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Chapter 112: It Doesn't Matter If You Treat Me As My Sister's Substitute
Kocho Kanae lifted her head, her face flushed red as she cautiously peeked at Suyan.
Noticing that the burning sensation on her cheeks hadn't faded, and that Suyan was still wearing that playful smile, she chose to remain silent and simply vanished from his sight.
It wasn't until Kanae disappeared that Makomo—who had been following behind Suyan as his Nen Beast—finally snapped out of her daze.
She gently tugged at the hem of Suyan's shirt and asked, "Lord, is she an existence like me?"
"How many times do I have to say it? Even though you're my Nen Beast, you don't need to call me 'Lord.' Just call me by my name," Suyan sighed, turning his head to look at the somewhat ditzy girl behind him. "Or calling me 'Big Brother' or something similar is fine too."
"Okay, Lord Brother. I understand, Lord Brother," Makomo nodded in response.
Yet, barely a few seconds passed before her form of address reverted to the way it was at the beginning.
Using her ethereal voice, Makomo asked Suyan again, "So, was that sister an existence like me, Lord?"
Suyan couldn't help but sigh again.
Maybe Marikawa Shizuka and Makomo would have a lot in common.
They were both a bit ditzy.
But Shizuka's ditziness and Makomo's ditziness weren't quite the same.
If Shizuka's ditziness was merely a lazy attitude toward worldly affairs—a facade to mask her natural intelligence and lower the guard of those around her as an active adaptation to her environment...
Then Makomo was just genuinely ditzy.
She even gave off a clumsy vibe, as if her reactions were always half a beat slower than everyone else's.
Helplessly, Suyan explained, "That girl is Kocho Shinobu's older sister. She's also the former Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, who was killed by Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki two years ago."
"Oh, oh." Makomo's eyes sparkled, her small mouth parting in awe. "That's amazing. Not only is the younger sister a Hashira-level member, but the older sister was one too?"
"So the Lord came here to subjugate that sister and turn her into a Nen Beast like me, right?" Makomo tilted her head up, meeting his eyes as her clever little brain formulated a theory.
"Sort of," Suyan didn't deny it.
"But she ran away..." Makomo said weakly. "So do you want me to go catch her and bring her back to you, Lord?"
Suyan found Makomo's train of thought amusing.
Sending Makomo out to duel Kocho Kanae, defeat her, and capture her as a Nen Beast?
Was this some kind of Pokémon-catching game?
Putting aside the fact that he didn't need to rely on combat to subjugate Kanae—he had plenty of other ways to handle her—even if he treated this like a monster-catching game, Kanae was still the Flower Hashira.
As for the ditzy Makomo standing before him?
She was just a rookie swordswoman who couldn't even defeat the Hand Demon during the Final Selection.
How did she have the nerve to suggest such a thing?
Are you delusional?
"You really are a clever little ghost."
Suyan extended his thumb and middle finger, lightly flicking Makomo's flawless white forehead.
Makomo covered the flicked spot with her small hands, murmuring something in her airy voice.
Suyan was just about to say something else to her when Shinobu, who was walking ahead, turned around.
Noticing that Suyan had fallen quite a distance behind and was muttering to himself, she couldn't help but say, "Mr. Scumbag, what are you mumbling about back there all by yourself? Hurry up and follow me."
Perhaps because she had returned to the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu didn't even realize that her tone was much gentler than usual.
"Coming," Suyan replied.
He temporarily gave up on teasing little Makomo and quickened his pace to catch up with Shinobu.
As for Shinobu claiming he was by himself?
That was because she couldn't see Makomo.
It might have been because Makomo had just recently become his Nen Beast, or perhaps due to the unique nature of the Demon Slayer world where souls and Post-mortem Nen intertwined.
As a result, Makomo's condition was different from the YukimiBotamons; she was still much closer to a spiritual state.
If Suyan wanted others to see her, he had to constantly channel Nen into her.
Maybe Makomo was just a little socially anxious. After parting ways with Tanjiro and the others, she felt it was perfectly fine if only Suyan could see her, so she hadn't asked him to supply her with aura for visibility.
Which meant that, from Shinobu's perspective, Suyan's communication with Kanae and Makomo just looked like he had suddenly stopped and started talking to thin air.
Did he think of his own sister after seeing the Butterfly Mansion? Shinobu wondered inwardly.
A ripple of emotion passed through her eyes, and her small hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
I miss you too, Sister.
Wait for me, Sister...
I will definitely find the Upper Rank demon that killed you and avenge you.
Soon! Very soon!
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Suyan stepped up beside her and placed his hand on her head, gently ruffling her smooth, purple-tipped hair.
Thinking of Kocho Kanae, who had just vanished before his eyes, a cryptic smile curled Suyan's lips.
He looked at Shinobu and said softly, "Shinobu, you will find happiness."
"Happiness?"
However, Suyan's gentleness failed to soothe the sorrow in her heart.
She reached up and swatted his hand away.
That sort of thing lost all meaning to me the day my sister died.
But Shinobu chose not to voice those thoughts. Instead, she plastered her usual fake smile back onto her face and deflected, "What's wrong? Has Mr. Scumbag finally lost his patience and decided to make a move on his ex-girlfriend's younger sister?"
"You truly live up to your title as Mr. Scumbag, stringing along multiple women at the same time!"
"What if I said yes?" Suyan stared calmly, straight into her eyes.
For a brief moment, Shinobu's usually placid purple eyes flickered with panic.
As the only female Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps, and someone who constantly mimicked her beloved sister, there was certainly no shortage of men confessing to her.
But never before had her heart felt as complicated as it did right now.
Still, she was Kocho Shinobu. Her heart was strong.
"You can."
Dropping her smile, Shinobu looked Suyan dead in the eye with utter seriousness. "As long as you can kill Muzan and Upper Rank Two to avenge my sister, it doesn't matter if you treat me as her substitute."
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