Chapter 11: CHAPTER 11
"Itadakimasu!"
"Meshiagare!"
Issei was sitting with Kanae and Shinobu on an traditional Japanese eating table.
The food was pretty similar to his previous worlds, which he didn't expected.
Issei wasn't complaining though, he was ready to scavenge for his own food once he left his home. This outcome was totally amazing.
No one said anything during the whole time while eating. It was supposedly considered interrupting someone if you talk to him during eating. It is believed to be very rude!
This was another lesson for Issei. In his previous world, although it was also advised to not talk while eating, here it was an unspoken rule.
It showed the diversity between the cultures and beliefs of different people.
He placed his chopsticks on the bowl together as he finished eating. Even if no one really talks about it, the way you act leaves a big impression on other people.
Kanae knocked on the table twice lightly to signify that everyone was done eating. Three small girls hopped into the room. They had white hair and red eyes.
All three of them looked nearly identical. They were the 'servants' of this house. Well, not really servants, but they were the ones who take care of most of the chores in the house.
They cleaned up the table of utensils and left the room quickly.
Now this was the time when theye will have a family meeting. Basically, they will have a casual talk with each other, regarding anything they want.
"Sister! I heard the Water Hashira retired yesterday! Is that true?"
"It is true… he left after giving his position to a promising boy."
"Who is the new Hashira?" Shinobu asked with a curious expression.
"He is a boy named Giyu Tomioka. He looks quite young, around 16 I guess."
"16 years!! Are you sure?!" Shinobu asked with a bewildered expression.
"I am~" Kanae nodded with a smile.
"He must be very talented…" She mumbled to herself with a envious tone.
"Don't be like that. You are also doing very well considering your age. I am sure you will also become a Hashira by the time you are 16." Kanae encouraged her in an gentle tone.
Issei, on the other hand was thinking about something else differently. His interest in becoming a Demon Slayer was already quite piqued for quite some time.
He was 12 years old for now. He was also short on time. He didn't knew for how much time would he be here.
It can be for only a month or for an entire year. Maybe he won't be able to go back at all. This raises the question if he had to find his way back.
He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in the first place! Should he train? Or should he just try to find a way to go back?
He had no idea.
The only thing he could possibly do was to train to become a demon Slayer for now. By becoming a demon Slayer, he could explore this world more and possibly find a way to return home.
Moreover, he didn't knew if that was a coincidence or not, but the roulette wheel said 'DEMON SLAYER'. He wasn't sure if that was referring to the name of the anime world or that he was supposed to become a demon Slayer.
There wasn't any harm in becoming a demon Slayer, so why not?
Deciding this, he looked at the sisters talking with each other about something happening in Demon Slayer corps.
He looked at Kanae and considered asking her, but eventually decided otherwise.
She was more of a kind big sister. She would most likely tell him off by saying something like 'You are too young for now' or 'Just enjoy your life as much as possible'.
If that choice was not available, then….
"Shinobu nee-san…"
Shinobu visibly flinched as she heard the way he addressed her. Up until now, she was the one who was referring to Kanae as 'nee-san'. Being called the same by someone else sounded pleasantly weird.
"What is it? Did you also wanted to talk about something?" She asked while trying to keep a straight face.
Kanae also stared at both of them with a curious expression on her face.
"How many demons have you killed till now?"
"I'm not sure, but it would be around 10 or so. Why are you asking that?" She asked with a puzzled expression.
"Wow, that is so amazing! Will you tell me more about it?" Issei had a look of admiration as he said this.
Manipulation?
Nah…
This is just the strategy everyone has used in their lives at least once.
If you want something, then it is essential that the mood of the person from whom you want something is great.
It is as simple as that.
He didn't knew much about Shinobu but he could tell that she really respected other demon slayers.
By asking her to tell some stories of her missions, he is basically telling her indirectly that he also looks up to demon slayers. This would subconsciously make a good impression of him in her mind.
Kanae had an amused look on her face as she stood up.
"Oh my, I will leave you both alone in that case~"
With that, She left without hearing any reply leaving Shinobu and Issei in the room.
"Let me think, it was probably my second mission as a demon slayer…."
She started her story while Issei sat up staring showing his attention and willingness to hear about her.
