Kochou Shinobu wearily took off her white robe and stood under the light, rubbing her sore, strained eyes.
She had been caring for the patients brought back from Suzuki for three full days, and today, their vital signs had finally improved, allowing her to release the heavy burden on her heart.
What to do? She walked to the bookshelf, casually pulled out a book on herbs, and flipped through it, but not a single word registered in her mind.
Oh, right, I should go to sleep now.
Even a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman who uses Breathing Technique would feel exhausted after only managing two or three hours of sleep over three days.
She put down the book and walked towards her room, then thought she should eat something first.
Really... why did her mind suddenly become so sluggish?
Kochou Shinobu, had a few days of staying up turned her brain into mush?
She fumbled her way to the kitchen and turned on the light. There were sushi rolls her sister had left for her in the cupboard.
The rice wrapped in seaweed had a faint scent of sushi vinegar, sweet and slightly sour, refreshing and appetizing.
After Kochou Shinobu reluctantly ate three, she was about to look for water when a warm glass of milk was placed on the table.
Kanae looked at her with an indulgent smile: "How old are you after the New Year? A 15-year-old adult, still like a hamster in the kitchen."
"Nee-chan~" she called softly.
"I know you're tired. Drink the milk and go to sleep." Seeing the faint dark circles under her sister's eyes, Kanae affectionately stroked her black curls.
"What about you, Big Sister? Aren't you going to rest at this late hour?"
"I just finished washing up and was about to go." Kanae covered her mouth and yawned: "Shinobu, do you want to sleep with Big Sister?"
It was a casual remark, not expecting a reply, but after a brief silence, Kochou Shinobu nodded: "Yes."
Kanae didn't let herself show too much surprise, smiling and nodding: "Go wash up quickly, I'll take care of these things."
Shinobu looked at the remaining sushi rolls on the plate and unconsciously smiled: "If it were Haruto-san..." She suddenly stopped speaking, smiling sheepishly.
Kanae again stroked her night-blooming cereus curls, urging: "Go wash up."
When Kochou Shinobu arrived at Kanae's room, wrapped in her bathrobe and smelling of steam, her sister had already laid out two futons on the floor.
Her wet black hair was wrapped in a towel, revealing her slender neck and smooth shoulder lines.
Kanae scrutinized her thin summer bathrobe: "Our Shinobu... has really grown up."
"Big Sister! Don't say such strange things!"
Kochou Shinobu burrowed under the thin blanket and let out a long sigh towards the ceiling; fatigue and muscle soreness rushed over her almost instantly.
But she didn't want to sleep; the warm water from the bathroom had made her mind incredibly clear, and she remembered the words she hadn't finished earlier.
Shinobu cleared her throat: "Probably not a single one would be left."
Kanae turned to look at her, miraculously discerning her thoughts.
"Not angry anymore? You've been so huffy these past few days."
...I wasn't.
"Yes, yes, our Shinobu was completely engrossed in the patients and didn't think about it at all..."
"Nee-chan!"
Kochou Shinobu blushingly reached out to cover her sister's mouth.
"Oh my, oh my, if you don't want me to say it, I won't~" Kanae turned off the light and lay down, her pink eyes sparkling with amusement in the darkness.
Kochou Shinobu's soft breathing echoed long and drawn out in the silence for two rounds. She turned to face Kanae: "I didn't mean for him to know so early..."
As she spoke, Kochou Shinobu grew angry: "It's all because of that damn Lower Three, and Genya, who has no tact at all!
I haven't even confirmed my own feelings yet! That old hag of a demon eagerly blurted it out as if she'd seen some great secret! At her age, she can't keep anything to herself, it's ridiculous!
And that Genya kid! Next time he comes to learn pharmacology, I'll make sure to give him a hard time!"
Kanae burst out laughing. Shinobu's sudden outburst in the dark was too adorable.
This side of Kochou Shinobu was rare!
Affected by the death of their parents, in these past few years under Kanae's watchful eye, the once lively and cute Shinobu had become increasingly reluctant to express her inner feelings. Facing patients and the Demon Slayer Corps with a smile had become her norm, and few knew that beneath her smiling mask lay a straightforward (and very easily angered) heart.
Kanae had always been worried about this but felt powerless.
Children always have to go through this, don't they?
"Did Haruto-san reject you?"
There was some uncertainty in Kochou Shinobu's tone: "Perhaps. He came all this way just to tell me things like 'I don't care much about my life,' which really makes my blood boil."
No one knew the content of Haruto and Kochou Shinobu's conversation; even Tomomi, whose curiosity was off the charts, only dared to watch the two from afar.
So even Kanae didn't know what the two had said that day.
Since the topic was brought up, Kochou Shinobu, before drowsiness completely overwhelmed her, recounted the day's conversation to her sister.
...His entire family has been targeted by a courtesan demon, who might come to take his life at any moment...
She spoke slowly, and Kanae listened intently, her face gradually showing a hint of helplessness.
Her foolish little sister... Kochou Shinobu was still rambling on with girlish thoughts. Kanae helplessly rubbed her forehead: "Shinobu... you call this... a rejection?"
If Haruto-san really wanted to reject her, he could have just sent Sora to deliver a message, avoiding a meeting and awkwardness—or simply not responded, giving her the cold shoulder for a few days, and Shinobu would naturally understand his meaning.
To run all the way here so eagerly, painstakingly explaining family secrets, was it to express "we're not suitable"?
They say Haruto-san is dense when it comes to emotions, but Kanae actually thought he was quite perceptive.
But what to do about her sister...
Shinobu's voice stopped. She wasn't stupid; hearing her sister's words, she immediately began to ponder.
"Haruto-san is a responsible person. Perhaps he can't answer you directly right now because his responsibilities cannot be fully transferred to you yet.
The Demon Slayer Corps, family vendetta, world peace – these things almost completely fill his life.
His life has a very strict plan; all these things need him, and no one else can replace him."
Kanae's gentle voice echoed in the room: "He didn't push all the choices onto you alone. He clearly told you that he wouldn't consider matters of love before eliminating the demons.
And you... your life is in your own hands. Whatever you choose, I believe Haruto-san will give you his sincere blessings."
Kanae waited for a long time but didn't hear a reply from her sister.
She turned her head to look and couldn't help but chuckle.
Kochou Shinobu was curled up in the thin blanket, a satisfied smile on her face, already deeply asleep.