Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Tashigi, are you really going to let that man leave like this?" Smoker asked, approaching her. "You clearly have feelings for this Ikki fellow."
Together they watched as Ikki and Nojiko walked toward the harbor.
"Feelings..." Tashigi pursed her lips, but this ti she didn't protest.
Shaking her head, she opened the manga titled "Demon Slayer: Kitsu no Yaiba," and an envelope fell out.
"Well, well. Is this a love letter?" Smoker raised his eyebrows, peering over with curiosity.
Tashigi's eyes narrowed slightly, and for reasons she couldn't explain, she felt a flutter of anticipation in her heart.
She caught the envelope mid-air and opened it in front of Smoker. Although he was curious, as Tashigi's superior officer, Smoker respectfully refrained from reading soone else's correspondence.
Tashigi, on the other hand, couldn't help but read the contents imdiately:
"Tashigi, it's been a pleasure spending these days with you.
It's unfortunate that you're a Marine and I'm a renowned sword hunter who values freedom. Otherwise, I would certainly invite you to join as my partner. With your swordsmanship talent, you would undoubtedly beco an outstanding swordsman in my crew.
However, even though your position prevents you from joining , I believe we can still be considered good friends—that is, if you don't mind occasionally claiming famous swords from you, haha.
You ntioned wanting to hear the rest of the 'Demon Slayer: Kitsu no Yaiba' story. I wasn't withholding it from you; it's just that the continuation is sowhat sad... Anyway, you'll understand after reading it.
Rember, don't just read it as a story. So of the training thods described in this manga can be attempted by soone like you who has already mastered the basics of Water Breathing.
Of course, don't try to learn new breathing styles without my guidance. It could be counterproductive. The Demon Slayer Mark is relatively easier to master, but I wouldn't recomnd attempting it—it drains your vitality too severely.
You might try mastering the Red Blade and the Transparent World concept. If you can master the Transparent World, you might even develop Observation Haki.
I hope that when we next et, you'll have beco a great swordsman capable of standing on your own.
—Ikki"
"Ikki..." Tashigi whispered, carefully returning the letter to its envelope with a gentle smile crossing her face.
"What? He didn't confess his feelings?" Smoker frowned. "I should have a word with that guy about his intentions toward you."
"Captain Smoker, please don't!" Tashigi quickly grabbed Smoker's sleeve.
"Are you certain, Tashigi?" Smoker questioned. "Those two won around Ikki seem quite interested in him. If you don't make your feelings clear now, soone else might claim him first."
"I understand, but I believe Ikki and I will et again," Tashigi replied, lifting her head with determination in her eyes. "Before that happens, I want to beco stronger! I think that's what Ikki would want too."
"If that's what you want, so be it," Smoker conceded. "Co on, let's head back to the Marine Base. By the way, could I borrow that manga you have?"
Smoker glanced at the book in Tashigi's arms. He was genuinely curious about the manga that described the sword fighting style capable of triggering elental powers.
"No! Ikki left this specifically for !" Tashigi stepped back, turned, and ran away.
Smoker was left standing there, looking sowhat embarrassed.
…
"Ikki, I think that Tashigi has feelings for you," Nojiko said with a smile, nudging his side with her elbow as they walked through the streets of Loguetown.
"Really? Must be my irresistible charm," Ikki joked, taking Yubashiri from Nojiko and continuing forward.
"Yes, Captain Ikki is indeed quite charming," Nojiko agreed without hesitation. After handing over Yubashiri, she took Ikki's arm and walked alongside him.
Ikki could faintly feel the softness of Nojiko's skin through his sleeve. When he glanced at her, he found her looking back at him with a mischievous smile.
'She and Nami truly are sisters,' Ikki thought to himself. In so ways, Nojiko was even harder to read than Nami. Just when you thought she was showing genuine affection, she might simply be teasing you.
Nami, by contrast, was more straightforward. She hadn't seed bothered at all when Ikki accidentally glimpsed her on the Explorer, or when she casually barged into the bathhouse while he was there—although she invariably asked for berries afterward.
Composing himself, Ikki turned his attention to the sword in his hand. The next mont, Yubashiri vanished from his grasp.
Simultaneously, the system's voice resonated in his mind:
[Ding! Host uploaded the famous sword 'Yubashiri', which is one of the Skillful Grade swords. Congratulations to Host for receiving two lottery opportunities.]
'I hope I can draw a B-grade nutritional potion from these two draws, so I can proceed to the next level of physical training,' Ikki thought.
'Begin the lottery!'
[The lottery begins... Congratulations to Host for winning x10 'C-grade nutritional potion' and the Zanpakutō 'Sode no Shirayuki'!]
'C-grade nutritional potion? This is really... It seems I'll have to rely on my own strength for a while longer,' Ikki sighed internally.
While obtaining Sode no Shirayuki made him quite pleased, his failure to secure the B-grade nutritional potion he'd been seeking for so long—which would allow him to rapidly increase his life force—still left him feeling sowhat disappointed.
From the side, Nojiko gave Ikki a curious look. She had been observing his expressions and noticed how his mood shifted from anticipation to excitent, then from excitent to mild dejection.
'Did he fail to transform Yubashiri into a Zanpakutō?' she wondered.
After Ikki had given her the famous sword Shigure, which contained the power of Unohana Retsu, Nojiko had asked him several questions about the process. Although Ikki hadn't provided specific answers, Nojiko had deduced that he possessed so thod of transforming ordinary swords.
Seeing his slightly downcast expression now, she naturally assud this was the reason.
She pressed her lips together and gently pulled his arm closer, nestling it against her chest.
Ikki looked up at her in confusion.
"Don't be so discouraged, Captain Ikki," she said with a soft laugh. "So what if you couldn't transform Yubashiri? There will be other famous swords in the future. If you're really feeling down, how about I give you a massage later?"
Ikki blinked, realizing that Nojiko had misunderstood the situation.
'Still, it's nice to have soone who cares,' he thought, and replied:
"Really? Then I will trouble you," he teased. "By the way, would this be a full-body massage?"
Seeing Ikki smile again, Nojiko's expression brightened further.
"No, Nami might get angry," she replied playfully.
"That's truly disappointing."
"Will you still be disappointed after this?"
A crescent moon seed to form in the corners of Nojiko's eyes as she suddenly stopped, stood on her tiptoes, and left a gentle kiss on Ikki's cheek.
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