Su Chen revealed a mysterious smile. "How about it? Are you ready?"
Kanao nodded nervously. She was eagerly awaiting the result. If it was heads, maybe she could change?
But... what if it was tails?
Would she have to stay the same? Would she still be unable to speak to Su Chen openly? Kanao was extremely conflicted.
Su Chen slowly kept his hand closed. This made the girl so anxious she almost jumped. Finally, Kanao couldn't hold back anymore. Her mouth opened wide.
"Su Chen, quickly open your hand and let me see! Is the coin heads or tails?!"
Su Chen's lips curved into a smile. He said meaningfully, "Kanao, you spoke."
"Me? What did I say? Aren't we looking at..." Kanao's voice trailed off. Only then did she realize. "I just... said a lot of words?"
Su Chen continued, "Kanao, you spoke so fluently."
Kanao's mind was in turmoil. She didn't know why this was happening. She glanced at Su Chen's hand, rushed over, and forced his palm open.
But... there was nothing inside!
"How can this be?"
Kanao stood blankly in place. She looked at the sky, then at the ground. Finally, she turned her gaze to Su Chen for help. She was a little scared. She was scared of the changes happening to her.
In this confused and helpless state, Kanao's first thought was of Su Chen. He was very gentle, and she subconsciously wanted to grasp that warmth.
A strong hand gently held hers. Su Chen walked up to the girl and embraced her reassuringly.
After her trembling lessened, Su Chen patiently asked, "Want to know why?"
Kanao nodded timidly.
Su Chen spoke earnestly. "Actually, Kanao, you aren't unable to speak. You just hid yourself away. You aren't unable to make decisions, either. You just wanted an emotional anchor to help you. Kanao, have you ever considered this? What were you thinking in your heart the moment the coin flew into the air?"
Kanao lowered her head, thinking.
Su Chen's voice resonated again. "The moment the coin flew into the air, your heart had already made its own decision."
Boom.
Kanao's heart felt as if it had been struck. Her trembling body instantly calmed down. Her chaotic thoughts and restless gaze all settled at once.
Kanao's beautiful eyes widened as she looked at Su Chen, her emotions overflowing.
So, I wasn't unable to speak! And I wasn't unable to make decisions! I was just... keeping myself locked up all this time...
Under the moonlight, Kanao's eyes became even more vibrant. She wanted to engrave Su Chen's face into her heart. At this moment, Kanao truly wanted to speak.
"Thank you, Su Chen. I know what to do. I will continue to do this."
Kanao gently hugged Su Chen, resting her head on his chest and speaking the deepest words from her heart. She greedily inhaled his scent. Her heart felt warm.
Su Chen also gently hugged Kanao, lightly patting her back.
After they embraced for a short while, Kanao asked a question that had been bothering her. "So, Su Chen... where is the coin from earlier?"
Su Chen smiled. "Of course I didn't catch it. The coin fell nearby just now."
With that, Su Chen turned around to look for it. But as he searched, something felt wrong. He couldn't find it.
Su Chen's heart panicked. Oh no, I messed up.
He was so anxious that he even activated his Bullet Domain, but he still couldn't find it.
At that moment, Kanao's voice came from behind him. "Mr. Su Chen, you didn't lose my coin, did you?"
"How could I!" Su Chen replied calmly, though in reality, he was extremely flustered.
It clearly fell this way just now!
Su Chen grew more anxious. He searched through the dark, covering the area behind him, but found nothing.
Just then, a pair of soft hands gently embraced him from behind.
"Mr. Su Chen, you don't need to search," Kanao's voice said. "I don't need it anymore."
The girl's hands wrapped tightly around Su Chen's chest as she greedily inhaled his scent. Her words carried a hint of a daze. "I found something more important. Mr. Su Chen, weren't you going to let me do the one thing I most want to do? Now I've done it... Mr. Su Chen, let's go home."
The night was quiet. Su Chen carefully turned around, only to find that Kanao had already fallen asleep.
Long hours of breathing exercises, combined with the recent emotional changes, had exhausted the girl. After the shackles on her heart were finally removed, Kanao had fallen into a deep sleep.
"This girl." Su Chen smiled warmly.
Then, he gently picked her up in a princess carry. Feeling the warmth from his palms, Su Chen couldn't help but smile.
Suddenly, a glint of refracted moonlight crossed his eyes. He subconsciously looked in that direction.
There, under the moonlight, the coin lay on a freshly picked flower, sparkling.
The next morning, Su Chen overslept again.
Carrying Kanao all the way back yesterday had taken a full hour, and his lower back was tired. After Su Chen got up, he did a simple warm-up and hurried downstairs.
"Kon'nichiwa, Mr. Su Chen!"
"Kon'nichiwa!" Su Chen replied with a smile.
"Kon'nichiwa, Mr. Su Chen!"
"Kon'nichiwa!"
"Kon'nichiwa, Mr. Su Chen!"
"Chiwa chiwa!"
Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho greeted Su Chen in turn. Su Chen responded to each of them.
Su Chen looked around and couldn't help but ask, "Has Shinobu not returned yet?"
Hearing this, Kiyo replied, "Lady Shinobu was called away by Kagaya Ubuyashiki early this morning."
"Called away again?" Su Chen was startled. He didn't know what was so urgent that it made Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, run back and forth.
It seemed the Demon Slayer Corps was truly short-staffed. No wonder Kagaya Ubuyashiki would go to such lengths to recruit people.
After sending the three little girls away, Su Chen glanced around like a thief. Once he confirmed that no one was around, he hurried to the basement.
Then he snuck into Shinobu Kocho's laboratory.
With his first experience, Su Chen was much more comfortable now. He walked to the table and very naturally picked up Shinobu Kocho's diary.