Hearing the sudden voice from outside the door, both Shuya and Kanae immediately recognized it as belonging to the very person they had just been talking about—Shinobu.
Kanae's heart tightened.
A strange feeling of "I'm about to get caught stealing someone's person" welled up inside her. She almost vanished on the spot.
But she quickly remembered she was currently in her spirit form, so Shinobu couldn't see her anyway.
Only then did she manage to suppress the urge to disappear and turned her gaze toward Shuya instead.
She wanted to see how he would react in this situation.
Outside the door!
Shinobu's heart was far from as relaxed as her expression suggested.
In fact, she was quite nervous.
Because her purpose for coming to see Shuya tonight was very simple.
She had come to offer herself.
Just as she had said not long ago—as long as Shuya could defeat Muzan and Upper Rank Two and avenge her sister Kanae, she didn't mind accepting him. Even if it meant becoming a substitute for her sister, it didn't matter.
And the power Shuya had displayed at Demon Slayer Corps headquarters today proved he might actually have that ability.
At the very least, he was clearly stronger than everyone in the Corps. That was enough.
Even if it only increased the chances by a tiny fraction, Shinobu refused to let the opportunity slip away.
Moreover, from the way Shuya had interacted with Kanao that afternoon, she suspected he might have certain intentions toward the girl.
Shinobu didn't dare take that risk.
It was better to guide than to block.
Rather than guarding against Shuya like he was a thief trying to lay hands on Kanao, it would be better to satisfy him with her own body in exchange for his promise not to touch the child.
"Has he already fallen asleep?"
Shinobu looked at the tightly closed door in front of her. There had been no response from inside for a long time.
She couldn't help but mutter the question, though a small part of her felt secretly relieved.
She was just about to turn around and leave.
Creak~
Without warning, the door suddenly opened, and half of Shuya's body leaned out.
The moment she saw Shuya's face, Shinobu's breath caught. Her mind went completely blank.
Her heart started pounding uncontrollably.
Shuya looked at Shinobu and asked curiously, "Shinobu? It's so late. What brings you here?"
Shinobu didn't answer. Instead, she immediately pushed Shuya back into the room and squeezed inside with him.
Then she decisively closed the door behind her with one hand and quickly scanned the room.
Thankfully, she didn't see any sign of Nezuko or anyone else.
Only then did she let her gaze settle on Shuya's face.
But even after entering the room and doing all that, Shinobu's head was still a little fuzzy. After all, when it came to this kind of thing, she had only ever heard about it—she had never actually done it before.
For a moment, she didn't know what to do next.
"Shinobu?"
Shuya looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"C-Can you kiss me?"
Faced with this situation, Shinobu couldn't help but show the shy side of an ordinary girl.
She spoke with some embarrassment, her cheeks flushed all the way down to her neck.
"???"
Shuya was completely confused. He wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.
Was this shy girl with red spreading all the way to her neck really the same black-bellied Shinobu he knew?
"Hurry up and lower your head already."
Seeing that Shuya wasn't taking the initiative, Shinobu gritted her teeth.
She wrapped both arms around his neck and tried to kiss him.
But she still needed his cooperation.
Because Shinobu was petite—only 151 centimeters tall.
If Shuya didn't lower his head to meet her, the height difference meant she couldn't reach his face even if she stood on her tiptoes.
Unless she jumped————
No.
Shuya didn't mind kissing a beautiful girl like Shinobu.
But————
Standing right beside them, Kanae was watching the two of them with sparkling eyes.
She never expected that right after she had expressed her hope for Shuya to marry her little sister, Shinobu would come offering herself.
This—this was perfect!!
On the other side, Makomo—who was also in her spirit form—watched curiously as Shinobu wrapped her arms around Shuya's neck. Her eyes were filled with pure curiosity. She looked like she wanted to press her face right up against them to get a better view.
How was Shuya supposed to kiss her under these circumstances?
