Ye Chen had not lied. He had come here to rest in the first place, since Demon Slayer Corps outposts provided full accommodations. Running into one of the original story's main characters here had been unexpected.
"Haha, I see. Still, you've certainly caught my disciple making a fool of himself."
Jigoro Kuwajima chuckled a few times, though a trace of embarrassment showed in his smile. His disciple had disgraced himself right here, after all, and he felt awkward too.
"No, that's not what I meant when I said this Preliminary Newcomer was interesting."
Ye Chen smiled and shook his head. After giving it some thought, he seemed to come up with an idea and said to Jigoro Kuwajima, "Why don't we talk inside? I really am a little interested in this disciple of yours."
Jigoro Kuwajima was puzzled, but said nothing more. Ye Chen was wearing a Demon Slayer Corps uniform, after all, and with him, a former Rumble Hashira, present, he had no fear of anyone harming his disciple.
"Hmph. He's nothing but trash. What could he possibly be capable of?"
As Ye Chen and Jigoro Kuwajima spoke, an unwelcome remark reached them. They turned to see a black-haired young man standing some distance away, staring at the unconscious Zenitsu Agatsuma with utter contempt written across his face.
"Kaigaku!" Jigoro Kuwajima snapped in displeasure. The young man's already sour expression grew even more resentful, but he did not dare keep mouthing off. Instead, he muttered under his breath and walked away.
Ye Chen stood to one side without speaking. He knew who this was: Zenitsu Agatsuma's senior fellow disciple, who could certainly be considered a prodigy. Unlike him, Zenitsu Agatsuma had only mastered the first form of Thunder Breathing.
Kaigaku, on the other hand, had mastered every Thunder Breathing technique except the first form. His inability to learn it had always rankled him, leaving him both disdainful and jealous of Zenitsu Agatsuma.
Ye Chen had little respect for him either, so he said nothing. He could hardly tell Jigoro Kuwajima, "This disciple of yours will betray you and become a demon, and even drive you to commit seppuku," could he?
Ye Chen could guarantee that if he said that, the first person Jigoro Kuwajima would deal with would not be Kaigaku, but him, the outsider.
While Ye Chen was lost in thought, Zenitsu Agatsuma, who was lying in the room, slowly came around.
"Ugh... It hurts..." Zenitsu Agatsuma opened his eyes groggily. His whole body felt numb as he slowly sat up. The moment he saw Jigoro Kuwajima sitting nearby, he jumped in fright:
"Ah, I'm sorry, Gramps! I... I..."
"All right. You don't need to say anything else."
Jigoro Kuwajima waved a hand. He could more or less guess what his disciple wanted to say. "Zenitsu, you are my disciple. You are the one I chose. You've only mastered the first form of Thunder Breathing, but so what? Remember, if you can only learn one technique, then focus on that one thing and master it to perfection!"
"Focus on one thing and master it to perfection..." Zenitsu Agatsuma repeated softly. His eyes flickered, but then he started crying again.
"I can't, Gramps! I can't do it! I'll die on my second day in the Demon Slayer Corps! I'll definitely die!"
Seeing Zenitsu Agatsuma like this was a novel experience for Ye Chen. Although he knew what Zenitsu Agatsuma was like, seeing it in person still left him marveling. There really were people in this world who were this cowardly.
"All right, Mr. Preliminary Newcomer. Since you have so little confidence in yourself, why don't you come outside and do a few tests with me?" Ye Chen patted Zenitsu Agatsuma's head, then motioned with his eyes for him to follow him outside.
"No! Judging by your uniform, you're in the Demon Slayer Corps, right? You're asking me outside for special training, aren't you? You want me to fight you, don't you? No way! I haven't gotten married yet! I don't have any children yet! Your special training will kill me! I'll die in no time!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma refused to cooperate. Instead, he flopped onto the tatami and started making a nuisance of himself.
"I've already been struck by lightning! My whole body is numb, and I can't move! Ah... I'm dying..."
The corner of Ye Chen's eye twitched hard a few times, though he was not particularly surprised. This was someone who could pester a girl he did not even know into marrying him. Such shameless behavior was hardly unexpected.
"All right, stop playing games with me. This isn't special training. I just want to test a few things."
Ye Chen paid no heed to his antics. He grabbed him by the collar with one hand, lifted him bodily, and carried him toward the door. Jigoro Kuwajima watched without intervening. He knew exactly what his disciple was like.
"So, my esteemed se-nior from the Demon Slayer Corps, what do you want to test on a prospective member like me, who hasn't even joined yet?"
Zenitsu Agatsuma sounded disgruntled, deliberately stressing the word "senior" to remind Ye Chen that he was the senior here and should not bully a junior.
Ye Chen acted as though he had heard nothing and said casually, "Oh, if you know I'm your senior, then you should behave. Playing games with your seniors is shameful."
Zenitsu Agatsuma said, "...Tch."
Seeing that Ye Chen seemed just as shameless as he was, Zenitsu Agatsuma let out a low scoff. But Ye Chen grabbed him by the head again and lifted him straight into the air. He also noticed that this senior's smile looked rather frightening.
"Mr. Preliminary New-comer, do you know you should be polite to your seniors?"
"I know... I understand!" A chill ran through Zenitsu Agatsuma's whole body. He had no choice but to behave and stop mouthing off. The senior before him was definitely ruthless.
"Then attack me with the first form of your Thunder Breathing." Ye Chen borrowed a wooden sword from Jigoro Kuwajima and tossed it to Zenitsu Agatsuma as he spoke.
"Huh? Aren't you going to use a weapon, sir?" Seeing Ye Chen's empty hands, Zenitsu Agatsuma asked in confusion.
"Didn't I tell you? This is a test, not a sparring match or special training. I just want to see how strong you are."
Ye Chen spread his hands, clearing up his confusion, then continued, "All right, stop wasting time. Come at me with your strongest technique."
"Hmph. You're the one asking for a beating, so don't blame me." Hearing that he would not be the one getting beaten, Zenitsu Agatsuma immediately brightened. He raised the wooden sword in his hands and took his stance.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Zenitsu Agatsuma burst into motion, charging straight toward Ye Chen. As he closed in, he whipped his wooden sword forward, faint traces of lightning crackling around it as it struck toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen seemed frozen, making no move at all as he watched him rush closer. Only when the wooden sword was about to hit him did he move. He reached out, instantly caught Zenitsu Agatsuma's sword hand, then gave a small swing and tossed him away.
"Aah!!" After being thrown, Zenitsu Agatsuma landed on his feet and swayed a few times. Then he quickly flopped onto the ground and started shouting.
"You're amazing, sir! I'm done for! You beat me in an instant!"
"..." Ye Chen was speechless. He had barely put any strength into that throw, yet this fellow was already pretending to collapse and surrender. Unbelievable. Still, he would not let him off just like that. Otherwise, he would not be Yatsuka Nightstar.