Ryosuke was about to step forward when Obanai already stood up, patting the dust off his body.
Kaburamaru, around his neck, lowered its head guiltily, flicking its tongue.
Obanai stroked its chin, whispered something, and then returned to the starting point to begin again.
"Moriyama, Moriyama, Mori..."
Ryosuke turned around and saw Moriyama Akira chatting animatedly with Kanae.
Kanae smiled politely, clearly unsure how to respond.
Kochou Shinobu was a little angry, her cheeks puffed out, ready to act.
Tsk—
Ryosuke frowned, walked over, and pulled him away by his ear.
"Hiss—ow! Let go! Let go!"
Moriyama Akira cried out in pain and immediately shook off Ryosuke's hand.
"What do you want!"
"I just called you."
Ryosuke didn't argue much with him, his gaze falling once again on the young man in the distance.
"How has Obanai been lately?"
Moriyama Akira rubbed his reddened ear, followed Ryosuke's gaze, and sighed slightly.
"Obanai, well... how should I put it, Mr. Ryosuke, that child tries too hard, so hard it makes one's heart ache."
He lowered his voice a bit.
"But his foundation is too poor, his body is very weak, and he's much shorter than others his age. He also has a defect in his right eye, and... he doesn't seem to eat much. Every time in the cafeteria, I only see him eat a little, and he has very little strength."
Ryosuke nodded silently.
Obanai was hit in the side by the wooden dummy again.
He grunted, curled up, and gasped, but didn't cry out.
A moment later,
He merely patted Kaburamaru, who was anxiously poking its head out, and quickly stood up again, resuming his stance.
Seeing this, Ryosuke felt a pang of sympathy.
In the twisted, oppressive environment of Iguro, where he was seen as a sacrifice, merely surviving was a miracle; balanced nutrition was simply a pipe dream.
Long-term malnutrition and psychological trauma led to his current frail physique and possibly left him with severe anorexia.
However... Obanai is like Kochou Shinobu.
They never relied on strength to kill demons.
Kochou Shinobu relies on poison and thrusts, while Obanai relies on attack methods as mysterious and unpredictable as a venomous snake.
His extreme bodily flexibility and his extreme self-discipline are his reliance.
Iguro Obanai's strength is a miracle where willpower overcomes physical innate deficiencies.
As he was thinking, Obanai in the arena finally successfully dodged a series of attacks, completing a round of training.
He leaned on his knees, panting, and when he looked up, he happened to see Ryosuke and Moriyama Akira.
He hesitated for a moment but still walked over slowly.
His face beneath the bandages seemed even thinner, and his heterochromatic eyes looked at Ryosuke as he quietly greeted him.
"Ryosuke-sensei, you've arrived."
"Mm."
Ryosuke responded, and seeing his hesitant expression, he instantly understood something.
He turned to Moriyama Akira and said,
"Moriyama, Obanai and I have some things to discuss. Could you help me take Kanae and Shinobu to their lodging?"
"Alright!"
Moriyama Akira patted his chest, guaranteeing.
Kochou Shinobu frowned, clearly displeased, and quickly looked at Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke-sensei, could you accompany us..."
Before she could finish, Kanae took her hand and gently shook her head.
Kochou Shinobu pouted, then reluctantly left.
Ryosuke couldn't help but smile.
The current Kochou Shinobu is still in the stage of being serious, straightforward, competitive, and easily angered.
The gentle smile, composure, and maturity she displayed in the anime were her deliberate imitation of her sister after Kanae's death.
This indicates that Kochou Shinobu at that time constantly missed and yearned for Kanae.
This is also one of the deepest emotional wounds hidden in the original story.
His thoughts concluded, Ryosuke regained his composure and looked at Obanai.
"What's wrong? Is the training not suiting you? Or have you encountered some difficulty?"
"No! It's not that!"
Obanai immediately shook his head: "I can endure the training. I wanted to ask Ryosuke-sensei..."
He mustered his courage and looked up: "Ryosuke-sensei, please, could you inquire about my cousin? Is she... is she alright?"
Ryosuke was stunned.
He hadn't expected that after much deliberation, Obanai would ask about the woman who had spoken ill of him and blamed him for everything.
This child... is still too kind.
Even after experiencing such betrayal and harm, that faint connection of blood might be his only remaining illusion of family in this world.
Although that woman's views were absurd and her selfishness infuriating, she was, after all, his only living relative in this world.
Ryosuke looked at Obanai's eyes, filled with anxiety and hope, and found himself unable to refuse.
He sighed and nodded.
"I haven't specifically paid attention before. How about this, I'll have the Squad Members of the Kakushi help me inquire about her. If there's any news, I'll let you know."
Obanai nodded and bowed deeply to Ryosuke.
"Thank you very much! Ryosuke-sensei! Truly... thank you very much!"
"No need for that."
Ryosuke held his thin shoulders and admonished him.
"Taking care of yourself is the most important thing. You must train hard, but also know your limits. You must also eat well; your body is fundamental."
"Yes! I understand!"
Obanai nodded vigorously.
Although the bandages covered most of his expression, one could sense that his spirits seemed to have lifted somewhat.
He bowed to Ryosuke again, then jogged back to resume his training.
Ryosuke watched his retreating back and shook his head.
For Obanai, this concern was either a comfort or another form of torment.
After dealing with Obanai's matter, Ryosuke turned to find the Butterfly Sisters.
By the time he arrived at the room door, the room was mostly tidied up.
The room wasn't large, but it was neat and clean, filled with the scent of sunshine and plants.
Kanae was meticulously wiping the tatami mats, while Kochou Shinobu was trying to push the window higher, standing on tiptoes.
Ryosuke looked around but didn't see the conspicuous Moriyama Akira.
"Where's Moriyama? Where did he run off to?"
Kochou Shinobu immediately turned around upon hearing the question, her small face lifted, and she reported very seriously.
"He's too annoying! He kept talking non-stop! Sister said she was a little thirsty and wanted some hot water, so he volunteered to run to the kitchen to boil water!"
Kanae stopped what she was doing and nodded apologetically to Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke-sensei, I'm sorry, we..."
"It's alright."
Ryosuke waved his hand, interrupting her apology.
"Moriyama is just like that, overly enthusiastic, a bit simple-minded, but he doesn't have any malicious intentions. If you really find him noisy, just tell him to shut up or send him away."
Kanae smiled gently: "Moriyama-san is quite lively."
Kochou Shinobu let out a quiet "hmph" from the side, clearly having quite a few opinions about this senior disciple.
Ryosuke gave a wry smile.
Shinobu, you can't even stand one Moriyama Akira, and later we'll have our invincible social butterfly... He was about to give some instructions when a familiar cry suddenly came from the sky.
The hummingbird landed steadily on Ryosuke's shoulder, its sharp beak opening and closing.
"Yasui Ryosuke! Kinoto Rank order!"
"Yuepu Town, fifty li northwest! Over twenty people have gone missing consecutively within ten days! An evil demon is entrenched! Depart immediately! Caw!"