"Hmm... nothing missed."
Shinobu made a mark on the ledger with her brush. She tapped her chin with the tip of the brush, tilted her head slightly to look at Yoizumi, who was helping her arrange the medicine, and smiled. She set down her things and walked to Yoizumi's side.
Taking Yoizumi's hand, she led him out of the room, strolling through the empty corridor.
"Aoi has finished cooking now, and I'm getting hungry."
Slowing his pace to match Shinobu's, Yoizumi's favorite thing in this world without demons—in these peaceful and stable days—was to stare at Shinobu.
It was the same now.
Usually, Yoizumi would occasionally accompany Shinobu while she worked. He would sit to the side and stare intently at her as she worked, inevitably being teased by the patients.
Aside from feeling a bit embarrassed, Shinobu didn't find it bothersome.
She gave Yoizumi's hand a little shake and asked in a gentle voice.
"What did Tanjirou say in his letter?"
Yoizumi recalled the contents of the letter and organized the general points. His clear sapphire eyes were filled with a serious expression.
"Tanjirou wants us to bring a nephew or niece back to Mount Kumotori."
"...?" Shinobu's footsteps came to a sudden halt. Her purple eyes blinked as she stared blankly at Yoizumi, seeing no sign of a joke on his face.
Then again... Yoizumi wasn't the type to joke.
This idiot must have skipped a lot of details again!
Reaching out to pinch the soft flesh at Yoizumi's waist, Shinobu spoke irritably.
"Don't omit things to the point of being so ambiguous."
"Dummy."
After listening to Yoizumi recount the full contents of Tanjirou's letter once more, Shinobu sighed softly. It seemed being this silly all the time wouldn't do...
Should she find an opportunity to explain things clearly to Yoizumi...
Shinobu suddenly began to look forward to seeing how Yoizumi would react.
Would he be bewildered...
Or surprised...
Or perhaps an even more unexpected reaction?
...
"Today's meal was delicious too. Thank you, Aoi~"
"I'm glad it's to Shinobu-sama's taste," Kanzaki Aoi smiled. The Butterfly Mansion no longer needed to care for many injured Demon Slayer Corps members like before. There were only occasional patients now, so she had quite a bit of free time. Cooking had become a pleasant hobby, and her skills had improved significantly.
Shinobu reached out to pat Kanzaki Aoi's head and said helplessly.
"I've told you, don't call me Shinobu-sama anymore." Shinobu smiled, looking tenderly at this girl who had been by her side for many years, working hard without complaint to the point of being somewhat self-deprecating.
"Like Kanao, you should call me 'Elder Sister'."
"I..." Kanzaki Aoi opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. She lowered her head slightly, looking at the calluses formed from her desperate sword training in the past—only to end up taking care of everyone's daily lives at the Butterfly Mansion out of fear.
She wasn't as strong as Kanao, and she didn't dare call Shinobu-sama "Elder Sister" as Kanao did.
"Aoi, in my heart, you are already my sister." Setting down her bowl and chopsticks, Kanao's grape-purple eyes were full of solemnity. In the past, she didn't know how to express it, but she actually liked Aoi very much.
Aoi would make delicious food for her and bring her Ramune.
"Yes, everyone thinks so." Gently taking Kanzaki Aoi's hand, Shinobu said each word in a gentle voice.
*Drip...* Sniffling, tears fell onto the table. Kanzaki Aoi's eyes were red as she wiped away her tears.
"Thank you, Kanao. Thank you, Shinobu... Elder Sister."
Beside them, Yoizumi quietly swallowed his last bite of Tamagoyaki. He set his bowl and chopsticks down neatly, and seeing the smile on Shinobu's face, he unconsciously curled his lips into a smile as well.
"The food was delicious, I liked it very much. Thank you for the meal."
Hearing this, Kanzaki Aoi nodded and smiled through her tears.
"Yes."
Evening
After their post-meal walk, Yoizumi and Shinobu sat together on the veranda of the courtyard, feeling the cool autumn breeze. The sky had turned completely dark. Beside the rustling of the wind through the treetops, only the sounds of birds, beasts, and insects remained.
"I feel like time is passing so quickly."
Shinobu leaned her head on Yoizumi's shoulder, a shawl draped over her that Yoizumi had specially brought for fear of her catching a cold.
"Is it?"
Yoizumi didn't have any particular feeling about it.
"Yoizumi is a dummy, so of course you wouldn't feel it," Shinobu chuckled, reaching out to poke Yoizumi's cheek.
"Mm..."
Yoizumi, who didn't know how many times he had been called a dummy, blinked his blue eyes. He turned his head to kiss Shinobu's forehead; whatever she said was fine by him.
Suddenly, under Yoizumi's puzzled gaze, Shinobu sat up straight and took a deep breath. As if having made an important decision, she looked solemnly into Yoizumi's clear eyes.
The matter of the stork had to be explained clearly; it wouldn't do to let him stay so dim-witted forever.
"Hey, Yoizumi, there's something I must tell you."
Seeing Shinobu so serious, Yoizumi also composed himself and nodded.
"Okay."
"It's about the stork. Actually..."
Shinobu considered how to explain the issue in simple, easy-to-understand terms.
She suddenly seemed to understand why Kie had put it that way back then.
"Babies aren't delivered by storks..."
Yoizumi looked bewildered. Not delivered?
Shinobu leaned close to Yoizumi's ear, her face flushing a faint red as she whispered.
"It's..."
After speaking, Shinobu sat back beside Yoizumi, smoothing her hair at the temples somewhat awkwardly. Her ears, exposed to the air, were a lovely shade of pink.
"..."
So that was how it was...
Yoizumi stared blankly at the ground, trying to process the information he had just received.
So the intimate things they did sometimes were...
When the time was right, a child would be conceived in Shinobu's belly.
Yoizumi looked at Shinobu, his gaze falling on her belly.
He compared it to the size of a child in his memory.
It didn't seem to match.
Placing his hand gently on Shinobu's abdomen, Yoizumi frowned with a trace of worry in his voice. How could a place his palm could cover fit a whole child?
"Will that... hurt?"
Shinobu stared back blankly into Yoizumi's worry-filled eyes.
She had imagined many reactions Yoizumi might have.
Embarrassment...
Surprise...
But she hadn't expected his first reaction to be this...
Soon, Shinobu smiled with relief.
This was Yoizumi, after all...
Yoizumi was a dummy.
Shinobu stood up, placed her hands on Yoizumi's shoulders, and knelt on either side of his thighs, looking down at him.
"A child of two people who love each other will only bring happiness."
Cupping Yoizumi's face, Shinobu lowered her head and kissed his lips as the shawl on her shoulders gradually slipped off...
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"