Faced with Sashiko's murderous gaze, which rivaled that of a Grade A swordsman, Kondo averted his eyes guiltily. He explained in a small voice, "I actually came to find Senior Kuguruma to thank him. After all, he's helped me twice..."
Beside him, Dojima did not even turn his head, his tone rigid and formal. "Mission report. Need to discuss with Kuguruma-kun."
As for the man himself, Kuguruma Natsunishi seemed completely oblivious to the subtle tension in the air. He simply waved a hand dismissively. "They heard about the special training and wanted to get stronger too."
"I figured if I'm training one, I might as well train three. It's all the same. So I invited them both along."
"Besides, I have some things regarding Breathing Styles that I want to experiment with on you all."
Yukiziri Sashiko: "..."
Kuguruma Natsunishi-kun, you baka!
Kuguruma Natsunishi: "That's not a problem, right, Sashiko?"
Sashiko: "No problem at all!"
The girl gritted her teeth, answering with extreme reluctance.
Following that, Kuguruma Natsunishi began arranging a training regimen for the three of them.
[Yukiziri Sashiko (Power Level: 56)] Water Breathing LV.3
[Mitsujiro Kondo (Power Level: 38)] Water Breathing LV.2
[Dojima Kazuma (Power Level: 84)] Flame Breathing LV.3
In terms of attributes, the three were uneven, and their Breathing Style levels were also slightly on the low side. At least in Kuguruma Natsunishi's view, for a swordsman to truly hold their own, they needed a Power Level of around 100.
He practiced multiple Breathing Styles simultaneously, so he wasn't a good benchmark. However, if one specialized in a single style, they should at least be at LV.4—the level the system evaluated as "Mastery"—to be considered proficient.
Kuguruma Natsunishi adjusted his non-existent glasses.
Among his own five Breathing Styles, Storm Breathing was the lowest, followed by Wind, Water, and Stone. His highest was Thunder Breathing, which had already reached LV.4. Even so, it still hadn't reached the same level as the other Trainers.
However, his experience in practicing multiple styles, combined with the cross-disciplinary insights from life skills like [Instruction] and [Suburi], gave him a certain confidence. He felt that his "theoretical guidance ability" was, at the very least, at the LV.5 Master level.
In the terms of his original era, he was a total "fountain commander," a desk general... No, he was an instructor with profound theoretical literacy.
Regardless, he felt he understood Water Breathing better than Kazami and Storm Breathing better than Oyama.
The first step, however, was not to directly increase their Breathing Style levels. Improvements in physical fitness or refinements in swordsmanship techniques were things that could only be broken through via long-term, arduous cultivation. There were no shortcuts for that.
But there was one thing that could rapidly increase combat effectiveness in a short period: actual combat.
On this point, Kuguruma Natsunishi's philosophy was basically identical to Nikaido's. Clashing with more powerful opponents, fighting against different styles, and struggling with all one's might in extreme environments could quickly realize a swordsman's potential and talent.
Therefore...
"I will only arrange two training directions for you."
"First, based on my personal observations, I will fine-tune the way your Breathing Styles circulate."
"It should slightly reduce the burden during Total Concentration Breathing and marginally increase your explosive power."
"Of course, since this is a theoretical trial, you must tell me if you feel any discomfort."
At this, he couldn't help but glance at the somewhat embarrassed Mizunoto-ranked swordsman. "Oh, I almost forgot you haven't mastered Total Concentration yet."
Kondo: "..."
Actually, I've mastered the basics of it...
Kuguruma Natsunishi said, "Mitsujiro Kondo, for you, focus on mastering Total Concentration first."
The adjustments he planned couldn't yet be called developing derivative Breathing Styles. He simply planned to follow Uzui's example—adjusting and simplifying the original styles based on the physical characteristics and compatibility of the three of ones. He would lower the level cap in exchange for increasing training efficiency. Essentially, it was still the same Breathing Style.
Of course, if they insisted on giving the adjusted versions a new name, that was another matter entirely.