She narrated the incident for about 10 minutes before she stopped and looked at him
"And that's how I was able to complete the mission and kill the demon."
Issei showed a look of admiration as he pumped his fists and said
"Shinobu nee-san, Can I also become a demon Slayer?"
He asked with an enthusiastic tone and a glimmer in his eyes.
Shinobu had complex emotions as she heard his question. She herself wanted to train him, so that he can become self dependent in the future.
She was only reluctant because she thought he was too young for now. The training to become a demon Slayer can start at any age, but she couldn't bind his fate to a singular point yet.
She only saw his request as a fascination of a child for something new. If she started training him, then he won't have any other choice but to join Demon Slayer corps in the future.
This was something she was hesitant to do. It could be that he changes his mind after some time, he might not want to fight demons as he grew up.
"What is your purpose behind becoming a demon Slayer?"
This was the question that will decided everything!!
Issei also realized the importance behind this and racked his mind to find a suitable answer.
Something that could satisfy her, while at the same time sound plausible for his age as well.
"...There is no definite purpose behind that; I just want to do it…"
Issei replied with an apprehensive look.
This was really like playing with fire!! It could either keep you warm whole night or might burn you in a second.
This was actually a pretty smart answer. It might sound stupid but there ware certain points that should be taken into consideration beforehand.
By saying he had no definite purpose, he might be digging his own grave since she might think that he isn't serious about it. But at the same time, it also means that it is more likely that he will stay in this field in the future!
How?
If he didn't had any purpose or any dream, then he won't be disappointed. Sometimes, when someone is chasing after a certain goal and he couldn't achieve it, that leads to disappointment. But if you aren't after anything, then that means you will keep going until you can't anymore.
Moreover, if taking his age into consideration, he isn't supposed to give a deep and profound reason to justify his interest.
So, this was the best he could think of at the moment.
Shinobu stood up silently with an incomprehensible expression on her face.
Issei's confidence dwindled with every passing silent second. She walked walked to the door at a slow pace and slid open the door
"Wake up at 5 tomorrow."
She said as she left without any further questioning or response.
Issei released a breath that he didn't knew he was holding in. He realized that his heartbeat had turned fast die to the intense nervousness and anxiety.
[[Another thing you have to improve during the training!!]]
{Lord Lucifer always used to say and I quote "If you want to rule for a short time, then use fear. But if you want to rule forever, then use your charisma."}
{A good leader isn't someone who knows how to lead the people. A good leader is someone who knows how to deal with people.}
"Is that right?…"
"If so… then I will also try to become a ruler.. who rules forever."
…
*SMACK!!*
*THUD!*
Issei woke up immediately as he felt sharp pain coursing through his whole body. It took him a moment, but he realized that someone pushed him off the bed.
Looking up, he saw Shinobu standing over the bed with her arms crossed with a serious expression.
"I told you to wake up at 5 am, did you think it was joke?"
Realization hit him as he stood up from the ground and bowed down a little.
"Im sorry sister! It won't happen again!"
"Five minutes. Get ready and meet me at backyard!"
Saying this, her body disappeared without any flash like a ghost while issei grimaced.
It has been a few days since he trained, he hadn't trained since he left his house, so his habit of waking up early has been affected a lot. Not to mention, there weren't any alarm clocks in this world.
One can only guess the time by looking at the position of sun and moon. This was also another reason that he couldn't get up in time.
[Ddraig, Malphas, why didn't you both woke me up in time?!]
He asked mentally while hastily changing his clothes and washing his mouth.
[[ I will be honest. I wanted to see what she would do?]]
[Why?]
[[ There are many ways to tell how good a trainer is. One of them is how would he/she react in certain situation. I have to say, that girl handled that pretty well.]]
[I see, so you wanted to test her.]
Issei replied with an understanding look.
'I can really trust them when it comes to these type of things.'
He thought with a grateful expression as he finished his morning chores.
{For me, I just wanted to see you getting smacked. Hahahaha…..}
'Maybe not…'
He thought with a blank expression as he moved towards the backyard with hurried steps.
Arriving there, he saw that Shinobu was already there with a wooden sword in her hand. It was still dark outside since the sun hasn't risen up yet. Without looking back at him, she said
"Pick a sword from there and assume stance!"
