The Dance of Triplet Knives

--- Chapter 37 ---

After resting on Tamako's lap, Tenma finally digested her Chikuzenni and found something astonishing.

[Ding! You have eaten Mother's Special Dish made with Love!]

[+300% physical, mental, and spirit recovery for ten minutes]

"..."

'Wow, Mommy Tamako is amazing!' Iris's eyes widened.

[Indeed, she's abnormal...] Hestia was speechless.

Tenma clenched and unclenched his hand, feeling all his energy flow and recovering rapidly. Yes, every energy inside Tenma's body seemed to circulate four times faster than before.

Last time, the charms she made helped Tenma. In fact, he still had those charms.

But today, her cooking buffed him immensely.

Isn't Tamako's cooking no different than an elixir at this point?

"What's the matter, Ma-kun?" Tamako tilted her head in confusion as he suddenly became quiet.

Tenma laughed helplessly inside before answering warmly, "Nothing, Kaa-san."

"Is that so?" Tamako was still confused but decided not to delve in too deeply. Heh, Tenma is 'likely' touched by her motherly feelings.

If Tenma knew what Tamako was thinking, he wouldn't say whether to laugh or cry.

Tenma stretched and did some push-ups with gravity bracelets, using the best of ten minutes.

Tamako smiled and went to wash the dishes. And Kanao, being the good future daughter-in-law she is, helped her.

Eri placed both hands on her cheeks, watching over Tenma's exercise in boredom. "Say... Tenma Nii-chan, how should I train my Dagger Breathing and Tao more?"

Tenma kept doing push-ups and answered, "Physical training, meditation, and real combat."

Eri pouted and complained, "Hmph! Physical training and meditation are so boring! I've done it every day for four years now. As for real combat, you haven't permitted me to fight demons."

"I haven't completed my dance at all!"

Tenma laughed, "Okay, stop. Don't give me puppy eyes."

"I will train you again."

"But remember, you should treat this training as real combat. Think of me as a demon you must kill..."

"I understand." Eri nodded solemnly, no longer acting like a child. She has seen a fair share of this world's darkness, which drove her spirit to grow stronger fast.

After that, Tenma and Eri went to the backyard, which seamlessly integrated with the house's layout and was neatly surrounded by tall fences. Some willow trees were planted in the corner of the backyard, adding a sense of peace.

Tamako and Kanao, who finished cleaning the dishes, sat in the side hall and watched them with warm tea in their hands.

"How long do you think Eri-chan would last?" asked Tamako. While she wasn't well-versed in combat, Tamako still trained her body and martial arts to protect herself.

She's not at the level of Kanae and Shinobu, but low-level and mid-level demons pose no threat against her.

Kanao stared at Tenma and Eri, "Eri-chan has reached an advanced stage of Dagger Breathing. Her talent is clear, and the golden age for training just started for her."

"So, she should last for a few minutes."

"However..."

"I don't know how strong Tenma has become."

"One year ago, he killed a strong, high-level demon with one move."

"Now, one year has passed. I can't even imagine Tenma's strength."

"That's true..." Tamako nodded her head in understanding.

Tamako isn't ignorant about the danger of this world anymore. However, Tenma's existence still assured her, believing everything would be fine with him around.

Yet they didn't know the sheer pressure Eri is facing right now.

Before Tenma, Eri drew her daggers from the sleeve, but her expression froze as soon as those obsidian eyes gazed at her. Extreme fear colluded her young mind, causing cold sweat to come out and her breathing to become disorder.

Eri bit her lips, forcing herself out of fear. "I-I can do this..."

"Dagger Breathing - 1st Move: Deadly Assault!"

Eri's figure vanished, followed by thick dust in the cold air. The sound of sharp air filled the training field, making one nervous by hearing it.

Tenma calmly stretched his right hand and stopped Eri's dagger from reaching his chest.

"..." Eri's mouth twitched.

She kicked the ground again, drawing another dagger and disappearing from everyone's vision.

Tenma hummed, his eyes looking for the fine traces Eri left behind in the air. While she made a cloud of dust, it wasn't enough to cover her track and movement.

