Hanayuki Ichika himself was stunned.
He looked at the blade in his hand, watching the black blood dripping from the tip, his mind a chaotic mess.
In that instant just now…
his body had moved on its own.
It was as if he were a born swordsman, those techniques already branded deep within his soul.
“System, what’s going on?” he asked urgently in his heart.
“Detected that the Host naturally possesses extremely high swordsmanship talent and muscle memory. After coming into contact with a nichirin sword and witnessing Kochou Shinobu’s battle, you instinctively imitated and executed the prototype of her Breathing Style. This is the combined effect of the ‘Basic Swordsmanship Mastery (Proficiency Level)’ granted upon system activation and the battle instincts of a demon.”
Before Hanayuki Ichika could think further, Aburako was already enraged.
“Kill him! All of you, go!”
The remaining six demons and Aburako pounced simultaneously!
This time, they no longer underestimated their enemy, launching a full-scale siege.
Hanayuki Ichika gritted his teeth and met the challenge.
At times, he instinctively used Kochou Shinobu’s footwork to evade the encirclement; at others, he used brute force to break through.
The nichirin sword in his hand turned into a purple stream of light, each slash taking the life of a demon.
The fifth, the sixth, the seventh…
By the time he decapitated the seventh demon, over a dozen new wounds had appeared on his body.
Blood stained his clothes and the nichirin sword in his hand.
Aburako’s expression had turned extremely ugly.
He stared fixedly at Hanayuki Ichika, then glanced into the distance—he smelled it.
The scents of at least ten Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were rapidly approaching!
Although there were no ‘Hashira’ level powerhouses among them, continuing this entanglement would only make the situation increasingly unfavorable.
What made his heart skip a beat even more was that this strange demon before him…
was growing stronger as he fought!
From having no technique at all at the beginning to being able to imitate Insect Breathing later on, this rate of growth was simply unheard of.
“Retreat!” Aburako ordered through gritted teeth.
The remaining three demons, as if granted a grand amnesty, quickly gathered together.
Aburako gave Hanayuki Ichika a deep look, then glanced at the dying Kochou Shinobu before his figure slowly sank into the shadows.
“We will meet again… strange fellow. Next time we meet, I will personally take your head and offer it to the Demon King.”
As his voice faded, he and the remaining demons vanished completely into the darkness.
Almost at the same time, Hanayuki Ichika could no longer hold on; his knees buckled, and he fell to one knee.
He barely supported his body with the nichirin sword.
Several more new wounds had been added to his body, dripping with blood, his breathing as heavy as a bellows.
He wobbled, trying to stand up, but ultimately collapsed powerlessly, falling completely unconscious—
This time, the direction he fell in happened to be exactly where Kochou Shinobu was.
Kochou Shinobu instinctively extended her foot, wanting to provide support.
Hanayuki Ichika’s head landed squarely on the instep of her foot, which was clad in a white tabi sock…
Kochou Shinobu looked down at the unconscious youth, her eyes swirling with emotion.
After a moment, she leaned over slightly and reached out a small hand to pat Hanayuki Ichika’s head.
In a voice only the two of them could hear, she whispered softly:
“Moshi moshi~ Mr. Demon, can you still move? The Demon Slayer Corps reinforcements are already here, you know… if you don’t run away… You’ll be treated as a bad demon and killed~”
Hanayuki Ichika didn’t react at all; only his faint breathing proved he was still alive.
Kochou Shinobu looked at his pale, blood-stained face and remained silent for a few seconds.
Finally, she tilted her head helplessly, narrowed her eyes with a smile, and sighed:
“Ara ara~ Honestly… Mr. Demon, there’s no helping it then~”
And so, she stuffed Hanayuki Ichika into the rectangular bamboo basket she usually used for gathering herbs…
Shortly after, Kanao Tsuyuri and the Demon Slayer Corps support members arrived late.
Kanao stepped forward with great concern and worry to check Kochou Shinobu’s injuries, using bandages to wrap them and stop the bleeding.
“It’s alright, it’s alright, my injuries aren’t serious.”
Kochou Shinobu reached out and patted Kanao’s head to comfort her.
Although the latter didn’t respond verbally, she nodded with a smile, feeling a slight sense of relief in her heart…
“Insect Hashira-sama, were all the demons in this village… slain by you alone?”
