Kiyohiko, why did you want to train with Kanao?

Kanao still wore her usual smile. She turned and walked toward the dojo Shinobu Kocho had specially prepared for Kiyohiko, taking two wooden swords from the rack along the way and tossing one to him.

"Straight to it!"

Kiyohiko caught the wooden sword and weighed it in his hand.

"Heh, Kanao, you might be Shinobu Kocho's apprentice, but I'm a demon with regenerative abilities, you know. I'll go easy on you, so you won't have to go crying to her."

Ten minutes later.

"Pwah-!!!"

Kiyohiko flew through the air in a graceful arc like a rag doll, then slammed into the edge of the dojo.

"Wait, wait! Stop! Time out!"

Kiyohiko scrambled to his feet, looking as though he'd seen a ghost as he pointed at Kanao, who stood in the middle of the dojo without even breathing hard.

What just happened?

All he remembered was striking a starting pose he thought looked cool and getting ready to say a few impressive words.

Then...

There was no "then." All he saw was a pink afterimage. The next instant, his stomach felt as though it had been struck by a charging boar, and he went flying.

If Shinobu Kocho's attacks were full of twisted amusement and teasing, Kanao's attacks held absolutely nothing back. Pulling her punches simply wasn't a thing.

Kanao tilted her head, seemingly puzzled as to why this demon was so weak.

The wooden sword in her hand hung at her side. She was utterly relaxed, yet without an opening. That was the Breathing Style Total Concentration: Constant. Every muscle was filled with oxygen, ready to unleash its power at any moment.

"Fine. Very good."

Kiyohiko spat out his saliva, the flippancy and humor gradually fading from his eyes. "I take back what I said. Looks like an apprentice trained by that nasty woman really is no pushover."

He took a deep breath.

Looks like I'll have to show what I can really do. Did she think all those beatings I took from Shinobu Kocho were for nothing?

"Again."

This time, Kiyohiko didn't bother with a flashy pose.

He lowered his center of gravity, his pupils contracting slightly into vertical pinpricks. The world grew slow and clear in his eyes. The tremble of leaves in the wind, the flutter of Kanao's hair, even the tiny signs of her muscles about to move... he took it all in.

Kanao moved.

It was another astonishingly fast rush, her wooden sword slicing through the air straight toward Kiyohiko's shoulder.

But just as the wooden sword was about to touch him, Kiyohiko's figure twisted strangely.

He turned sideways and let the blade pass, close enough to feel the pressure of the wind it raised brush his cheek. Then, using a demon's flexibility that defied human biomechanics, he twisted his waist sharply and closed in like a python lunging at its prey.

"Got you."

A low voice sounded beside Kanao's ear.

Just as Kanao was about to change her move, Kiyohiko's hand clamped around the wrist holding her sword like an iron vise.

At the same time, he gave a light flick with his wooden sword, sending Kanao's sword flying.

The wooden sword fell to the floor.

A moment of silence descended over the dojo.

Their current position was a little awkward.

Kiyohiko stood to Kanao's right, one hand gripping both her wrists and holding her hands in front of her neck, while his arm pinned her upper body so she couldn't move.

This position seemed a little familiar.

Right. It was the same position Giyu had used to restrain Shinobu Kocho.

"Phew..."

Kiyohiko breathed a sigh of relief. Though their exchange had lasted only a moment, he had put every ounce of strength he had into it and concentrated completely.

"Well, Miss Tsuyuri? I might not usually seem very reliable, but when I get serious, I'm pretty strong, right?"

Kanao struggled a few times in his arms like a kitten caught in a trap, but stopped when she found she couldn't budge that iron arm at all. She blinked, seemingly a little puzzled by the result.

"Well? Do you give up? Just nod and I'll let-"

"Oh my, what are you doing?"

A voice so gentle it could drip water, yet which made the temperature around them drop ten degrees in an instant, suddenly came from the dojo entrance.

Kiyohiko froze. As if he'd touched something hot, he reflexively released Kanao at once and turned his head mechanically. Shinobu Kocho stood at the entrance to the dojo.

She wore her signature butterfly haori, her hands tucked into her sleeves and a perfect, flawless smile on her face. Only, there was no warmth in that smile.

"I was only gone for a little while. How did I come back to such a 'wonderful' sight?"

Shinobu Kocho tilted her head, a dangerous light flickering in her purple eyes.

"Mr. Kiyohiko, bullying girls will get you kicked to death by a horse, you know. Especially... treating my tsuguko so roughly."

"No! It's a misunderstanding! We were sparring! A proper spar!"

"And she was the one who went for the kill first! That sword strike was aimed right at my nose!"

Freed again, Kanao tidied her somewhat disheveled hair and walked over to Shinobu, still expressionless, then bowed.

Shinobu Kocho reached out and gently straightened Kanao's collar, her voice growing warmer.

"Kanao, you can go back now. Remember to wash your face."

Kanao nodded, glanced once more at the trembling Kiyohiko, then flipped a coin again and turned to leave with a light step.

Only two people remained in the dojo.

The smile on Shinobu's face did not disappear as she walked toward Kiyohiko, one step at a time.

Her geta made extremely soft taps against the wooden floor. Each one felt as though it landed on Kiyohiko's nerves.

She stopped only when she was half a step away from him.

"Say, Mr. Kiyohiko."

Shinobu tilted her head up slightly. Her voice was very soft, but carried a pressure that could not be ignored.

"Could you tell me? Why did you want to train with Kanao?"

"Uh... because... because I happened to run into her..."

Kiyohiko's eyes darted about. He tried to back away, only to find the wall already behind him.

"Was it because you thought Kanao was cuter?"

Shinobu Kocho edged a little closer, nearly pressing against his chest.

"Or... do you think my training isn't good enough? Not 'gentle' enough? Is that why you went looking for someone else?"

"No, no, no! Absolutely not!"

Kiyohiko shook his head desperately, cold sweat running down his cheeks. "Your training... is very... very profound! Very unforgettable! I just... I was just afraid of tiring you out! That's right! You're a doctor. Your hands are for saving people, not for beating... instructing me!"

"Hehe..."

Shinobu let out a soft laugh. She reached out a slender finger and gently poked Kiyohiko's chest.

"You do have a way with words. But since you're so capable that you could even subdue Kanao..."

Her finger slowly slid up his chest, finally stopping at his Adam's apple.

"Then it seems the training really hasn't been intense enough. Since you're so fond of 'hands-on instruction'..."

She suddenly withdrew her hand and turned her back on him, her haori tracing an elegant arc through the air.

"Then for the next hour, I'll play with you personally. This time... I'll let you experience what real 'gentleness' is."