"We'll be seeing less of each other now, won't we?" Shinobu sighed softly as they walked back to the Butterfly Mansion.
She would be busy researching medicines, and Yoizumi would be busy with Pillar Training.
They probably wouldn't have much time to breathe.
Shinobu swayed their clasped hands, her reluctant gaze fixed on Yoizumi.
On the way back to the Butterfly Mansion, Yoizumi finally detached himself from that strange kiss, his lips pursed. Miss Shinobu's lipstick was still there, an uneven redness on his lips that immediately showed what had happened to make them that way.
Hearing Miss Shinobu's words, Yoizumi lowered his gaze.
Yes...
He was going to be very busy from now on.
"Pillar Training, Yoizumi, you have to work hard~" Shinobu still held the Purple Rose, tapping Yoizumi's forehead with it.
"Mhm." The fragrant rose left only a faint scent after tapping him. Yoizumi nodded; he would definitely train (beat) them very well.
Oh my~
Watching Yoizumi's serious expression, Shinobu secretly felt a pang of worry for the Demon Slayer Corps members.
Upon returning to the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu went back to her room first. She needed to change before heading to headquarters, while Yoizumi waited quietly at the door.
"Creak~" Not long after, as the wooden door opened, Miss Shinobu, wearing her familiar rainbow-colored haori, reappeared before Yoizumi. A hint of regret flickered in her otherwise unreadable eyes.
He hadn't seen enough of Miss Shinobu like that yet.
Of course... he also liked Miss Shinobu like this.
"I should go now~" Shinobu said, and without giving Yoizumi a chance to react, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.
Ah... Yoizumi hugged Miss Shinobu back. He felt Miss Shinobu taking deep breaths in his arms, as if drawing some kind of energy. Before he could even wonder, Miss Shinobu, having collected enough energy, left Yoizumi's embrace with a firm resolve.
"This time I'm really leaving." Shinobu's lips curved into a beautiful arc, her intimate voice reaching Yoizumi's ears as she turned her back.
"Yoizumi, remember to miss me~"
"...Mhm..." Yoizumi stared blankly as his Kochou flew away, only responding after a long pause.
Standing rooted to the spot for a long time, Yoizumi finally moved again. After a moment of hesitation, he pushed open the room door. The Purple Rose was placed alone in a vase, in the most prominent position in the room.
And the goldfish named 'Xiao Yang' was happily getting acquainted with 'fugu'.
Seeing this, a smile gradually appeared in Yoizumi's eyes, and he slowly exited the room.
It was time to give the konpeito to Nezuko.
He walked through the long corridor and found Nezuko and the others. Tanjirou was also there.
It seemed Giyu Tomioka's side was finished.
Smelling his brother's scent, Tanjirou abruptly turned his head and approached Yoizumi, his tone filled with joy at having completed the task Yoizumi had given him.
"Yoizumi-nii! I successfully persuaded Giyu-sensei!"
"Mhm, well done." He gently stroked Tanjirou's head. Feeling Nezuko tugging at his pant leg, Yoizumi looked down to meet his sister's eager, beady eyes.
Yoizumi crouched down, also gently stroking his sister's head, and presented the two jars of konpeito. Nezuko's eyes suddenly lit up, and she happily hugged the konpeito and ran off.
Sitting on the edge of the corridor, swinging her short legs and eating konpeito, the familiar sweetness made her squint her eyes and let out a cute "Mmm~" sound.
"Ah~ Nezuko-chan is so cute~" Zenitsu, lying on the wooden floor, propped his head with his hands, smiling as he watched Nezuko.
"Yoizumi-nii, why are your lips so red? Did you eat something delicious?" Tanjirou asked, puzzled by his brother's unusually red lips.
Zenitsu, who was nearby, looked over and showed a knowing, ambiguous smile. He stood up, patted Tanjirou's shoulder, and shook his head, looking as if some things were not for children to know.
"Huh?" Tanjirou didn't understand Zenitsu's strange behavior.
Zenitsu let out a "Heh heh~" laugh.
It must be said that, from a certain perspective...
It was indeed something delicious.
"Huh?" Inosuke, chewing on a konpeito Nezuko had thrown him, glanced over in confusion, then looked away because Nezuko had thrown another konpeito!
Inosuke jumped up, caught the konpeito in mid-air with his mouth, and grinned proudly.
"I can catch it from any angle, Douzi, again!"
"Are you a dog?" Zenitsu retorted, but he immediately joined in, rudely pushing Inosuke aside.
"Nezuko-chan, I can catch it too~"
Red lips?
Yoizumi belatedly wiped his lips with the back of his hand, staring at the red on his hand.
"Mmm..."
..."What's so good about this kind of thing?" Standing on a high rooftop, Akaza's purplish-red short shirt flapped loudly in the night wind, and the deep blue tattoos on his face flickered erratically in the light of the exploding fireworks.
Despite saying that, Akaza still watched the fireworks until they ended, his cold, golden eyes looking down at the pairs of lovers on the ground, wondering what he was thinking.
If one were to ask why he came to see such fleeting things, one would have to go back several days.
"Useless... useless!" Kibutsuji Muzan, in the form of an ordinary child, his face contorted in a sneer, slammed his palm onto the bookshelf in front of him.
The bookshelf crashed down, books scattered everywhere, and the book in his hand was torn to shreds. In his extreme rage, Kibutsuji Muzan's light purple eyes, which he used for disguise, reverted to their crimson vertical pupils, his cold gaze seemingly wanting to pierce through everything before him.
"Dead again! Dead again!"
Kibutsuji Muzan recalled that hateful face, that golden-haired man's face, and an uncontrollable rage surged from deep within him.
It was him again!
Why did that maggot-like existence still bother his eyes!
Why? Why?!
Whose fault was it?
It was...
Akaza!
Akaza was summoned and appeared in the room, respectfully kneeling on one knee, his head bowed.
"Muzan..." Before he could even say "-sama," Akaza's head vanished without a trace, not even a drop of blood splattering.
"It's all your fault! Akaza! You failed to kill that annoying bug back then!"
Akaza's hands, pressed against the ground, tightened, leaving imprints. His entire body trembled violently, the Demon King's pressure pouring onto him, immobilizing him.
"You can't do anything! What's the point of keeping you all!" Kibutsuji Muzan's sharp nails scraped against the wall, emitting a grating sound.
"Get out!"
"What happened, Toshikuni?" A lady and a maid opened the door and asked.
Kibutsuji Muzan lowered his head, and after a moment, returned to the appearance of an ordinary child.
"Nothing, madam, just a bug startled me."
"I see."
"Then let's go rest for a bit, and have the servants clean this up."
"Yes."
He still needed to search here for the whereabouts of the Blue Spider Lily.
Obeying Muzan's words, Akaza left the place, clenching his fists at his sides. His head regenerated, and he gritted his teeth tightly.
It showed his indignant inner turmoil.
"Boom! Bang!"
The sound from afar reached his mind. He impatiently looked up, only to see the tiny, brilliant display.
"Fireworks?"
He suddenly paused and repeated it again.
"Fireworks..."
He suddenly really wanted to see them...
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