Heading back to my estate, I prepared some food for myself and for Zenitsu, who usually joined me for dinner most days. After eating, we practiced breathing techniques together, but no matter how hard I tried to teach him, my brother couldn't seem to master anything beyond the first form. Still, I refused to give up because I knew he had a lot of potential.
The following days of that week unfolded calmly; none of us were assigned any dangerous or complicated missions, just some tedious but easy ones. It seemed that demons were quieter than usual, with barely any attacks, which was not necessarily a good sign as it could mean they were planning something big.
Nevertheless, unlike us Pillars, the Corps' swordsmen had plenty of missions, most of them so easy that they returned without a scratch. Shinobu even mentioned that lately the girls and Aoi had a lot of free time since there were barely any wounds to heal or mouths to feed, which was also a relief for Aoi.
My brother, Tanjiro and Inosuke had also gone on a mission outside the village, but it didn't seem to be a very complicated one.
The truth was, the week was turning out to be boring. The only thing that amused me was teasing Tengen during our morning races. He couldn't beat me even once, and of course, I didn't give in to Suma's pleas to let her husband win for once.
"You're still recovering, Tengen?" I teased him. "You're taking too long, don't you think?" I added with a smirk.
Tengen scowled like a petulant child. "Shut it! Show some damn respect; I'm older than you and been a Pillar longer!" he exclaimed, offended. 
I couldn't help but let out a laugh, and Hinatsuru also chuckled. "It's been a while since I've seen him so frustrated," she told me when we were alone.
The next day, when it seemed Tengen's attitude wasn't going to change and he was focused on beating me in a race, he suddenly greeted me with a smile and ruffled my hair as if I were his little sister. "Is this your new strategy to beat me? Because I don't think it will work," I said, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"Of course not!" he exclaimed happily. "I've figured out why I'm so rusty!" he added. 
I looked puzzle at him, not understanding anything.
"I need a vacation!" Tengen declared, hands on his hips, very proud.
"Eh?" I was stunned. 
"You heard right. We're always out there, chasing demons day in and day out, training under the blazing sun with no respite. We never take a break!" he declared, and the way he said it reminded me a lot of Rengoku. "Rest is crucial. Without it, we can't perform at our best when the time comes!" he exclaimed.
"So... you're gonna use this as an excuse to skip training so I couldn't beat you anymore?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
Tengen was about to frown, offended, but managed to contain himself. "You're not catching my drift, my dear (l/n). I mean, we're all taking a break! Vacation time!" he announced, confidently.
"Huh?" I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Good luck trying to convince the others," I said, knowing that wasn't going to happen.
"That's why you're going to help me!" he exclaimed, putting an arm around my shoulders to try to coax me, but I gave him a side-eye. "I'm not helping you with anything," I asserted.
"The hardest ones to convince will be Shinazugawa, Tokito, and Tomioka, so I need your help to get them to agree," he said.
"Why me?" I complained.
"Because those three will only budge if you work your charm on them; they'll only heed your words. Tomioka might be a tough nut to crack, but you've got the gift of gab, so it shouldn't be a problem," he proclaimed.