After Giyu Tomioka was kicked out of the kitchen,
They very consciously went to the huge Wisteria trellis in the backyard.
Lord Water Hashira sat upright on the wooden corridor, holding a cup of perfectly warm green tea in his hands.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the Wisteria, casting dappled patterns on his perpetually expressionless face.
"The cutting board is broken; we definitely won't be able to cut the radishes today."
Giyu took a small sip of tea, his deep blue eyes revealing a genuine sense of regret.
"Looks like there won't be any shredded radish in today's nutritious lunch!!"
I wonder if we'll be able to have radish and salmon for dinner.
Just as Water Hashira was seriously planning the upcoming big meal schedule.
"Bang--!"
The wooden gate to the backyard was suddenly pushed open.
"Giyu! Let's duel! I have fully understood!!"
With a loud shout, the Sabito charged into the backyard like a cannonball.
This passionate swordsman, who had just regained his manhood and rediscovered his masculine vigor, was now as excited as if he had been injected with eight hundred pounds of chicken blood.
He wasn't even properly dressed, his uniform was open, revealing his well-defined eight-pack abs, he gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, and stared at Giyu with gleaming eyes.
"That ultimate pleasure of the interplay of yin and yang, the perfect balance of strength and gentleness! I've finally mastered it!"
The Sabito paced back and forth in the yard, as excited as a three-year-old who had just received a new toy.
"Come on! Let's have a proper, manly exchange of sword skills!"
"Today I'm going to show you what true Water Breathing - Eleventh Form really is!"
Looking at the pink-haired battle maniac in front of me, who seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Giyu held the teacup with unwavering composure, not even lifting his eyelids.
"I refuse."
"I'm so tired and hungry! Fighting burns a lot of calories!!"
"Stop talking nonsense! How can a man complain about being tired!"
Sabito was clearly out of his mind; he strode forward and grabbed the hilt of the knife.
"You have to fight today, whether you like it or not! I've been holding back a ton of anger with nowhere to vent!"
However,
"Ara ara~"
A voice so gentle it could drip honey, yet so terrifying it could send chills down your spine, drifted lightly from behind Sabito.
Sabito froze instantly, and he involuntarily shivered.
Kanae Kocho had already arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
Her smile was absolutely radiant.
But anyone with a little bit of insight can see that.
Behind this gentle older sister, it seemed as if a vast field of man-eating flowers, emanating a dark aura, had bloomed.
"Mr. Sabito, you seem to have a lot of energy."
Kanae walked forward with light steps, her stunningly full figure swaying slightly with her movements.
She stretched out her fair fingers and gently pinched the Sabito's ears.
"This is the Butterfly Mansion!!"
"The seriously wounded desperately need a quiet environment to recuperate."
"Making a scene in the hospital and challenging someone to a duel—that's not the behavior of a mature swordsman."
"Ouch! Kanae, be gentle! My ear's going to fall off!"
The once arrogant Sabito suddenly winced in pain, its back bent over.
"Since Mr. Sabito is so eager to stretch his muscles, then please go and help the logistics team chop wood!"
"It's said that the kitchen is short several hundred kilograms of firewood."
Kanae spoke with a smile, but her grip on Sabito out.
"Giyu! Help! I don't want to chop wood! I want to duel!"
The Sabito let out a bloodcurdling scream, trying to call for help from its best buddy.
But Giyu simply picked up his teacup silently, blew on the tea leaves, and calmly looked at the floating clouds on the horizon, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
Just before leaving the house, Kanae turned her head.
She glanced past Sabito's fidgeting pink head, winked playfully at Giyu sitting on the corridor, and gave him a charming, alluring look.
With the gate closed again, the backyard finally returned to tranquility.
However, this tranquility lasted for less than five minutes.
A series of light, hesitant footsteps sounded at the corner of the corridor.
Shinobu Kocho slowly walked over, carrying a medical tray with a stethoscope and several bottles of medicinal wine.
The blush on her face hadn't completely faded yet!
But her older sister Kanae, had just shoved the tray into her hands in the hallway and even threatened her with her eyes.
Ren had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed.
"Oh, Mr. Tomioka certainly knows how to find places to relax."
Shinobu walked up to Giyu and habitually switched to her sarcastic tone as a cover.
"Everyone else is busy as bees, while you're here enjoying tea and flowers. You truly are the serene and detached Lord Water Hashira."
Giyu put down his teacup and looked at the small girl in front of him who still seemed angry.
"I've already reported the issue of the cutting board to the logistics department."
They said they'd replace it with a new one this afternoon.
Giyu gave a very serious explanation.
"You! Who wanted to discuss the cutting board with you!"
I was about to explode with anger again.
Does this man even know how to read the room?!
She took a deep breath and forcefully placed the tray she was carrying heavily on the wooden floor.
"I'm here as the medical director of the Butterfly Mansion to give you your routine post-war medical check-up."
He put his hands on his hips, trying his best to make his expression look serious and professional.
"Although Mr. Tomioka performed like a monster on the battlefield, emerging unscathed..."
But this doesn't mean your internal organs and muscles haven't suffered hidden damage from overexertion.
"Now, please take off your shirt!! I'm going to perform a palpation!!"
When he said those words, Shinobu's eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to look at Giyu's face at all.
Giyu, however, did not hesitate at all.
As a swordsman, cooperating with the doctor's treatment is basic common sense.
He stood up, grabbed the hem of his casual clothes with both hands, and pulled it up cleanly.
