Shinobu clenched her fists, her knuckles white with anger. But in the end, she could only bite her lip and reply, "Understood. I'll be out in a moment!"
Su Chen watched her, realizing it was the first time he had seen her genuinely angry. Her cheeks were puffed out, and her neck was flushed red.
A small smile touched Su Chen's lips. It seemed she was finally letting down her guard around him. The fact that her usual, constant smile was gone was the best proof.
Su Chen stopped thinking about it and gently pushed open the door, turning to leave. He was back at the training grounds... just on the other side.
He arrived at Shinazugawa's training area. The Demon Slayer Corps' Wind Hashira was "diligently" performing his massage services.
Just a moment ago, Shinazugawa had a brief chat with the five Slayers assigned to him. He'd bothered to learn their names.
First, Hashibira Inosuke didn't really count. The Wind Hashira had just dragged him over to make up the numbers; he was basically a mascot. Shinazugawa's real focus was on the four brothers in front of him.
They had voluntarily joined his team and were named Tomioka Dairo, Tomioka Jiro, Tomioka Saburo, and Tomioka Kotaro. The four brothers were from the mountains. They joined the Demon Slayer Corps after a demon slaughtered their family. They feared demons, but they also hated them to their very core.
But today, they were facing something even more terrifying than a demon. That was Shinazugawa's "massage."
Shinazugawa, putting on a frighteningly "friendly" face, leaned in close to Tomioka Dairo. "What's wrong?" he asked "kindly." "Do you feel like something's amiss?"
Tomioka Dairo stammered, "N-no, Wind Hashira-sama."
"No?" Shinazugawa's warm smile didn't reach his eyes. He suddenly pointed toward Su Chen's and Kyojuro's areas and roared, "Then why do you keep staring over there? I, the Wind Hashira, am personally giving you a relaxing massage, and you're still not satisfied?!"
Shinazugawa was furious. Here he was, the dignified Wind Hashira, personally massaging the muscles and bones of his team members. And these four were looking elsewhere, as if the grass was greener on the other side! Their eyes kept darting toward Su Chen! Wasn't this a clear sign of dissatisfaction with him? They might as well have "I'd rather be anywhere else" written on their faces!
The Tomioka brothers wanted to sigh. They were absolutely miserable.
The Flame Hashira's rehabilitation training was all about passion. If a patient was uncomfortable, the Flame Hashira would patiently guide them and comfort them with his hearty laughter.
Su Chen's training was all about professionalism. He didn't even need to comfort anyone; he could just fix patients directly with his expert skills. For him, rehabilitation training was a piece of cake.
But what about the Wind Hashira's side? They were being tortured.
Shinazugawa's massage method completely ignored basic human anatomy. If Shinazugawa thought your bones could twist backward, then he made them twist backward. If Shinazugawa thought your bones could flip over, then he made them flip over. The brothers were simply not strong enough to "enjoy" such an anti-human massage. Here, as long as your bones were hard enough, you could enjoy Shinazugawa's "exquisite" technique.
Looking at the four timid Slayers in front of him, Shinazugawa shook his head and sighed. "It seems the quality of this generation's Demon Slayer Corps members has dropped to an appalling level. Your body flexibility is just too poor!"
Tomioka Dairo whispered, "But, we're patients. Isn't it normal to be a bit weak?"
Shinazugawa rounded on him. "When a demon eats you, is it going to say, 'Oh, you're a patient, I won't eat you'?" "They're demons! They'll eat any part of you!" he roared. "Or what, are you like that kid Giyu Tomioka? Think you're different from the rest of us?!" "If you don't have the Water Hashira's strength, then shut up and train!"
Hearing this, the Tomioka brothers fell silent. The Wind Hashira was famous in the Demon Slayer Corps for his short temper. Talking back to him was the same as asking to die. So, they could only obediently wait to complete Shinazugawa's "training."
"Alright, let's continue the massage! Who's next?" Shinazugawa stretched his wrists, standing up aggressively, and scanned the terrified Slayers one by one.
The Tomioka brothers all lowered their heads, praying they wouldn't be chosen. Shinazugawa sneered. "Since you're all so afraid of training, then you can just... hmm."
The next moment, Shinazugawa instantly appeared behind Tomioka Dairo. He grabbed Dairo's waist and back, forcing him into a lock. Shinazugawa, imitating Su Chen's gentle tone from earlier, said, "Relax, okay."
"Ugh..." Tomioka Dairo felt a cold dread. As the force on his shoulders and back gradually increased, the dread turned into pure pain. A heart-wrenching scream tore from his mouth: "Ah-ah-ah!"
Shinazugawa smiled. It seems this is quite effective. Look how comfortably this young man is screaming! He said with self-satisfaction, "Comfortable, right? My technique isn't worse than that brat Su Chen's, is it!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Tomioka Dairo choked out, just trying to make it stop.
Shinazugawa gradually began to add more force. "Come on, continue to relax." "Ah-ah, AH-AH-AH!!!"
Tomioka Dairo's face went from pale to beet red. "Something's not right," Shinazugawa muttered. Feeling the stiffness in the Slayer's muscles, he frowned. "Why are you so tense? If you're this tense, the massage won't work. Good boy, relax a little!"
Tomioka Dairo gritted his teeth, tears in his eyes. "I'm really trying very hard to relax!"
Shinazugawa was puzzled. Is the physical resilience of this generation's Demon Slayer Corps really this bad? Why is he getting stiffer, not more relaxed? He was sure he was following Su Chen's technique from earlier. Could it be... that my strength isn't enough?Forget it. I'll just try harder!
So, Shinazugawa took a deep breath. He almost used his Wind Breathing.
Feeling the immense force building on his shoulder, Tomioka Dairo broke out in a cold sweat. His mouth let out an ear-splitting scream: "AHHHHHHHH!!!"
The result... CRACK! His shoulder dislocated completely.
Bang! With a thud, Tomioka Dairo collapsed to the ground like a boneless chicken strip. His three younger brothers cried out in terror, "Big brother! What's wrong with you? Don't scare us!"
Kanzaki Aoi, who was sweeping the floor nearby, immediately rushed over. "Step back, let me see!" Aoi knelt beside Tomioka Dairo and quickly checked his injuries. "His heartbeat is way too fast. He has a dislocated shoulder. He fainted from the pain," she reported. "But judging by his state, he must have also suffered immense psychological torment before he passed out!"
Kanzaki Aoi gave Shinazugawa a very dissatisfied look. "Wind Hashira-sama, you used way too much force. I'll take this patient away now. You should... train the others." Saying this, Aoi pulled over a small cart and loaded the unconscious Tomioka Dairo onto it.
And just like that, the four brothers became three. The remaining Tomioka Jiro, Tomioka Saburo, and Tomioka Kotaro huddled together in a corner, trembling. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
There was no time to mourn for their elder brother. It would be their turn next.