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The meeting concluded in a peculiar atmosphere, and Kisaragi Rin followed the Pillars out of the Master's residence.
The Wind Pillar slowed his pace and approached Kisaragi Rin, pulling a book from his coat and awkwardly handing it to him.
"What is this?"
"A handscroll from the Rengoku family, it records some things about Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"Oh, this thing."
Kisaragi Rin, of course, knew what was inside; the Rengoku family had passed down the Flame Breathing for generations, and this handscroll was a record left by an ancestor who had personally seen Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
It recorded how even Swordsmen using various Breathing Styles couldn't kill the Demon King even after beheading him, while Yoriichi Tsugikuni had pushed the Demon King to the brink with just a few casual strikes.
Then he had a mental breakdown, leaving behind the statement that no matter how much one trained Flame Breathing, it could never surpass Sun Breathing.
"Rather than believing in the superiority of Sun Breathing, I'm more inclined to believe that Yoriichi Tsugikuni possessed some stronger technique, which allowed every strike to inflict immense damage on the Demon King," Sanemi Shinazugawa said earnestly.
He became a Pillar from an ordinary person, and he believed in his own strength and Wind Breathing, simply unable to accept the gap in Breathing Styles mentioned by the Rengoku family ancestor.
"But Sun Breathing is just stronger than other Breathing Styles," Kisaragi Rin muttered inwardly, not telling Sanemi Shinazugawa this.
Aside from slightly underestimating Sun Breathing, Sanemi Shinazugawa wasn't wrong in his guess; Yoriichi Tsugikuni had indeed used a technique called Crimson Blade to suppress the Demon King's regeneration.
"Then have you found that method?"
"Of course not, that's why I came to you; with your talent, perhaps you can discern something from this handscroll."
Sanemi Shinazugawa explained his purpose.
Kisaragi Rin had a headache; Sanemi Shinazugawa actually believed he was a genius.
He could only tell him that he would go back and study it.
The three essential elements of Demon Slayer are Crimson Blade, Mark, and Transparent World.
Crimson Blade can suppress demon regeneration and cause great damage to them.
However, one can only learn it after first activating the Mark.
Transparent World allows one to see inside a demon's body, including bones, muscles, and even blood flow direction, thereby discovering weaknesses and evading attacks.
Similarly, one can only learn it after activating the Mark.
And activating the Mark is quite "simple"; it only requires two conditions: a body temperature above 39 degrees Celsius and a heart rate exceeding 200 beats per minute.
Just by getting a fever and exercising vigorously, Kisaragi Rin could also meet these two conditions.
Not only is it simple, but once activated, it can also spread to those around you, achieving a situation where one person's effort benefits the whole family.
It can also maintain eternal youth and vitality, as those who actively activate the Mark do not live past 25 years old.
Truly quite considerate.
Obviously, the above was Kisaragi Rin's sarcastic commentary.
The true Mark cannot be learned so easily; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so many years since Yoriichi Tsugikuni without anyone being able to activate it.
Rather than trying to activate the Mark, Kisaragi Rin might as well look forward to Mitsuri Kanroji awakening it early and then infecting him.
After asking the Demon Slayer Corps to arrange a new residence for him, Kisaragi Rin went to the Workshop.
As soon as he arrived, he was discovered by Spider Demon.
She quickly scurried over, and seeing the size difference between herself and Kisaragi Rin, Spider Demon enlarged her body slightly and pounced into Kisaragi Rin's arms, rubbing against him.
For some unknown reason, Spider Demon was quite clingy to him.
When asked, Banana also knew nothing, as it was only an intern assistant at the time.
"Shizuka Marikawa's enhancement is about to end."
Banana came closer, its single eye flashing with an arc of light, looking at the scene below, inexplicably feeling some emotion.
The reason it was tomorrow and not today was, of course, because Shizuka Marikawa was about to wake up.
The Workshop's estimated time was seven days, but perhaps because Shizuka Marikawa's virus compatibility was relatively high, the enhancement was already largely completed on the sixth day.
Kisaragi Rin sat on the star-filled ground, holding Spider Demon, planning to welcome Shizuka Marikawa.
"Will this really advance my position?"
"Don't you trust me? Didn't I tell you to get out of your internship, and you did?"
"But it's really strange."
"Listen."
"No, I can't take off any more..."
"Let me see."
Banana's eyes welled up with tears, allowing Kisaragi Rin to peel off its outer skin, which was its Banana peel.
Kisaragi Rin had been curious about the existence of this Banana for a long time, and now he finally had time to study it.
After all, it claimed to be a product personally researched by Darwin, and before Kisaragi Rin arrived, it was the only remaining life in this Workshop.
The first step Kisaragi Rin tried was to see what was beneath its Banana peel.
As the Banana peel was peeled away, a pristine white flesh was revealed inside.
Kisaragi Rin tried to touch it; the texture felt like real fruit flesh, unlike the cold, mechanical feel of the Banana peel.
He broke off a piece and fed it to Spider Demon, who was beside him.
This made Banana struggle even more.
"By the way, do you have a name?" Kisaragi Rin suddenly asked.
The name "Banana," like "Artificial Idiot," was a nickname Kisaragi Rin had given it.
So what was its real name? Could it be that Darwin also named it Banana?
Hearing this question, Banana paused for a moment, then replied in a mechanical voice, "My name is E-909999."
"A number?"
Kisaragi Rin raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing that he hadn't checked its data for so many days, and decided to call the Workshop to check it immediately.
"Workshop, perform data retrieval on the creature in front of me."
(Data retrieval completed, 0 energy consumed)
E-909999
1-Workshop Assistant: Possesses certain Workshop permissions, can use some Workshop functions.
2-Mechanical Soul: special life form, unaffected by any soul-related influences.
3-Bio-Mechanical Body: The shell possesses both biological and mechanical characteristics, can change its own composition and form.
4-Limited Banana: As long as it has energy, it can spontaneously produce edible original-flavor Bananas.
(Note: This target is a creation of the previous Workshop Master; your permissions are insufficient to modify it)
The retrieval for Banana consumed zero energy, presumably because its data was still stored within the Workshop.
It was a very basic panel, but it verified that it was indeed Darwin's creation.
"Wait, you can change your form?"
Looking at the results, Kisaragi Rin found a blind spot; he had always thought this Banana looked like this.
"Of course."
"Then why have you always looked like this?"
"Because you always called me Banana."
"Artificial Idiot."
...
Shizuka Marikawa's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Due to prolonged closure, her eyes were unaccustomed to the sudden light, and her vision was blurry.
She blinked, trying to see who was in front of her.
At that moment, a hand reached out, and Kisaragi Rin's voice sounded in her ear.
"Welcome back, Marikawa-sensei."
...
"How long have Saeko and I been asleep, and you've already forgotten us!"
Shizuka Marikawa had changed into a purple floral kimono, with her hands on her hips, looking at Spider Demon next to Kisaragi Rin, pouting.
"I haven't forgotten, okay? I even prepared clothes for you."
"I'm not stupid; I clearly picked out this dress myself in Tokoname City."
"I still prepared it."
...
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