The gate to the Ubuyashiki Estate slowly closed behind me.
Giyu Tomioka stood on the bluestone steps and took a deep breath of the cool morning air.
The Master's supreme command, "Avoid all miscellaneous tasks and become stronger at all costs."
The song was still playing on repeat in his head, as if he were under some kind of brainwashing Blood Demon Art.
His blood was burning, his muscles were trembling.
He has only one thought in his mind right now:
Train!
Hellish training!
"First, go to the bottom of the waterfall and swing your sword ten thousand times to warm up."
Giyu devised a simple, unpretentious, and tedious plan for himself to become stronger.
"Then, carrying a 500-pound load, I ran fifty laps back and forth on the mountain path of Mount Sagiri."
"If I still have a little energy left at noon, I'll go and have three servings of radish and salmon to replenish my protein, and then continue with liver in the afternoon."
A perfect plan.
A meticulously planned itinerary.
Just as Giyu nodded to himself, preparing to stride off with his long legs towards the training ground...
"Oh, Mr. Tomioka, where are you headed?"
A sweet voice, gentle yet with a hint of cunning, drifted out from around the corner.
Giyu's right leg, which had just taken half a step, froze in mid-air.
He turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound.
Kanae Kocho, who had just been promoted to [Flower Hashira], was leaning against the brick wall covered with ivy, her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.
She changed into a fitted light purple casual dress.
Giyu's brain froze for a fraction of a second.
"I'm going to undergo extreme sword-wielding training."
Giyu quickly retracted his right leg, which was suspended in mid-air.
"My Master has just given me orders to stop worrying about any other matters and focus solely on improving my combat strength."
"Therefore, I must dedicate every single minute now to refining my Breathing Style."
These words are flawless; they are a model of dedication from a hard-working individual.
But in Kanae's ears, these words were automatically translated as:
"I'm a blockhead; I only want to spend my life with my Nichirin Blade."
"Pfft."
Kanae wasn't deterred by his businesslike attitude; instead, she covered her mouth and laughed.
She moved with light, quick steps, approaching Giyu step by step.
As the distance between the two shortens,
The alluring human scent, mingled with the Wisteria, forcefully entered Giyu's nostrils, stirring his frozen nerves.
"My Master truly wants you to focus solely on becoming stronger and not worry about trivial matters."
Kanae walked up to Giyu, tilted her head back, and stared straight at him with her clear, amethyst-like eyes, as if they held a pool of spring water.
"But how can accompanying my newly promoted colleague to run some personal errands be considered trivial matters?"
"This is clearly a very important emotional connection and tactical exchange between the Pillars."
Emotional connection? Tactical exchange?
Giyu's seemingly invincible combat radar began to perform frantic calculations in his mind.
He looked at Kanae's self-righteous demeanor and tried to find logical flaws in her words.
"I don't believe that accompanying you on personal errands will increase the probability of me severing Muzan's neck."
Giyu retorted earnestly.
This kind of straight-male statement, which couldn't even fool a three-year-old, made Kanae roll her eyes inwardly.
Did this man even pick up on her hint?!?!
However, as a master at handling Giyu, Kanae knows that reasoning with this kind of stubborn, straight-laced man won't work.
We must use physical methods!!
"I don't care."
Before Giyu could even finish memorizing the remaining tactical theories...
Kanae unceremoniously reached out her fair, jade-like hands and grabbed Giyu's right arm.
That soft, elastic material pressed firmly onto Giyu's arm in an instant.
Water Hashira's rational defenses suffered a devastating blow in that instant.
"Let go of me!!"
Giyu's breathing became completely out of control.
I won't let go.
Kanae didn't let go; instead, she rubbed against him even harder, almost pressing herself into Giyu's arms.
"Since Mr. Giyu doesn't have to patrol and kill demons today, why not spend your time with me?"
Kanae raised her head, her eyes gleaming with a sly triumph.
"Mr. Rengoku has just announced his retirement; his residence isn't far from here."
