"Of course, if you have the time." Mizuki spread her hands.
Tokito Muichiro bowed: "Then I will trouble you."
Although this child has a bit of a poker face, he is still polite.
As Mizuki sighed with emotion, Zenitsu, who was lying down comfortably, suddenly sensed something bad.
Sure enough, Tanjirou suddenly spoke hesitantly: "Um... Miss Mizuki, can I join the afternoon training?"
Inosuke lay flat on the open ground, raising a fist high: "I want to come too!"
Shinazugawa Genya: "Tch, that's nothing."
Zenitsu's mouth twitched fiercely twice.
Compete, just compete him to death.
Damn it... "Zenitsu." Probably because he didn't get a response from Zenitsu, Tanjirou looked at Zenitsu with an expectant face.
"..." Zenitsu opened his mouth, and everyone else's eyes turned towards him.
He couldn't refuse at all.
Zenitsu's eyes lost their sparkle, and his face held a slightly broken expression.
Tanjirou grinned and did not press further, because he had already gotten the answer he wanted.
On the other side, Mizuki came before Kochou Shinobu.
"The tea is cold. Do you need me to prepare a new pot?" Kochou Shinobu smiled slightly.
"No need." Mizuki shook her head.
Kotetsu's face darkened. How outrageous.
She clearly threatened him with that look earlier, yet she doesn't want it now?
Tanjirou reached out to Muichiro with a sunny expression: "Tokito-kun, shall we all go to the dining hall together?"
"Hmph!"
Before Tokito could speak, Gin-ko, standing on Muichiro's shoulder, snorted coldly and turned her head away.
Tokito Muichiro raised his eyes to look at Tanjirou, hesitated, and then nodded: "Mm."
After the previous battle, Muichiro had acknowledged deep down that Tanjirou was on the same level as him.
Kochou Shinobu watched this scene from afar, a faint smile on her lips: "I am starting to understand why Mizuki cares so much about Tanjirou."
"What?" Mizuki looked stunned.
"That child... seems to carry a kind of magic," Kochou Shinobu said with a smile. "He always attracts the attention of others."
"Is that so?"
Mizuki didn't feel anything in particular, just that Tanjirou's personality was very kind, which is why people liked him.
Tanjirou waved at Mizuki and the other person from afar, inviting them to the dining hall together.
Mizuki casually waved her hand, signaling them to go first.
The group marched grandly down the mountain.
Watching the people ahead talking and laughing, the two hanging back at the end also chatted.
"Tokito-kun... I hope that child Tanjirou can help him recover his memories."
Mizuki couldn't help but look sideways: "Recover memories?"
"Yes, it was about three years ago. The Tokito family was attacked by a Demon. When that child was brought to the Butterfly Mansion by Amane-sama, he was covered in injuries, and even his memory was damaged."
"Amane-sama said that the child was originally a very gentle person, and only became like this after losing his memory."
"Is that so?" Mizuki looked at Muichiro, who occasionally gave a small response to Tanjirou's enthusiasm.
Memories are something that will naturally return when the time is right.
In comparison, what she cared about more was...
"Right, Shinobu mentioned before that Genya received treatment at the Butterfly Mansion, didn't she?"
"Yes, Genya's physical condition is very special, so he comes to the Butterfly Mansion for checkups occasionally." Kochou Shinobu nodded slightly.
"Two years ago, that child was still very frail, and his physique couldn't compare to Tanjirou and the others at all."
"But after devouring a Demon, he became the way you see him now."
Shinazugawa Genya was the strongest and most robust among their group.
With a height of a full 180 centimeters, his physique could not be called frail; it was completely unrelated to frailty.
Mizuki asked: "Are there side effects to his condition?"
Kochou Shinobu showed a look of helplessness: "Since he eats Demons, wouldn't the biggest problem be if there were no problems at all?"
"If that state of Demonization is used long-term, it might cause some irreversible damage to his body."
"He might even turn into a genuine Demon if he eats too many."
As expected?
Mizuki thought to herself.
That state can only be used as a last resort.
Tokito Muichiro and Genya were both Mizuki's training targets, and learning more about them would benefit the upcoming instruction.
Tokito Muichiro and Shinazugawa Genya were two extremes: one was overly quiet, and the other was overly volatile.
But with Tanjirou, a decent person with moderate attributes, acting as a mediator, no conflicts occurred during the group's training. Instead, because they trained together, they became more and more in sync.
"Then I will head back first. Let's say our goodbyes here."
A few days after arriving at the Swordsmith Village, Kochou Shinobu took her leave.
There was nothing wrong with her Nichirin Blade to begin with, and the maintenance was completed in a day. If she delayed any longer, Kanao and Aoi at the Butterfly Mansion would be overwhelmed.
Although she still wanted to bathe with Mizuki, neglecting her responsibilities as a Pillar for such a thing was something Kochou Shinobu would absolutely not allow.
"Miss Shinobu, see you another time."
Originally, Tanjirou and the other two should have gone back with her, but training could happen anywhere.
It was also good that they could increase their intensity here alongside a Pillar.
If there truly was a mission to execute, the Kasugai Crow would naturally bring the news.
However, the status of Tanjirou and the others was currently a bit delicate, and Kochou Shinobu thought the possibility was low.
Compared to letting the legendary Origin Breathing Swordsman grow, it was fine if others handled the trouble caused by Demons.
Priorities must be clear.
In the days after Kochou Shinobu left, everyone trained every day from morning until night fell, tormenting Zenitsu until he wanted to cry out for his mother and father.
With the Demon Slayer Mark already activated, the only thing Mizuki could guide them on was combat experience.
No amount of practice is better than one actual combat fight.
Although Muichiro's words were less harsh under Tanjirou's influence, his resilient mindset made activating the Demon Slayer Mark extremely difficult.
The increase in heart rate and body temperature was not nonexistent, but rather, completely stagnant.
As for Genya, Mizuki gave him no opportunities afterward, causing Genya to go straight from being the team's core member to a non-entity.
When he wasn't devouring Demon flesh, even getting close to Mizuki was a luxury for Genya.
This also made Genya quite frustrated... The silver moon hung high in the sky, and Mizuki leaned against the edge of the hot spring with a look of contentment.
Although the training wasn't intense for her, Mizuki felt somewhat overwhelmed by this routine every day.
She wondered where these people got their abundant energy from.
The cold night air entering her lungs cleared Mizuki's mind a little.
Mitsuri and Shinobu had already left, and now only Muichiro remained here.
The heavy atmosphere she had sensed before seemed to have vanished with their departure.
Is everything... alright now?
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