"Can I try it?" Aoi asked full of anticipation.
Kenshi smiled and generously handed his sword over.
Aoi excitedly accepted it, but when gripping the hilt, her hand trembled slightly.
This scene was caught by both him and Shinobu.
But Aoi didn't think too much about it.
She excitedly drew the blade, praising it while caressing the blade, as if cherishing a priceless treasure.
"If I had a sword this good, I definitely wouldn't use it to kill demons. I'd enshrine it as a family heirloom!" She murmured softly.
Her voice wasn't loud, but still reached everyone's ears in the quiet training hall.
Kenshi listened with a blank look, didn't expect little Aoi was actually a hidden sword enthusiast...
After satisfying her appreciation, she held the sword with both hands, facing the wooden post taking a ready stance.
Water breathing - First Form: Water Surface Slash
A smooth slash accompanied by a torrent of water abruptly slashed at the wooden post before her.
Aoi excitedly took a breath, it had been a long time since she last used the water breathing.
Only after getting the demon blade Senjin was she excitedly using it again.
But very soon her eyes widened, because although the post was slashed open, the blade completely shattered during this slash!
Looking at the hilt left in her hand, then at the fragments scattered on the ground, she stiffly turned her head.
Sure enough!
Kenshi had a hand over his heart, a pained expression as he gazed at the fragments on the ground.
While after a brief moment of shock, Shinobu also shook her head with grief and regret.
Seeing this, Aoi became even more flustered.
"I...um...that is...the sword...um...the post...the fragments..only gently..... used."
She gestured incoherently, extremely anxious!
She had only borrowed it to observe for a bit, but suddenly got the urge to try a sword technique!
Now what! She broke someone's ancestral sword!
A sword this beautiful clearly wasn't a problem money could solve. And she didn't have much money now anyway!
Finally, seeing Aoi's expression on the verge of tears from anxiety, Shinobu burst out laughing.
"Alright alright, stop teasing little Aoi."
Hearing this, Aoi's eyes widened as she looked over.
Shinobu no longer had that earlier grief, a mischievous smile appeared on her face from the successful prank.
And Kenshi also dropped his pained act, helplessly smiling as he walked over.
"What a pity, Aoi, if not for Lady Shinobu, I actually planned to make you pay for that sword. He jokingly spoke as he took the hilt from Aoi's hand, then forcefully gripped it.
Under her shocked gaze, the fragments on the ground suddenly started moving, then as if summoned, they rushed towards the remaining hilt, ultimately combining into a complete blade once more.
Aoi looked between the restored Sword and the two snickering people, immediately dissatisfied.
"Hateful people! Why scare me like that! Do you know how worried I was just now?"
"There there, don't be angry little Aoi." Shinobu consoled from the side. "I'll ask him to lend you the sword to play with some more as compensation?"
"I'll pass on that! I can't afford to break treasures like this!" Aoi huffed looking away.
After a while, she turned back asking. "Actually, how does the blade even work like that?"
Kenshi paused, when Shinobu brought him to the butterfly mansion, he thought she was actually interested in the sword and that's why she brought him here, but in the days passed she never even showed any sort of curiosity towards sword which made him think that she probably brought him here not because only the sword but also his talent.
Well, he now have to explain about the sword which he was already prepared.
"As I said before, this is a ancestral treasure of my family, even myself don't know how actually it works but my father used tell me that this sword was refined with very special ore that might not be found in today's world, it's probably because of that ore, that this sword works like this." He said with a reminiscing tone.
Hearing that, aoi gently caressed Demon blade Senjin again. Though it was pieced together from many fragments, the blade was still so smooth, with the fragments tightly joined.
What kind of divine skill was needed to forge such a rare weapon?
"Who forged this?" Shinobu couldn't help but ask.
"Unknown." He made up another lie. "According to my family's records this sword existed from many generations and there is no information about the craftsman, so I also don't know who forged it."
As expected, after all, he said this sword already had centuries of history. Records about it were likely long lost in the river of time.
As he was discussing, he revealed what he discovered about the sword when he was testing it.
"It can't be poisoned!"
He said as he complainingly looking at Shinobu.
After all, learning the insect breathing without using poison just felt wrong.
But whenever he dripped wisteria poison onto the blade, it was as if he was dripping it onto extremely smooth glass. The wisteria poison slid right off the blade, without even a trace of contamination left on it.
Not only that, even when he applied poison onto the blade with a brush, all the poison soaked would slowly dissolve. He could even feel a trace of displeasure and rejection from the hilt he was gripping.
Kenshi felt he couldn't continue, if the sword was really rejected him, he would truly have no way of using the poison.
"Is it because of the special ore it was forged with?" Shinobu speculated.
"I guess so." He replied while looking at the sword.
Sighing, he asked what he wanted to. "If it can't be poisoned, doesn't that make learning the insect breathing meaningless?"
Shinobu thought for a bit, saying. "You don't actually need to be bothered about being unable to poison it. After all, You can change and develop the attacking method of the sword techniques."
He turned to look at her, not understanding...
"Ultimately, the most efficient way to slay demons is still decapitating them. I chose to use poison because my strength is insufficient." Shinobu started explaining. "I used the water breathing as the base to develop the insect breathing, you can also use insect breathing to develop your own style and technique. Only what suits yourself is the best, this not only applies to breathing techniques but also the sword training!"
Kenshi understood as he asked. "Would changing the techniques be very difficult?"
"I'll help you. With me, the creator of the insect breathing here, what issue can't be solved?" Shinobu smiled reassuringly.
That was true, with the creator of the technique here to guide him, so what is there to back down.
He was instantly relieved.
Thus, while arranging a training plan for him, Shinobu also started modifying the techniques.
Then after another two days, his injuries finally healed.
"No more problems."
After examining his body, Shinobu couldn't help being a bit surprised. To recover so quickly from two broken ribs, such miraculous body and talent really made one envious.
Just after that, She instructed him. "Rest well today! Official training starts tomorrow, look forward to the training plan I made for you!"
After speaking, she revealed a small smile. But for reason, this smile seemed way more dangerous than her normal one.
--------
He sprawled on the tatami mat, since Shinobu had said so, he wouldn't do anything today.
He wondered what special training she would arrange for him...
It shouldn't be too horrifying right?
After all, the original work's training Tanjiro and the others received at Butterfly mansion was just running and lifting rocks.
Even if intensified, it shouldn't become too extreme.
Moreover, Butterfly Mansion was just a medical facility, lacking some conditions compared to other hashira's mountain for training.
What truly depressed him though, was not getting any good things from the daily draw these past few days after he got that damn whistle he doesn't know nothing about.
After that whistle all he got was.
Chocolates, cookies, tissue paper, and general stuff that doesn't belong in this era. He didn't dare show any of them to people! After all, he doesn't know how to explain their existence and origin.
He hid the tissues and ate all the chocolate and cookies.
All This angered him, the system won't show him all the functions and the things that are given to him now all are useless.
But after while calmly thinking, he also became open-minded about it.
What for?
What for staying angry at something non-human for so long?
Ruining his own health would still be his loss in the end. It was better to just honestly enjoy every day here.
He comforted himself while revealing a "kind" smile.
And today was the seventh day, his seventh day in this world, as well as the seventh lottery draw in the system.
What he drew this time was a bit better than usual, but still useless...
It was a skill called "Excellent Flower Arrangement Skills"...
The skill description said that it will only pump a lot of knowledge into his head and won't make him an expert magically. Finally, it admonished him to not agonize over life's troubles, and learn to discover and enjoy the beauty in life!
Haha!
Whose recent mood vexations were brought by who?