บท 5: Chapter 5: Aoi vs. Hatsune
Aoi thought the Hashira was joking as she waved her fist at Hatsune, seemingly threatening him to watch his words in the future.
"Hey, hey, Hatsune, have you ever practiced swordsmanship? Which of the five main breathing techniques have you learned?" Shinobu Kocho asked excitedly.
The bandages were being removed layer by layer, revealing a slightly pale face that contrasted intriguingly with his white hair.
"Wow, what a handsome face. It's a pity to have such a face in the Demon Slayer Corps."
Shinobu placed her hands on either side of Hatsune's cheeks, her purple eyes staring intently at him as if admiring a beautiful piece of art.
The warmth and moisture of her palms, the familiar scent of wisteria flowers, her breath as close as orchids, and her gentle smile all made Hatsune momentarily entranced.
Aoi, standing nearby, frowned and raised her hand to slap the back of his head again.
This time, Hatsune couldn't stand it anymore. He sprang up from the chair, facing Aoi, and shouted, "You crazy woman, what's your problem? Want to fight?"
Seeing Hatsune's face clearly, Aoi was momentarily stunned. Just as the Hashira had said, his face was indeed handsome, like a snowflake falling in winter, delicate enough to be afraid of breaking if held in the hand.
The two of them were so close that they could hear each other's breathing.
Aoi, having never been so close to a boy before, felt her heart pound wildly and quickly stepped back, stammering, "W-why are you so close? Going to eat me? Fight? You? I think you just want to get beaten up and stay at the Butterfly Mansion forever."
"Who wants to stay here forever?"
Shinobu pulled Hatsune back into the chair and continued to remove the bandages from his neck. "You see, I told you, you should have a sparring match. Hatsune, you haven't answered me yet. Which breathing technique do you practice?"
"Breathing technique? Wh-what's a breathing technique?"
Ever since arriving at this place called the Butterfly Mansion, Hatsune felt like he had been transported to another world, with terms like Demon Slayer Corps and Hashira being thrown around. And now there was something called a breathing technique. Breathing was just breathing, did it really need a technique?
"Don't even know about breathing techniques, yet you want to fight? You want to join the Demon Slayer Corps? Tsk~" Aoi scoffed.
Hatsune gritted his teeth in frustration. First, there were those three strange nurses, and now this violent woman. It seemed like there was no normal person in the entire Butterfly Mansion.
"The so-called breathing techniques are unique methods of breathing used in conjunction with swordsmanship during combat," Shinobu explained patiently.
So that's what they meant by breathing techniques.
After thinking for a moment, Hatsune said, "Ice. I use ice techniques in combat. As for what you call breathing techniques, I may not fully understand, but I have a rough idea."
"Tsk~, acting like you're some big shot."
Hatsune suppressed his anger, not wanting to engage with the crazy woman.
"Ice? So, you practice Ice Breathing. Ice Breathing should be a derivative of Water Breathing. I haven't seen this type of breathing technique before."
Suddenly, Shinobu's eyes lit up. She grabbed Hatsune's arm and said eagerly, "Hey, Hatsune, why don't you and Aoi have a spar? You don't get along with her, right?" Then she turned to Aoi, "Aoi, don't you dislike Hatsune too? How about giving him a good beating?"
Both of them were stunned, seeing that Shinobu wasn't joking.
"Hashira, are you serious?"
Shinobu nodded, her eyes almost pleading.
"But... but his body has just recovered. If he gets hurt again, he might really end up staying here forever."
"So, you agree?"
Agree? When did I say I agreed?
Shinobu didn't give Aoi any chance to argue. She immediately started persuading Hatsune.
"Hatsune, how about I take you to see Master Gyomei tomorrow?"
"Really?" Hatsune was overjoyed.
"Of course, but I need to see your strength first. Maybe then I can put in a good word for you. If I don't understand your abilities, how can I vouch for you? Don't you agree?"
Aoi was speechless. The Hashira could come up with any excuse just to see a new breathing technique.
"You're right."
Right my foot, can't you see you're being tricked?
Aoi held her forehead, wanting to distance herself from these two to avoid getting her intelligence dragged down.
"How should we test? Fight her?" Hatsune pointed at Aoi without looking back.
Shinobu grabbed his hand with a smile. "What a clever boy. Don't worry, you won't get hurt. We'll use wooden swords instead of Nichirin Swords. Since you two don't get along, a spar will help you blow off some steam."
Hatsune thought for a moment and nodded.
"Alright, this crazy woman says I don't understand breathing techniques. I'll show her what it's all about and see if your Demon Slayer Corps is worth joining."
Crazy woman? Is he talking about me?
"Hey, who are you calling a crazy woman?" Aoi raised her fist at Hatsune again.
"Alright, no flirting here. You can fight later."
Shinobu stopped Aoi and pushed both of them out of the medical room. "Hurry up, time is precious."
"Hashira, do you even know how to use words?"
"Why, isn't that right? It means the same thing."
In the front yard, the Butterfly Mansion trio, Shinobu, and Kanao were kneeling on the veranda, with fruits and snacks laid out on the floor in front of them.
In the center of the yard, Aoi and Hatsune stood holding wooden swords, several meters apart, staring at each other in a solemn atmosphere.
It was a beautiful night. Even without lanterns, the yard was clearly visible under the moonlight.
Shinobu straightened up, looking excitedly at the two in the yard, and cleared her throat, speaking gently, "Aoi, Hatsune, are you ready? If you are, let's begin."
"Dare to call me a crazy woman? I'll show you the power of the Demon Slayer Corps today."
Aoi's expression was serious, tinged with a bit of resentment. She bent her knees, holding the wooden sword diagonally to her left, with her left hand on the blade and her right hand on the hilt, ready to attack.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance."
Aoi took a deep breath, her eyes turning cold. Her body suddenly became extremely light, moving with the grace and fluidity of water, her feet making sounds like stepping on puddles as she swiftly approached Hatsune, changing positions rapidly.
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