Leaving the barracks, Chiba Yo intended to go to the training ground to practice his swordsmanship. Now that he had obtained his nichirin blade, he would likely be sent on missions very soon. He wanted to improve his strength as much as possible.
Although all the demons he had encountered so far were guys he could instantly kill with one strike, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't encounter a particularly powerful demon in the future. Only by becoming stronger himself could he achieve his dream of eradicating all evil demons and protecting more people.
Passing by the Butterfly Mansion on the way, Chiba Yo saw Kanao Tsuyuri blowing air into a large gourd. Beside her, Kochou Shinobu was guiding and encouraging her, and three little girls were also cheering her on.
"Go, Kanao-sama!"
"You must succeed!"
"The gourd is about to burst!"
The three little girls clenched their fists, encouraging Kanao.
What are they doing? Is this another form of training?
Chiba Yo wondered curiously, stopping to observe their actions.
Kanao's face was flushed from holding her breath. After a while, the gourd, which was half the size of a person, burst with a "pop."
"Success!" x3
The three little girls jumped up happily, and Kochou Shinobu smiled and patted Kanao's head.
"That's wonderful. To be able to practice your Breathing Technique to this extent in such a short time, your talent is stronger than mine, Kanao."
Hearing Kochou Shinobu's praise, Kanao shyly lowered her head. Her recent efforts had also left her a bit short of breath, and she needed to regulate her breathing.
At this moment, Kochou Shinobu noticed Chiba Yo observing them from outside the Butterfly Mansion. She smiled and asked him, "Xiao Yang, would you like to try?"
Suddenly called upon, Chiba Yo was startled. After a moment of hesitation, he walked into the Butterfly Mansion's courtyard. He was indeed quite interested in Kanao's training.
"Hello, Shinobu-jie jie." Chiba Yo greeted Kochou Shinobu, who returned his greeting with a smile.
"Your nichirin blade has arrived, and you've changed into new clothes. You look much more energetic," she said, noticing Chiba Yo's nichirin blade at his waist and his attire.
"Kyoujurou-sensei gave it to me," Chiba Yo explained to Kochou Shinobu.
"I see. Kyoujurou-sensei really likes to take care of others, not to mention you're his Tsuguko," Kochou Shinobu said with a smile.
"Moreover, Kyoujurou-sensei speaks very highly of you, saying you're a once-in-a-century genius," Kochou Shinobu continued.
Upon hearing this, Chiba Yo quickly waved his hands, saying somewhat shyly, "No, no, it's just because Kyoujurou-sensei taught me well."
Although he said that, Chiba Yo felt very happy inside.
"To pass the Final Selection after only seven days of training, such talent isn't just because Kyoujurou-sensei taught you well.
Would you like to try Kanao's training from earlier?" Kochou Shinobu asked Chiba Yo. She really wanted to witness Chiba Yo's talent firsthand and see if he was truly as powerful as Kyoujurou said.
"Okay. Is it just about blowing up the gourd?" Chiba Yo nodded and asked.
"Yes, you can start with this one." Kochou Shinobu said, taking out a gourd half the size of the one Kanao had just burst and handing it to Chiba Yo.
After all, Kanao had been practicing Breathing Technique for many years to reach that level, and Kochou Shinobu knew that Chiba Yo hadn't been exposed to Breathing Technique for very long. Therefore, she didn't directly give Chiba Yo the half-person-sized gourd.
Chiba Yo took the gourd from Kochou Shinobu. It looked quite sturdy.
This must be to train lung capacity and breathing, he thought.
Chiba Yo held the gourd and examined it, then put his mouth to the opening and began to blow into it.
"Bang!"
The next instant, the sturdy gourd shattered directly.
It seems... a bit too easy...
Chiba Yo looked at the shattered gourd in his hand, feeling like he hadn't exerted much effort.
"So amazing!" the three little girls with dot eyes exclaimed in admiration.
It seems very easy for him. He truly is a genius, just as Kyoujurou-sensei said.
Kochou Shinobu thought to herself as she watched Chiba Yo effortlessly burst the gourd.
"This size of gourd isn't much of a challenge for you. Try this one." Kochou Shinobu said with a smile, then she took a gourd the same size as the one Kanao had just burst from beside the Butterfly Mansion and handed it to Chiba Yo.
The next moment, "Bang!" The half-person-sized gourd was also instantly burst by Chiba Yo.
(￣ー￣)
Chiba Yo still looked very relaxed.
Can this kind of thing really serve as training?
Chiba Yo felt a bit doubtful, but he didn't say it aloud, as he had that much emotional intelligence.
"It seems Kyoujurou-sensei was right after all." Kochou Shinobu couldn't help but exclaim after seeing Chiba Yo effortlessly burst even the largest gourd.
Chiba Yo didn't know what to say at this point, so he simply remained silent. Just as he was about to bid farewell to Kochou Shinobu and head to the training ground to practice his swordsmanship,
A man with white spiky hair and scars covering his entire body, including his face, walked into the Butterfly Mansion.
"Shinazugawa-san, you're back. Is there anything you need at the Butterfly Mansion?" Kochou Shinobu greeted the man with a smile.
Chiba Yo didn't expect this fierce-looking man to appear somewhat embarrassed at the moment.
"Uh... I want to go see..." Sanemi Shinazugawa began.
"Ah, you want to visit your sister, don't you?" Kochou Shinobu then understood his intention and asked him.
"Mm..." Sanemi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and nodded.
Then, Kochou Shinobu led Sanemi Shinazugawa away.
"Who was that person just now?" Chiba Yo asked Kanao curiously, but he had clearly asked the wrong person. Kanao only smiled at him and said nothing.
"The one who left with Shinobu-sama is the Wind Pillar, named Sanemi Shinazugawa. He's a very powerful swordsman," Kanzaki Aoi said as she came out of the Butterfly Mansion carrying a futon, explaining to Chiba Yo after hearing his question.
Chiba Yo had also met Kanzaki Aoi, who was cooking when he returned from Mount Fujikasane and saw Kyoujurou.
"I see..." Chiba Yo looked at Sanemi Shinazugawa's retreating back, then stood up and said, "I also need to go practice my swordsmanship. Goodbye."
Then Chiba Yo left the Butterfly Mansion and went to the training ground. He didn't expect to encounter the punk-haired boy he had met on Mount Fujikasane again. The boy was currently wielding a nichirin blade and constantly swinging it.
Chiba Yo thought for a moment and decided to go say hello to him.
"Hello, my name is Chiba Yo. Since we've both joined the Demon Slayer Corps, we'll be comrades fighting together from now on. There's no need to hold onto past minor conflicts, is there? Besides, I only acted because I saw you trying to hit that child," Chiba Yo said, extending his hand to Genya.
Genya was startled by this, seemingly not expecting Chiba Yo to come over and greet him.
"My name is Genya Shinazugawa." Genya, who had obtained his nichirin blade, was no longer as irritable as before, but he didn't shake Chiba Yo's hand and continued practicing his sword swings.
Genya Shinazugawa, Sanemi Shinazugawa... Their names sound so similar. Could they be brothers?
Seeing that Genya didn't want to shake hands, Chiba Yo withdrew his hand. After hearing his name, he couldn't help but connect him to the Wind Pillar he had just seen.