It has already been a month since I pawned that Shiba fellow off on my disciple and returned to my usual routine.
Looking back, dumping Shiba on that disciple of mine was truly a stroke of genius.
To be honest, I didn't have high expectations when I first did it.
I didn't think even my disciple would be able to handle a mouth that rivaled a legendary windbag.
But somehow, now that a month has passed, Shiba has become remarkably quiet compared to when I first saw him. It's as if he only speaks when absolutely necessary.
At first, I thought he just realized there was absolutely nothing to do in this forest, but I realized I was wrong when he suddenly found me during my training and unleashed a 10,000-word tirade of gratitude.
That mouth of doom wasn't quiet because he ran out of things to say; it was more like he stayed silent because he had finally babbled enough to satisfy himself for the day.
The proof of this was the increasingly haggard face of my disciple.
Thank you, my disciple. Thanks to you, your master can live in peace.
Of course, I haven't returned to the peaceful days before these burdens arrived, but at least I've avoided a daily life shared with Shiba, so this is enough for now.
'You're doing God's work.'
The more I think about Shiba, the more he reminds me of a dog. No, I'm not cursing him; I mean he's literally like a canine.
He can't stay still for a second, plays with all his might (chattering) until he gets bored, and once he's exhausted, he becomes satisfied and quiet. He's exactly like a dog.
In fact, I wonder if Shiba's bloodline is mixed with the ancestors of Komamura—the guy who left behind that legendary comedy gold of 'Captain, why did you become a dog?' at the very end.
Good grief, does that mean someone was into furries? Lord, the degeneracy...
"Whew..."
I let out a deep sigh and wiped my face with my hands.
I haven't been sleeping well lately because of all the things on my mind, so nonsense is just spilling out of my head.
'I should get some sleep.'
The weather was cool and the sunlight was warm, so I lay down on the grass to catch a quick nap.
Just as my consciousness was beginning to drift away, my eyelids twitched at a rustling sound. It wasn't just the sound of leaves brushing in the wind; it was the sound of something treading on grass.
Who is it?
I could have just checked the presence, but I was so close to falling asleep that even that felt like a chore, so I just listened.
The Soul King floats around like some Protoss building, so it wouldn't be him. The footsteps are too light to be my disciple, and if it were Shiba, he would have shouted 'HAHAHA' the moment he appeared. That leaves only one option.
"Is it you again, Shihoin?"
"...How did you know it was me without even opening your eyes?"
"I can tell by the footsteps. You're the only one around here who wanders around that quietly."
Technically, my disciple is quiet too, but he's different from Shihoin.
The disciple feels like a stalker sneaking up from a distance to watch, whereas Shihoin feels more like an assassin. If you listen closely, there's a subtle difference.
"So, what brings you here on foot today? Usually, you start by throwing a kick."
"Do you take me for some brute who knows nothing but violence?"
"Am I wrong?"
"I am not!"
I chuckled at her irritated voice. Come to think of it, has there ever been a time when she *didn't* use violence? No, never.
The moment I open my eyes in the morning, she greets me with a kick, and even during my training, she sneaks up to deliver a high-octane strike.
Of course, that's not the end of it—there are many more instances—but listing them all would take all night, so I skipped them.
Actually, the reason I've become so sensitive to presences is because of this brat. She sneaks up at the most random times; it was impossible not to get twitchy.
Anyway, when someone like that says, 'Do you think I just go around beating people up all the time?', the answer is already decided.
"Yes, you are. What's so new about that?"
Seriously, have you no conscience? When I opened my eyes and replied with that look on my face, Shihoin shut her mouth, pouted, and sat down next to me.
It was strange to see her not react by kicking me in annoyance like she usually would. No, it wasn't just 'strange'; it was very bizarre.
"What's with you today? Did something happen to give you actual worries?"
When I laughed and asked, Shihoin fumbled with her words as if to say something, then let out a deep sigh and looked down.
I blinked at her unusually serious demeanor, sat up, and faced her properly.
I was quite flustered because this girl, who seemed to be filled with nothing but anger from head to toe, was acting like this.
