Gyomei had been away from the Northern Borderlands for quite a few days.
The two children's lives at the Dojo continued to follow their usual routine.
They were no longer as tense as when they first arrived, though, looking around like lost little rabbits.
As an apprentice candidate for the Demon Slayer Corps, Yan Zi naturally had to train alongside everyone else.
Morning runs, sword swings, Breathing Style practice, and sparring.
She had struggled to adjust at first, but in the Dojo's unique atmosphere, she soon fit right in with everyone.
Her somewhat competitive nature also made her grit her teeth and stick with the training.
Of course, it was a simplified training regimen Xia Xi had designed specifically for her.
A street girl who had yet to master even a Breathing Style naturally could not train at the same intensity as Senior and Elite Swordsmen.
That would not nurture her talent; it would only ruin a promising prospect before she could grow.
As for Sayo...
She mostly studied reading and writing with some of the Dojo's servants, and even Vice-Captain Persimmon.
After all, this little girl of seven or eight would not become a combatant.
To become a member of the support staff, whatever else she needed, she at least had to learn literacy and arithmetic.
She had to be able to write a simple report.
Still, teaching her was one thing. Nobody had said they would send her off to work for the Kakushi or another department right away.
Xia Xi and the others could afford another mouth to feed.
Everyone simply raised her at Kūmachiza as though she were Gyomei's daughter.
The child really was very considerate, though.
She never threw tantrums or fussed over every little thing like other children.
Whenever she saw the Northern Region's