CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: SPARRING PARTNER

Sometimes they chatted idly, sometimes they sat in silence, occasionally exchanging glances.

Sosuke mostly spoke freely, sharing everything he could and should.

This included the measures he had taken with Shinobu during the Autumn Rain Night. There was no need for awkwardness or concealment on this matter.

Hiding it now would only make things truly awkward later.

Kanae didn’t dwell on it much. Sosuke’s frankness allowed her to understand that there had been no other options in that situation.

Finally, she said, "Just being able to come back is good enough."

After a moment, she added with a smile, "Since when have I needed that child to arrange things for me?"

Sosuke couldn’t help but chuckle. She was referring to Shinobu’s insistence that he become a Pillar. Shinobu believed that only by achieving that rank could he be worthy of her elder sister.

"She has a point," Sosuke said. "If I don’t improve my strength, I’ll always have to rely on your protection. What right do I have to shield you from harm?"

Kanae gazed at him intently, then smiled softly. "Do you mean what you say?"

"Yes," Sosuke nodded. "It’s a promise. I’ll train diligently, become a Pillar, and protect you and Shinobu."

"I believe in you." Kanae rested her head gently on Sosuke’s shoulder. "Though I don’t know exactly when I started trusting you this much."

"Probably from the moment we met at the hot spring?" Sosuke teased her.

Kanae’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she gently tapped his chest. "You... why are you like this?"

Sosuke feigned pain. "Ouch! That hurt!"

"How could it?" Kanae looked up, startled by his pale face and the veins bulging on his forehead. "How could it hurt so much?"

She reached out to rub his chest, but Sosuke caught her hand. When she looked up again, his face was no longer contorted in pain.

Grinning, he said, "Because you struck my heart."

Kanae bit her lip, frustrated, and yanked her hand free. "I’m not talking to you anymore."

She turned her back to him, puffing out her cheeks in mock anger.

Sosuke leaned in to coax her, and within moments, she was laughing again.

They chatted and laughed until sunset. After dinner, they retired for the night, and nothing more happened...

Starting the next day, Shinobu kept her word. In the morning, Sosuke would forge weapons for the Pillars, and in the afternoon, Shinobu would join him in the bamboo forest behind the mountain.

"Are you sure you can really do this?" Sosuke asked, noticing her occasional coughs and apparent weakness.

"Of course I can!" Shinobu declared confidently, extending her hand. "Come, use your sword and strike me down."

Sosuke nodded without hesitation, his figure blurring as he slashed forward.

The blade fell, and for a moment, his vision swam. When he looked up again, Shinobu was standing on the sword’s edge, her foot lightly tapping it. As Sosuke’s head tilted back, her small foot shot toward his head.

He quickly ducked, knowing how humiliating it would be to be kicked in the head.

But the moment he lowered his neck, Shinobu vanished from sight. The next instant, a sharp pressure gripped the back of his neck, and with a tremendous force, Sosuke was sent flying.

He spun twice in the air before crashing to the ground, landing in a dizzying heap.

"Hmph!" Shinobu clapped her hands. "Get up."

Sosuke rose, his face still dazed.

"When you faced Upper Moon Two, it was pure luck. The reason you were able to overwhelm the Demon in the rain the other night was because of your unique combat techniques. Combined with my weakening of his overall strength, both battles ultimately prove one thing: you have no idea how to fight!"

Shinobu looked up and scolded Sosuke.

Sosuke scratched his head, feeling that her assessment was a bit harsh.

Before transmigrating, he had once fought delinquent youths with a brick in hand, using hit-and-run tactics.

But his frail physique had failed him, and his "hit-and-run" strategy had ended with a two-week hospital stay.

"In combat, remember the cardinal rule above all else: never let your opponent vanish from your sight. At all times, you must see him, observe his actions. Only by seeing can you defend, spot weaknesses, and seize opportunities to counterattack. Otherwise..."

Shinobu paused briefly before speaking. "Just like before, when you lowered your head, you lost track of me. At that moment, I could have done anything—severed your neck, thrown you aside... anything."

Sosuke nodded in understanding. "Again!"

"Very well!"

Shinobu took her stance and beckoned to Sosuke. In the next instant, his blade sliced through the air once more.

His vision blurred again, but this time, from the very beginning, Sosuke focused intently on Shinobu’s every movement.

Though her movements were swift, he managed to discern them clearly.

After all, Sosuke was a swordsmith who had survived Doma’s Withered Garden’s Hanging Snow technique. With focused observation, Shinobu’s movements could hardly escape his keen eyes.

’To the left!’

With a pivot of his foot, the blade struck again.

Shinobu ducked low and seized Sosuke’s sword-wielding hand. Startled, he jerked his arm upward, attempting to break free.

He realized Shinobu hadn’t exerted any force at all.

The blade lifted, leaving his central guard wide open!

’No!’

His foot instinctively moved to kick out, but the moment he shifted his weight, Shinobu stomped on his knee. Her palm then slammed into his face without warning.

He tried to retreat, but his center of gravity was off-balance, leaving him unable to generate any power. In the next instant, a full-body strike sent Sosuke flying through the air.

Shinobu landed lightly, nodding in approval. "Your eyes can keep up, but you have no idea how to respond to an opponent’s attacks. You made a critical mistake—likely an instinctive attempt to attack—but that kick was completely unnecessary. Remember this: always maintain mobility in your legs. Unless you’re absolutely certain of success, avoid using your feet for attacks. If you fail, you’ll lose even the chance to escape."

Sosuke showed no shame or frustration at being sent flying. He carefully committed Shinobu’s words to memory.

Though it was only a brief exchange of two rounds, it had already revealed many of his flaws.

Only through unwavering persistence, eliminating all unnecessary movements, and refining the essential ones through relentless practice, could he succeed.

’I can do this!’

He immediately declared, "Again!"