"Maple Breathing Second Form: Light Dance Slash!"
The wooden sword erupted in a dazzling crimson glow, condensing into slender red streaks in the air that arced gracefully toward Shinichi, who stood ready with his own blade.
A faint emerald light shimmered along Shinichi's blade as his amber eyes remained calm and steady.
He raised his sword, gathering momentum—"Forest Breathing First Form: Iron Birch Slash."
Clang!
The collision wasn't particularly intense, but the brilliant maple-flame slash was firmly blocked by the unyielding Iron Birch.
The recoil sent Yuichiro's slender body stumbling backward several steps uncontrollably.
After barely steadying himself, Yuichiro's expression grew even more serious, but he quickly adjusted his breathing and gripped his sword with renewed focus.
"Master's defense is even harder to break through now—it's different from Muichiro's."
As twins, Yuichiro often sparred with his younger brother Muichiro.
Muichiro's Mist Breathing evolved from the tempestuous Wind Breathing while incorporating the precision and agility of Shinobu's Insect Breathing.
His speed and attack angles left a deep impression on Yuichiro, significantly influencing his own Maple Breathing as well.
Logically speaking, Yuichiro's Maple Breathing derived from Forest Breathing.
Even if it couldn't surpass it, he shouldn't be completely suppressed by Shinichi like this.
"So, did Master hold back when teaching me?"
The thought had barely formed in Yuichiro's mind before he shook his head vigorously to dismiss it.
"Nonsense! Pull yourself together, Yuichiro! You absolutely can't disappoint or let Master look down on you!"
Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Yuichiro fixed his sharp gaze on Shinichi, who stood smiling at him.
"No choice then—I'll try closing in for close combat!"
BOOM!!
The instant the thought crossed his mind, Yuichiro's body shot toward Shinichi like a cannonball.
Just before reaching Shinichi, Yuichiro angled his blade downward and flicked up a cloud of dust.
The sudden obstruction caught Shinichi off-guard, limiting his vision as Yuichiro vanished into the swirling sand.
"Oh? A sneak attack? You've changed a bit, Yuichiro. I never taught you this move," Shinichi chuckled.
Swish!!
A faint whoosh of a wooden blade cut through the air near Shinichi's left ear.
Reacting swiftly, Shinichi twisted the hilt of his wooden sword, reversing his grip to block with the back of the blade while leaning his entire body to the right.
Thud!
A dull collision echoed as wooden swords clashed.
Shinichi effortlessly deflected Yuichiro's minor assault, but this was only the beginning.
In the next moment, two blurs darted and clashed repeatedly across the grassy clearing.
Crimson maple slashes and verdant strikes scattered wildly, their overwhelming momentum sweeping through the courtyard.
The vitality imbued in the grass and plants beneath their feet was soon shattered by the relentless slashes, grinding the defenseless vegetation and soil into pulp—forcing them to become nourishment for the next generation prematurely.
Outside the clearing, the duel between Shinichi and his disciple drew the attention of other Hashira.
"It's been a while, but he seems even stronger now. Both his Breathing Technique and swordsmanship have improved. Just watching it, I can barely keep up with their speed. The me from before the Red-light District mission might not have been a match for Shinichi," Shinazugawa Sanemi remarked while crossing his arms.
The windmill pattern on his face softened his usual stern expression.
Beside him, Obanai Iguro—standing a head shorter—observed quietly.
The small white snake Kaburamaru flicked its tongue from the bandages coiled around Iguro's neck, its vertical pupils mirroring its master's scrutiny of the battle.
"Shinazugawa, if you're itching for a spar, we can give it a try. But I'm curious—whats with the tattoo on your face? A new hobby?" Iguro's voice was icy, as though he were difficult to approach.
Sanemi who got along well with Iguro, didn't take offense.
Instead, he scratched his cheek near the windmill pattern, equally puzzled.
"This isn't a tattoo. I'm not sure why it appeared, but ever since it did, my speed and strength have significantly improved, and even my recovery rate has become much faster than before. I asked Oyakata-sama and the others about it, and Amane-sama mentioned there have been similar cases recorded in the Demon Slayer Corps' history."
"Oh... is that so? Sounds like you've had good luck. Congratulations..." Obanai's voice remained as indifferent as ever, hardly inviting any warmth.
However, the ice-cold Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro did have friends.
Foremost among them was the Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyoujurou.
The two had grown up hunting demons together and were practically like brothers.
Kyoujurou's passionate and cheerful personality had also been a great encouragement to Obanai, who had endured a harsh childhood.
Aside from Kyoujurou, there was also the Wind Hashira Shinazugawa Sanemi.
Ironically, their friendship had been facilitated by Tomioka Giyuu.
Since Sabito often encouraged Giyuu to make more friends, the socially awkward Giyuu had inexplicably set his sights on Sanemi and Obanai—two of the most notoriously difficult people to get along with in the Demon Slayer Corps.
And Giyuu's method of making friends was... unique, to say the least.
In any case, perhaps united by their shared exasperation toward Giyuu, Sanemi and Obanai ended up becoming rather good friends.
Of course, there was also Shinichi, whom Obanai deeply respected for rescuing him from Hachijo Island.
Beyond these, Obanai's relationships with the other Hashiras were much more distant.
But there was one exception.
That beautiful girl with cherry-red hair...
To be honest, Obanai didn't just want to be friends with Mitsuri.
Or rather, he wanted something more.
...
Crimson maple slashes intertwined with emerald-green ones, the resulting shockwaves even ruffling Sanemi's haori.
"Watching them spar really makes me itch for a fight!" Sanemi tugged at his white haori.
Just then, a Kakushi member came up to them.
"Wind Hashira-sama, Serpent Hashira-sama—ah, and Forest Hashira-sama and Maple Hashira-sama too—Oyakata-sama has summoned you all."
...
Shinichi arrived at Kagaya Ubuyashiki's room with a somewhat dejected-looking Yuichiro in tow.
Aside from the Hashira on standby, Shinichi immediately spotted the Stone Hashira Himejima Gyoumei, the Water Hashira Tomioka Giyuu, and the Wave Hashira Sabito.
Judging by their travel-worn appearances and the faint traces of injuries, they had just returned from a mission.
This summons from Oyakata-sama was likely related to them.
"Shinichi, welcome back," Gyoumei said, clasping his hands together with a tone of both relief and guilt.
Sabito also greeted Shinichi with a smile, while Giyuu reacted a beat slower.
After Sabito tugged his sleeve, he solemnly added, "Welcome back!"
...
"Tamayo?"