Horitake's slashing sword-wind roared toward Shinobu, still airborne.
Shinobu's eyes widened. She raised her Nichirin Blade to block the incoming sword-wind, but her body couldn't resist the compressed gale. With a muffled grunt, she was hurled nearly ten meters, landing on the Butterfly Mansion's rooftop.
Her usual smile vanished. A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she kicked off the roof's edge, charging at Horitake.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Centipede—Hundred-Legged Serpent!"
Shinobu's steps cracked the ground with each impact, her movements weaving like a centipede or slithering like a snake, darting in all directions to confuse Horitake's sight, ready to strike at any moment!
By now, Horitake had grasped Shinobu's fighting style.
No question, she wasn't built for slashing. But her thrusts and poisons? She wielded them with dazzling variety. Combined with her agile speed, Shinobu's strategy was clear: disorient the enemy with fluid movement, then land a lethal blow.
Maximizing her strengths—that was Shinobu Kocho.
Who called her the weakest Hashira? In a real fight, the outcome wasn't certain.
Horitake scanned his surroundings, tracking her dizzying movements, wary of her piercing a hole through him.
This wasn't a joke—Shinobu could do it, and she might not hold back.
He recalled a news story from his past life: a medical student stabbed her boyfriend a dozen times, expertly avoiding vitals, leaving only minor injuries.
Shinobu, a master of medicine, surely knew anatomy just as well.
If she wanted to stab a non-lethal hole through him, Horitake bet it'd be child's play.
To avoid becoming a human pincushion, he decided to get serious.
He could just barely follow her attack patterns, but…
Horitake activated his Spirit Vision.
With its enhanced dynamic sight, he instantly saw through Shinobu's movements!
Sorry, Shinobu-nee, it's time for my big move to end this!
"Gale Sword Style: Tempest Slash!"
Horitake took a deep breath, locked onto Shinobu, and unleashed a charged, explosive slash!
The strike summoned a roaring tempest, a howling storm of wind!
The terrifying gale slammed into Shinobu.
Caught off guard, she raised her blade to block, but the overwhelming storm and wind-blades sent her flying!
Tossed through the air, Shinobu spread her haori, looking like a butterfly caught in a hurricane—utterly pitiable.
The move's power was too much. Shinobu couldn't resist. By the time she reacted, trying to escape the Tempest Slash, the wind-blades had left her body numb and powerless.
As luck would have it, a flowerbed lay behind her.
The gale swept Shinobu into the flowers, petals soaring skyward, swirling around her.
Kanao, watching, froze in awe.
The same butterfly haori, the same swirling petals—Shinobu-nee looked… like Kanae-nee!
The sight stirred an urge to cry in Kanao.
When Kanae-nee died, I tried so hard to cry but couldn't. Now… I feel tears coming?
No! Without orders, without permission, I can't cry.
Kanao forced back the tears welling in her eyes.
Shinobu, her haori spread like butterfly wings, lay bathed in petals, gently landing on a carpet of fallen flowers.
As the wind died down, a bold butterfly fluttered from nowhere, landing in Shinobu's hair, as if comforting her.
The scene was breathtakingly beautiful.
Shinobu lay among the petals, staring at the sky, silent.
Her ever-present smile was gone, replaced by an expression of desolation and loneliness.
She'd endured being blown back by the wind, surrounded by petals, lying in the flowers—but this butterfly's gentle touch was the final straw. Tears streamed down her face.
Kanao had mistaken her for Kanae moments ago, and Shinobu felt it too.
The soaring petals had sparked the illusion, and now, with the butterfly in her hair, it felt like her sister was comforting her.
Lying among the vibrant blooms, Shinobu turned her face aside, silently weeping, hiding her vulnerability.
Kanae-nee, I miss you.
Horitake let out a long sigh, sheathing Vigorous Light and looking at Shinobu.
Others might not see, but with Spirit Vision active, how could he miss it?
A woman in a butterfly haori, her long hair flowing, her face strikingly similar to Shinobu's, knelt beside her, gently stroking her head.
The butterfly had landed exactly where her hand rested.
Unlike Shinobu, this woman's smile and warmth were genuine, radiating heartfelt sincerity.
No need to guess—this was Shinobu's sister, Kanae Kocho.
Kanae had never left the Butterfly Mansion, always staying by her sister's side.
(Cue the tears! I'll admit, writing this part got me a bit choked up.)
The Butterfly Mansion's courtyard fell silent. Horitake gazed quietly at Shinobu amid the petals, while the five girls watched their Shinobu-nee with concern.
Though Shinobu hid her face, her trembling shoulders betrayed her state.
Thud! A sound shattered the moment.
It was that idiot Sanemi Shinazugawa!
Shinobu's stunning, poignant pose hadn't registered with him. His entire focus was on Horitake's final move, Tempest Slash.
His mind raced: How did he pull that off? What's the principle? The technique? The force behind the blade?
Certified ultra-straight male!
So desperate to analyze Horitake's move, Sanemi had leaned too far out the window, lost his balance, and fallen with a thud.
The noise drew everyone's attention to him.
Still recovering, the fall stung. Grimacing, Sanemi stood, only to find everyone staring at him oddly.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he suppressed his urge to grill Horitake about the Gale Sword Style, scrambling for a topic change.
Spotting Shinobu, inspiration struck. He pointed at Horitake, accusing:
"Horitake! You made Shinobu Kocho cry!"
Horitake's temper flared.
Ultimate, invincible, steel-clad straight male! Destined to be single forever!
Fuming, Horitake flashed to Sanemi and kicked him back through the window!
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