Shinobu originally thought the man would display at least a hint of embarrassment or awkwardness after she caught him in the middle of his "affair."
As it turned out, not only was he not the least bit embarrassed, but he acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He even tossed back a remark that could only be described as cold.
"I... who... am...?"
The polite smile on the girl's face froze completely. Her wisteria-colored eyes slowly widened, revealing a flicker of stunned disbelief.
That disbelief was immediately ignited into fury.
"I am Shinobu Kocho!"
"Kanae Kocho's younger sister!"
Her sweet voice suddenly spiked in volume, and the small hands hidden behind her back clenched into fists.
Her sister had clearly mentioned him many times in her letters, treating him as a trustworthy friend. She shared the daily life of the Butterfly Mansion and her demon-slaying missions with him.
She had even written specifically not long ago, mentioning that Shinobu would be coming to Yokohama and expressing hope that he could look after her a little.
It was bad enough that this man hadn't replied to a single letter, and it was understandable if he didn't recognize her immediately.
But... where was his basic politeness?!
Even if they were strangers, he should at least use honorifics and possess a modicum of social etiquette, shouldn't he?!
Meanwhile, Natsunishi did a quick mental search.
Kanae?
Oh, right, the one who uses Flower Breathing.
So this little girl is her sister?
Natsunishi scrutinized the Shinobu standing before him. Hmm... she did look a bit like her.
But as for this personality...
It was truly difficult to associate her with that gentle, serene young woman.
"Since you're Kanae's sister, what are you doing here?"
Little Shinobu seemed to sense the skepticism in Natsunishi's gaze.
She became even more dissatisfied.
She abruptly pulled a letter scented with a faint floral fragrance from her robe and thrust it toward Natsunishi with force.
"Here! A letter from my sister!"
"Who told you not to reply to a single letter before? I'm delivering it personally this time, so you can't 'fail to receive it' again!"
Her tone was stiff.
Unlike the "sweetness" the little girl had been meticulously maintaining earlier, she made no effort to hide her anger now.
"It seems my sister had absolutely no reason to worry about certain people being lonely! Hmph!"
Natsunishi took it.
"A letter?"
Now that he thought about it, his senior brother did seem to bring him letters occasionally.
Aside from the first few he read from his cheap master and Sabito's group...
The later ones... seemed to be piled up in a corner of his room.
Shinobu sensitively caught the change in Natsunishi's expression.
An unpleasant suspicion immediately surfaced in her mind.
"You... you haven't read a single one, have you?!"
Those were all expressions of her sister's heart, written seriously word by word during the gaps between missions.
Natsunishi said decisively, "I've read the letters."
Even if the ones he read were from other people.
Maybe I should go back and dig those letters out to take a look...
Hearing this, the girl said resentfully, "So you were just busy playing touching games with other slayers and pushed the replies to the back of your mind, is that it?"
With that, Shinobu gave Natsunishi a harsh glare.
She turned on her heel with crisp finality and walked away quickly without looking back.
Compared to this annoying blockhead, she felt it would be much more comfortable to spend time with a reliable adult. At least they wouldn't make her lose her temper.
Natsunishi looked at the letter in his hand, which carried a trace of lingering warmth and indignation.
He hesitated, then opened it.
[To Kuguruma Natsunishi-kun,]
I hope this letter finds you well.
Please forgive me for writing so abruptly...
It was somewhat different from the letters of the two Water Breathing boys or even Makomo. Kanae's handwriting was exceptionally neat and beautiful.
It radiated her unique delicacy and gentleness.
It was as if one could see, through the paper, the image of that young woman weighing her words under a lamp and then writing them down seriously, stroke by stroke.
The letter began with a few lines of concerned greetings, then mentioned that Natsunishi was currently practicing "Total Concentration: Constant."
She gently encouraged him not to be impatient and to be sure to take care of his body.
Then, she mentioned her sister, Shinobu Kocho, who would be passing through Yokohama soon. She hoped Natsunishi could look after her and be patient with her on her behalf.
Because this sister of hers had a very rigid temperament and found it easy to offend people.
But in reality, she was just cold on the outside and warm on the inside—a child who could sometimes have the temper of a little girl.
At the end of the letter, she added a specific line:
[The previous letters were all delivered by Kasugai Crow; I wonder if you received them.]
Natsunishi felt a bit of cold sweat as he read.
"I'll reply. I'll reply immediately," Natsunishi muttered.
