The man who had slapped his friend immediately spoke up to fix the mistake. "Shinazugawa-sama, Genya's strength is actually very impressive! He wasn't injured during this mission. It was the four of us who held him back! And now... he's been at the Butterfly Mansion for over a week for treatment and still isn't healed. Thankfully, we met Su Chen-san."
"Oh, is that so," Shinazugawa said. A strange glint flashed in his eyes. He slowly walked back to his own area.
Just as the four men breathed a sigh of relief, Shinazugawa turned his head back. A cruel smile played on his lips. "Come on. Let's begin our rehabilitation training."
"A-Alright!" the four stammered. In the end, they gritted their teeth and followed the Wind Hashira.
Meanwhile, Su Chen had also finished picking his team. Well, Shinobu and Kanao helped him choose. The two girls seemed to have a silent agreement and directly pulled four male team members forward. (There were originally more men to choose from, but Shinazugawa had taken the other four.)
Kanao then looked at the huge crowd of female team members, her bright eyes blinking. She seemed conflicted. Who should she choose as the fifth?
Just as the girl was hesitating, Su Chen walked over. He gently placed his hand on Kanao's shoulder. His gentle voice rang out, "Kanao, why don't you let me choose?"
Upon hearing this, the female Slayers in front immediately glared, their eyes like tigers stalking prey. It looked like they were ready for battle. Su Chen even suspected that if they had their Nichirin Swords, they would have drawn them instantly.
Kanao looked at Su Chen. But this time, the normally docile and obedient girl shook her head like a rattle-drum. Her eyes flickered, finally settling on her master, Shinobu.
Kanao quickly walked to Shinobu's side. She unexpectedly lifted her master's colorful, butterfly-patterned sleeve. A patch of fair skin was exposed. Following that, what appeared was a meticulously wrapped bandage. Beneath the bandage, dried bloodstains could still be seen.
Kanao's gaze softened. She didn't expect her master to still have that bandage. She remembered it very clearly. Su Chen had personally tied it.
Seeing Kanao's unusual gaze, Shinobu actually felt a little embarrassed. It felt like she had been discovered secretly being in love. It was very awkward.
The next moment, Kanao spoke in a soft, sweet voice: "Su Chen-san, the last patient who needs rehabilitation is Master."
"Eh!" Shinobu looked at Kanao in complete surprise. She was confused. From lifting her sleeve to knowing she was injured... how did her disciple know?
Shinobu's pupils widened slightly, and her face instantly turned red. Could it be? Was she seen by Kanao when Su Chen bandaged her that night? No way... That's too embarrassing!
Shinobu tilted her head, her cheeks flushed. For a moment, she felt too shy to even look Kanao in the eye.
Kanao smiled sweetly. "It's alright, Master. Su Chen-san is so gentle, we all like him very much..."
"Cough, cough!" Su Chen quickly interrupted Kanao. He stepped forward and gently pulled Shinobu to his side. "Then it's settled. My fifth rehabilitation subject will be Shinobu!"
Shinobu struggled internally, pulling her hand away from Su Chen's grip like a startled fawn. She had to maintain some distance from him. She had always viewed Su Chen as a younger brother. Hmm, yes, that's right, she thought to herself.
Seeing Shinobu flee from him, Su Chen just smiled slightly. His gaze then fell on Kanao. "Kanao, could I trouble you to demonstrate the first three steps of the rehabilitation training for everyone?"
Kanao nodded. She walked to the center of the Butterfly Mansion's training grounds.
Just as Su Chen expected, the demonstration Kanao gave was the same as the three competitions he participated in when he first arrived.
First: Helping the patient stretch their body.
Second: Two people sit opposite each other, restoring the patient's reaction speed by splashing medicinal soup.
Third: A game of tag, or "cat and mouse," to exercise the patient's full-body movement ability.
These three abilities are crucial for Demon Slayer Corps members. Battles with demons often depend on them.
Inside the Butterfly Mansion, Shinazugawa and Kyoujurou nodded at the same time. They now understood the rules. Essentially, they just had to continuously play these little games with their team members, and their illnesses would be cured. It seemed simple enough.
"Then, if everyone is ready, we can begin," Shinobu announced.
Her figure landed gracefully in the center of the arena, like a butterfly. She looked around, patiently inspecting the area one last time. Kanao had already returned to her small stool. Su Chen and Kyoujurou were also ready. Shinobu continued to turn her head, her gaze sweeping around, when she suddenly discovered a problem.
She quickly walked in front of Shinazugawa and asked, "Shinazugawa-san, it seems you're missing one person?"
Shinazugawa turned his head and looked behind him. "One, two, three, four... I can't count anymore, it seems. Damn it! I really am missing one!"
He said with an unnatural expression, "Is it okay to be missing one? After all, I can go harass Su Chen. Wouldn't that still let me win?"
After speaking, Shinazugawa squinted at Shinobu. He hoped she would save him some face, since everyone knew how unpopular he was.
But Shinobu didn't give in at all. "No. If Shinazugawa-san can't follow the rules, then you fail. Ah, but then again, Shinazugawa-san has always been so popular with the team members. If you can't do it, I guess there's nothing that can be done. Hehe... no way... no way... no way..."
Shinazugawa instantly flushed with anger. "It's just finding someone, how hard can that be!" he yelled.
With that, Shinazugawa turned and stormed towards the infirmary inside the Butterfly Mansion. The surrounding people were terrified when they saw the Wind Hashira approaching. They all pressed themselves against the walls, fearing that a single glance from him would make them 'win the lottery.'
A moment later, Shinazugawa returned.
In his hand, he was carrying Inosuke, who was wrapped up like a wild boar plushie.
This was his fifth patient, Hashibira Inosuke.
And right behind Shinazugawa, a small nurse, Kanzaki Aoi, followed. Aoi was desperately tugging at Shinazugawa's clothes, trying to get Inosuke back. But her strength was too little. After dragging for a long time, not only did she fail to stop him, but she herself became a 'pendant' on the Hashira, being dragged all the way to the training grounds.
Shinazugawa placed Inosuke on the floor behind him. He pointed at the bundle and said to Shinobu, "Look, isn't this guy also one of the competition members? He'll participate in this match as my rehabilitation training subject!"