"It's not even yours..."
The girl's words carried a hint of shyness and playfulness, and a blush crept onto her cheeks, like peach blossoms blooming in early spring, causing ripples to spread across Teiichi's heart.
He reached out and gently stroked the girl's head, strands of hair slipping through his fingers.
Teiichi chuckled lightly, "It was bound to happen sooner or later!"
"Hey, Teiichi, how about we have a sparring session?" Kanae suggested, looking up at Teiichi.
"Weren't you injured during your Hashira Battles?" Teiichi asked.
Kanae shook her head. "It's nothing, just some superficial injuries. It won't affect our sparring! Besides, my strength is still far behind yours, right? You wouldn't accidentally hurt me, would you?"
Upon hearing this, Teiichi chuckled softly, "Alright, then let's see who's stronger, me or you, the number one Demon Slayer Corps!"
"You're still laughing at me!!" Kanae exclaimed in dissatisfaction, her voice carrying a hint of coquettishness.
"Okay! Okay! I won't say it again! I won't say it again!"
Teiichi chuckled lightly, then extended a hand towards Kanae.
Seeing this, Kanae reached out a hand, and with Teiichi's effort, Kanae's figure was slowly pulled up.
Suddenly, Kanae lost her footing and her body fell lightly backward.
"Um?"
Caught off guard by the fall, Teiichi didn't have time to brace himself. As he fell, the overwhelming fragrance made him momentarily disoriented, and in the blink of an eye Kanae pulled him down to the ground.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed across the wooden floor as the two figures crashed heavily to the ground, their bodies pressed together.
Kanae lay below, Teiichi Ding Yi pressed his entire body against her.
The two had never been so close before. This sudden intimacy left Teiichi somewhat bewildered. He could clearly feel Kanae's breathing and heartbeat, and her faint fragrance filled his nostrils, making him feel a strange restlessness.
Similarly, Kanae could also feel the strong masculine aura emanating from him, which made her tremble and a feeling she couldn't describe welled up inside her.
Teiichi lay motionless on Kanae's body, his gaze unconsciously lingering on her exquisite, flawless face.
Every contour is like a meticulously sculpted work of art, so exquisitely detailed it's breathtaking.
Unlike ordinary faces that cannot be examined closely, even at such close range, Kanae's face was as smooth and radiant as white jade, pure and refined.
His gaze lingered on her pretty face, finally settling on her clear, bright eyes.
As their eyes met, the air between them seemed to freeze. Their burning breaths mingled on their faces, making their hearts pound faster and faster, as if they were about to burst out of their chests.
This subtle atmosphere captivated them both, leaving them unable to extricate themselves.
Finally, Teiichi closed his eyes, and his head slowly slumped downwards.
The scene before her caused Kanae's delicate body to tremble involuntarily. Suppressing the pounding in her heart, she slowly closed her eyes.
"Elder sister!!"
An untimely voice suddenly rang out.
The two people lying on the ground quickly sat up.
Shortly after the two sat up, a figure turned the corner in the corridor.
Shinobu Kocho ran over excitedly.
Having just returned from a mission, she heard from Aoi that her older sister had also returned from the Hashira Meeting.
So he rushed over without stopping.
Seeing her younger sister run up to her, Kanae reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, regaining her usual gentle and graceful demeanor.
"You're back! How did the mission go? Was it successful?"
Shinobu Kocho nodded. "Yes, this time I..."
The conversation abruptly stopped. Looking at the two people sitting upright in front of her, and the lingering blush on their faces, Shinobu Kocho didn't continue talking about her mission, but instead asked a question.
What were you doing here just now?
"I... we..."
"We were just practicing, and we're just resting for a bit after we finished!" Seeing Kanae's stammering, Teiichi quickly explained.
Shinobu Kocho nodded suspiciously upon hearing this, but did not press the matter further. Instead, she began to share her experience of the mission.
Two months passed slowly.
For the past two months, Teiichi daily routine has consisted of self-cultivation.
Then, when one of Kanae, Shinobu Kocho, or Kanon is not on a mission, they can practice together.
And by the way, please give some pointers to Aoi Kanzaki and Kanae.
The peaceful days made Teiichi begin to think about what he should do next.
The ultimate goal is definitely to defeat Muzan.
To achieve this goal, daily training cannot be neglected.
If we exclude the ultimate goal, what should we do on a regular basis?
First and foremost, killing the demons is a must!
However, without a mission from the Demon Slayer Corps, finding a demon on your own is not so easy.
So, is the best way to quickly find demons still to join the Demon Slayer Corps?
However, later on, the Demon Slayer Corps, whether ordinary members or Pillars, found themselves with an increasing surplus of members.
At that time, there were even instances where two pillars were left at headquarters with nothing to do.
That's right, I'm talking about Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka.
Have you not seen what happened at Mount Natagumo?
At least a dozen or twenty ordinary team members went.
Meanwhile, Shinobu Kocho and Giyu Tomioka were just sitting at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters with nothing to do.
Then, when the Mount Natagumo incident happened, the two people who had nothing else to do went to provide support together.
In other words, from now until the final battle.
The Demon Slayer Corps has more and more combat power than ever before.
What's more, he saved Kanae and gained a Pillar as well.
In this situation, it seems that one doesn't need to face ordinary evil spirits.
Moreover, it wouldn't make much sense for him to ask Kagaya Ubuyashiki for a mission.
Because it's also very difficult to encounter the Upper Rank or Lower Rank.
As for ordinary demons, they are completely pointless in combat.
It would be better to leave the tasks to the ordinary teammates and let them gain experience.
Of course, this process will inevitably involve sacrifices.
However, Teiichi believes this is normal; what ideal doesn't come with sacrifice?
If you want your team members to become stronger, it is essential to let them face evil spirits directly.
After all, you can't grow evergreen plants in a greenhouse, and you can't raise a thoroughbred horse in a courtyard!
Of course, if it were Kyojuro Rengoku, he would probably want to take on more missions to protect the people below!
However, since the two have different goals, it's not appropriate to comment too much on others.
Based on the above, unless Kagaya Ubuyashiki actively assigns tasks to you, it's best not to ask for tasks yourself.
Since I can't proactively ask for tasks, what should I do on a regular basis?