Before dawn, Shinobu returned to the compounding room and continued working until morning. She restocked the wisteria flower poison, tested new formulations, and checked the mechanism of her sword's scabbard. Before she knew it, the eastern window had turned white. Last night, she'd received a report that another person had gone missing in the mountainous region. Near Hiiragi Village. The previous reconnaissance hadn't pinpointed the exact location. After today's Pillar training, she would need to move again. Shinobu picked up her sword and checked the poison quantity in the scabbard. Purple stains remained on her fingertips—evidence that she hadn't rested since last night. (Well, it's fine.) She didn't mind. It was always like this. --- Morning of the second day of Pillar training. When Shinobu arrived at the training grounds, the first thing she saw was a figure in the corner, repeatedly practicing sword swings. The other soldiers had gathered in the center for warm-ups. Standing apart from that circle, at the edge of the wooden floor, was a single swordsman. Black hair with streaks of deep blue woven through it. A frame of 178 centimeters with a perfectly straight spine. A taciturn face that showed no emotion. The Water Pillar—Tomioka Giyuu. Shinobu was slightly surprised that Giyuu was participating. She'd heard he'd been reluctant about joining the Pillar training at first. Unlike the other Pillars, it was rare for Giyuu to show his face at a training ground for regular soldiers. The soldiers around him naturally avoided looking his way. Distance formed naturally. Whether it was Giyuu's sword aura or the unapproachable atmosphere he gave off—there was no malice in it, yet he created a void of silence. That was the kind of person he was. (Ah, he's like me.) She thought it vaguely. She also spent a lot of time alone. Even when standing among everyone else, there was always some distance. It might be a little different from Giyuu's, but it felt like the roots were similar. Still, it would be better to talk to him. If Giyuu was here to assist with the Pillar training, coordinating would make the soldiers' training more efficient. Shinobu walked over. "[gentle]Tomioka-san, could I ask you to assist with the Pillar training again today?" Giyuu didn't turn around. He continued his sword swings and answered curtly. "I can't." "[gentle]May I ask why?" There was a brief pause. Giyuu stopped his sword. "When I'm around, the soldiers become intimidated." With just that, he returned to his swings. Shinobu searched for a response. But she couldn't find one. Because he wasn't wrong. Giyuu's presence was unique, and to soldiers unfamiliar with him, it was certainly oppressive. She couldn't argue. At that moment, Giyuu's gaze turned toward Shinobu's hand. His eyes lowered slowly. They stopped at her fingertips. The purple stains in the gaps of Shinobu's nails—traces of handling wisteria flower poison all night long. Giyuu said only one thing. "You're pushing yourself too hard." Then he returned to his swings. Shinobu created a smile. Naturally, immediately. "[gentle]That's not true at all. It's more like a daily routine for me." Giyuu said nothing more. Silence. Only the sound of the wooden sword cutting through the air continued. Shinobu turned on her heel and headed toward the waiting soldiers. Still smiling. As she began the training, she felt something spreading slowly in her chest. You're pushing yourself too hard. Those words alone wouldn't leave her heart. --- Afternoon passed. Evening came. The soldiers left. Shinobu stopped by the compounding room to check the spare poison needles. There were enough. It didn't take long to pack her things. She left the Butterfly Mansion as night was beginning. She said nothing to Aoi. There was no point in worrying her. She would scout the mountain path toward Hiiragi Village alone and return. That was all. She quietly closed the back gate and entered the mountain path. The moon was out. With no clouds, its clear light illuminated the road. The stones at her feet appeared white and distinct. About five minutes into her walk, she sensed a presence behind her. Shinobu stopped walking and turned around without slowing her pace. Giyuu was following her silently. "[gentle]...Tomioka-san, why are you following me?" Giyuu answered. "Reconnaissance is better with two people." The logic was sound. She couldn't argue. Shinobu turned forward again and continued walking. Giyuu fell into step beside her. The two of them began walking the mountain path together. The sound of insects echoed. Moonlight filtered through the trees. The soft light made the path clearly visible. Silence continued for a while. It wasn't awkward, strangely enough. Giyuu was someone for whom silence was normal, and Shinobu spent much of her time alone. So the quiet didn't bother her. But it made it harder to start a conversation. Shinobu searched for a light topic. "[gentle]Tomioka-san, are you used to mountain nights like this?" Giyuu paused briefly. "I'm used to it. I don't dislike it." It was a more straightforward answer than she'd expected. Shinobu was slightly taken aback. She'd thought he would cut her off more curtly. Immediately after, Giyuu's foot stumbled slightly. He stepped on a tree root jutting out onto the path and lost his balance for a moment. He quickly recovered, but he had definitely stumbled. Shinobu glanced at him sideways. "[gentle]...You're used to it, right?" Giyuu didn't answer. He continued walking forward. Shinobu barely held back a small laugh. She'd almost laughed—not behind a mask. After walking a bit further, Giyuu said quietly. "I also...tried to do things alone once, and failed." It was abrupt. Shinobu's pace slowed just slightly. She turned her face toward him while keeping pace so as not to fall behind. Giyuu continued walking, looking ahead. There was no sign he would say more. He'd