"Hsss... hoo..."
Zenitsu struggled to steady his breathing and tightened his grip on his Nichirin Blade. Grandpa's gaze and that terrifying woman's eyes were both fixed on him. His calves trembled with nerves, but in front of Grandpa...
Especially after learning what had happened to Kaigaku... an indescribable agitation and frustration churned in his chest.
"Miss Sapphire Star, get ready! I really am fast and strong, okay? Thunder Breathing... First Form!..."
Golden lightning coiled around his tensed body and blade.
"Thunderclap and Flash!"
This was almost the fastest speed Zenitsu could currently muster! So he wouldn't be looked down on, so he could... satisfy that faint desire deep inside to prove himself!
The Sapphire Star didn't leap out of the way. She merely slid a step along the direction of Zenitsu's charge and twisted at the waist.
Clink!
The golden lightning thundered past the Sapphire Star's afterimage without even touching the hem of her clothes. Before his momentum had spent itself, she followed through with a backhand jab of a wooden stick, lightly poking the opening at his backside.
"Waaah! Where did that stick come from?!" The poke startled Zenitsu.
"Heehee~ I picked it up off the ground while you were attacking. Any slower and I could've gathered all the firewood for tonight's dinner. Again!" The Sapphire Star twirled the stick and pointed it at Zenitsu.
"Haaah!! I hate it when people point sticks at me!" Zenitsu forcibly redirected the momentum of his charge and turned again.
"Thunderclap and Flash-!"
This time, he charged diagonally, faster and at a trickier angle.
Clink!
"Whoops, dodged it~"
The Sapphire Star shifted her feet, once again "sliding" away along the course of his blade. At the same time, her stick lightly tapped the side of his sword wrist as he rushed past.
Again