“You, you, you…”
Watching Kanzaki Kumo easily catch his nichirin blade and even unsheathe it to inspect the blade, Kuwajima completely lost his composure.
Since Kuwajima himself was quite short, this nichirin blade, custom-made for him, was also relatively short.
With Kanzaki Kumo’s height, he could fully unsheathe it.
However, because he hadn’t learned swordsmanship, Kanzaki Kumo only took one look before returning the blade to its scabbard.
After finishing, Kanzaki Kumo held the nichirin blade in one hand and just quietly looked at Kuwajima Jigorō.
On the surface, he was calm, but the little person in his heart was already doubling over with laughter.
Kanzaki Kumo: Teasing a stubborn but soft-hearted Little old man is actually quite interesting.
Kuwajima Jigorō: (╬￣dish￣)
However, seeing Kuwajima Jigorō wrapped in bandages in multiple places and with his right leg clearly shortened, Kanzaki Kumo also put away his playful thoughts.
“Mr.
Kuwajima, you don’t need to try to persuade me otherwise.
I am well aware of the brutality of demons and the dangers that Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen must face.
But demons are things one might encounter any day.
Learning a Breathing Technique will at least give me a few more means of survival when I do encounter one.”
Kanzaki Kumo’s gaze remained calm, but the determination revealed within it made the words Kuwajima was about to use to persuade him to quit get stuck in his throat.
“Hmph!
It’s too early to say all this.
Practicing a Breathing Technique is very bitter work.
Talk to me again once you, Brat, can actually endure it.” Seeing the maturity Kanzaki Kumo displayed that didn’t belong to his age, Kuwajima’s resolve wavered slightly, but his tone still refused to soften.
“We’ll just have to see when the time comes then.” Kanzaki Kumo shrugged, his tone somewhat casual.
“Oh right, I haven’t introduced myself yet.
My name is Kanzaki Kumo, and I’m an orphan.
You should have seen me outside the temple before.
So, recover well, my ‘future teacher.’ You need to get better soon so you can teach me properly.”
After saying that, Kanzaki Kumo placed the nichirin blade back in its original spot and then left the ward, no longer disturbing Kuwajima’s recovery.
Kuwajima Jigorō was startled by Kanzaki Kumo’s words.
Although he hadn’t intentionally hidden himself back then, out of combat instinct, he had still found a relatively inconspicuous corner.
He hadn’t expected to be noticed by a child.
If nothing else, this level of observational power truly surprised Kuwajima.
As the sound of the door closing pulled his thoughts back, he looked at the nichirin blade returned to its place, recalled their brief interaction just now, and the corners of Kuwajima’s mouth curled up slightly.
At least he didn’t dislike Kanzaki Kumo’s personality, and the boy had decent talent.
It was just this age…
After several moments of hesitation, he still decided to find a way to persuade Kanzaki Kumo to quit later on.
…
Leaving the ward, Kanzaki Kumo also had a smile on his face.
This stubborn but soft-hearted Little old man was indeed quite cute.
As for the other party still refusing to give up the idea of persuading him to quit, Kanzaki Kumo didn’t care.
At most, the training intensity would just be a bit higher, which would actually help him improve.
Being a bit more tired during training was better than being injured or even losing his life in actual combat in the future.
With a light step, Kanzaki Kumo soon reached the outside of the Medical Department, where the Kakushi who had led him there was still waiting.
Following the Kakushi to his residence, it turned out to be a small courtyard located on the mountainside.
The Medical Department was on the mountainside of another mountain opposite.
If not for the trees blocking the view, they could even see each other from a distance.
The small courtyard had a bedroom on each side, with the main door facing a main hall.
Behind the hall were a kitchen, bathroom, and such.
Although it was only a temporary residence, the facilities were fully equipped, and servants were even arranged to take care of it.
One could only say that the Ubuyashiki family was truly wealthy.
When Kanzaki Kumo arrived, Gyoumei happened to walk out of the bedroom on the left.
Before Kanzaki Kumo could proactively greet him, he had already heard the footsteps of the two people, even distinguishing Kanzaki Kumo’s footsteps, and nodded toward him.
Seeing this, Kanzaki Kumo, who had felt quite talented in front of Kuwajima, immediately lost that bit of smugness.
In front of a true natural genius, his bit of talent was really quite ordinary.
Thinking of natural geniuses, Kanzaki Kumo recalled that super genius from the original work who became a Hashira after holding a sword for only two months—and those two months even included the seven days delayed by the Final Selection.
He felt even less able to be smug.
