In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting patches of dappled light and shadow across the room.
With a few shakes, Teiichi woke from his dreams and opened his eyes, his Wind Breathing automatically starting up as well.
He gave a lazy yawn, his gaze still somewhat dazed.
This was his first day practicing Total Concentration: Constant, and Teiichi had already lost count of how many times he had been shaken awake.
As his vision gradually cleared, he saw Kanon sitting beside his bed. Their eyes met, and then Teiichi slowly closed his eyes again, preparing to go back to sleep.
"Teiichi..." Kanon called softly as she watched the boy before her, interrupting his attempt to fall asleep.
Hearing Kanon call him just as he was about to drift off, Teiichi opened his eyes again and looked at her in puzzlement. "What is it?"
Kanon looked at the boy before her. He had already slept several times, yet he only seemed increasingly listless. Unable to help feeling sorry for him, she said:
"How about putting off practicing Constant for now? If you keep sleeping so poorly, you won't have any energy."
Teiichi gave her a warm smile and said:
"Everyone goes through this. Who could master it in a day? Haven't today's results been pretty good already? My Wind Breathing starts automatically as soon as I wake up now."
Seeing that Kanon still looked worried after he finished speaking, he reassured her, "It's all right. Don't worry."
Knowing she could not change his mind, Kanon could only say, "All right."
Night fell quietly. The last glow of sunset on the horizon gradually faded, replaced by a sky full of stars and a bright moon.
Kanon gently woke Teiichi. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and ate a simple meal she had prepared, then quickly gathered his thoughts and headed for the mountaintop alone, ready to begin that day's special training.
After reaching the summit, Teiichi stepped onto an enormous, towering rock. Standing at its peak like a solitary watchman, he gazed at the tranquil, mysterious world before him.
Above him lay the deep, boundless night sky, its stars glittering brilliantly like scattered pearls.
Looking up at the stars, one could not help being awed by the vast, limitless universe and feeling small and insignificant.
Below him, lights dotted the town.
He felt as though he could sense the warmth and vitality within those lights, as though he could hear the bustle and laughter coming from the town.
The night breeze blew gently, carrying a hint of coolness along with the freshness and tranquility unique to the night.
These surroundings gave Teiichi a sense of peace and relaxation unlike any he had felt before.
He closed his eyes, feeling the soft night breeze brush his cheeks and listening to the insects calling in the darkness and the distant sound of the wind.
At that moment, he felt as though he had become one with the entire world.
After a long while, Teiichi slowly drew the Nichirin Blade at his waist. Its edge gleamed coldly in the moonlight, seeming to merge with the surrounding night sky. He gripped the hilt tightly, feeling the blade's substantial weight and delicate balance.
His mind grew as calm as a lake, without a single ripple. As his breathing gradually steadied, he began swinging his Nichirin Blade, practicing the sword forms of Wind Breathing.
First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind
Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon
The various sword forms of Wind Breathing flowed smoothly from Teiichi's hands.
He repeated the movements again and again, seeming to enter a state of self-forgetfulness.
Perhaps it was precisely because he had truly become part of this world that, as he practiced, Teiichi could clearly feel the subtle responses coming from every part of his body each time he swung his Nichirin Blade.
Those faint sensations of discomfort were like silent teachers, guiding Teiichi as he made fine adjustments to his movements.
He keenly picked up on those signals, following his body's cues to slightly change the height or angle of his arms, or apply a little more force. Every tiny adjustment brought him one step closer to perfect swordsmanship.
Daybreak.
The faint light after dawn fell upon the summit, as though draping the whole world in a veil of gold.
A boy stood on the massive rock at the mountaintop, wielding the long sword in his hands.
Gradually, a light breeze quietly gathered around him.
Unlike before, however, this breeze had not arisen from unleashing Wind Breathing at full power. Instead, his masterful execution of the sword forms had naturally drawn it to him.
As he continued his movements, the breeze grew stronger and stronger. It seemed to become Teiichi's companion, dancing alongside him.
The breeze flowed around him, sometimes caressing his cheeks, sometimes lifting his hair, as though cheering him on. At that moment, Teiichi and the wind reached a kind of unspoken understanding, responding to and complementing each other.
His every movement was smooth and natural, his blade tracing graceful arcs through the air. His steps were light yet steady, matching the rhythm of his sword to form a harmonious cadence.