With a soft rustling sound of fabric, he casually tossed the clothes onto the wooden board beside him.
When that completely exposed male body was revealed to the sunlight, Ren's breath caught in his throat for a second.
It was a body that... even doctors couldn't find anything wrong with.
Each muscle looked like steel that had been forged through countless trials, with distinct lines and an explosive sense of power.
His well-defined pectoral muscles, clearly defined eight-pack abs, and incredibly toned V-lines gleamed with a healthy sheen in the sunlight.
"Gurgle--!"
Ren swallowed hard, completely lacking any self-respect.
"Shinobu Kocho! Wake up! You're a doctor who's seen countless births, aging, sickness, and deaths!"
"What kind of bloody scenes haven't I seen! How can you be blinded by a single abs!"
She mentally slapped herself repeatedly.
"Please... please sit down."
Ren's voice stammered slightly, a rare occurrence.
She picked up the stethoscope, put it on her ear, and brought it close to Giyu's face.
As the two got extremely close, Shinobu could even clearly smell Giyu's pleasant scent.
It was a refreshing scent, as cool as mountain spring water, mixed with a faint Wisteria.
The scent penetrated directly into her nasal cavity, causing her heart to skip a beat.
The cold stethoscope probe was pressed against Giyu's muscular left chest.
"Thump, thump..."
The heartbeat coming through the headphones was steady and strong, with a very normal frequency.
But even though I tried to control my heart rate, it was already approaching 180 beats per minute!
She extended her slender fingers and began to press and palpate Giyu's ribs and abdomen.
When her soft fingertips touched those hot and hard abdominal muscles, Shinobu felt her fingertips go numb as if she were being electrocuted.
"Call..."
Giyu let out a soft breath as he prepared to conduct the examination.
The warm air brushed against Shinobu's head, ruffling her bangs.
Ren's cheeks were burning hot enough to fry an egg on; she had to say something to hide her damn panic.
"Ara ara..."
Ren kept his head down, his fingers gently kneading Giyu's shoulder.
"Mr. Tomioka's muscles are as hard as rocks. No wonder he's so stubborn."
"If an ordinary girl were to encounter such a hard body, she would definitely feel uncomfortable."
Giyu remained remarkably calm in the face of such teasing.
"A swordsman's muscle density determines the speed and power of his sword swings!"
"Soft muscles cannot withstand the strain of Total Concentration Breathing."
Giyu lowered his head, looking at the small head so close to his, and answered in a serious tone.
"I'm so sorry if it hurts you!! You can wear gloves before pressing it!!"
"You! Who wants to wear gloves!"
Ren was so speechless by this straight man's comment that she almost bit her tongue.
Does this man even have a romantic soul?!
She angrily raised her head, about to retort a few more words.
But he met Giyu's gaze and plunged headfirst into that deep blue.
The two were so close that Shinobu could clearly see her own flushed face reflected in Giyu's pupils.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Giyu didn't speak; his gaze lingered silently on Shinobu's face.
He noticed the faint dark circles under her eyes, a result of the intensive treatment she had received over the past few days;
I noticed her noticeably thinner face and the weariness that couldn't be hidden in her eyes and brows.
This girl, who always disguises herself with a sharp tongue and a smile, actually bears too much pressure that she shouldn't have to bear at her age.
Giyu suddenly reached out and gently placed his large hand on Shinobu's slender shoulder.
Ren's body trembled violently; she even forgot to back away.
You've lost weight these past few days.
Giyu's voice was very flat.
"The Butterfly Mansion has many wounded, but you are also human and need rest."
He gently stroked Ren's shoulder, his deep blue eyes gazing into her heart.
Don't be too reckless!
"I'm here!!"
These few simple words were like an unreasonable, direct attack, instantly piercing through the "tsundere" defense that Shinobu Kocho had built.
The defenses collapsed completely, leaving not a trace.
"Boom--!"
Ren felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to his head.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her purple pupils shimmered with an undeniable glint of tears.
What's this?
Why would this usually clueless blockhead suddenly utter such outrageous words?
What does "I'm here" mean?
Is this a confession of love?
Or is it simply a matter of concern from a fellow traveler?
Ren's mind was in complete chaos. Her usually eloquent mouth opened and closed, but she stammered and couldn't utter a single complete sentence.
"I... I wasn't pretending!"
She frantically pulled the stethoscope off her ear, her face flushing so red that even the roots of her neck turned crimson.
She stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the tray on the ground because of the sudden movement.
"Mr. Tomioka's health... is, very good! He's as strong as an ox!"
"I don't need to waste my time here!"
She grabbed the tray and prepared to flee as if a ghost were chasing her.
But just a second before turning around.
She couldn't resist!
She extended her slender, pale index finger, using a soft, gentle force!
Giyu poked Giyuu's sturdy chest.
"Mr. Giyu..."
She bit her lower lip, her voice so soft it was like a mosquito's hum, yet it carried an indescribable air of coquettishness.
"What a hopeless idiot!"
After saying that, she turned around and, with quick, shuffling steps, disappeared swiftly at the end of the corridor like a startled little rabbit.
Under the Wisteria trellis, only Giyu Tomioka remained once again.
He glanced down at the spot where Ninja had just poked him.
The force was very light, unlike the menacing force he had shown in the kitchen.
Moreover, what kind of evaluation is this?
Big idiot?
Water Hashira blinked, looking somewhat bewildered.
"So..."
Giyu silently put on his team uniform, a heartfelt question escaping his lips.
Was she praising me or insulting me?