"Northeast direction! There are demons in the northeastern forest, please proceed as soon as possible!"
Kochou Shinobu quickly set out, heading towards the northeastern forest. She arrived shortly and began searching for the demon's aura, her nimble purple eyes observing her surroundings until she saw a piece of clothing scattered on the ground.
A vein throbbed on Kochou Shinobu's smooth forehead. She tightened her grip on her nichirin blade. "Mr. Yoizumi, why are you still here! How many times have I come for nothing!" Kochou Shinobu was starting to lose her patience.
"No! I must find him! Mr. Yoizumi is such an idiot!"
After a week of continuously missing him, Kochou Shinobu decided that when she finally saw Yoizumi, she would definitely give him a flick on the forehead!
Half a month passed like this. Even though Kochou Shinobu hadn't fought any demons recently, she was exhausted from constantly traveling and then returning to the Butterfly Mansion to research Yoizumi's blood. This non-stop grind meant Kochou Shinobu wasn't getting enough sleep.
During meetings at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, she could only force herself to stay alert. While waiting for the Master, she would close her eyes for a brief rest.
A white-haired man with a fierce face and a large scar next to her looked at her, then hesitated before asking,
"Kochou, what's wrong with you?"
"Mr. Shinazugawa, shut up."
"..."
It wasn't until the Master arrived that Kochou Shinobu opened her eyes, knelt on one knee, and greeted the Master along with the other Pillars.
"Greetings, Master!"
...Daytime
"Aya, please come back and tell me as quickly as possible once you get the information, okay?"
"Caw~ Understood, Lady Shinobu!"
Night
"In Sakiyama, to the west, a demon has appeared! Five Demon Slayers are fighting it!"
Finally, a demon! Although she didn't know if Yoizumi was in that vicinity, Kochou Shinobu still reached the destination as quickly as possible. What met her eyes were five unconscious Demon Slayers lying on the ground, and...
Yoizumi, kneeling on one knee, one hand on the hilt of his nichirin blade, his head slumped, having passed out.
Kochou Shinobu was surprised for a moment but quickly regained her composure. Yoizumi was a demon; as long as his head wasn't cut off, he would be fine. The injured personnel on the ground were more urgent. She sent Aya to notify the Kakushi. After examining them, she found that their injuries were mostly not serious.
She looked at Yoizumi with complex emotions and walked over to him, supporting his head. There was still blood on his face, and his breathing was a little ragged.
"Is that so, you protected them, huh?"
She gently placed Yoizumi on her lap, watching his furrowed brows and hearing his uneasy murmurs. For the first time, Kochou Shinobu saw Yoizumi display such a vulnerable expression. Unconsciously, Kochou Shinobu reached out her fair, delicate fingers to smooth Yoizumi's furrowed brow, while her other hand was already resting on his head.
Her unique, melodious voice gently comforted him.
"It's okay..."
"It's okay..."
"Mr. Yoizumi did very well~"
After an unknown amount of time, Yoizumi slowly woke up. He opened his eyes and met Kochou Shinobu's gaze. His blue eyes were still misty, making them even clearer and brighter. Yoizumi was first bewildered, then belatedly moved away from Kochou Shinobu's leg.
"You... why are you here?"
Kochou Shinobu extended her finger and lightly tapped Yoizumi's forehead. She had originally intended to give him a flick, but seeing how hard he had worked, she decided against it. Still, she had a bit of mischievousness, so Kochou Shinobu said with a complaining tone,
"Isn't it because Mr. Yoizumi finished all my work? I finally had one, but I still didn't make it~"
"Mr. Yoizumi made me run for nothing several times, you know~"
As expected, Yoizumi opened his mouth, somewhat at a loss. He had originally wanted to repay Kochou Shinobu but hadn't expected to cause her trouble. Yoizumi lowered his head slightly, like a child who had made a mistake, and apologized to Kochou Shinobu,
"Sorry, I didn't... mean to cause you... trouble, I just wanted to... help you."
Mr. Yoizumi is really earnest.
Kochou Shinobu felt a bit embarrassed. "Alright, I won't tease him anymore."
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Yoizumi~"
"But Mr. Yoizumi, I am one of the strongest Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps! Slaying demons is my duty, a mission that must be completed, no matter how hard or tiring it is!"
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm very happy that Mr. Yoizumi can help me~" Kochou Shinobu stood up, brushed off the dirt on her clothes, and extended her hand to Yoizumi. Yoizumi instinctively reached out, but then noticed his hand was covered in blood and quickly pulled it back. However, Kochou Shinobu's hand firmly grasped his, and Yoizumi couldn't pull away.
"My... hands are dirty."
"It's alright~"
After pulling Yoizumi up, she now, under the moonlight, carefully examined his current state. His clothes were torn in several places, and his golden hair looked a bit disheveled, giving him a travel-worn appearance.
"Mr. Yoizumi, your clothes are torn. I'll get you a new set."
Kochou Shinobu pulled out a brand new set of light blue clothes from somewhere and handed them to Yoizumi. Yoizumi stared blankly without reaching out; the blood on his hands would stain the clothes. Kochou Shinobu noticed this and, calculating the time, realized it would still be a while before the Kakushi arrived.
"Oh, right, I remember there's a river nearby. Mr. Yoizumi, why don't you go wash up there~"
Kochou Shinobu led Yoizumi elsewhere. Yoizumi obediently followed behind her. Soon, the sound of flowing water could be heard; it was a clear small river.
"Mr. Yoizumi, please feel free~"
"Okay." Yoizumi didn't hesitate and began to undress right in front of Kochou Shinobu. It wasn't until Yoizumi had completely bared his upper body that Kochou Shinobu reacted. She quickly turned her back, her voice a little unnatural as she said,
"Mr. Yoizumi! How can you take off your clothes directly in front of a girl!" Kochou Shinobu didn't know why, but while there were many male members in the Demon Slayer Corps, and sometimes more skin might be exposed when they were injured, she felt a bit embarrassed when it came to Yoizumi.
Yoizumi asked, puzzled, "Wh... why?"
"Men and women should not touch each other intimately. Anyway, boys and girls shouldn't be too close unless they are lovers. No! They must be husband and wife!"
"Und... understood." Yoizumi nodded, seeming to understand but not quite, and quietly moved a little further away from Kochou Shinobu. "I'll go... wash up."
Hearing Yoizumi's footsteps receding, Kochou Shinobu dared to turn back. Inadvertently, she saw the crisscrossing scars on Yoizumi's back and frowned. "Mr. Yoizumi is a demon, so why does he still have so many unhealed scars?" Recalling when Yoizumi had undressed in front of her earlier, she had accidentally glimpsed many similar scars on his chest. It looked like several of them had been fatal wounds!
"Mr. Yoizumi... what exactly happened to you, and what was your past like?"
"It truly makes one curious."