Warm light scattered the darkness, and a faint scent of tea filled the room.
Aoki, the Butterfly sisters, and Kanao sat facing each other, discussing the recent fight.
Kanae used Flower Breathing, derived from Water Breathing. Her techniques were refined, but she still needed to adjust them to her strengths.
Shinobu used Insect Breathing, which she had created based on Flower Breathing. It was still a bit rough.
Aoki's Aoki Style was even more of a work in progress.
The Butterfly sisters had experience and solid theory. Aoki's Transparent World gave him detailed observation. Their strengths complemented each other, and they all learned a lot from discussing and confirming things.
After reviewing the day's lessons, Aoki saw Kanae and Shinobu were still thinking. He turned to the girl who had been sitting quietly, Kanao.
Kanae and Shinobu's adopted sister.
He hadn't heard her say a word since he arrived at the Butterfly Mansion.
"Kanao is a pitiful child. Her parents abused her and didn't even give her a name. She was sold to human traffickers!
Because of her childhood, she's afraid to think for herself, doesn't express emotions, and won't even eat without an order!"
Kanae's gentle voice was full of pity.
Kanao was unlucky, born into a terrible family. But she was also lucky to meet the Butterfly sisters.
"Does she learn Breathing Styles?" Aoki asked.
Kanae's purple eyes flickered. "Kanao is learning Flower Breathing from me. She has great talent!
Kanao has special eyes. Her vision is far better than normal. She can predict an opponent's next move by watching their shoulders, eyes, fingertips, elbows, knees, and other small movements."
"Sounds like a weaker version of the Transparent World."
Aoki touched his chin.
The Transparent World was one of the ultimate cheats in this world, but few could reach that level. Some people had similar abilities through other means.
Akaza's Compass Needle, Tengen's Musical Score, and Kanao's eyes were examples.
But these abilities were much weaker than the Transparent World.
Aoki noticed Kanae's eager expression and realized something. He smiled.
"Starting today, I'll spend some time teaching Kanao!"
He would treat it as paying for his stay.
Besides, having a beautiful girl student wasn't bad.
"Thank you, Mr. Aomura!"
Kanae smiled. "We shouldn't trouble you, but we can't find anyone else with that ability."
"Of course you can't. Besides me, only Kokushibo has mastered the Transparent World."
Aoki thought.
The Compass Needle and Musical Score had similar effects, but the principles were different.
The night grew late.
Aoki didn't need sleep, but Kanae and the others were just human.
After making the agreement, they stopped talking and went to rest.
Lying in his room, enjoying the rare free time, Aoki felt a little uneasy.
He had almost forgotten the feeling of sleeping.
Since becoming a demon, he had only "slept" once, the night he escaped Mount Fujikasane. He had been chased by two Lower Moons, used Blood Burst, and exhausted his body and mind. He had lost consciousness and passed out.
After a moment, Aoki got out of bed.
He didn't need sleep. Lying in bed was a waste of time. He should train.
After fighting recently, especially with the Pillars, he had some ideas. Maybe he could create a new technique.
The next day, Aoki walked out of his room, then stopped, surprised to see the girl outside.
Kanao bowed slightly, her voice soft. "Teacher!"
"When did you get here?"
Aoki saw the dew on her clothes. She had been there for a while.
He had been absorbed in training and hadn't noticed.
"Teacher!" Kanao bowed again, saying the same thing.
She had lost her ability to think for herself and only followed orders.
"Come with me!" Aoki didn't say much. He waved and walked away.
Kanao followed closely.
In a room, Aoki and Kanao sat facing each other. A table stood between them, covered with cups, each with a different number.
"Today, we'll play a game first."
Aoki said, "The rules are simple. One person chooses a cup, and the other guesses the number. Each round, there's only one chance. We'll see who can guess faster and more accurately."
Kanao didn't speak, but she was smart. She understood the game after hearing it once.
Shinobu sat to the side, puzzled. "What's the point of this?"
Aoki said, "It can train eyesight and prediction. But most importantly, I can use this game to judge Kanao's level."
Shinobu didn't say anything, but she perked up, ready to participate secretly.
Aoki said, "Kanao, you choose a cup first."
Kanao's face was blank. Her hand moved, ready to grab cup number 3.
"Number 3!"
Kanao paused, glancing at cup number 9. She started to move.
"Number 9!"
"Number 1!"
"Number 6!"
...
After ten rounds, a ripple appeared in Kanao's empty eyes.
Shinobu slammed her hand on the table.
"Wait! This is too strange! Kanao hasn't even moved yet! How did you guess?"
She had wanted to compare secretly, to see who could guess faster and more accurately, and how much she would lose by.
But she didn't even have a chance to guess.
She had vaguely seen Kanao wanting to choose a cup on the right only in the first two rounds.
Aoki said, "What's the point of guessing after there's a clear movement?"
Shinobu turned to Kanao. "Kanao, was he right?"
Kanao nodded slightly.
Aoki said, "Now it's my turn to choose. Kanao, watch carefully!"
Kanao's face was still blank, but Shinobu clenched her fists, staring intently at Aoki.
After a moment, ten rounds were over.
A faint hint of confusion appeared in Kanao's empty eyes.
Shinobu looked like she was questioning her existence.
In ten rounds, both of them had zero points. It was too absurd.
"How did you do that?" Shinobu asked. They hadn't guessed right even once. It was too ridiculous.
"Simply put, I used small movements to deceive your eyes."
Aoki looked at Kanao. "Your logical judgment is fine, but remember, don't just look at the details. Pay attention to the whole picture.
The fake movements I used looked real in detail, but you could see the flaws from the overall picture..."
Judging an opponent's movements from subtle changes sounded hard, but it was even harder in practice.
Accuracy was key.
If you couldn't make accurate judgments, prediction could backfire.
Shinobu listened carefully.
She didn't have Kanao's special vision, but that didn't mean this knowledge was useless.
Aoki didn't care if she was learning.
---
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