"I don't know."
The two were extremely close. Yoizumi could clearly smell the fragrance on Kochou Shinobu's body. He subtly shrank back. Yoizumi wasn't used to being too close to people. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but the fragrance on her body seemed exactly like the scent of wisteria, even more concentrated than wisteria.
Kochou Shinobu noticed Yoizumi's movement, curved her lips, stood up, walked to the nearest wisteria, stretched out her fair and delicate hand, plucked a flower from a cluster of wisteria, and mischievously tried to put the flower on Yoizumi's head.
The boy sat properly in the shadows, his clear eyes gazing at her calmly, letting her put the flower on his head without getting annoyed or angry, seemingly indifferent to everything. Kochou Shinobu sighed.
"Mr. Yoizumi, you won't be popular with such a boring attitude~"
Yoizumi remained unmoved.
"No... need, so... what is the flower's meaning?"
"wisteria has many meanings~" Kochou Shinobu sat back down next to Yoizumi, looking at him with slanted eyes.
"Born for love, die for love."
"Immersed in love."
"And... intoxicating romance, lingering longing."
"Which one of these resonates most with Mr. Yoizumi?"
Yoizumi looked at the field of wisteria flowers. The flower meanings were all about love. Yoizumi was a little puzzled, then turned his head to look at Kochou Shinobu's blue eyes, filled with confusion. Yoizumi asked,
"Love... what is it? I don't... understand."
Seeing Yoizumi's expression, Kochou Shinobu suddenly wanted to hug him. Having lost his memory, alone in a dilapidated house, even after becoming a demon, he hadn't lost his original nature, and helped humans. Perhaps his family had already... But she didn't expect him to ask such a difficult question right away. Kochou Shinobu herself had never loved anyone. She really couldn't answer right away. Kochou Shinobu thought for a long time before replying,
"There are many kinds of love, the affection between family members, the friendship between friends, the love between lovers."
Family? Friends? Lovers? He seemed to have none of those... No, perhaps there really were people who cared about him somewhere he didn't know, but... he didn't remember any of them.
"None."
Kochou Shinobu reached out a hand and gently stroked Yoizumi's head, feeling the soft texture of his blond hair, and couldn't help but rub it a few more times. Although Yoizumi was a little puzzled, he didn't say anything. For some reason, Yoizumi always had a familiar feeling, as if someone used to do this to him before.
The atmosphere quieted down, a gentle breeze blowing, lifting the hair on Yoizumi's forehead. His beautiful eyes closed. Yoizumi was now behaving like a well-behaved child, completely different from when his eyes were open. When his eyes were open, he always had a sense of detachment, and although he looked indifferent, he was actually on guard.
His eyelashes are so long. Wait! What am I thinking! This kind of intimate behavior is the first time with a boy. Usually, the Demon Slayer Corps members are basically male, and I wouldn't do this when healing them, but why now... I need to calm down, calm down! But the heat rising on her face still made Kochou Shinobu want to escape. Thinking this, Kochou Shinobu gently patted Yoizumi's head.
"Okay! Mr. Yoizumi, I'll go first~ You can do whatever you want."
Yoizumi returned to his usual state, nodded slightly, and waited for Kochou Shinobu's hurried figure to disappear at the end of the corridor. Did she have something urgent to do? Without thinking much, Yoizumi also prepared to get up and return to his room. In the corner of his eye, a touch of purple fell from his shoulder. He subconsciously reached out and caught it. It was the wisteria that Kochou Shinobu had just put on his head.
His distinct fingers gently pinched the end of the flower, and he remembered the flower's meaning that Kochou Shinobu had said. The first thing that came to mind was the phrase
Lingering longing... Yoizumi unconsciously covered his chest. The wisteria in his hand fell to the ground, and his heart actually felt a twinge of soreness. His hand gripped the clothes at his chest tightly. This feeling made Yoizumi very uncomfortable. He could clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat, like a dull drumbeat. He didn't like this feeling, as if his heart wasn't his own.
Longing, longing, why does my heart hurt so much? Am I longing for someone?
...Time passed quickly. It was approaching noon, and the range of sunlight had also become much larger. After some adjustment, Yoizumi calmed down and quickly left here while the shadows were still there.
"Hoo~"
"Mr. Yoizumi didn't notice anything, right? He seems dull-witted. He shouldn't have noticed."
I shouldn't have left so quickly just now. It was like running away. Kochou Shinobu was a little annoyed. She was now grateful that Yoizumi was dull-witted, not knowing how much she would hate his wooden head in the near future.
Not far in front of Kochou Shinobu, a girl wearing a pink kimono and with a black side ponytail stood in the courtyard. She had a butterfly on her fingertip, and a pair of pink-purple eyes watched it. Her eyes were as calm as the sea, but revealed a faint melancholy.
"Kanao," Kochou Shinobu gently called her name. Kanao walked to Kochou Shinobu's side and called out,
"Master."
Kanao was a child that Kochou Shinobu and her sister, Kanae, had brought back during an outing. She had an unfortunate childhood, and it was her misfortune that had created her current silent personality. Only Kochou Shinobu could get a response from her. Usually, she basically decided whether to reply to others by tossing a coin.
"How's the training going recently?"
"I'm strengthening what Master taught."
"Yes, Kanao should talk to other people more. It's not good to keep going like this." Kochou Shinobu rubbed Kanao's head, feeling that it didn't feel as good as Mr. Yoizumi's touch. The moment this thought arose, Kochou Shinobu's hand stopped.
"Master?"
It wasn't until she heard Kanao's call that she came back to her senses. Thinking of Yoizumi, Kochou Shinobu felt it was necessary to tell Kanao about it. Kanao's eyes were different from ordinary people. She had a strong dynamic vision. If she saw Yoizumi, she would probably draw her sword and chop him down directly, Kochou Shinobu beckoned to Kanao, signaling her to sit next to her. Kanao also obediently did so.
"Kanao,"
"Master,"
"I have something to tell you, it's that I brought back a demon named Yoizumi, and he's now living in Butterfly Mansion."
Eh? She didn't expect it to be such a major event. Master brought back a demon and placed him in Butterfly Mansion. If discovered, the lightest punishment would be to be removed from the position of Pillar, right? Why would Master do this? Even Kanao showed a faint look of surprise.
"I don't plan to tell Lord Master. If Demon Slayer Corps knew, they wouldn't let Mr. Yoizumi go."
"I want to learn more about this demon named Yoizumi. Perhaps I can understand what my sister was pursuing through him..."
Mentioning Kanae, Kanao was also a little sad, but she couldn't show it. The person who brought her out of the abyss, gave her a name, taught her breathing techniques, and treated her gently, after her death, everyone else was crying sadly, but only herself... Although Master comforted her, Kanao still felt sorry for her. Thinking of this,
"I understand, Master," Kanao replied.
Kochou Shinobu smiled at her gently.
"The Final Selection will be in a few months. Kanao, you must work hard~"
"Yes."
After saying goodbye to Kochou Shinobu, Kanao sat in place.
Master is becoming more and more like Kanae, sister.