His sword forms were as swift and fierce as a sudden storm, yet as natural as drifting clouds and flowing water. At times he delivered a sharp thrust; at others he traced a smooth arc. Every movement brimmed with strength and beauty.
A long while passed.
Once he finished the final sword form, Teiichi slowly returned the Nichirin Blade in his hand to its sheath.
He stood quietly, but his thoughts surged ceaselessly like the tide.
He recalled the feeling of his sword practice just now. It had been utterly different from before, with the breeze swirling around him, as though the world itself were watching him.
This wondrous change brought a faint smile to his lips, and he thought to himself, Is this what being a swordsmanship prodigy in the novels from my previous life feels like?
Master Shoma's figure suddenly appeared in his mind without warning, as though crossing time and space.
That kind yet stern face made Teiichi's upturned lips gradually flatten, and a trace of sorrow and longing flashed in his eyes.
"If Master Shoma were still here..." Teiichi murmured, his voice so soft that almost no one but he himself could hear it.
He knew that if his master were still alive, seeing his progress now would surely fill him with immense pride and gratification.
Unfortunately, life was unpredictable and always filled with far too many regrets.
Teiichi slowly exhaled, suppressing the emotions churning in his chest.
Teiichi drew a deep breath, striving to calm his surging emotions.
He silently straightened his clothes, then turned and headed down the mountain with firm steps.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Over those five days, Teiichi rushed to make progress and finally mastered the Breathing Style technique of Total Concentration: Constant on the fourth day.
To make sure his success had not been a fluke, he still asked Kanon to help monitor him on the fifth day.
The results proved that Teiichi had indeed become proficient in the skill.
Looking back over those five days, although Teiichi had never tallied the exact numbers, Kanon had counted for him.
On the first day, he had been woken as many as 28 times! He had slept only five or six hours in total, averaging four or five awakenings an hour. Factoring in the time it took to fall asleep, he had been woken almost every few minutes.
By the second day, however, the number of times he had been woken dropped sharply to just 12.
On the third day, his improvement was even more pronounced: he had only been woken three times.
Mastering Total Concentration: Constant also brought Teiichi considerable relief. He had finally learned it before Kanon left.
Otherwise, once Kanon was gone, there would be no one to help Teiichi practice Constant.
Of course, the "Constant" state we are discussing here was actually only the most basic, lowest-output manifestation of Total Concentration Breathing.
An almost insurmountable gulf still separated it from the full-power state of Total Concentration Breathing used in battle.
For Teiichi, his current "Constant" state could be described as using the breathing method of Wind Breathing around the clock, without interruption.
This breathing method not only made his breathing smoother, but also maintained a certain level of physical fitness and reaction speed in his daily life.
However, compared with the full-power Total Concentration Breathing required in actual combat, this Constant state still paled in comparison.
In essence, a Breathing Style was a method of using special techniques to take in large amounts of oxygen over a short period.
This could rapidly enhance the body's various functions, allowing it to unleash extraordinary strength within an extremely short time.
But just as an ordinary person could not keep breathing deeply for long, maintaining Total Concentration Breathing for an extended period placed an extremely heavy burden on the body.
Although Teiichi's current Constant state allowed him to take in far more oxygen over the same period than an ordinary person breathing normally, it still fell significantly short of the full-power Total Concentration Breathing required in combat.
This gap lay not only in oxygen intake, but even more in the enhancement to bodily functions provided by the Breathing Style.
For Teiichi, further progress in his Breathing Style would mainly involve continually improving his breathing efficiency.
Through continuous practice and exploration, he needed to find the breathing rhythm and method that suited him best, allowing him to use his Breathing Style more efficiently in battle and unleash even greater strength.
Today, Teiichi neither went to sleep nor threw himself into training as usual. He merely sat quietly in a corner of his home, his gaze deep and unfocused, as though some invisible force were drawing his thoughts far away.
The air inside the house seemed especially heavy that day, a sense of oppression spreading through every room like an invisible haze.
That was because today was the day the Kakushi would come to collect Kanon and take her to the Butterfly Mansion.
Although this decision had long been expected, when the moment truly arrived, it was still impossible to face it lightly.
Teien and Kanon sat upright not far from each other, yet remained silent throughout.
Though they were only a short distance apart, that silence was like an uncrossable gulf stretching between them.
Their eyes occasionally met, only to quickly turn away again, as though each saw in the other's eyes the sorrow neither wished to mention.
This silent understanding seemed like an unspoken agreement between them, and also an uncrossable gulf within their hearts.