"As colleagues, we should go and visit him."
"Wouldn't I be scared to go alone to a family full of passionate, boisterous men?"
"I'd only dare to go if a strong and reliable man like Giyu were by my side."
Fear?!
When you accepted the appointment as the Flower Hashira in front of the Oyakata-sama, you didn't even blink, but now you're saying you're afraid when you visit a retired colleague?
Giyu mentally cursed wildly, trying to use his remaining sanity to rescue his arm from that sinful haven of tenderness.
However, Kanae's eyes, which seemed to speak volumes, stared at him expectantly.
In those eyes, there was worry, dependence, and a hint of blatant favoritism.
In truth, Kanae knew better than anyone else.
When the Master places all his hopes and burdens on the shoulders of this sixteen-year-old boy, that weight is enough to crush anyone.
She understands Giyu so well!!
If we let him go back today, he would definitely lock himself in the deep mountains and forests and engage in some kind of reckless, self-harming special training.
In this cruel world where death could come at any moment,
She didn't want to see him turn her into a cold-blooded machine that only knew how to wield a knife.
She wanted him to stop for a moment, to look at the scenery along the way, and to feel the warmth of everyday life.
Even just for a little while would be great!!
Giyu saw the barely perceptible pity in Kanae's eyes, his heart inexplicably twitched.
He had intended to forcefully pull his arm out, but ultimately lost his strength.
He gave up resisting, letting his arms sink deep into that softness.
Just this once.
He uttered four words with a cold expression.
"After the visit, I must immediately return to special training!!"
"Yay! I love Giyu the most!"
Kanae's scheme succeeded, and she jumped up and down with joy.
She looked like a female bandit who had just abducted an innocent young man.
Overjoyed, he took Giyu and, without thinking twice, dragged him toward the Rengoku Mansion.
The streets leading to the Rengoku Family were bustling with people.
A cold and aloof swordsman, so handsome that it's hard to look away, is intimately linked arm-in-arm with a stunningly beautiful woman with a fantastic figure.
This scene is practically an indiscriminate area-of-effect (AOE) attack on passersby on the street.
The rate of people turning their heads to look at the camera skyrocketed beyond all limits.
The young men passing by looked at Giyu with such jealousy and bitterness in their eyes that they could practically ignite the air in the entire street.
If looks could kill, Lord Water Hashira would probably be torn to pieces by now.
Feeling the intense gazes coming from all directions.
"There's too much malice involved."
Giyu stared ahead expressionlessly, silently analyzing the situation in his mind.
"Within a radius of 100 meters, at least 45 people were radiating strong negative emotions towards me."
"It must be because of my slacking off that I got the disdain from passersby."
"After all, in this world, only by constantly becoming stronger can one truly survive!"
"It's terrifying how people despise those who slack off."
After completing this closed-loop self-consistent system, which can be described as a work of logical genius.
Water Hashira stood tall and straight, ignoring the murderous stares of all the passersby.
He even thoughtfully pulled Kanae closer to himself to prevent the passersby who were criticizing him with their eyes from accidentally hurting her.
I sensed Yi Yong's Giyu yet protective side.
Kanae's smile was practically reaching her ears.
This seemingly clueless blockhead actually understands how to care for girls deep down.
Kanae thought to herself with delight, and secretly tightened her grip on Giyu's arm a little more.
Giyu's body stiffened slightly, and the blush at the base of his ears spread uncontrollably once again.
He tried to shift his focus to how to improve the slashing angle of Water Breathing.
But the Wisteria lingering around his nose made it impossible for him to concentrate.
"This must be part of the special training."
Giyu was mentally preparing himself.
"As long as I can get through this, my mental state will reach unprecedented heights."
The two were thinking completely different things, yet they walked together in perfect harmony under the sunlight.
Unbeknownst to them, the imposing gate of the Rengoku Family, adorned with a majestic plaque, had already begun to appear at the end of the street.
(Sorry I'm late!!)
(One more chapter follows)