The youth reflected on himself; it was mainly that the way of communicating via letters in this era was something he wasn't used to.
Otherwise, during the holidays, he would have definitely let this letter-loving girl experience the bombardment of what is known as a "holiday mass-text."
When Natsunishi returned to the Igarashi estate clutching the letter, he saw Igarashi already packed and prepared to head out.
Beside him was Shinobu Kocho, arms crossed, seemingly still brooding.
"Senior brother, are you heading out on a mission?" Natsunishi looked at the substantial luggage, feeling curious.
This setup didn't look like a routine patrol near Yokohama that could be completed in a single day.
The Nine Hashira usually had their own jurisdictions and areas of activity.
Unless it was an emergency meeting called by the headquarters, then it could only be...
"Is there a swordsman somewhere who needs emergency backup?"
And it wouldn't be a common demon.
The Storm Hashira nodded. "It's in the Gunma area. It was supposed to be handled by Mr. Rengoku, but he has some family matters recently..."
At this point, Uzen Igarashi paused, feeling that this matter didn't need to be explained in detail to a junior.
So, he shifted the conversation back to the mission.
"Rumors of a plague and demons have broken out in a town over there. The swordsmen sent to investigate have lost contact. This time, Miss Kocho and I are heading there for this matter."
Natsunishi: "The rank of the missing swordsman is high?"
If it were just a common Mizunoto or Mizunoe rank slayer missing, it usually wouldn't warrant a Hashira moving personally.
So...
"Yes, it's a Kinoe-ranked swordsman."
"I know that kid; his strength is decent. A normal demon, even one with a Blood Demon Art, wouldn't necessarily take him down easily."
"Much less prevent him from even sending a message out."
Natsunishi's eyes lit up. "Could it be the Twelve Demon Moons?"
Igarashi nodded.
"We can't rule out the possibility. According to the Kakushi's deductions, either the demon's Blood Demon Art is quite specialized, or it's a Lower Rank demon."
Immediately, Natsunishi raised his hand with some excitement: "Igarashi Senior! You must take me with you!"
This kid—suddenly he knows how to call people by the right name at a time like this.
The Storm Hashira then pondered for a moment.
Although Natsunishi was only at the "Tsuchinoe" rank.
In reality, his current strength was already greater than most swordsmen, or even Cultivators.
Even if he encountered a Lower Rank demon, he had the ability to protect himself...
No, perhaps the one who should be worried was the other side.
Moreover, this kid had a decent set of medical skills.
"Kuguruma, you come with me. This time will count as practical combat training for your 'Constant' state."
"When the time comes, making your own safety the first priority is the primary task. Furthermore..."
His gaze turned to the Shinobu on the side, and he said gently, "Please look after Miss Kocho. Don't let her be harmed by a demon."
In an instant, Natsunishi and Shinobu spoke up almost simultaneously.
"You've got to be kidding, senior brother. This squirt is going too?"
"Lord Storm Hashira, I don't need his protection at all!"
Having spoken at the same time, the two then glared at each other.
Natsunishi's look was one of doubt, while Shinobu's mouth was puffed out in anger.
The Storm Hashira was slightly stunned. "You two know each other?"
Natsunishi: "Sort of... a friend's younger sister?"
Shinobu: "Who knows him?! Also, what do you mean 'sort of'?! You big flirt!"
So they do know each other.
Seeing the somewhat lively atmosphere between the two, Igarashi smiled slightly and then began to explain.
"Kuguruma, though Shinobu is young, her strength is not weak."
"Do not underestimate her."
Natsunishi looked at the girl, who didn't even reach his shoulder.
An energy level of 40 was decent for her age. But the demon they were facing this mission was one that had made a "Kinoe" rank slayer go missing.
Inferring from the levels of Kazuma Dojima (Kanoe) and Mei Nikaido (Kinoe)...
Even if this demon didn't have a Blood Demon Art, its attributes would have to be at least above 180 to make a Kinoe rank suffer.
If it really was the Twelve Demon Moons...
Natsunishi felt that if the opponent even accidentally let a shockwave slip, this little thing might be knocked out of the game on the spot.
Noticing Natsunishi's skeptical gaze.
Shinobu knit her brows and stared back at him.
"This child has a very high talent in pharmacology. This mission might involve poisoned or infected civilians and swordsmen."
"She is indispensable."
Natsunishi was stunned.
So she was a Support Specialization expert. My apologies, my apologies.
Shinobu gave a soft "Hmph," then tilted her chin up, a smile appearing on her face.