Shinobu's face darkened instantly. She tossed the basin onto the ground with a huff. "Your hand!"
"Oh."
Sosuke reluctantly extended his hand.
Shinobu dipped a towel in the water and began wiping his hand, explaining, "The Pillar Meeting is discussing last night's events. Elder Sister had to attend to report the battle's details. She also needs to provide a detailed account of the Nichirin Blade you forged for her. Actually, if you weren't so severely injured, you would have had to go too."
Sosuke nodded, about to speak, when Shinobu abruptly pressed a damp towel against his face.
He swallowed the words he was about to say. Once Shinobu removed the towel, Sosuke declared earnestly, "I think I can manage on my own!"
"No, you can't," Shinobu retorted, glaring at him as she moved to the other side of the room. "You mustn't move around too much right now, or your wound might reopen. I'll come back tonight to change your bandages."
She paused, glanced at him, and sighed. "Elder Sister should be back before noon. She'll come to see you then."
"Ah? Oh, okay."
Sosuke suddenly sensed a shift in Shinobu's attitude toward him.
He felt a surge of happiness.
After all, a brother-in-law is only half a butt without a good relationship with his sister-in-law. If they didn't get along, the future would be a headache.
'Wait, is that how the saying goes?'
Sosuke fell into deep thought.
When he snapped out of it, Shinobu had already left.
Gazing at the empty room and staring up at the ceiling, Sosuke suddenly smiled. "So, this counts as... rewriting history, right?"
He closed his eyes, determined to rest properly. In this world, the Flower Pillar still existed... and she would continue to exist!
___
When Sosuke opened his eyes again, he saw Kanae sitting beside him, watching him.
Their gazes met, and Sosuke instantly snapped awake, scrambling to sit up.
"Don't get up," Kanae said, gently pressing him back down. He reluctantly settled back against the pillow.
They faced each other, yet for a moment, neither spoke.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned awkward again.
"S-say... say something?" Sosuke racked his brain. Breaking the tension was crucial, right? But he couldn't think of anything to say.
Then he heard Kanae whisper, "Say what?"
"Huh?" Sosuke blinked in surprise.
"You... you said we should say something?" Kanae asked.
Sosuke finally realized, "Did I... did I say that out loud?"
Kanae couldn't resist turning her head to gaze at his face.
Her expression was peculiar, as if she were surprised...
Sosuke suddenly remembered something and reached up to touch his face. Sure enough... his mask was gone.
Meeting Kanae's gaze, he asked softly, "Am I... ugly?"
So many online relationships end in disaster when they meet in person!
Sosuke had no idea whether his appearance was considered handsome or just average. He suddenly felt incredibly insecure.
"You're... handsome..."
Kanae blurted out instinctively, then quickly clamped her mouth shut and shook her head. "I didn't say anything."
"...Then I didn't hear anything?" Sosuke asked softly, barely suppressing the grin threatening to spread across his face.
A slightly embarrassed glare shot his way as Kanae stared at him.
Sosuke surrendered. "I'm sorry..."
"Hmph."
Kanae let out a melodious huff, then unconsciously pursed her lips, as if wanting to smile but forcefully restraining herself.
"What time is it now?"
Sosuke quickly changed the subject.
"It's almost noon," Kanae replied.
"I slept through the entire morning?" Sosuke glanced at the door near the corridor.
Kanae shook her head. "You still can't be exposed to the wind."
"Oh." Sosuke nodded and asked, "How did the Pillar Meeting go?"
"The Lord and everyone were delighted. Defeating a member of the Twelve Kizuki is a tremendous victory for us."
She looked at Sosuke. "However, there are some questions... The Lord wishes to hear your answers once you've recovered."
Sosuke nodded, unsurprised.
The unique nature of the Nichirin Blade he had forged for Kanae was bound to attract attention.
At the same time, Sosuke was also curious. "What effects did the blade demonstrate during combat with demons?"
"You don't know?" Kanae was taken aback.
Sosuke shook his head. "I've only made guesses and conducted experiments. More detailed information requires feedback from the swordsman."
"I see," Kanae nodded. "When I wielded this Nichirin Blade, it felt incredibly light, almost like an extension of my own body. Yet it never felt weightless; it seemed to respond to my will, allowing me to execute my sword techniques with maximum effectiveness. Beyond that, I sensed a peculiar warmth that continuously replenished my stamina, greatly extending my combat endurance. Most importantly, it suppressed the Demons' regeneration. What puzzled me was that minor wounds seemed nearly impossible for them to heal, while severe injuries like severed limbs were only temporarily suppressed."
"Severed limbs..." Sosuke recalled the final moments of the previous night's battle. Kanae had severed Doma's arm, but then Doma unleashed a massive wave of freezing mist that obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing the details that followed.
Now it seemed that Doma's arm had regenerated almost immediately.
After losing his arm, Doma exchanged a few words with Kanae before their final clash unfolded in a blinding flurry of strikes.
So, the arm suddenly regenerated at the last moment—the entire process couldn't have taken more than a minute, right?
As he pondered this, he frowned.
He could tentatively conclude that the ability to suppress the Demon's regenerative healing must stem from the Yang Flame!
However, the differing recovery times for the two types of wounds puzzled him.
After careful consideration, the most plausible explanation seemed to be an insufficient Yang Flame Attribute.
The sword's Yang Flame Attribute could effectively suppress the regeneration of small wounds, but its inhibitory power proved inadequate against larger injuries.
For Demons, the regenerative healing of different wounds likely varies as well. While logic dictates that larger wounds should heal more slowly, the regenerative power they mobilize is far greater than that used for smaller wounds.
This disparity between regenerative power and the consistent inhibitory force of the Yang Flame Attribute might explain why larger wounds heal faster than smaller ones.
"But these are still just my speculations. How could a human ever truly understand something like a Demon so easily?"
Sosuke frowned deeply. "The only thing I truly understand is the blade. To test this theory, I'd need to forge a weapon with an extremely high Yang Flame Attribute and experiment with its effects. But... that's far too difficult!"