"These are specially made mechanical dolls from the Swordsmith Village that can be used in combat!" Teiichi explained.
"Eh?! That's amazing!" Mitsuri's beautiful eyes lit up. "Can I go and see for myself?"
"..."
"Fine, come along if you want!"
"Uh-huh!"
Mitsuri nodded happily and followed closely behind Teiichi.
Teiichi arrived at Kotetsu's workshop with practiced ease and picked up the wooden box that was lying flat on the ground.
Then he led Mitsuri into the forest.
Along the way, Mitsuri's gaze kept falling on the suitcase on Teiichi's back.
" Mr. Kato, is this the mechanical doll you just mentioned in the box?"
"Hmm!" Teiichi slightly and replied succinctly.
"How did you find this doll?" Mitsuri asked curiously.
"Well... that's a long story!"
"It's alright, we're not in a hurry!" Mitsuri put her hands behind her back, looking like she was all ears.
Teiichi glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said:
"That's roughly it, like this and that..."
"So, Mr. Kato, you've been in the Swordsmith Village for quite a while now?" Mitsuri raised a hand to cover her mouth.
"Yes, we've been here for over a month, and it'll probably take another month or so!" Teiichi confirmed.
"Huh? It's going to be this long? Then I'll be staying here for a long time this time!" Mitsuri was a little surprised. She originally thought that she would only stay for half a month or a month.
"Your Nichirin Blade is quite special; you'll probably be staying here for quite some time!" Teiichi, agreeing with her guess.
"So what did Mr. Kato do in the Swordsmith Village before?"
Teiichi before replying, "I train during the day, occasionally checking on the Nichirin Blade forging progress, and then in the evening I eat, read, and look at the stars... emmm... that's about it!"
Teiichi had originally planned to go to hot springs sometimes.
However, fearing the awkwardness that followed, I skipped the hot spring.
"Ugh~ Mr. Kato, your life is so boring!" Mitsuri said disdainfully.
"..."
Ding Teiichi had to admit that his life did seem rather dull and monotonous.
There's not much to do besides training every day.
Teiichi has actually tried other recreational activities as well.
But for someone who experienced so many forms of entertainment in later generations...
These kinds of entertainment activities are fine to do occasionally, but Dingyi simply can't get addicted Teiichi them.
"But perhaps that's why you were able to hit so many Upper Rank all by yourself!" Mitsuri then turned to Teiichi and smiled.
Teiichi's gaze lingered on Mitsuri's face for a moment, then gently moved away.
Maybe!
During their conversation, the two arrived at Teiichi clearing in the forest where Ding Yi usually practiced his cultivation.
With a 'bang', the wooden box containing Yoriichi Type Zero was gently placed down by Teiichi.
As the wooden crate was opened, Teiichi took out Yoriichi Type Zero.
Looking at the six-armed Yoriichi Type Zero remarkably like a real person, Mitsuri excitedly whispered.
"Wow... wow... that's amazing!"
" Mr. Kato, did you see that? This doll looks just like a real person! And it even has six arms!"
"Can this doll really move? How do I make it move?"
"Will the six hands behind him move along with him when he moves?"
"When you fight, isn't it six hands against one hand, no, six hands against two hands? Isn't that a bit unfair?"
"And what happens after he starts moving..."
Teiichi couldn't help but tilt his head back slightly, trying to avoid Mitsuri's incessant chatter, but he quickly realized it wasn't very effective, so he helplessly raised his hand to interrupt Mitsuri.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
After saying "Stop" three times in a row, Mitsuri finally stopped, but she opened her mouth slightly, clearly still looking like she hadn't had enough.
Teiichi, Dingyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Isn't this the kind of thing guys should like?
Why are you, a girl, so excited about this?
Mitsuri had too many questions, Teiichi wasn't interested in answering them all. He figured he might as well let her see for herself.
After taking the Yoriichi Type Zero -up key from his pocket, Teiichi quietly approached Yoriichi Type Zero from behind, inserted the key into the back of Yoriichi Type Zero's neck, and twisted it.
Soon, accompanied by a creaking sound, Yoriichi Type Zero started moving again.
"Wow!! Mr. Kato, look, he's really moving! He's really moving!! That's amazing!!!" Mitsuri's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Her gaze was fixed on Yoriichi Type Zero, and after a long while, Mitsuri slowly withdrew her curious gaze.
His gaze shifted back to Teiichi, but when it was only halfway there, his movement abruptly stopped.
The image entered her mind first.
There, Teiichi stood quietly, his gaze fixed on her, just as she had when she watched Yoriichi Type Zero.
Mitsuri's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned her head away, her fair neck instantly flushed with a faint blush, like the sunset on the horizon.
After waiting for a while, Mitsuri seemed to have mustered up her courage and secretly turned her emerald green eyes.
What came into her view was still Mr. Kato's figure, staring intently at her.
Under Teiichi Yi's focused gaze, Mitsuri felt as if her cheeks were on fire, the heat rising and becoming increasingly flushed.
She bit her lip shyly, her pink lips trembling slightly, and asked softly:
" Mr. Kato, what's wrong?"
Hearing Mitsuri's words, Teiichi back to reality, frowned slightly, and asked the question that had been nagging at him:
" Mitsuri, your muscle density is several times that of the average person, right?"
"Eight times!" Mitsuri answered without hesitation, then explained, "Because I ate so much when I was little, I always felt like I was never full. So my family was very worried about me, and they took me to see a doctor. This is what the doctor said after the examination!"
After saying that, Mitsuri's bright eyes were filled with doubt as she looked at Teiichi, not understanding why he had suddenly asked this question.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem, Mr. Kato?" Mitsuri asked, tilting her head.
Teiichi didn't answer her question, but continued to stare intently at Mitsuri, "Since you have such good physical talent, why were you only ranked in the middle during the previous Hashira Battles?"
"Huh?"
Mitsuri suddenly felt a bad feeling, the blush on her cheeks quickly faded, and she involuntarily took a step back.
Her head spun left and right like a rattle-drum, a hint of hesitation in her eyes, and she stammered as she explained:
"This... this might be because I joined the team relatively late!"