Chapter 8: The World of Navigation

She raised her focus infinitely.
In order to replenish her depleting stamina, she needed to move more leisurely, with less effort, and more efficiently.

At this rate, not only would she die, but Shinobu, who anxiously watched her from behind, would also inevitably meet her end. The thought of it seemed to fuel a fire within her chest.
Her own death didn’t matter. After all, this was a world of entertainment. Even if she died, she would only be ejected out of this world.

But what about Shinobu, who would die?
No matter how much this was a world of amusement, the bond she’d felt over the past three years was real, not false.

She had always hoped that Shinobu could live a happier life. Since she had already entered the original story, she wanted to create a happy ending for everyone.
But dying here? And making her precious little sister, the one she had developed feelings for, die too?

No, she couldn’t accept that.
In fact, it was precisely because this was supposed to be a world of entertainment that she could not accept it.

‘This is my world, a world that revolves around me.’

But if, in this world, things were not turning the way she wanted, how could that be entertainment? It would only be a tragic experience…!!!
She tried to endure for a while, but seeing no signs of the original character, Himejima, arriving, she reluctantly gave up the hope of waiting for him.

‘The original might not come after all…’

She didn’t know the details, but the events caused by her possessing this body might have caused a butterfly effect, preventing Himejima from coming.
In that case, there was only one option: She had to make sure she survived, no matter what.

To do that, she had no choice but to hold her opponent until the sun rose. The fact that her opponent’s intelligence was severely lacking was fortunate. As long as she kept attacking, it seemed they wouldn’t disappear, and as long as she could hold on, keeping them in place seemed simple enough.

Of course, if they tried to flee, she could always cripple their legs.
The problem was her stamina!

At this rate, she would surely tire out before sunrise.
Despite her intense training in the One Piece world, she had been transformed into a human from this world upon arriving here. Moreover, being only about ten years old, her underdeveloped body could only handle a life-or-death fight for a few hours. It was impressive that she had managed to hold on this long.

But she couldn’t just settle for being impressive. She would need a miracle. That’s the only way they could survive.

‘… There’s only one way. I must move with maximum efficiency and conserve my stamina…!!’

She was aware of a special technique that suited her current situation in this world: The Clear World.

 It wasn’t just about seeing through her opponent’s body; she could also see through her own, optimizing her movements. By understanding how she moved, she could foresee the future and adjust accordingly.
Once she reached that level, she would not only be able to optimize her own movements and conserve her energy, but she could also read her opponent’s actions, evading attacks more easily.

From the moment she thought that, she began to heighten her concentration to the point where she lost all sense of her surroundings.
In a life-or-death situation like this, it was easy to focus. Soon, everything except for her and the enemy faded, and she entered a world where everything was white.

As the scope of her focus shrank, she began to sense the penetration of her enemy’s presence. The more her sense of her surroundings diminished, the more vividly she could perceive the enemy, and when that sensation exceeded a certain threshold, she could feel the movement of muscles and breathing, and the faint sound of blood flowing inside her opponent’s body.

‘This is… the Clear World!!!’

She could feel every part of herself, and in an instant, she started to adjust her posture slightly. She hadn’t felt uncomfortable, but she had begun shedding unnecessary movements.
And when she started to dodge her opponent’s attacks with ease, she could feel the rate at which her stamina was draining slow down significantly.

If this continued…!!!
She felt confident that she could defeat her opponent now, without a doubt, when suddenly—

Whoooom!! Clankkkk!!!

“…??!”

In an instant, a huge iron mace fell from the wall, crushing her opponent’s leg, turning them into a bloody pulp. That marked the end of her first real battle.

Himejima couldn’t hide his surprise as he looked at the little girl sprawled out before him.
The presence he sensed was that of a girl so small that she couldn’t even reach his waist.

For such a tiny girl to have protected everyone from the demon… It was an almost miraculous talent. He was certain that she hadn’t learned anything.
When he felt her presence, he couldn’t detect any signs of training in swordsmanship or martial arts.

If this girl were to learn Total Concentration Breathing, it would be interesting to see how far she could go.

(TL NOTE: Total Concentration Breathing is a core concept in Demon Slayer. It’s a breathing technique that boosts a person’s physical abilities to superhuman levels.)

‘But that’s unlikely…’

Becoming a member of the Demon Slayer Corps meant walking the path of a warrior. He couldn’t let her go down that road, so he shook his head, preparing to leave.
They could return to their daily lives now.

However, someone caught his arm before he could leave.

“Wait… Wait a moment…”

It was the little girl, the one who had been breathing heavily just moments before.
In the short time since, she had calmed her breath and stood up, calling to him.

“…What is it?”

“…Could you take me to where you are?”

“What??”

Himejima was taken aback. What was she saying?

Looking at the original Himejima, she focused her breath.
What she wanted was Total Concentration Breathing, so naturally, she told him that joining the Demon Slayer Corps was the best route.

But suddenly wanting to join the Demon Slayer Corps might seem strange to most people. After all, it meant volunteering to fight on the front lines, risking her life.

As she thought about it, she sensed a presence behind her and smiled bitterly. Conveniently, she had an excuse to offer.

“…Well, after what just happened, I felt a bit uncomfortable staying at home…”

Back at home, Shinobu had been led away by their mother, and the rest of the family was staring at them like they were monsters.
It was clear that, after such a commotion, they would have had to come and check it out. But it wasn’t until they saw the monster dead that they had finally started to leave the building.
The family members who had witnessed her fight against the demon were now terrified of her and only concerned with Shinobu.

Realizing this, Himejima closed his eyes.

He seemed to have understood the situation.
In that case, she didn’t need to offer an excuse.

With that thought, she spoke again.

“…The place where you are is probably a place that specializes in hunting those demons, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“The axe you carry… It’s inscribed with ‘Demon Slayer’.”

“…I see.”

Himejima couldn’t argue with that. The demon she had just fought was undoubtedly an evil spirit, and he was carrying a weapon designed to hunt such creatures. It was clear that he specialized in tracking demons.

“Well then, if it’s not too much trouble, I would appreciate it if you would take me there.”

“…Are you sure about this? We are, as you say, a group dedicated to hunting demons. It’s extremely dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?”

Normally, he should have refused, but he couldn’t bring himself to outright deny her request. He asked, hoping she would reconsider.

“It’s okay. I think I have a talent for fighting. If I can use this talent to help people, I don’t see any harm in it. Even if I’m not a doctor… if I can save someone, isn’t that the right thing to do?”

It was only then that Himejima noticed the faint smell of herbs hidden beneath the scent of blood.
This girl had the scent of a healer, someone who had been trained in the art of medicine.

She may have been cast out from her family and couldn’t inherit the healer’s profession, but her determination to use a sword to save lives was clear.
Moved by this noble will, he simply bowed his head and nodded.

“…Very well. Let’s go together.”

“Big sister!!!!”

As soon as he nodded, Shinobu, who had freed herself from their mother’s hold, dashed toward her and clung to her.

“Big sister! Where are you going? Don’t leave! Stay with me!!”

“…I’m sorry, Shinobu. It looks like I can’t stay here anymore. But I will visit when I can. You need to take care of mother and father, okay?”

“No! I don’t want that! I want to go with you!!”

“…I’m sorry. It’s too dangerous for you to come.”

With a bitter smile, she reluctantly detached Shinobu and handed her back to their mother, who was looking at her with fearful eyes.
Then, she left the Koshou household behind, her heart heavy.