Well, she's human—or a soul, anyway—so of course she'd have worries, but the atmosphere suggested this was no ordinary concern.
"What is it?"
"...It is about the Soul King."
The moment the name of the Soul King left Shihoin's mouth, I could faintly guess why she was suddenly plagued by such thoughts.
No matter how dull or stupid someone might be, staying in the same place for years means overhearing things. As the saying goes, even a school dog learns to recite poems after three years.
Shihoin might seem like a tomboy, but she's surprisingly perceptive and sharp.
How could she spend years in the same space as my disciple—who thinks the Soul King must die or vanish—without noticing anything?
She isn't an airhead like Shiba; there was no way she wouldn't notice.
So that's what she was agonizing over.
"Is it because of Tsunayashiro?"
"...Hah. There is a reason that lawless man calls you his master."
"Look at that attitude. So what, did he tell you to your face that the Soul King must die or something?"
"That is sacrilege! No... it is sacrilegious, but..."
Looking at her reaction, it wasn't just because of a simple 'the Soul King should die' remark.
Judging by her state, she probably heard my disciple ranting about the Soul King and tried to challenge him to a duel to the death for his 'blasphemy,' only to get swept up in his silver-tongued logic and end up hearing the whole story.
"...Is it true that the Soul King's existence... is a threat to this world?"
Sure enough, the exact question I expected popped out.
While I was debating how to answer her, Shihoin suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and reached out, covering my mouth with her hand.
"Wait. I am... not yet mentally prepared..."
"Mmph mmmph mmph mmmph..."
My words came out muffled because her hand was pressed firmly against my mouth.
Shihoin blinked, looked at me, and then chuckled softly.
"Pfft... I can't understand a single word you're saying."
'That's because you're the one covering my mouth, you brat.'
I gave her a flat look and then licked her palm.
"Eek!? Wh-what are you doing?! How filthy!!"
"I was suffocating, you brat."
Ignoring Shihoin's horrified expression, I continued.
"You probably heard my disciple say the world will end if the Soul King stays alive. Or you heard something very similar, maybe something even more detailed. Am I right?"
"...Yes. Tsunayashiro said that as the Soul King eradicates Hollows, the Reishi that makes up this world is literally being annihilated. Because of that, as long as the Soul King exists, this world is destined to perish..."
"He certainly gave you the full rundown."
The details matched exactly what I knew, so he had definitely told her everything. But for some reason, I felt like that wasn't the end of it.
No, there's no way it ended there. Based on what I've seen of my disciple, he's the type to spill every bit of information he has to anyone he considers to be 'on his side.'
For the record, his criteria for someone being 'on his side' refers to someone he can fully comprehend—someone he deems lesser or stupider than himself.
"But that's not all, is it? He must have said more."
"...Tsunayashiro said nothing more."
She is a terrible liar.
She was so bad at lying it almost made me burst out laughing.
Given her reaction, he definitely said something... If he had only said the Soul King had to die, Shihoin wouldn't be this conflicted.
To convince a Soul King fangirl like Shihoin, he would have shared various theories and hypotheses, and the proposed solution would have been...
"I bet the topic of sealing the Soul King came up."
"How did you—! *Gasp*!"
"It's because you're a terrible liar, and also because knowing your personality, if he had only said he wanted to kill the King because he was dangerous, you would have never left him in one piece."
"...Hah. You already know everything, then."
"Not everything. Just what I know."
"In that case... is the Soul King really... a threat to this world?"
I fell silent for a moment, pondering her circular question.
If the Soul King does not eradicate Hollows, the Hollows will devour every last soul and eventually destroy themselves, leading to the end of the world.
However, if the Soul King is kept as he is, the Reishi of this world will eventually vanish, as Tsunayashiro said, and the world will naturally collapse.
In the end, it's a choice between two evils.
A forced choice between resignation and obsession.
There was much I could say, but if the question was simply whether the Soul King's existence was a threat to the world or not...
"Yes. If the Soul King remains as he is, this world will one day meet its end."
That was the only answer I could give.
...And that was the end the Soul King himself desired.
Saying this, I slightly turned my head to look toward the distance, where my disciple was hiding behind a tree, and then I closed my eyes.