From his observations, Kondo and Nikaido seemed to have decent compatibility with their respective Breathing Styles. The reason there was such a large gap between them was essentially because Kondo's innate talent was significantly lower. If skill compatibility and effort were roughly the same and racial values were identical, then the difference could only lie in individual stats.
As for Sashiko...
He couldn't see it clearly when his own level was low. Now that his four Breathing Styles were above the "Proficient" level, looking back, he could sense something was off.
When she used Water Breathing, it lacked the agility and fluid grace the style was supposed to have. Her inner state was also far from the "still as water, undisturbed by ripples" mindset. It was supposed to be a combat style that balanced softness with strength, yet when she used it, it was almost always the direct [Surface Slash] or [Water Wheel]...
She had the strength, but the softness was nowhere to be seen. In this regard, she was even inferior to Kondo's LV.2 Water Breathing.
Honestly, he felt that compared to Water Breathing, Sashiko might be more compatible with fierce and swift styles like [Flame] or [Thunder].
Kuguruma Natsunishi pondered. Once his understanding of Breathing Styles became deeper and he was more familiar with the process, he might be able to custom-build a new derivative style from Water Breathing for her to use.
The system could only bind one self-created Breathing Style, that was true. But it didn't limit him from trying various construction plans.
What Kuguruma Natsunishi valued was the [Potential Evaluation] mentioned by the system when drafting derivative styles. This consumed no resources and had no limits. This meant he could perform multiple refinement attempts based on different people's traits.
Through exhaustive searching, he could select a "plan" with high system-evaluated potential to custom-fit more suitable Breathing Styles for others. For instance, he could develop something like "Breathing of the Seas and Rivers" for Sabito or Sashiko.
Of course, that was all much further down the line. After all, he was still exploring the methods of developing Breathing Styles himself. LV.4 Thunder Breathing was still a bit lacking.
As for the current training...
Kuguruma Natsunishi threw the items he had borrowed from the Storm Hashira onto the ground.
Clang.
Three weighted vests made of special materials hit the ground, actually leaving shallow marks on the dirt. Kuguruma Natsunishi's [Tailoring] wasn't particularly high-level, but altering the size of these special training garments was no problem.
As for the measurements...
The [Insight] he had trained under the Storm Hashira for so long, combined with the eye for detail provided by [Tailoring] itself, had long since allowed him to estimate sizes accurately with a single glance.
The two male swordsmen curiously picked up the weighted gear. They were vest-shaped and comfortable to the touch, but...
"So heavy! What is this made of?" Kondo didn't have a firm grip, and the vest nearly slipped from his hand.
Dojima weighed it and said in a heavy voice, "This single piece likely weighs as much as a full set of armor."
"They're lined with steel plates, of course they're heavy," Kuguruma Natsunishi explained. "Yours are 30 kilograms each. Sashiko's is 20 kilograms."
The two nodded and immediately put on the vests. They simply assumed that the Storm Hashira's estate was so vast and prestigious that even their special training equipment was this sophisticated, and that they had kindly hired someone to adjust the sizes.
But Sashiko noticed something else.
How would anyone else know her clothing size and measurements?! Unless...
She looked at Kuguruma Natsunishi, who was still busy assigning tasks to everyone.
Did Kuguruma Natsunishi-kun specifically remember my measurements when he was bandaging my wounds before...?
the girl felt her face grow hot.
She had been feeling a bit... rounder lately. Surely Kuguruma Natsunishi-kun hadn't noticed that?!
"The second part of the plan is actual combat."
"As for the sizes, I've already adjusted them based on your bodies."
"Put on the weights. For the rest of the time, fight me. Tag-team matches, cooperative battles, one-on-ones—I want you to use all your strength and fight desperately, as if I were your enemy."
In short: if you aren't dead from training, train until you are.
The better their training results, the more experience he would gain.
Kuguruma Natsunishi looked at Sashiko, whose face was once again inexplicably red. He couldn't help but call her out. "Yukiziri Sashiko-san, what did I just say? Stand up and repeat it."
The girl's shoulders jolted. "Su-Sumimasen!"