said just that, then fell silent again. (Tried to do things alone and failed.) Those words echoed in her mind. She stole a glance at Giyuu's profile. His face, illuminated by moonlight, was quiet—as if he were thinking of something, remembering something. That kind of face. Shinobu wanted to ask something. But she couldn't. (This person has experienced that too.) It might be similar to how she'd always done things alone. The way it showed was completely different—Giyuu closed himself off with silence, Shinobu hid behind a smile. But perhaps at the root, they were the same. She didn't put it into words. They simply continued walking side by side. The moon hung above the mountain ridge. --- Along the mountain path leading toward Hiiragi Village, there was an abandoned house. The remains of a small cottage where people once lived. Half the walls had crumbled, the roof had collapsed. In the moonlight, it looked like a black shadow. From its shade, two presences burst forth. Lower-rank demons. Two of them, simultaneously. One headed toward Giyuu, the other toward Shinobu. Shinobu immediately took the stance of the Insect Breathing. She raised the oxygen concentration in her body through total concentration breathing. The sensation of blood flowing surged through her entire body. This allowed her to move at speeds impossible for ordinary humans—her physical abilities rose to a level where she could fight demons. Giyuu silently drew his Nichirin sword. They hadn't coordinated anything. Yet their movements naturally meshed. Giyuu engaged the demon in front, drawing its attention. Shinobu quickly circled to the side of the other demon. When the demon tried to pursue Shinobu, it was pulled back by Giyuu's presence. A moment's opening. She thrust her blade in. The thin sword pierced the demon's shoulder. The moment it did, the scabbard's mechanism activated, flowing wisteria flower poison into the wound. The demon's arm convulsed. Its regeneration speed dropped. Giyuu moved then. Water Breathing, First Form. Smoothly, like flowing water. One stroke. The demon's neck fell. It vanished. Shinobu pursued the other. As she chased it, she swiftly switched the poison needle formulation—for a lower-rank demon, standard wisteria poison was sufficient. She struck twice. When the demon stopped moving, Giyuu moved in for the kill. It was brief. Shinobu sheathed her sword and thought so inwardly. Their breathing had aligned. There were no words, but their movements had naturally coordinated. But she didn't say it aloud. At that moment, one of the fallen demons, crumbling to ash, turned toward them. With its disintegrating face, it formed something like a grin. "There's something bigger...moving...in places you don't know about..." A rasping, fading voice. Then it turned to ash. In the moonlight, the ash scattered. Giyuu spoke. "The ramblings of a small demon." Shinobu answered. "[gentle]...Yes, you're right." But her brows had drawn together slightly. There was no point in a small demon lying. There was nothing to gain in the moments before death. If that was true, then those words meant— (Something bigger is moving.) She carved it into her heart and kept silent. --- They returned to the Butterfly Mansion in the middle of the night. When she opened the entrance, she saw light ahead in the direction of the veranda. Aoi had thoughtfully left a tray. A teapot and two tea bowls. A plate of sweets as well. Shinobu was slightly surprised. Aoi was a girl who helped without saying a word. She must have known they'd gone out together. She sat down on the veranda and poured tea. Beyond the garden, the moon was visible. The same moon she'd looked up at on the mountain path just moments ago. Beside her, Giyuu was there. She'd thought he'd left, but he hadn't. He'd taken the tea bowl and remained sitting on the veranda. Looking at the moon. Shinobu found it strange but said nothing. The two of them drank tea together. It was quiet. Different from the silence on the mountain path. There was no tension. Just peace. After a while, Shinobu spoke. "[gentle]Tomioka-san, you talked quite a lot tonight, which is unusual." Giyuu paused briefly. "...Is that so." Silence again. Shinobu held the tea bowl in both hands and looked at the moon. The warmth of the tea transmitted to her palms. (Being with this person isn't so bad.) She was surprised after thinking it. It had been a while since she'd felt that being with someone wasn't unpleasant. Her juniors were precious, but being with them always made her tense. But beside Giyuu, strangely, her shoulders relaxed. Perhaps because they were both accustomed to being alone. Giyuu spoke. "Your way of fighting...has no wasted movement." Shinobu blinked slightly. "[gentle]...Are you complimenting me?" "Yes." An immediate answer. Shinobu laughed softly. It wasn't a fabricated smile. It was the first natural laugh of the day. A laugh from the real side, not the mask. The moon illuminated the garden in white. The sound of insects drifted from afar. Steam rose from the tea. On nothing more than a midnight veranda, Shinobu took another sip of tea. --- The next morning, the Butterfly Mansion became noisy. The hidden ones brought stretchers. Two, three people. Survivors of a demon attack in a mountain village. Shinobu moved immediately. She straightened her kimono hem, took emergency treatment medicine from the compounding room, and headed to the injured. Aoi stayed close, and the three girls lent their hands. The wounds were deep. Several people had clouded consciousness. She began treating them one by one. Stitching. Wrapping. Applying medicine. Giving instructions. Moving to the next person. When the initial treatment had settled, an elderly woman shifted on her bedding. When Shinobu approached, a skeletal hand grasped her sleeve. Though weak, the desperation came through. The old woman began speaking in a trembling