ring of steel came from the western wing.
It caught his attention immediately.
"If I am not wrong, someone is training with their Nichirin blade."
"Let's take a look. If possible, I should get some sword training in too. After all, in this world, the proper way to kill demons is still to use a Nichirin sword to cut off their heads."
"It would be pretty strange for a Demon Slayer not to know any swordsmanship."
With that in mind, he started toward the western building.
As he turned a corner, something soft collided full force with his chest.
"I am sorry…"
Vincent hurriedly stepped back and finally saw who he had bumped into.
The girl in front of him wore her hair in a single side ponytail, her features soft and dignified.
She had on a knee length pleated skirt, with a white cape draped over her shoulders, tied with a pink butterfly motif.
The impact had made her stumble. Her head knocked against the wall with a dull thud.
"Are you alright?"
Vincent asked quickly.
The girl only gave him a polite smile, then pressed a hand to her head and quietly walked past.
"That girl… so quiet, speaks with a smile instead of words. That should be Kanao Tsuyuri."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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