She said with a commanding tone. Issei wasn't really Keen on being pushed around, but decided to suck it up since he was the one who asked to be trained.
He picked up the sword and walked in front of her.
"Why are you so slow? A demon would've killed you ten times already before you even had the time to pick up your weapon!"
Damn…
She is really going all out…
But, she does have a point though.
'I have to take this seriously!' He thought with a determined look on his face.
Looking at his front, he saw that she was not there anymore!!
*THACK!*
huh?
His sword was lying on the ground while she was standing right besdie him.
He didn't even realize what was happening before few moments later.
"Why are you not picking up your weapon again?"
Her voice brought him out of his daze, he bent down quickly and tried to pick up his sword again.
*SMACK!*
A sharp pain coming from his left shoulder caused him to groan with a pained expression.
"Never move your eyes away from your enemy!"
Issei couldn't help but feel anger in indignance. This isn't training at all!!
This is straight up bullying someone!!
Even though what she said was correct, it's not like she had said this before. Moreover, this was the first day of training, should she be this extreme?
He jumped away from her while grabbing the bokken from the ground.
His back chilled due to cold winds as he instinctively turned around to dodge.
"wrong…"
A whisper came from behind near his ears as Issei realized her plan.
Shit!
A feint!!
But it was too late. Issei felt his world spinning over as he couldn't feel the ground under his feet.
*THUD!*
His body feel down to the ground with a hard slam causing him to release a painful grunt.
His body felt heavy as he used his elbow to leverage his upper body and sent a glare her way.
"What? Already tired? Then why don't you go and hide inside the blankets, it's not like you could do this anyway."
Her words caused him to get even more flared up. Not wasting any time, he rose back to his feet and faced her without saying a word.
Shinobu had a calculative look on her face as she analyzed his every move and response. His every weakness and every strong point.
Issei's expression hardened as he pounced towards her. Shinobu looked at him and frowned a little
'A direct and forward attack, engaged solely due to emotions…. You have to learn a lot…' She thought while shaking her head a little.
Issei arrived close to her and swung his sword with using all of his strength.
Shinobu decided to dodge the attack and knock him over again. She took a step back and right when she was about to move…
*BOOST!*
Issei's speed doubled as he swung his bokken forward. He was already in close proximity from her, this added boost gave him enough speed to reach her!!
Shinobu's eyes widened as she saw the approaching sword. She never expected him to suddenly become more agile. She was totally caught off guard, but even then, being someone with exceptionally high speed and agility, she moved back with outstanding reflexes and dodged his attack from hair's length.
Dammit!
Still not enough! I couldn't reach her even after catching her off guard. She's too strong!
Issei thought with a frustrated look on his face.
While on the other hand, Shinobu flashed back and appeared some distance away. She had a flabbergasted look on her face.
What just happened?
How did his speed suddenly increased that much?
Was he holding back from the start? To catch me off guard? Really?
She totally believed that it was his plan from the beginning since there was no other explanation for the current situation.
If he really planned all this from the beginning, then she was at least sure of one thing
'He won't be a nobody in future…'
She thought as she gazed at him. Issei was bending forward with his hands on his knees.
*SIGH!* 'I have no choice then…'
"Ise!"
"Hm?"
He looked at her with a cold gaze while breathing heavily.
"You can see that mountain over there, right?"
She pointed toward a certain direction. It was still dark but the moonlight provided enough to make out the outline of almost everything.
Issei followed the direction of her finger and saw a big mountain about a mile away.
"Yeah"
He gave a short reply. He still wasn't emotionally stable. Call it his ego or attitude, he really didn't liked getting beaten around like that. It was like she was in control of everything the whole time.
Shinobu nodded her head and said with a clear voice "I have placed a gourd on the top of that mountain. Your task is to go up that mountain and come back with it."
Issei's expression turned serious as he heard her. He didn't bothered asking stupid questions like 'You're joking, right?' or 'Really?', since he knew that she was dead serious.
Her tone and expression said it all. Not to mention, from her way of speaking, Issei assumed that this wasn't something absolutely ridiculous in this world. In fact, it should be something every trainee should be able to do.
No matter how he looked at it, he found it extremely embarrassing if he couldn't do something everyone else could.
A new determination sprouted in his heart as he stood up straight and gazed at the mountain.
"I will do it"
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