But Shinobu had no idea any of this was happening. If she knew her sister was standing right there watching, the embarrassment she felt would have been multiplied several times over.
When Shinobu saw that Shuya still wasn't moving after a long time, she started to feel unhappy. Her lips curved slightly.
Then she suddenly pushed hard, knocking Shuya onto the bed.
Faced with this situation, even Shuya himself was stunned.
I got pushed down?
A moment later, a soft, jelly-like, cool sensation pressed against his lips.
At the same time, a fresh, herbal scent—like clean nature—drifted from Shinobu's body.
The instant their lips touched, Shinobu's entire body tensed up.
Every hair on her body stood on end. A wave of tingling electricity shot through her from head to toe—something she had never felt before.
It felt like something had exploded inside her head. All her thoughts vanished in that instant.
And then… nothing.
Because Shinobu panicked.
With zero experience, she had no idea what to do next.
She lifted her head and looked into Shuya's eyes with a slightly dissatisfied expression. "Can you take the lead a little, Mr. Scumbag?"
Meanwhile, Kanae on the side looked even more excited, cheering her little sister on.
"Go, Shinobu! You can do it! Hurry up and claim this man!"
"And you! You're a grown man—what are you spacing out for? Stop hesitating and get on with it! I want to see my little sister become a woman!"
Shuya ignored the excited Kanae beside him. He simply reached up and gently stroked Shinobu's hair.
She must have taken a bath before coming here—there were still traces of water in her hair that hadn't completely dried yet.
However, instead of simply taking her like this without understanding why, Shuya wanted to know the reason first.
Shuya asked softly, "Shinobu, can you tell me why you're doing this?"
Looking into Shuya's eyes, Shinobu felt like she could see her sister's reflection in them. Her purple pupils trembled slightly.
All the strength seemed to drain from her body at once. She grabbed tightly onto Shuya's collar with both hands, as if clinging to something she could finally pour her heart into.
"I'm tired."
"Every single time—every single time I face those man-eating demons, I have to put on a gentle face in front of them."
"I keep trying to think of the gentlest way possible to kill them."
"But I can't. Because my sister was such a gentle person. Even toward man-eating demons, she felt sympathy for them. Right before she died, she still hoped we could one day live in peace with demons."
"But I can't do that. I can't be as gentle as my sister, and I can't stop feeling disgusted by those filthy demons."
"Why should I? Why should I feel sympathy for them?"
"Those demons only tell lies to save themselves. They have no reason, no intelligence—they only follow their instincts to slaughter humans."
"They kill people and then expect pity? That's just ridiculous."
"But I have no choice. Because that was my sister's will. I have to keep living while carrying her share of it too."
"And before she died, my sister told me she loved seeing me smile. So I've had no choice but to keep copying her—keeping a smile on my face at all times."
"But… I'm really tired————"
"So please… even if it's a lie, I'm begging you—destroy Muzan. End all of this. Can you do that?"
As she spoke, two streams of clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
Shinobu herself didn't understand why she had suddenly poured out all the feelings she had been hiding deep inside to Shuya.
Maybe… in this moment, she had felt her sister's presence in him.
"Shinobu————"
Standing beside them, Kanae listened to her little sister's heartfelt confession.
All the excitement she had felt earlier while cheering Shuya on had completely vanished.
All that remained was endless guilt toward Shinobu.
She had never imagined that the words she had spoken to her before dying would end up causing her little sister so much pain—becoming a burden and shackle that weighed her down.
Seeing this, Shuya couldn't hold back any longer. He reached over and pulled the nearby Kanae toward them.
He condensed a cluster of Conjuration-type aura and let it merge into Kanae's body.
Under the influence of the aura, Kanae's form slowly began to solidify.
Shuya gently wiped the tears from the girl's eyes and looked at her with tender affection. His voice was soft and warm.
"Shinobu… you're going to be happy. I promise."
"Mm."
Shinobu buried her face into Shuya's chest and gave a small nod.