"Mr. Obanai, please don't push yourself!"
"You need to rest and recover properly!"
A petite, long-haired girl chased after him, a red ribbon hair clip adorning her head—Terauchi Kiyoshi, one of the future trio of the Butterfly Mansion.
"I'm fine! Just a few broken bones and some wounds!" Obanai snapped impatiently as he leaned against the doorframe to stand. His eyes met Tendo's, and the two exchanged a look of mutual disdain.
Suddenly, Obanai grinned, his bandaged body unable to conceal his smugness as he raised a middle finger and taunted:"Isn't this the useless glutton who can't even kill a Lower Moon?"
"I just took down one of the Lower Moons not long ago—same skill level as you."
After boasting, Obanai felt refreshed both physically and mentally, to the point where even his broken bones didn't hurt as much.
Hearing this, Tendo's mouth twitched as he responded with an internationally recognized rude gesture, retorting:
"Don't brag when you got injured just killing a Lower Moon!"
"Oh? Want to spar?" Obanai didn't back down.
Shinobu Kocho, standing nearby, sighed and rubbed her temples. These two idiots—either they were bickering or on their way to bickering every day, yet they were closer than actual brothers.
"Obanai, focus on recovering properly!"
"We're leaving now, goodbye!"
Shinobu swiftly grabbed the eager Tendo and bolted from the scene. All she wanted was some alone time with him—why was it so hard?
"Tch, what a pair of losers!" Obanai scoffed. "They'd be better off training instead of wasting time like that."
"Um, Mr. Obanai... could you... please return to your ward?" Terauchi Kiyoshi's voice grew quieter as she spoke, intimidated by his sharp tone.
"Fine!" After mocking Tendo, Obanai was in a great mood. Recovery was more important—otherwise, when would he get to beat up that bastard?
Of course, the main reason Obanai wanted to punch Tendo was because the latter had hidden chili peppers in his food not long ago.
That guy was either pranking someone or on his way to prank someone—truly infuriating yet endearing.
After dragging Tendo out of the medical wing, Shinobu deliberately took secluded paths until they were too tired to run.
"Huff... huff..." Shinobu leaned against a wall, panting heavily, but a smile tugged at her lips. Finally, no one else around.
She didn't even notice she had been holding Tendo's hand the entire time. Meanwhile, four angelic versions of Shinobu fluttered around Tendo's head.
He grinned foolishly, muttering the same phrase over and over.
"Shinobu held my hand, hehe!"
"Hehehe! ?(ˊωˋ*)?"
Soon, Shinobu realized something was off. Blushing, she yanked her hand away and stammered:
"Sorry, that was just... um..."
"No worries, feel free to use it anytime!" Tendo extended his hand dramatically, as if making some grand sacrifice.
"What?" Shinobu shot him a glare. "Trying to take advantage of me?"
"Eh?" Tendo shook his head, feigning seriousness. "No way! This is just me being helpful."
"Besides, you already held my hand—my purity is ruined! I'll never find a wife now!" He adopted an exaggerated, pitiful expression, as if his life was over.
For a moment, Shinobu almost fell for it—people in this era were quite conservative, after all.
Her face flushed red as she adopted a solemn "I'll take responsibility" expression, raising her voice slightly:
"Then I'll be your wi—"
Before she could finish, she noticed Tendo's smug, triumphant grin and immediately switched tones, snapping:
"You don't seem like someone who'd struggle to find a wife, you jerk!" She pinched his ear hard. "And you're the one who touched my hand first!"
"Ow ow ow! Shinobu, I surrender!""Fine, I'll spare your life!" Shinobu withdrew her hand and walked briskly ahead, even tossing back a teasing remark, "If demons didn't exist, you'd probably make a decent actor."
"Not at all, not at all—just the strongest in the world!" Tendo chuckled as he caught up, the type to take a compliment and run with it, utterly shameless.
"Keep bragging!" Shinobu Kocho rolled her eyes at Tendo. He really couldn't take praise—not a humble bone in his body.
"By the way, I've got a surprise for you. Want to see?" Tendo suddenly turned to Shinobu with a mysterious look.
"What is it?"
"It's a surprise! Telling you would ruin it!"
With that, Tendo crouched in front of Shinobu. "Close your eyes, and I'll carry you there. How about that?"
"Alright!"
Curious about Tendo's surprise, Shinobu Kocho naturally climbed onto his back and closed her eyes.
"Off we go!"
Tendo picked up speed, soon turning onto a hidden path leading into a valley.
"Are we climbing a mountain now?" Shinobu asked, sensing the incline.
"Yep!" Tendo replied.
Gradually, Shinobu fell asleep on Tendo's shoulder. Like him, she'd been too excited about their reunion to sleep much the night before.
"Shinobu, wake up!"
"The sun's about to toast your backside!"
After who knows how long, Shinobu Kocho heard Tendo's gentle voice.
She slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry, but she tried her best to shake off the drowsiness.
As her sight cleared, she saw Tendo's face, his warm and comforting smile.
Opening her eyes to the person she wanted to see—she loved this feeling and couldn't help but smile.
"I'm moving aside now—watch out for the sun!" Tendo gradually shifted away. Only then did Shinobu Kocho realize they'd already reached a spot near the mountaintop.
Before her stretched a breathtaking sea of blooming flowers, a vibrant and colorful spectacle.
Flowers of every hue, shape, and size intertwined, creating a stunning and magnificent tapestry.
They swayed gently in the breeze, releasing an intoxicating fragrance.
This was a flower sea meant solely for Shinobu Kocho.
"Well?" Tendo asked proudly. He'd planted these in his free time, most of the seeds collected during missions.
Most importantly, this was a flower sea he'd cultivated over two years, starting not long after arriving at headquarters.
"It's my gift for passing the Final Selection. I was worried I wouldn't finish in time!"
Shinobu Kocho was nearly speechless. She covered her mouth with her hands, tears glistening in her eyes.
She stood there quietly, taking in the sight, her heart overflowing with indescribable warmth and happiness.
"I love it... so, so much..."
Shinobu Kocho said excitedly, though she didn't specify what exactly she loved.
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