But then he turned his head and stopped caring about those things.
No matter how others were, strengthening himself properly was the most important thing.
After delivering Kanzaki Kumo, the Kakushi turned and left.
While Kanzaki Kumo was lost in thought because of the keyword ‘natural genius,’ Gyoumei saw that Kanzaki Kumo wasn’t speaking and just stood there quietly.
It wasn’t until the chef assigned to the small courtyard came before the two of them that this strangely emerging silent atmosphere was broken.
“My lords, lunch is prepared.”
Should it be said that it’s truly an anime world?
Everything from the ingredients to the seasonings didn’t quite look like they belonged to this era.
Although the cooking style was different from Kanzaki Kumo’s previous life, the taste was quite good, far better than the simple meals he used to eat that barely counted as filling his stomach.
Perhaps because the food was so delicious, Gyoumei was eating while streaming tears, leaving Kanzaki Kumo staring in a daze.
…
In the blink of an eye, two and a half weeks passed.
During these days, both Kanzaki Kumo and Gyoumei lived in this small courtyard.
Currently, it was still focused on basic essential techniques combined with some simple physical exercises.
Knowing that Gyoumei’s body had suffered from long-term malnutrition, Ubuyashiki Kagaya specifically instructed him not to train too hard for the time being and to wait until his body was properly nourished.
Kanzaki Kumo also did some exercises on his own according to his body’s endurance.
With sufficient nutritional supplements, his originally somewhat thin and small physique underwent subtle changes.
Although other than his complexion looking healthier, everything else was temporarily difficult to see with the naked eye, his own feelings could not be faked.
Besides his daily exercise, he would also go to visit Kuwajima Jigorō every few days, occasionally bickering with him.
After several interactions, the relationship between the two sides had become much closer.
However, Kuwajima’s idea of persuading Kanzaki Kumo to quit remained deeply rooted, and even grew firmer as their relationship grew closer.
He mentioned more than once that he was willing to take Kanzaki Kumo in and let him play peacefully for a few years before thinking about learning a Breathing Technique.
Kanzaki Kumo was somewhat helpless about this.
He was glad his future teacher was a good person, but he was a bit too kind-hearted…
After silently giving Kuwajima Jigorō a ‘good person card’ in his heart, Kanzaki Kumo just let him be.
Anyway, the old man could keep persuading, and he would keep learning.
On this day, just after finishing breakfast and seeing Gyoumei off to the Ubuyashiki Estate, Kanzaki Kumo, who was about to start his daily exercise, suddenly heard a shout from outside the courtyard.
“Brat, your teacher’s body has recovered, I’m ready to leave.” Following the shout, the Little old man Kanzaki Kumo had become very familiar with, Kuwajima Jigorō, appeared at the courtyard gate.
By this time, he had been fitted with a prosthetic on his right leg, and all the bandages on his body had been removed.
He was leaning on a cane with one hand and waving to Kanzaki Kumo, who was standing in the courtyard, with the other.
“Little old man, your legs are inconvenient, why did you come all this way?
You could have just sent someone with a message.” Kanzaki Kumo complained while quickly stepping forward to support Kuwajima.
Through repeated interactions and bickering, this master and disciple duo had instead developed the air of ‘forget-the-years’ friends.
The nicknames ‘Brat’ and ‘Little old man’ would cause a wave of surprise among the newly arrived wounded in the Medical Department every time.
Truth be told, the physical enhancement from Breathing Techniques was truly impressive.
Kuwajima Jigorō’s injury recovery speed was much faster than that of an ordinary person.
If an ordinary person had suffered the kind of injury Kuwajima Jigorō had before, it would be uncertain if they could even get out of bed after these many days, yet Kuwajima could already move around normally.
“Look at what you’re saying.
Although my legs aren’t as nimble as before, I can still run and jump.” Kuwajima remained stubborn, but he was very cooperative with Kanzaki Kumo’s supporting movements.
In the realm of being stubborn but soft-hearted, the two were exceptionally well-matched.
Perhaps that was the key to them becoming close friends despite the age gap.
In any case, both sides were quite happy with it.
A carriage was parked at the foot of the mountain; clearly, Kuwajima hadn’t walked all the way from the Medical Department entirely on his own two legs.
This carriage would later take the two of them to their destination—Mount Momo, the place where Kuwajima had lived before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, and where he intended to live in seclusion now that he had retired.
Sitting in the carriage, listening to Kuwajima Jigorō’s memories of his old hometown while watching the scenery outside the window, Kanzaki Kumo’s thoughts drifted far away once again.