Chapter 155: I'll Never Monopolize This Glory Alone
"Hey, Yukibashiri, what kind of Breathing Style is that?" Kugisaki Yamahana
asked, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
Seiko flashed a subtle smile, her expression carrying the quiet satisfaction of
a child showing off a treasured toy to a peer.
"It's a Breathing Style developed specifically for me by Natsuya-kun," she said
smoothly.
"I call it Snow Breathing."
Eh?
As expected of the Luminary Hashira's classmate—she was already using a
derivative style. And naming it after herself? That took a special kind of bold
confidence.
While some of the Slayers were still processing the name, others picked up on
the real subtext.
Kozura Yuhito lowered his voice, whispering to his teammate. "Is she flexing her
relationship with the Hashira? Do you think they're... you know, a thing?"
Togashi Hai kept his face like stone. "Idiot. Don't say that out loud!"
In the center of the courtyard, Seiko pretended she hadn't heard the gossip. Her
cheeks flushed slightly, but she refocused, maintaining her Snow Breathing
rhythm.
She parried Togashi's wooden sword, then smoothly redirected the force of his
strike. Every technique and trick she employed was rooted in the fundamentals
Natsuya had drilled into her.
They were all carrying his distinct stylistic fingerprints.
Togashi realized she was feeling the pressure. Even though her physical stats
were roughly on par with her opponent's, Seiko's defensive timing was
razor-sharp.
Every clash drained her stamina slightly, but it cost Togashi twice as much.
The longer this drags on, the faster your stamina bar is going to zero, Seiko
noted inwardly, her voice dropping to a calm, composed register.
"Yamahana-san, you're a very skilled swordsman. Among the Hinoto-rank Slayers
I've met, you easily rank in the top five."
"However... I can't afford to lose to you."
"After all... Natsuya-kun is watching right over there."
Togashi's eye twitched. "I can't afford to lose to you"? Who do you think you
are?!
Static electricity exploded into the air as Togashi channeled a high-density web
of lightning.
[Full Concentration!] [Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!]
A storm of fierce, consecutive slashes wove together like a web of thunder,
rushing down upon Seiko.
"What do you mean, 'Natsuya-kun'?! That's our Luminary Hashira!"
The sound of wooden swords colliding grew shrill and sharp.
Feeling the sudden spike in pressure, Seiko's eyes sharpened.
She's taking it personally? Fine. Let's see how you handle this.
[Snow Breathing] [Fourth Form: Drifting White Blanket]
Her wooden sword wove a dense, fluttering curtain of frost. It was a sword net.
Like layers of fresh snow blanketing the earth, it absorbed and smothered the
crackling thunder.
It was a hyper-speed parry. Every strike made contact for a fraction of a second
before immediately retracting. It looked light and fluffy, yet it swallowed
every ounce of Togashi's offensive momentum.
And she didn't stop there.
Flipping her blade, her breathing rhythm shifted abruptly.
[Full Concentration!] [First Form: Moonlight Frost!]
Leaning gracefully into the movement, Seiko executed a rapid, two-step dash.
For a split second, her silhouette blurred in Togashi's vision, as if obscured
by a sudden blizzard.
It was a horizontal slash—a variant derived from Water Surface Slash, compressed
into a short-range, lethal sweep. The imaginary domain of her blade was absolute
zero.
Clack.
Togashi's wooden sword flew out of her hand, spinning through the air before
clattering against the stones.
She stood frozen, staring down at her empty hands, then up at the wooden tip of
Seiko's sword resting a hair's breadth from her throat.
Seiko's breathing was as steady as if she'd just taken a morning walk.
Togashi's jaw hung open. She couldn't find a single word.
"Rank?" she finally squeaked out, her voice cracking. "You said you were...
Tsuchinoe (Rank 5)?"
Seiko offered an honest nod. "Tsuchinoe."
Togashi bent down, picked up her wooden sword without a word, and marched back
to the corner of the yard in stunned silence.
As she passed Natsuya, she paused, gave him a stiff nod, and said in a tight
voice, "Lord Luminary... that girl really is on another level."
Natsuya gave a non-committal nod, as if to say, Yeah, I calibrated her build
myself. Obviously.
Togashi walked away a bit faster.
The rest of the courtyard erupted into noisy chatter.
"She actually won! That was Kugisaki!" "Hey, you're a Kinoe rank—could you beat
that move?" "Are you kidding? If Kugisaki couldn't even touch her, what makes
you think I can?!"
The Slayers looked at Seiko with a new kind of respect—one entirely divorced
from Corps ranks and driven purely by martial awe.
Seiko, meanwhile, walked back to Natsuya with a bright, triumphant smile. She
sat down, picked up her unfinished cup of coffee, and beamed at him.
"Well, Natsuya-kun? How was my performance?"
"Solid. The TTK (Time to Kill) was a bit long, but your frame management during
the parry was clean."
Natsuya gave her a passing grade.
"You're not going to praise me more than that?" she pouted playfully.
"You want a gold star? Fine. Good job, Kaki-chan."
Seiko's cheeks turned pink, but the smile never left her face.
Meanwhile, across the yard, the two "troublemakers" who had started the gossip
earlier were regretting their life choices.
"Hey... Yamahana," Yuhito whispered nervously, poking Togashi's arm. "Did you
really think she was going to be an easy fight?"
"Shut up, Kozura," Togashi muttered, rubbing her bruised wrist. "I'm going to
make you spar with her tomorrow. Let's see how you like getting styled on."
Yuhito: "..." Please, have mercy on me.
That evening, the dinner menu was surprisingly simple.
Piping hot Tempura Udon.
Golden, crispy-fried shrimp nestled in a steaming bowl of umami-rich broth,
paired with thick, chewy noodles that had soaked up all the savory goodness. On
the side sat a plate of thinly sliced, glossy red persimmons.
It lacked the multi-course complexity of the previous medicinal feasts, but the
combination of comforting carbs, fats, and simple sugars was an absolute home
run.
The Slayers devoured the meal in silence, lost in pure culinary bliss.
"This soup... how is it so clean yet so rich?" "Listen, I heard from the Kakushi
in the kitchen—Lord Luminary personally spent the afternoon shopping for the
ingredients." "Seriously? The Luminary Hashira is out here buying shrimp?" "Of
course! Didn't you see who he made it for?"
Everyone at the tables covertly shifted their eyes toward the corner where
Natsuya and Seiko were sitting.
Seiko was slurping her udon with quiet satisfaction, completely ignoring the
gossip around her. But the tips of her ears were a bright, unmistakable shade of
crimson.
Natsuya-kun... made this specifically for me?
She stole a glance at the boy beside her, who was casually eating his noodles
while checking his invisible UI. Her heart felt as warm and sweet as the broth
in her bowl.
I'll never monopolize this glory alone, Seiko thought, feeling a sudden, burning
wave of motivation. I have to get stronger. I have to stand by his side as an
equal.
Across the table, Natsuya casually slurped a noodle, completely unaware that his
"Casual Meal Prep" had just triggered a major emotional event for the girl.
Mmm. The Udon is a 9/10. My [Cooking] skill is definitely earning its keep.
☆☆☆
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