Inside the Sword Hall.
When the apprentices saw Chinatsu leave and the much gentler-looking Kanao take her place, every one of those not-so-innocent youngsters instantly wore an expression that said, "Now I get it!"
One brave soul was the first to scramble up from the floor. He hurried over to Tanjiro and Kanao and voiced the question on every apprentice's mind.
"Teacher Kamado! Is she your wife?!"
That bold, straightforward question left both of them stunned. They stammered and waved their hands, trying to deny it.
But how could that fool these little brats, who were far too shrewd for their age? In their minds, Kanao was already "Teacher's wife."
Was this something to celebrate?
Of course it was!
They had originally been subjected to Chinatsu and Tanjiro's mixed doubles beatdowns. Now a kindly, harmless-looking teacher's wife had arrived, and if she took Chinatsu's place someday...
The future... looked bright!
Their eyes shone with innocent clarity. Every image of Chinatsu driving them relentlessly had vanished from their minds.
Watching them, Kanao could not help letting out a soft, awkward laugh. Though she did not quite understand what was happening, she could more or less sense that they had considerable expectations of her.
"Oh, right! Teacher's wife! Do you know swordsmanship too?"
Another brave soul in the crowd raised his hand and asked the question everyone wanted answered.
This time, Tanjiro's brain automatically filtered out "Teacher's wife." He held up one finger and answered seriously, "Kanao is very strong too. And when it comes to learning swordsmanship, she's far better than I am."
His words drew a chorus of astonished cries. After all, women who knew swordsmanship were rare in any era, and even fewer could reach the level Tanjiro described as "very strong."
Now Kanao, too, automatically ignored "Teacher's wife."