There was a small town not far from Mount Fujikasane. After completing their seven-day trial, the aspiring swordsmen usually chose to celebrate with a feast there.
Haruto led the Kocho Sisters into a ramen shop that served a little wild boar ramen set. Its tempting aroma reached them even out on the street.
It was mealtime, and the shop already had quite a few customers, including several demon slayers with long swords at their waists.
Haruto wiped down the table and benches with a cloth, then called the owner over after asking the two girls what they wanted. "Five little wild boar ramen sets."
Seeing Shinobu sitting with her head lowered, deep in thought, he asked, "What are you thinking about, Shinobu?"
Kanae turned to look at her sister. Seeing her clutching her Nichirin Blade with a conflicted expression, she sighed inwardly and reached out to stroke her soft, fine black hair.
"Haruto." The light in Shinobu's clear eyes flickered a few times before she raised her head. "I'm not strong enough to cut off a demon's head. Did you know that?"
"Yes, I knew." Haruto nodded without hesitation. "I knew right from the start. Mr. Urokodaki is an excellent trainer. He spotted your lack of physical strength at a glance."
Shinobu lowered her head dejectedly. "A demon slayer who can't cut off a demon's head. What a ridiculous title."
"Mr. Ishihama told me in his letter that even after more than a year of training, you still weren't physically strong enough to become a true demon slayer."
Shinobu bowed her head even lower.
My thin, weak arms can barely even swing a sword... Mr. Ishihama must be so disappointed in me.
"But he also said your attacks mainly relied on speed and thrusts, and that you excelled at both. That's why he felt comfortable letting you take part in this selection trial." With a soft chuckle, Haruto poured clear, golden barley tea for both girls. "See? You passed the trial, didn't you? Only the finest swordsmen can pass the test on Mount Fujikasane."
Surprised by Mr. Ishihama's assessment, Shinobu Kocho shook her head gently. "I didn't kill a single demon during those seven days. All I did was run away and hold my sister back..."
"Shinobu!" Kanae took the little hand resting on her sister's knee and made her look into her earnest eyes. "Your speed kept the demons occupied for me, and your thrusts badly weakened them... Shinobu, you've always been my greatest help, never a burden."
"Kanae..."
Mr. Ishihama's letter had mentioned Shinobu Kocho's physique.
She was small and slender, light and agile. Of Water Breathing's ten forms, the ones she had mastered best were the Third Form: Flowing Dance, the Seventh Form: Droplet Ripple Thrust, and the Ninth Form: Water Stream Splash. All of them combined body movement with footwork. By contrast, the Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool and the Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin, which relied more heavily on physical strength, were her weaknesses. Although she could execute them in training, their power and destructive force fell far short of other swordsmen's.
Her height could not be changed. There was no telling whether she might shoot up like Haruto during her remaining years of growth.
But under the current circumstances, increasing her physical strength was a dead end.
"Perhaps you could try another approach? Cutting off a demon's head isn't the only way to kill one." Haruto rubbed his chin, guiding her train of thought with his words.
"Sunlight?"
"That would be too slow. If you aren't strong enough to cut their heads off, you certainly can't restrain them until sunrise."
Shinobu Kocho looked at Haruto, then followed his gaze back toward Mount Fujikasane nearby. Suddenly, inspiration struck.
She thought of the wisteria blanketing the mountain. "You mean... wisteria poison?"
Haruto's lips curved into a smile. "You come from a family of medical practitioners. Your understanding of medicine should be deeper than mine."
The main reason demons hated wisteria so much, refusing to approach Mount Fujikasane with its profusion of flowers or even temples burning wisteria incense, was that the toxins in wisteria destroyed the cells inside their bodies, causing them to break down and rot from within.
The Kocho Sisters exchanged a glance, both pairs of eyes beginning to sparkle. They even ignored the steaming bowls of ramen the owner brought over.
"Wow..." Haruto took a deep sip of the fragrant pork-bone broth. Its rich flavor exploded in his mouth, and paired with the springy noodles and meltingly tender pork, it practically sent his soul soaring into the heavens.
After all these years since transmigrating to Japan, he still found its food far less varied than China's. In the early twentieth century, before Chinese cuisine had spread to Japan, Haruto had sampled all manner of traditional Japanese dishes and imported Western food, only to discover that Master Goto's hand-pressed sushi was still the tastiest.
But after today, he might have another entry to add to his list of favorite foods: the little wild boar ramen set at the foot of Mount Fujikasane.
[Question: Why do I see the Star Hashira doing a mukbang every time I watch his side story?]
[Reply to the above: Maybe this is actually the Food Hashira's side story?]
[My fried chicken still hasn't arrived... The Star Hashira makes everything look so delicious. He eats neatly, quickly, and in huge portions. He's better suited to mukbangs than that guy who only knows how to say "five ants"!]
[The two butterflies haven't even touched their chopsticks, and he's almost finished slurping down a whole bowl already lol]
[The Food Hashira only ordered three bowls. He's seriously being modest hahahaha. I bet he could finish ten!]
[Eating noodles here too! Reporting from Lanzhou, currently slurping beef noodles!]
Just as the people on the other side of the screen watched Haruto to whet their appetites, Haruto read their scrolling comments to whet his own.
The white-haired boy's gaze lingered on "Lanzhou beef noodles" for a long time, and he pursed his lips.
He wanted beef noodles too!
Compared with Japanese ramen, beef noodles with clear broth, bright red chili oil, and a scattering of fresh green cilantro and scallions were his lifelong favorite.
Ha, if I want to eat Lanzhou beef noodles in this world, I might have to live to a hundred...
Across from him, the Kocho Sisters had grown so absorbed in their discussion of wisteria that they had borrowed paper and pens from the owner and were already writing and sketching.
"...We'll still need experiments to determine the proportions of the poison. And there's the method of administering it-coating the blade with poison?"
"That wouldn't hold enough," Shinobu said, shaking her head. "And we couldn't fight multiple enemies with it. What about poison-soaked darts?"
"Learning ninjutsu would take a long time and a great deal of hard training. Besides, darts and shuriken are only supplementary tools. You need a way to confront an enemy head-on."
"Ugh..." Shinobu let out a long sigh and propped her chin in her hands, looking wise beyond her years. "This is such a headache."
"Perhaps we need to put some thought into the forging process itself..." Kanae sighed softly. "Unfortunately, the tamahagane has already been sent off. We don't know how Nichirin Blades are forged, or who forges them."
Haruto, who had been listening with half an ear, lifted his face from his final bowl of ramen. "Forging swords?"
Haruto Takanashi-swordsman from the Swordsmith Village and swordsmith's apprentice of twelve years-blinked.
"Well... I know about that."
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