And becoming a demon is the fastest way to become stronger.
Shinobu Kocho was worried that Su Chen was too young. It wouldn't be good if he went down the wrong path. Just as she was about to speak, Su Chen immediately interrupted her.
Su Chen, of course, knew what she was thinking. He said directly, "Don't worry. I won't become a demon. I'd rather learn techniques from my 'older sister' Shinobu."
Shinobu Kocho was stunned. She didn't know what to say. She was a few years older than Su Chen, so she was indeed like an older sister. But she didn't expect that to be his reason, and... why did it feel so nice to hear him say it?
A smile bloomed on the girl's face, looking very beautiful. Su Chen saw it all.
Shinobu Kocho. If it weren't for her, he probably would have been eaten by a demon on that mountain. As a good young man who repays his debts, Su Chen wanted to change Shinobu's fate from the original story. The sweeter Shinobu smiled now, the more terrible her death would be in the Infinity Castle.
He had to become stronger. At least, he needed the strength of a Hashira just to protect himself. But right now... Su Chen didn't have that strength.
The people who become Hashira are all very talented. Because of the demons, Demon Slayer Corps members are usually young, so talent is very important. Take Muichiro Tokito, for example. He's only fourteen, and he became a Hashira after only two months of holding a sword. No one in the Demon Slayer Corps has ever broken that record.
Su Chen had checked his body earlier at Kagaya's house. Although he had transmigrated, his physical age had actually become younger. His body felt like it was fourteen, the same age as Muichiro Tokito. So it was fine for him to shamelessly call Shinobu 'older sister'.
With his "golden finger" of 'Heaven-Defying Comprehension', Su Chen was confident he could break Muichiro's record. He would become the most talented Hashira in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps!
He knew the saying: Be confident, but not careless. Su Chen understood this. He had to go all out in the battle against Shinazugawa in fifteen days. He must spend all his time on physical training and practicing his techniques.
The reason Su Chen chose to go with Shinobu wasn't just because she was a beautiful girl. It was because of the Butterfly Mansion.
Besides being a hospital, the Butterfly Mansion was also a very good training ground for beginners. In the original plot, the main characters didn't just learn Total Concentration Breathing - Constant at the Butterfly Mansion. They also met the other Hashira there. Every one of them grew much stronger!
There were many patients at the Butterfly Mansion. This made it easy for Su Chen to meet other slayers and observe their techniques. After all, Demon Slayers get injured all the time, right? So, the Butterfly Mansion was Su Chen's first and most important step to getting stronger.
On the street, warm sunlight shone on the two of them. Shinobu Kocho was very happy after hearing Su Chen's answer. Two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. The smile on her face seemed more real. She pointed forward and said, "That's the Butterfly Mansion ahead. I think you'll really like it, Mr. Su Chen."
Su Chen looked up. Even though he had seen the Butterfly Mansion in the anime, he couldn't help but feel a little excited seeing it for real. It helped Su Chen believe, once again, that this was not a dream. He had truly arrived in the Demon Slayer world.
The next moment, Shinobu pushed open the gate. Su Chen followed her to the indoor training grounds. There were patients inside doing rehabilitation exercises.
When she saw Shinobu enter, Kanzaki Aoi, a girl with twin pigtails, walked over and bowed. "Kon'nichiwa, Lady Shinobu!" Aoi said respectfully. Shinobu smiled and replied, "Kon'nichiwa!"
After the greeting, Aoi's gaze fell on Su Chen. He had a nice face and was dressed in white. He looked very clean. Since Shinobu had brought him personally, Su Chen immediately got her attention.
"Lady Shinobu, who is this?" Aoi asked.
"This is Mr. Su Chen. He'll be staying with us for a while," Shinobu said. Her voice was pleasant, like a songbird. She turned to Su Chen, her eyebrows curved. "You'll be staying here, Mr. Su Chen. I'm usually pretty busy, so if you have any questions, you can just ask Aoi. She'll help you."
Su Chen nodded. "Thank you. May I use the Butterfly Mansion's training grounds?"
Shinobu immediately understood what he was thinking. They had just been talking about this on the way. "Of course!" she said with a smile.
Just as she was about to say something else, a black crow suddenly flew over and landed on a nearby railing.
"Caw! Caw! Headquarters order! Shinobu Kocho, report to Headquarters immediately! Urgent instructions!"
Hearing this, Shinobu was surprised. She wondered what serious thing had happened now. She looked at Su Chen with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Mr. Su Chen. I'll have Aoi take you to the training grounds and help you get familiar with the place. I have to leave immediately."
"It's fine." Su Chen smiled. "Be careful out there. If you can't win, run. I'll wait for you here."
Hearing Su Chen's caring words, the smile on Shinobu's face became a bit more genuine. "I will. Thank you, Mr. Su Chen." With that, her figure disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Looking in the direction Shinobu left, Kanzaki Aoi's eyes showed a look of longing. "Lady Shinobu is going out on another dangerous mission. I wish I could help, too."
Su Chen looked at her and couldn't help but smile. "You manage the Butterfly Mansion so well, so Lady Shinobu doesn't have to worry about things here. Isn't that already a great help?"
Kanzaki Aoi was startled. She turned her gaze to Su Chen and crossed her arms proudly. "Hmph. Don't think that just because you praise me, I'll go easy on you during training."
Su Chen couldn't help but smile at this. It seemed this girl didn't want to show her true feelings so quickly. But it didn't matter. That wasn't Su Chen's goal.
After the short conversation, Su Chen followed Kanzaki Aoi to the training grounds. Along the way, Su Chen kept observing the Butterfly Mansion. It had well-kept courtyards, lots of medical supplies, and big, open areas for patients to exercise. It was hard to imagine that a hospital would have such a large training area. Everything seemed orderly. It reminded Su Chen once again of how rich the Ubuyashiki family must be.
At this moment, three little girls ran over in a hurry.