On the other side.
Shuya stepped out of the Crossing Gate and found himself back in the exact same room he had left the night before.
That was how the gate worked.
Wherever you manifested the gate to enter from, you'd exit from the same spot. The interesting part was that if any of the girls opened a gate in the Demon Slayer world, Shuya could use Greed Island as a shortcut and appear right where they were. Doing so would simply refresh his entry point for next time.
After appearing in the room, Shuya quickly scanned the space.
Shinobu was still fast asleep, curled up peacefully in her sister's arms like a little kitten. Her expression was soft and calm, her breathing gentle, her body completely relaxed. For a moment, Shuya saw a flash of the same innocent sleeping face Makomo had shown him that morning.
It was hard to believe that the sharp-tongued, black-bellied Insect Hashira could look this gentle and childlike while sleeping. If anyone from the Demon Slayer Corps saw her like this, they probably wouldn't believe it.
Shuya sat down on the edge of the bed and quietly watched the two sleeping sisters.
"Mm~"
Kanae Kocho was the first to wake.
She slowly opened her eyes and instinctively reached out to pull her little sister closer, almost as if she was afraid last night's warmth had only been a dream.
The soft, familiar weight in her arms and the long-missed scent of Shinobu told her the truth.
This wasn't a dream.
Kanae let out a long, relieved breath.
Thank goodness.
She looked down at Shinobu's peaceful sleeping face and couldn't help remembering how her little sister used to run into her room at night as a child, clutching a pillow and saying she was too scared to sleep alone.
It felt like nothing had changed.
Just like she used to do back then, Kanae reached out and gently pinched Shinobu's nose.
Shinobu's brows furrowed slightly, her face twisting in discomfort, but she didn't resist. She had no guard up at all.
Kanae didn't stop. She kept pinching, watching her sister's increasingly funny expression with quiet joy.
"Phew~"
Shinobu finally switched to breathing through her mouth.
Kanae's smile grew even wider.
Even after two years, Shinobu had changed so much. She was no longer the impulsive, hot-tempered girl she used to be. But deep down, she was still the same little sister. Her sleeping habits hadn't changed one bit.
For the past two years, Kanae had wanted to do this so many times—reach out and tease her sister's face while she slept. Today, she finally got to do it again.
Her little prank quickly grew bolder. She picked up a strand of Shinobu's hair and lightly brushed it across her cheeks, nose, and earlobes.
"Mm?"
Shinobu's eyelashes fluttered. Her breathing grew uneven.
She was about to wake up.
"Oh no."
Kanae panicked.
Without thinking, she tried to do what she used to do as a kid—dive under the bed and hide so she could jump out and scare Shinobu later.
"Mmgh?!"
A muffled yelp escaped her.
She moved too fast and completely forgot that Shuya was sitting right there on the edge of the bed, quietly watching her prank the whole time.
Shuya hadn't expected her to suddenly sit up and try to bolt either.
Kanae crashed straight into him.
Before she could even process why he was there, she rolled off him and scrambled under the bed in one smooth motion.
"Ha~"
Right then, Shinobu opened her eyes, let out a big yawn, and stretched comfortably.
After sleeping in her sister's arms all night, her body felt incredibly relaxed. Because of the way she'd been lying, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Shuya sitting beside the bed with a slightly strange expression.
Him?!
Shinobu's eyes trembled slightly as she quickly remembered everything—how she had poured her heart out to him last night and fallen asleep in his arms.
She glanced down at her clothes. They were still perfectly in place.
That actually surprised her.
She had been fully prepared to offer herself last night. She had even kissed him and given him her first kiss. Yet this man hadn't taken advantage of her while she was asleep?
A strange, warm feeling rose in her chest.
Her face, however, showed nothing but her usual sharp tongue.
"Good morning, Mr. Scumbag. I'm honestly surprised you didn't lay a hand on this beautiful girl last night. Don't tell me your body's already broken?"
"Actually, that would make sense. With how many flowers you keep picking everywhere, it's only natural you'd end up like this."
"Want me to get you some medicine? I'm not exactly an expert in that field, but I do have some medical knowledge. I could probably whip something up."
Shinobu stared at him with an innocent smile, her voice full of fake concern.
Shuya raised an eyebrow.
This girl is perfect in every way… except for that mouth of hers.
He glanced at her face, then thought about Kanae hiding under the bed. A mischievous smile slowly spread across his lips.
"I've got some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Oh? Let me guess."
Shinobu blinked playfully. "The bad news is that Mr. Scumbag really can't perform anymore, right? And the good news is that you've finally decided to stop being a scumbag?"
"That's two pieces of good news! How wonderful~"