42. Training Begins!

Rengoku Mansion.

It's been days since Kotaro and Mitsuri arrived at Kyojuro's place, and one thing has become more apparent as time passes.

"Damn! It's hell!"

Kotaro was drenched in sweat as he dragged himself to keep running. Though he had been exercising for about a month, he was still a novice. His body lacked the basic fitness needed to fight demons.

As soon as he arrived, he was told to run as much as he could, with Kyojuro guiding him, holding a wooden sword, and urging him to run faster.

"Run, run faster, Kotaro!"

"W-Wait! I can't breathe---"

"Push yourself to the limits! Surpass yourself, Kotaro!"

Damn! Those words aren't motivating me! Kotaro gasped for air, trying to keep running on wobbly legs. But soon…

'My head…'

"Shit! I'm blanking out---"

With a thud, Kotaro Kenshin, only a few days into his stay at the Rengoku Mansion, collapsed from exhaustion.

...

"Ack! This pain…!"

Kotaro woke up with a splitting headache, holding his head as he opened his eyes, finding himself in an unfamiliar room.

"Where am I? What was I…?"

!!!

Then Kotaro remembered everything—how he had blanked out from exhaustion. He couldn't believe he had passed out from over-exercising. To think such a thing had happened… Anyway, Kotaro was somewhat prepared for this.

He was trying to become a demon slayer, so an exorbitant amount of exercise was necessary to grow strong enough to fight and survive against demons in the future.

But he never expected it to be this intense!

"Kyojuro…"

Then he realized he had overlooked one thing. He had come to none other than Rengoku Kyojuro for training, the man who trained so enthusiastically that people fled from becoming his Tsuguko.

"Am I screwed?"

And then…

"Kotaro, you're awake! Let's practice!"

"You must be kidding me!"

...

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Two months had passed since Kotaro first arrived at the Rengoku Mansion.

"This sweat…"

In a swift move, he disrobed his training clothes and squeezed them, filling the bucket with sweat. This had become part of his daily routine. His body, which had been more like that of an average person with a bit of fat, was now transformed into that of a warrior. There were sharp lines and explosive muscles, making him a bit bulkier than before.

This was the result of hellish training. It's a miracle he's still alive at this point.

"I should take a bath."

Today's training session was over. Kotaro walked to the bathroom, cleaned himself up, and headed toward the dojo, where the sounds of swords clashing echoed.

"More! You can do more, Mitsuri! A thousand more!"

"I want to take a break… My tummy hurts. I'm hungry~"

"But we had lunch a while ago! You only have a thousand more, Mitsuri!"

Mitsuri whined while sparring with Kyojuro, who showed no signs of relenting. Kotaro watched them and smiled, finding relief from his own pain as he witnessed Mitsuri's struggles.

Unlike him, who had a poor physique, Mitsuri didn't have a problem with that. She had completed the basic fitness training much faster and had already transitioned to combat training, which consisted of regular spars with Kyojuro.

"Kotaro-sama~"

She turned toward him with teary eyes, but Kotaro just averted his gaze. Didn't Mitsuri want to become stronger? She has to work harder, and he, as her husband, has to support that!

Kotaro gave her a thumbs up and quickly walked away, fearing that Kyojuro might ask him to join the sparring, ruining his small bit of rest time.

Still, he meant it. As much as he disliked this hellish training, it was effective. His strength, stamina, and speed had all improved. Unlike when he trained by himself, the training under Kyojuro's guidance was much better.

Since Kyojuro had been trained from a young age, he understood the core principles and could guide better. And for Mitsuri, this was crucial, as wielding a sword couldn't be mastered instantly. As a demon slayer, she would eventually wield a sword, so it was better to get used to it.

As for Kotaro…

"What weapon suits me?"

It was a question that needed to be answered. Kotaro was destined to walk a different path than a typical demon slayer. He needed to find a weapon that would best harness his unique power—Hamon.

A sword could work, but it didn't bring out the best in Hamon. It lacked versatility, which was opposite to the nature of Hamon. Moreover, he didn't want to use a weapon that everyone else used.

"A chain might be good."

A long chain with some weight at the end might be the best option. It's cool too. But wielding it would be a pain. Plus, it could be useful for long-range attacks, but for short-range…

"Hmm… Maybe I could use something like nunchaku. But still, that would be too short… Wait! Maybe I could use that—Playful Cloud."

Unlike nunchaku, Playful Cloud had three bars connected by chains. The reach could be much longer than a regular nunchaku, and most importantly... it hits harder!

If he used Hamon on it and struck a demon… Just thinking about it gave him shivers.

But it was still just a thought. Kotaro decided not to think too much about it and let his future self figure out if he could wield it. For now, it was time to focus on the fundamentals.

Up to this point, he had been training his body, but now it was time to train the power unique to him—Hamon.

And for that, he decided to ask Kyojuro to teach him the next step of Breath Style.

Total Concentration Breathing: Constant.

===

A/N:

Thanks for all your suggestions! Hamon certainly strengthens human traits, though not as explosive as the Breath Style, but it still does.

And the new arc - [Kotaro Kenshin, The Demon Slayer] begins!