"Dagger Breathing - 2nd Move: Double Fangs!"

Clank!

"How?" Eri was stunned, seeing her twin daggers stopped by metal chopsticks in Tenma's left hand.

Tenma smiled, "Don't get too excited when you see a chance to attack. Be calm and slowly observe the surroundings. Also, you're walking on the path of assassination, so don't announce your presence nor show your killing intent to your enemy."

"I know!" Eri retreated, taking a few steps back.

"Dagger Breathing - 5th Move: Dance of Triplet Knives!"

Wooosh!

Eri's presence and killing intent vanished into thin air. She merged with her surroundings, leaving no trace or even breath.

Tenma nodded, "Good."

Suddenly, a dagger flew toward Tenma, and he caught it casually.

Another dagger followed quickly, nearly scratching his cheek. Then, the second dagger, third, and fourth charged like a storm.

Yet all this time, Eri never announced her presence. She wrapped Tenma in the flurry of attack, harassing him until he made a mistake.

Tenma dodged three daggers at once, tilting his big body to the left. It gives Eri a chance to land a decisive and vital attack.

However, reminded of Tenma's advice earlier, Eri wasn't keen on making an attack anymore. She observed him silently while dancing in the cloud of dust.

Her young body blurred into afterimages, gathering the hidden killing intent in her sleeve.

Tenma quickly covered his open back, waving his hand to prevent Eri from attacking it.

But there is a saying that when one path closes, another opens.

Eri huffed and unexpectedly appeared behind Tenma, waving her blue kimono's sleeve. A gleaming green dagger appeared and coated with extreme bloodlust, scattering one's Tao and other spiritual protection.

BAM!

UUGH!

Tenma mercilessly caught Eri's hand and kicked her leg, causing her body to flip and fall to the ground.

Eri's face hit the ground in frustration as she groaned, "Uuugh..."

"Tenma Nii-chan is merciless. You're not even holding back when fighting a child!"

"Heh, your complaint is useless." Tenma teased her. "In a real battle, your enemy won't care about your gender and age, especially demons."

"You're strong, Eri. Stronger than Shinobu when I first met her."

"But you lacked the necessary experience."

Eri puffed her cheeks like a hamster, "AGAIN!"

Tenma and Eri sparred for two hours, and the latter ended up panting on the ground. She cursed herself for asking her big brother to teach her, so she should have known better.

Even then, Eri didn't regret it. Her breathing technique has improved immensely!

Not to mention, Eri's Tao also showed a faint sign of getting stronger.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Tamako clapped upon seeing Eri land a hit on Tenma's shoulder. It was clumsy but successful nonetheless. "Congratulations, Eri-chan!"

"..." Eri bitterly laughed. She couldn't even be happy because she knew Tenma was holding back, allowing her to hit that spot.

"So, can I fight demons now?" She asked Tenma.

Tenma glanced at her and replied, "Yes, but... You can only fight low-level and mid-level demons."

Eri's eyes lit up. She was finally permitted to fight demons. "Eh, why not high-level ones? I want to fight high-level demons!"

Tenma ruffled Eri's hair and answered, "Because the high-level demons have Blood Demon Art. Such an ability is random and dangerous for someone like you."

'But you killed a high-level demon at six!' Eri wanted to say this. Still, she knew she couldn't compare to Tenma. She's a little genius, and Tenma is a monster of his own.

'Well, playing with low-level and mid-level demons is fun, too...'

Caw! Caw!

A Kasugai Crow descended from the sky and landed on Tenma's right shoulder.

Tenma glanced at Kasugai Crow and found it was Shinobu's, "What's up, En."

En The Crow nodded and replied, "Shinobu is currently a few cities away from the village. Since you're out of seclusion, she ordered me to share the news that some demons are lingering in the area."

"Okay. Tell Shinobu to come and give me more detailed information about the demons." Tenma responded.

Caw!

The crow flew back, vanishing into the horizon.

Tenma smiled at Eri, "Well, Eri... it seems your chance has come."

"Yey! It's time for some demon slaying!" Eri cheered, pumping her fist.