“It’s not unpleasant.
It’s just… Forget it.
To me, it really does stink unbearably.”
Kiyohiko pursed his lips as he looked at the petite young woman before him.
Her smile was beautiful, yet something hidden behind it always sent a faint chill through him.
Although she held the title of Hashira—the highest rank among Demon Slayer swordsmen—did she truly have to arm herself in this manner?
An inexplicable impulse surged within him.
Perhaps Kiyohiko merely wanted that nauseating smell to disappear as soon as possible.
Yes.
That was definitely it.
“Hey, why don’t you stop surrounding yourself with wisteria every day?”
Kiyohiko abruptly sat upright.
Although the smell was making his head ache, he still looked seriously into Shinobu’s violet eyes.
“If there’s a demon you can’t kill, or some troublesome enemy you have difficulty dealing with, just tell me.”
He patted his reasonably firm chest.
“I’ll kill them for you.”
“I haven’t fully recovered yet, and I can’t beat you right now, but I’m still a… Well, a demon with plenty of potential.”
“Instead of marinating yourself in that smell, why not place a little faith in the ‘future strongest’?”
Shinobu stared blankly at the young man before her.
He was a demon.
He belonged to the species she had despised throughout her life—the same kind of creature responsible for her sister’s death.
And yet he had just said…
He would kill demons for her?
Was he only saying it because he disliked the smell surrounding her?
Or had he realized that living this way was painful for her and offered such an utterly absurd suggestion because of it?
It was simply…
Ridiculous.
So ridiculous that, for a single instant, she felt an unexpected warmth behind her eyes.
“You truly are a strange demon.”
After a long silence, Shinobu lowered her gaze.
Her long eyelashes concealed the emotions within her eyes.
She laughed softly.
The sound contained less of her usual pretense and a little more genuine helplessness.
“You should save such bold claims until you can walk beneath the sunlight.”
[The Bond Value with Shinobu Kocho has increased.]
[Current Bond Value: 5.]
Upon hearing the system notification, Kiyohiko became immensely pleased with himself.
Although he had spoken without thinking and had no idea why her Bond Value had risen so dramatically, none of that mattered.
What mattered was that it had finally become positive.
Now this is my emotional intelligence operating normally.
Shinobu raised her head again.
The clarity had returned to her eyes, but her voice was slightly softer than before.
“All right, the examination is over.
A Kakushi member will take you to your room.”
“It was specially prepared for you and contains no wisteria, so you may breathe as much of your precious ‘fresh air’ as you please.”
“Since it’s a specially prepared room, the accommodations should be decent, right?”
Kiyohiko rubbed his hands together and leaned forward with a flattering smile.
“Will there be a soft bed?
“And most importantly, will there be actual food instead of rice balls?
I’m not picky, as long as it isn’t filled with wisteria.”
At this point, he lowered his voice, waggled his eyebrows at Shinobu, and released several suggestive chuckles.
“Preferably something with pig’s blood or duck’s blood… Hehehe.
You understand, right?”
“I may not eat humans, but I’m still a demon.
I need to replenish my iron somehow.
Anything that can ease the hunger would help.”
The faint, almost imperceptible tenderness and romantic atmosphere that had only just begun to form shattered like a soap bubble the moment Kiyohiko opened his mouth.
Pop.
The smile on Shinobu’s face stiffened.
Is he doing this deliberately?!
That brief moment of tenderness had been completely wasted.
She might as well have fed it to a Kasugai Crow.
Shinobu inhaled deeply.
The hand holding the syringe tightened until its knuckles strained, producing a disturbing creaking sound.
“Mr.
Demon.”
Her voice remained gentle, but its sweetness now seemed thoroughly mixed with a lethal dose of arsenic.
“Have you mistaken the Butterfly Mansion for a hot-spring inn?”
“Or was the amount of blood I drew insufficient?
Would you like me to remove a little more and help clear your head?”
[The Bond Value with Shinobu Kocho has decreased.]
[Current Bond Value: -1.]
Huh?
Kiyohiko instantly petrified before crumbling into pieces.
All signs of life seemed to leave his body.
He could not understand it.
Why had this woman suddenly changed her mind again?
Seeing his lifeless expression, Shinobu helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead.
This idiot demon…
What ridiculous things is he imagining now?
“Fine.”
Shinobu closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she had forcibly suppressed the urge to hit him.
In its place was the exasperated look one might give an exceptionally troublesome child.
“The Butterfly Mansion may not be a restaurant, but we do have animal blood.
I’ll have Aoi prepare some.”
“However—”
She suddenly leaned toward Kiyohiko.
Her violet eyes fixed themselves upon him as a dangerous curve formed at the corner of her lips.
“If you dare complain about the taste, or use it as an excuse to attack anyone…”
“My poison will always be ready for you.”
“Understood!
Completely understood!
I absolutely won’t complain!”
Kiyohiko immediately raised both hands in surrender and put on his most obedient expression.
Having something to eat was already fortunate enough.
He was terrified that another mistake might send her Bond Value plunging again.
Just then, someone knocked on the examination-room door.
“Lady Insect Hashira, the room is ready.”
“Take him there.”
Shinobu waved dismissively, as though driving away a fly.
“And remember to send him the pig’s blood left in the kitchen.”
“Don’t allow him to starve to death.
Master Ubuyashiki may still have need of him.”
Kiyohiko jumped down from the examination bed.
Although his body remained somewhat weak, he was in an excellent mood.
At the very least, he would not have to go hungry tonight.
When he reached the doorway, he abruptly stopped and glanced back at Shinobu, who was organizing her medical instruments.
“Thanks, Miss Shinobu.”
He waved.
This time, there was no mischievous grin on his face.
His tone was casual but cheerful.
“Next time, I’ll treat you to… Uh, never mind.
You seem to eat nothing but wisteria.”
“Get out.”
Hearing the sharp response behind him, Kiyohiko chuckled and followed the trembling Kakushi out of the wisteria-filled examination room.
The air in the corridor was considerably fresher.
Although he could still detect the distant fragrance of wisteria, compared to the highly concentrated gas chamber he had just escaped, this place was practically paradise.
“Um… Mr.
Demon, please come this way.”
The Kakushi member maintained a distance of at least two meters from Kiyohiko, his voice trembling.
“Don’t be so nervous, bro.”
Kiyohiko walked leisurely with both hands behind his head.
“It’s not as though I’m some kind of monster.”
“What’s your name?
Mine’s Kiyohiko.”
“How old are you?”
“Have you eaten yet?”
Kiyohiko continued firing off questions, attempting to strike up a conversation with the Kakushi member.
Kakushi had Bond Values too.
They might not offer system rewards, but perhaps building relationships with them could result in another unexpected benefit, like the event during Final Selection.
The Kakushi member: “…”
I want to go home… Waaaah…
The “specially prepared room” certainly lived up to its name.
It was located in the farthest corner of the Butterfly Mansion.
Thick wooden boards sealed the windows, leaving only several small ventilation holes.
It looked more like a solitary-confinement cell than a bedroom.
Most importantly, however, there was not even the slightest trace of wisteria inside.
The air carried only the faint scents of wood and dust.
To Kiyohiko’s nose, which had nearly developed an allergic reaction after being tortured by wisteria for so long, this was practically a five-star presidential suite.
The Kakushi member who had guided him there behaved as though he were disposing of a plague god.
He placed a massive food box outside the room and stammered, “P-Please enjoy your meal!”
Then he disappeared down the corridor at the speed of a hundred-meter sprinter.
“Why are you running?
It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
…