"But..." Rokuya shifted his tone, growing serious. "It isn't enough for me to protect you on my own. Real security comes from whether the blade in your own hands is sharp enough."
He looked at Shinobu and said, enunciating every word, "I'm not just going to spend this recovery period healing. I'm going to help you get stronger, strong enough that no demon can threaten your lives."
Shinobu lifted her head, looking at Rokuya with red, swollen eyes, and nodded firmly. "I want to get stronger! I don't want to be useless anymore, only able to watch you risk your lives!"
"Good." Rokuya smiled in satisfaction. "In that case, we can't train just you. Go notify the Kasugai Crow. Tell Giyu, Sabito, and Makomo to drop whatever missions they're working on and get their asses back to headquarters."
Kanae looked a little surprised. "You want to call them all back? What about Oyakata-sama..."
"I'll talk to Oyakata-sama." Rokuya waved a hand, a sharp glint flashing through his eyes. "As they are now, they're nowhere near ready to face truly powerful enemies. Rather than letting them wander around outside trying their luck, we should use this calm before the storm to hone their skills properly."
Three days later, at the training ground on the Back Mountain behind the Butterfly Mansion.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fierce ringing of clashing metal echoed through the woods.
Sabito gripped his wooden sword with both hands, panting heavily as sweat trickled down his cheeks from his forehead. His distinctive, medium-length, flesh-colored hair was completely soaked with sweat, but his eyes remained as fierce as a starving wolf's.
In the clearing opposite him, Giyu Tomioka remained expressionless, but his sword hand trembled slightly. He was clearly nearing his limit. The petite Makomo kept adjusting her breathing