Kanao Tsuyuri looked up and recognized it at once.
It was the very coin Kanae had given her.
The bronze coin gleamed gold, and paired with the smile on Su Chen's lips, it stirred something in Kanao's DNA.
She took the coin.
Then she pressed it firmly back into Su Chen's hand.
The girl's cheeks reddened again. "Mr. Su Chen, can I give you this coin?"
Su Chen was a little surprised. "Isn't this your favorite thing, Kanao?"
"I can't accept it."
"I see." Kanao's eyes flickered. "Then could you teach me a Breathing Style, Mr. Su Chen?"
Su Chen nodded with a smile. "Of course."
"Then this is my payment."
Kanao stuffed the coin into Su Chen's hand again.
This girl.
Su Chen smiled.
She wants to 'buy' my Breathing Style for one coin. The fruits of my mental labor really are going for a bargain!
Just look at little Kanao. She's probably secretly delighted right now!
Su Chen patted Kanao's head.
Then he slipped the coin into his shirt pocket.
One coin is still money.
Since that was the case.
Su Chen decided to teach Kanao "Rafflesia Breathing."
He did not yet have a Breathing Style that suited Kanao particularly well, so he could let her learn this one and give it a try first.
Su Chen raised the Wooden Sword in his hand and walked toward the open space in the courtyard.
When he noticed that Kanao had not followed.
He turned and called, "Come on. What are you standing there for?"
Kanao followed him with sweet, naive innocence.
At that moment, she still had no idea what she was about to face.
The two picked up their Wooden Swords.
Su Chen began demonstrating the movements to Kanao with meticulous precision.
Meanwhile.
At the Ubuyashiki estate.
The sky was a deep blue, dotted with a few white clouds.
A noisy messenger crow flew into Ubuyashiki's room.
Lady Amane removed the envelope from the crow's leg, then let it fly away.
"It's a letter from Kyojuro."
Lady Amane opened the envelope and knelt gracefully beside Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
She read the contents of the letter aloud with great care.
It recorded Kyojuro's training sessions with Su Chen.
It described Su Chen's talent, character, and some of his accomplishments in detail.
In particular, when Lady Amane read the words "Su Chen created his own Blazing Breathing," she even faltered for a moment.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled gently. "Su Chen really does spare us a great deal of worry."
Lady Amane set down the letter and looked at her husband. "What should we do next? Tomorrow is Su Chen's match against Shinazugawa. Do we still need to arrange more training for him?"
"No need." Kagaya Ubuyashiki could not help coughing twice.
His body was growing weaker and weaker.
Even his voice was steeped in weakness.
"Amane, go and prepare a Demon Slayer Corps uniform for Su Chen, and allocate a Nichirin Blade for the boy as well. Cough, cough, cough-"
Lady Amane hurried forward to pat Kagaya Ubuyashiki's back.
As she eased the current Oyakata-sama's discomfort, she asked, "Kagaya, the match hasn't even begun. Are we preparing everything already?"
"Cough, cough, cough-"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke weakly, but his words were full of appreciation for Su Chen.
"Yes. I have a feeling this boy may astonish everyone when the time comes."
"I have already acknowledged him."
Lady Amane smiled silently.
It had been a long time since she had heard Kagaya Ubuyashiki say such things.
Had the last time been when she brought Muichiro back?
Lady Amane carefully settled Kagaya Ubuyashiki down, then left the room.
She went to prepare the Demon Slayer Corps' standard equipment for Su Chen.
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form-Cold Mountain Wind!"
The wind thundered, its mighty howl filling the mountain valley.
Under the scorching sun.
This was already the twentieth consecutive time Shinazugawa had used the Fifth Form on the isolated mountain.
This move had the fastest opening of all the Wind Breathing forms.
Each use raised his body temperature another notch.
But he had already performed it twenty times in a row, and aside from feeling a little feverish, there was basically nothing unusual happening to his body.
"Shinazugawa, can you even do it? You still haven't awakened your Demon Slayer Mark?"
Hearing that familiar, slyly teasing voice.
Shinazugawa looked toward its source. "Iguro, why are you here again?"
"I came to tell you something."
Obanai Iguro walked over to Shinazugawa. "Do you remember what day tomorrow is?"
"Tomorrow?" Shinazugawa looked at him blankly. "What day is it?"
"Honestly, you're such a careless brute. Tomorrow is your match with Su Chen. Have you already forgotten?" Obanai Iguro could not help shaking his head.
Shinazugawa was certainly a good sparring partner, but sometimes his brain simply did not work very well.
His reactions were slower than those of the Lower Rank demons Obanai had killed.
Only after hearing Obanai's words did Shinazugawa remember.
But he did not care. Rather than worry about his match with Su Chen, he would be better off figuring out that thing called a Demon Slayer Mark first.
One look at his expression told Obanai that his words had not sunk in.
Obanai said, "You know, I ran into the Flame Hashira yesterday. Guess what he told me?"
"What?" Shinazugawa turned his head.
Obanai said, "The Flame Hashira said he'd learned a new move, so I exchanged a move with him."
Shinazugawa sounded somewhat dismissive. "What's so special about that?"
Obanai said, "I lost."
"What?!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes widened. "You lost in one move?!"
"Of course not! Am I really that bad?!" Obanai snapped. "His opening move was just very strange. I held back on my first move, so he caught me off guard."
"After losing that exchange, I used my ultimate move before Kyojuro did, so I lost."
After hearing Obanai's explanation, Shinazugawa was utterly puzzled.
He rubbed his chin and asked again, "What was that move?"
"It was a very strange move. It actually let him unleash tangible flames!"
"What?!"
Shinazugawa's eyes were almost as wide as Kyojuro's.
He said in disbelief, "The Flame Hashira has already mastered a skill like that?! Has he awakened his Demon Slayer Mark?!"
But Obanai shook his head. "No. He said Su Chen taught him that move."
"Su Chen?" The excitement on Shinazugawa's face instantly collapsed.
How could it be Su Chen?
Obanai continued, "Shinazugawa, do you still look down on Su Chen now?"
For once, Shinazugawa fell silent.
He really had not taken his match with Su Chen seriously before, but now it seemed Su Chen's talent was truly a little terrifying.
"If you really want to know how to awaken your Demon Slayer Mark, I think you could pay the Butterfly Mansion a visit," Obanai suggested to Shinazugawa.
But Shinazugawa shook his head like a rattle drum.
What a joke. Was he supposed to go ask Su Chen?
Even if he had to keep performing the Fifth Form until he died today, he would never go to Su Chen to ask him anything!
Obanai covered his forehead helplessly, and even the way he looked at Shinazugawa changed.
"You misunderstood."
Before you continue