"Yūichirō Hyakuya, good morning. By the way, Mikaela, it's been three days since you last drank blood, hasn't it? It's about time you had so
"Yūichirō Hyakuya, good morning. By the way, Mikaela, it's been three days since you last drank blood, hasn't it? It's about time you had some, isn't it?"
Shinoa Hīragi approached Mikaela Hyakuya, smiling. Although Mikaela Hyakuya was reluctant to be their comrade, Shinoa Hīragi and the others desperately wanted him as a comrade—no, as family.
Mikaela Hyakuya, however, was unappreciative. "What do you mean? Don't meddle in my affairs, human," he said with a sour expression.
Yūichirō Hyakuya stepped forward. "Oh, really? Mikaela hasn't had blood in three days? He must be struggling. Let him drink my blood."
Shinoa Hīragi shook her head. "No, Yūichirō Hyakuya, you'll eventually collapse. We've pooled some blood; hopefully, you'll like it."
She produced a vial of bright red blood from her uniform pocket—blood they and Mitsuba Sangu had pooled and mixed.
"But let me clarify: Because of Aoki's unique situation, his blood isn't included," Shinoa Hīragi added.
"See? I told you, comrade!" Yūichirō Hyakuya said to Mikaela Hyakuya, who was hesitating.
After a moment of silence, Mikaela Hyakuya flung the vial away, shattering it and spilling the blood.
"It's broken," Shinoa Hīragi said, picking up the largest shard. Turning to Mikaela Hyakuya, she smiled. "Mitsuba and I will make more."
"What's this all about?" Mikaela Hyakuya asked. "Those demon-sealing charms...you pretend to be comrades, but isn't this all just your human experiments on Yūichirō Hyakuya?
I can't believe it. And that so-called 'family member,' Guren Ichinose—what did he do to Yūichirō Hyakuya? Don't you know?"
Yūichirō Hyakuya fell silent for a moment, then weakly explained, "Mikaela, it wasn't Shinoa and the others...and Guren Ichinose...he must have had his reasons. And in the end, he didn't kill any of us, did he? He must have been acting."
As Mikaela Hyakuya and Yūichirō Hyakuya argued, Shinoa Hīragi intervened. "Alright, you two. Hunger makes you irritable. Let's eat breakfast."
Suddenly, a villager arrived.
"Aoki and his team! Please help us! Monsters are attacking again!"
They noticed a black aura rising from the village, accompanied by monstrous roars—the Four Horsemen had returned.
Yūichirō Hyakuya and the others quickly armed themselves.
"Alright, let's go, everyone!"
They charged towards the Four Horsemen. Shinoa Hīragi was about to join them, but froze.
The door to their small wooden house opened, revealing Aoki.
She turned to see Aoki, still recovering, standing at the doorway.
Shinoa Hīragi rushed to support him, fearing he might fall. "Aoki, what's wrong? Weren't you supposed to be resting?"
Aoki could walk, but the chakra and energy drain still caused eye pain. His Rinnegan had temporarily reverted to a regular Rinnegan, and his muscles ached; his strength was about half its normal level.
"Ah, I just came out for some air. The Four Horsemen again? Yūichirō Hyakuya and the others should handle them." Aoki looked towards the battle.
For the past three months, everyone except Mikaela Hyakuya and Yūichirō Hyakuya had taken turns caring for Aoki, with Shinoa Hīragi doing so for the longest period—a month and a half. This wasn't forced; it was voluntary.
She volunteered because Aoki was family, and because he'd saved her life twice—once during the Shinjuku encounter with Crowley Eusford and again at Nagoya.
More importantly, Shinoa Hīragi had developed complex feelings for Aoki. She couldn't describe them, but she wanted to see him every day.
Aoki's feelings for Shinoa Hīragi had also changed.
Shinobu Kocho's incident had left a void in Aoki's heart, a void Shinoa Hīragi had filled, despite her initial poor impression.
But unlike Shinoa Hīragi, Aoki felt only gratitude; he saw Shinoa Hīragi as a younger sister.
"Yes, Yūichirō Hyakuya and the others are working hard, striving to be with their family. Aoki, you're the same. If you weren't injured, you'd be fighting alongside them."
"Aoki, you feel guilty, don't you? Guren Ichinose and the others betrayed us, but you still feel responsible for their deaths. I don't fully understand, but you've been down since Nagoya. It's not just the injuries."
"Regarding that, don't blame yourself too much. Such experiences are necessary for someone destined for greatness. Like dating—you need many relationships to understand the opposite sex. Consider this a failed relationship, Aoki."
"It's simple, isn't it? You're a kind person, Aoki, you just hide your true self. You were right; I'm in pain, even more than you are now."
"I had an older sister, Mahiru Hīragi. Like me, she underwent inhumane experiments as a child. She died years ago, killed by her lover, Lieutenant Colonel Guren Ichinose."
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