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Prolonged exposure to UV lights is hazardous to the human nervous system, so Kael had calibrated the headquarters' array primarily as a high-yield trap. For standard nocturnal lighting, he installed primitive but effective fluorescent lamps. He made sure to brief Ubuyashiki Kagaya on the safety protocols; the last thing he needed was to accidentally blind half the Corps while trying to save them.
Shinobu Kocho led Kael to a secluded sparring ground. She carried two unsharpened iron trainers, handing one to him with a stiff, professional courtesy. The only audience consisted of the twin sisters, Hinaki and Nichika. Shinobu was being tactical even in her hospitality; she wanted to avoid a scenario where Kael might lose face in front of the ranking Slayers. As a friend of the Master, his reputation was a variable she felt obligated to protect—even if he was a "malnourished" irritant.
"Onii-chan, be careful. The Hashira is very strong," Hinaki whispered, her way of addressing him now completely natural.
Why isn't a sweetheart this considerate my own daughter? Kael wondered.
"Mm-hmm. If you can't win, don't push too hard. What if you get hurt?" Nichika added.
It seemed his little "fan club" already had him pegged for a loss. Kael reached out and messed up Nichika's hair, earning a dissatisfied pout.
"Are you ready, Kael-kun?" Shinobu asked. Despite her certainty of victory, her stance was disciplined.
"Ladies first," Kael replied, making a polite gesture. He needed to gauge her output before he committed to a combat rhythm. He didn't want to be too heavy-handed with someone who weighed less than his logistics crate.
"In that case, I won't be formal."
Shinobu unsheathed her blade. It wasn't her custom "stinger," so the weight was slightly off, but for a Hashira, such a discrepancy was a minor hurdle.
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice."
Shinobu inhaled, her blood-flow accelerating as she overclocked her bio-rhythm. Her footsteps became weightless, her figure a blur of violet silk. Insect Breathing was a derivative of Flower Breathing, built for speed and thrusting rather than the raw torque required for decapitation.
Across the ten-meter gap, Shinobu drifted forward. Her blade was hidden in the flutter of her haori—a visual "glitch" designed to make the opponent overlook the lethal edge until it was too late. She aimed a thrust at Kael's arm, intending to end the match quickly without causing injury.
CLANG.
The strike she thought was a guaranteed hit was parried by Kael's scabbard. What looked like a casual rotation contained a terrifying kinetic energy. Shinobu's wrist screamed in protest as the vibration nearly sent her sword flying.
What incredible strength!! Her wrist was slightly sprained from that single exchange. His reaction speed was even more disturbing. He hadn't just blocked; he had anticipated. Kael looked entirely unpressured.
"Miss Kocho, are you distracted?" Kael asked.
Shinobu's eyes hardened. Her core personality—the competitive girl buried under her sister's smile—flared up. She couldn't lose to a man who had studied Breathing for only three days.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon."
She entered Total Concentration: Constant. Six lethal thrusts blanketed Kael's sensory range, sealing his retreat.
Kael's Calculating Survivor mind processed the room. The world slowed into high-definition frames, every trajectory mapped. Shinobu was a genius, but her Breathing Style was designed for poison-killing demons, not dueling high-spec human combatants.
Kael didn't retreat. He stepped into the web of blades, sliding past the edges with the clinical efficiency of a ghost. He crashed into her guard, pushing the hilt of his sword into her chest with a measured, heavy impact.
Shinobu let out a muffled groan, stumbling back as her breathing rhythm was violently interrupted. The backlash of a forced bio-rhythm termination was like a physical shock to her system.
"Want to continue?" Kael asked with genuine admiration.
"I haven't fallen yet," Shinobu hissed, resetting her lungs.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zigzag."
THUMP.
She stomped the ground with enough force to crack the soil, achieving a zig-zagging velocity that turned her figure into a jagged centipede of violet light.
She's treating me like an Upper Rank, Kael thought.
He met her gaze, tracking her eyes. When Shinobu unleashed her final strike, she found herself thrusting through an afterimage.
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice."
Kael mimicked her form perfectly. He wasn't just using her style; he was performing it with a physical engine that crushed hers. Before Shinobu could register the shock, Kael grabbed her wrist and lifted her off the ground like a child.
The gap was simply too large. Even a mirrored move was superior when backed by the Power of Seven.
"Your Insect Breathing is good, Shinobu, but the flow is fragmented. I can help you optimize the transitions over the next few days. Consider it my tuition fee."
"...Thank you," Shinobu muttered, her face flushed with shame. Being held up by Kael made her feel painfully small.
"Onii-chan is amazing!" the twins cheered, their eyes wide with worship.
"Relax, girls," Kael said, setting Shinobu down. "Miss Kocho was just practicing. If she were serious, she would have ended this long ago."
Are you using me as a stepping stone for your image?! Shinobu's "gentle" smile was now a twitching mask of fury.
That evening, Kagaya arranged for Kael to move into the Butterfly Mansion to begin the toxin-refining collaboration.
"Miss Kocho, you aren't the petty type, right?" Kael asked, following her toward the medical wing.
Shinobu turned, her smile finally looking sincere—and utterly terrifying. "Of course I am. I definitely won't throw centipedes into your bed, or drug your tea with paralytics."
"You've clearly thought about it."
"Can't a girl have dreams, Kael-kun?"
The Butterfly Mansion was a sanctuary for the wounded, now overseen by Shinobu. She assigned Kael a detached guest house surrounded by fragrant flower beds.
"Goodnight, Kael-kun. I will call for you tomorrow morning."
The next day, long before the sun had even considered rising, a rhythmic pounding on his door snapped Kael awake.
"Wait! It's still pitch black out there!" Kael groaned.
Shinobu stood on the porch, a beaming, predatory smile on her face. "Morning, Kael-kun. It's time for your 'tuition.' Let's see how your 'overclocking' handles a four-hour endurance cycle."
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