After their eldest brother fell, the first person to stand up for them was Mr. Su Chen. His kindness was truly moving.
To the side, Inosuke quietly crawled out of his "pig's nest." His clear, handsome eyes were fixed on Su Chen. Was he imagining it? Why did it look like Su Chen was glowing? Even though that "Scarface" (Shinazugawa) was so strong, why wasn't Su Chen scared at all? He, Inosuke, had already been beaten black and blue! He didn't expect Su Chen to not only be unafraid, but to also turn around and educate Scarface! He was really cool!
Inosuke came to a conclusion. That Su Chen... this man was truly extraordinary. His every move gave Inosuke a familiar yet strange feeling. He couldn't describe it, but it made him weirdly nostalgic for his days in the mountains.
He remembered the mother boar who raised him. She had sharp tusks, fluffy fur, and eyes full of a deep, maternal love when she looked at him. She always appeared when Inosuke was in danger, when he wanted to give up, or when he felt lost. She would extend her pig's trotters and clasp his hands. A deep, magnetic roar would come from her mouth. Inosuke didn't understand the sounds, but he understood the worry and care in her low growls. She was the gentlest creature Inosuke had ever seen.
Two species from different realms had met and intertwined in the mountains. And this strong yet gentle figure, unconsciously, began to overlap with Su Chen! Su Chen was also very gentle! Su Chen was also very strong! So Su Chen was just like the wild boar that sheltered him from the wind and rain when he was young! So magnificent! So majestic!
In an instant, Inosuke was stunned. He looked at his hands, feeling guilty. Su Chen hadn't hesitated to confront Scarface, partly for his sake. And what about him? He was still here feeling sorry for himself! Su Chen hadn't given up on him. What right did he have to abandon himself! He was a man raised by a wild boar!
The next moment, Inosuke's eyes snapped open, his vitality instantly returning. He sprang up with a flip. Thick snorts of breath shot out from his pig mask's nostrils. "Hey! You Scarface! What are you talking about, 'infinite fierce attack' or whatever! This great master will play with you!"
Inosuke's voice was loud, instantly attracting the attention of Su Chen and Shinazugawa. Su Chen glanced at Inosuke in surprise. Why was he suddenly so energetic? Could Shinazugawa really have a way to cure Inosuke's depression? According to Su Chen's deduction, Inosuke was likely suffering from "Pillar-level abuse post-traumatic syndrome." He didn't expect that Shinazugawa, who seemed so unreliable, could actually cure it.
"Mr. Su Chen, I'm back." A light, clear voice interrupted Su Chen's thoughts. Shinobu Kocho walked out of the ward. Her footsteps were light and quick, as if she were dancing. A faint scent of wisteria drifted in the air as she gracefully stopped in front of Su Chen. Her face was slightly flushed, and her tone carried a hint of excitement. "Mr. Su Chen! It's just as you said, I feel much better. Just now, for about five minutes, my body felt lighter, as if my strength had increased quite a bit!" Shinobu smiled sweetly at Su Chen, thanking him from the bottom of her heart. "Mr. Su Chen, thank you so much."
Su Chen smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." Then he turned and said to Shinazugawa, "Shinazugawa, what I just said also applies to your younger brother, so you should think about it carefully. I won't say more for now. My training subject is back, so I'm going back to continue training. Bye-bye." With that, Su Chen left.
Shinobu, holding Su Chen's hand, looked back in confusion. She saw that Shinazugawa hadn't heard Su Chen's words at all. He had already started fighting with Inosuke.
"Alright, stop looking," Su Chen said, squeezing her small hand. "You're the only one left." Only then did the maiden shyly turn her head back.
Shinobu asked curiously, "Mr. Su Chen, what is your fourth stage?" "Focused thinking." "Focused thinking?" Shinobu was stunned, not understanding what he meant.
But when she walked to Su Chen's training ground, she understood. She saw the other four Slayers sitting quietly on the ground. Their hands were clasped, their brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed. Their expressions were solemn. Shinobu was full of curiosity. These people were... meditating? Was Su Chen's fourth stage just quiet meditation?
Su Chen saw Shinobu's confusion and explained, "I'm training their ability to think with focus." "The ability to think with focus?" Shinobu blinked. "Does Mr. Su Chen want to train them to be like you?" "It's hard to say, because not everyone is as focused as I am," Su Chen said very seriously. "My requirements aren't high. As long as they can concentrate and meditate for half an hour, they pass."
That's right, this was Su Chen's self-made rehabilitation training. After completing the first three sets of training, he focused his energy on training the patients' ability to focus and think. After all, in combat with demons, observation and thinking are extremely important. He thought about Tanjiro, who progressed so much in the original story. He relied on his ability to think calmly in battle, turning the tide in desperate situations many times and creating one legend after another. So, Su Chen would train their thinking ability by having them meditate. This also included the ability to always remain calm in difficult situations.
"Come! Take this!" Su Chen handed Shinobu an iron dustpan. Shinobu blinked. "Where did you get this from?" Su Chen whispered, "I just took it from Aoi's cart. Don't make a fuss yet, I have a use for it."
Hearing this, Shinobu looked at the iron dustpan in her hand. Her small mouth was slightly open, and her purple eyes were filled with surprise. So Su Chen had stolen this from Aoi. No wonder it looked so familiar! She thought, Aoi is such a neat person. Wouldn't she be angry about this? Shinobu raised her head to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She saw that Su Chen had already removed the iron handle from the dustpan.
Su Chen tried swinging the handle a couple of times, getting a feel for it. A moment later, he spoke again. "Shinobu, later you'll hold up the dustpan, and I'll use this stick to hit it. We'll create distracting sounds to make it difficult for the patients."
Shinobu subconsciously pursed her lips, her face filled with an uncontrollable smile. Seeing her mocking gaze, Su Chen raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Shinobu, why are you laughing at me? I'll be using this on you too when you meditate later." Saying that, Su Chen took the iron rod and poked it toward the dustpan in Shinobu's hand.