Demon Slayer: Muzan, will you dance too?

Living in seclusion in the mountains, one loses track of time.

"Is practicing these things every day really effective?"

The young boy sitting to the side couldn't help but ask.

"Don't you find it boring watching me train every day?"

Kiyokawa Izumi, who was doing push-ups with her upper body bare, asked a question instead of answering.

His life in the knife-making village was very regular.

Physical training will be conducted in the morning, and daily sword-wielding training will be held in the afternoon.

It's unrealistic to expect any significant improvement in less than half a month.

Even knowing he couldn't mold his body to the level of the Rock Pillar, he never slacked off in physical training.

To his surprise, the boy always watched him train from the sidelines.

Perhaps it was because of her keeping her word that she won the boy's favor.

In addition, life in the mountains was very boring, and with nothing to do, the little guy always liked to go up to Qingchuan Quan and chat with him while he was training.

"Your training is quite interesting... Do you know that ancient swordsman? Why did you look so disappointed back then?"

"I'll let you in on a secret: there's a Nichirin Blade inside the mechanical doll."

When Kiyokawa Izumi doesn't want to answer, she likes to change the subject.

"!!"

The boy was stunned for a moment. "How is that possible? If you really had a Nichirin Blade, you wouldn't be interested at all?"

Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can open it and see!

As for that Nichirin Blade... it would be a lie to say I had absolutely no interest in it.

But it doesn't belong to me!

Kiyokawa Izumi said casually, and indeed he had no interest in the knife.

What suits you is the best.

The same principle applies to breathing techniques, and also to the Nichirin Blade.

"I don't have the ability to repair it, don't try to trick me into taking it apart!"

"You'll never learn if you don't try to take things apart and study them. So what if you can't fix them? So what if you can't make new ones? Just do what you love to the extreme, and that's enough."

For him, mechanical puppets weren't that important. Whether he could gain anything from them depended on his own talent.

Although Kiyokawa Izumi has memorized the movements, he can't use them and they can't help him break through his current bottleneck—he keeps dreaming about Yoriichi Tsugikuni lately because of this obsession.

What you keep in mind will surely resonate.

"I won't talk to you about these things; all you do is try to trick me into taking it down!"

"..."

Kiyokawa Izumi slowly stood up after finishing his daily training.

He has recently become obsessed with hot springs, and he soaks in them at least twice a day—once after morning training and once before bed.

And I must say, the effect of eliminating fatigue is indeed very obvious.

……

Beside the open-air hot spring surrounded by rocks, amidst the rising steam, a faint silhouette appears before my eyes.

Kiyokawa Izumi's lips twitched slightly; he was caught in an awkward situation, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

"What a surprise! I thought no one would come at this time... Long time no see, are you here to enjoy the hot springs so early?"

Her voice was soft, tinged with barely perceptible surprise, as she asked in a deliberately mature tone.

Kiyokawa Izumi, who had many questions on her mind, remained silent for a long time, struggling with whether to turn around and leave—had she been too lax lately? Even if she hadn't been deliberately keeping quiet, surely she could hear this person's breathing?

It's probably because the daily training takes too much to handle, and when you're too tired, your senses inevitably become a bit dull.

Her slender yet upright figure appeared sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, her medium-length purple hair cascading down like a waterfall, the ends almost touching the water's surface.

Beneath the soft, extended shoulder line, a long, pure white towel tightly wraps around the body.

Given his overly conservative personality, even when he comes here to soak in the hot springs, he will cover himself up completely.

They would even deliberately choose a time when no one was around.

Unexpectedly, some bastard took a bath twice in one day.

A brief silence ensued, and the veins on her forehead bulged slightly. Despite her seemingly composed demeanor, the emotional turmoil within her was quite evident.

Why remain silent?

Why aren't you saying anything?

How annoying!

"Aren't you going to say something, Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi?"

"Is there a mission?"

He asked casually, not so shy as to leave intentionally, but simply went around to the other side of the hot spring.

He's not like Tanjiro, who likes to be completely naked when soaking in hot springs.

He also wore a long towel wrapped around his neck, and a loose kimono over it.

He took off his clothes and placed them aside, then slowly entered the water, keeping a certain distance from someone—a polite boundary, neither too close nor too far.

Kiyokawa Izumi was indeed somewhat surprised at this moment.

I don't quite understand why I'm seeing this person here?

Beneath the rising white mist, the expressions on their faces were obscured; only familiar voices could be heard.

"Regarding the Nichirin Blade, I would like to visit the village chief."

His words revealed no unusual emotion, and he appeared very calm—the village chief of the knife-making village undoubtedly possessed exceptional knife-forging skills; ordinary knife-makers could not possibly forge such a unique weapon.

I heard that her Nichirin Blade was forged by that little old man.