The nearby Demon Slayer Corps members asked Kochou Shinobu in surprise.
The latter hesitated slightly, then nodded with a smile: “Mm-hmm~”
Then, she reached out her small hand and patted the wooden basket beside her:
“This basket contains many precious herbs and some ores I’ve collected. I’ll have to trouble you all to help me bring it back to the Butterfly Mansion.”
“As you command.”
The Demon Slayer Corps members nodded respectfully in response.
They shouldered the wooden basket and followed Kochou Shinobu and Kanao Tsuyuri back to the Demon Slayer Corps…
…
“Ding! Host has completed the mission to join the Demon Slayer Corps… Mission rewards have been distributed. Physique and bloodline strengthened to the level of the Twelve Kizuki Lower Ranks; swordsmanship comprehension greatly increased; Demon Power control greatly increased; obtained Basic Breathing Technique Adaptability…”
The system’s cold and pleasant voice rang in Hanayuki Ichika’s mind.
His consciousness gradually returned…
[Have I been brought to the Butterfly Mansion?]
Hanayuki Ichika cautiously pushed open the lid of the wooden basket.
After confirming no one was around, he crawled out of the basket…
“This room…”
“Could it be Kochou Shinobu’s room?”
Smelling the pleasant scent of wisteria flowers in the room, Hanayuki Ichika looked at a large, soft pink wooden bed in front of him…
A wicked thought suddenly sprouted in his mind.
“Ahem… I risked my life to save her twice before and helped her kill so many demons… Now that I’m tired, it shouldn’t be too much to use her bed to catch up on some sleep, right?”
Hanayuki Ichika coughed lightly, trying his best to suppress the excitement in his heart.
He lay directly on Kochou Shinobu’s bed.
Smelling the blanket that carried her body fragrance…
“Since I’m already lying here, it shouldn’t be too much to use the blanket, right?”
Then, Hanayuki Ichika covered himself with the blanket and prepared to take a comfortable nap.
After all, the wooden basket was too small, and being curled up in there with such heavy injuries was truly uncomfortable…
“It shouldn’t be too much if I take an epic deep breath, right?”
Hanayuki Ichika muttered to himself, covering his head with the blanket and sniffing deeply.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a bit hungry…
Although the system’s rewards allowed him to maintain human reason and memory in his normal state, it did not erase the hunger for food that belonged to a demon.
It was like changing from a herbivore to a carnivore; one’s entire physiological structure could no longer adapt to the vegetarian diet of the past…
“So hungry…”
Hanayuki Ichika listened to the growling of his stomach and turned his head to see a plate of pastries on the bedside table…
Those were sweet pastries Kochou Shinobu had made with Wisteria Poison, intended for herself.
To take revenge on the demon that killed her older sister…
She frequently consumed Wisteria Poison, turning herself into a living container.
Because of this, she always carried a gourd containing painkillers on her person…
“I’m so hungry… It shouldn’t be too much if I take a tiny bite of her snacks… right?”
Hanayuki Ichika picked up a pastry that Kochou Shinobu had bitten in half.
She had hurriedly put it back on the plate before she could finish it because she had received an urgent mission and had to rush out…
“Mmm… the taste of a butterfly… Hiss! So poisonous, so poisonous…”
After eating it, Hanayuki Ichika was so affected by the Wisteria Poison that he rolled around on the floor.
But he didn’t spit it out.
He even endured the Wisteria Toxin and the extreme physiological repulsion and nausea towards human food…
Since he had already been poisoned to death once, combined with the physique strengthened by the system…
He wouldn’t die even if he occasionally ate wisteria as a snack.
Recalling the image of Kochou Shinobu in his mind, with her narrowed eyes and smiling face…
Hanayuki Ichika could feel her bone-deep hatred for demons…
Even though she constantly carried a hatred she couldn’t let go of, even willing to give her life for revenge…
Because her sister liked her smile, she kept smiling…
Even when the hatred and pain contained in her heart were about to overflow, she would still wear a smile, close her eyes, and try her best not to let tears flow from them.
Just as Hanayuki Ichika was secretly lamenting, the door of the wooden house was pushed open!
However, the person who walked in—was not Kochou Shinobu…