"Oh~ So Yoizumi-nii had already been to Butterfly Mansion!" Tanjirou said.
"Everyone at Butterfly Mansion likes him very much~" Shinobu smiled, pressing her lips together.
Tanjirou placed his hands on his knees and bowed his head in thanks.
"Thank you very much, Miss Shinobu, for taking care of Yoizumi-nii."
Shinobu shook her head. She probably had to thank Yoizumi. It was he who made her understand that in this world, there really are demons that can communicate, just as her sister had said.
Her soft purple eyes fell on the bed, only to find that person's fingers twitching, followed by his eyes opening.
Looking at the familiar ceiling, Yoizumi shook himself awake. That's right, he... was back at Butterfly Mansion.
He propped himself up, rubbed his eyes, and then realized three pairs of eyes were staring at him unblinkingly.
?
"What's wrong?" Because he had just woken up, his voice was still a little hoarse, the hair at the back of his head was sticking up from sleep, and his clothes hung loosely on him as he stared blankly at the few people.
"Yoizumi-nii! You're finally awake!" Tanjirou exclaimed in surprise.
"Mmm~" Nezuko cheered happily.
"Good afternoon, Yoizumi." Shinobu leaned in slightly, reaching out to smooth down his ruffled hair. The long-lost soft touch made Shinobu's smile even more serene.
Such a cute Yoizumi, she even had the urge to hug him.
Hmm... should he dodge?
His blue eyes drooped in thought. Shinobu had mentioned before that men and women should not touch. Does this count as intimate behavior?
Yoizumi pondered.
Yoizumi didn't understand.
Yoizumi gave up.
Since she was the one who said it, she would understand it herself. This shouldn't count as an intimate gesture.
Could it be that they are closer than I thought?
Tanjirou watched with a slight blush, but since Yoizumi-nii didn't resist or anything, it must be as he thought.
Then why did Miss Shinobu want to kill Yoizumi-nii and Nezuko back on Mt. Natagumo?
Tanjirou scratched his face.
He was a little confused about the situation.
After tidying Yoizumi up, Shinobu withdrew her hand and smiled at Tanjirou, her voice pleasant, "Tanjirou, I have something I'd like to talk to Yoizumi about alone~ Could you all leave for a bit?"
"Ah? Yes!" Tanjirou picked up the bewildered Nezuko and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.
What kind of matter requires a private conversation?
"Nezuko and I will wait in the ward for now."
"Alright, now it's just the two of us." Shinobu clasped her hands in front of her chest, stood up, and sat on the edge of the bed.
"So~ Yoizumi, why did you avoid my gaze that day?"
Whether it was an illusion or something, Yoizumi vaguely heard an unpleasant emotion in Shinobu's words.
"I had to pretend not to know you." Yoizumi answered seriously.
"Eh~ Am I really so unpresentable?" Shinobu felt a sinking feeling in her heart and said in a muffled voice.
"If others knew you and I already knew each other, it would be detrimental to you." He shifted his bottom to the side; the two of them were a bit too close.
So he was worried about my situation?
She suddenly clenched her fingers. Why was he always so understanding in this regard, despite being such a blockhead?
Yoizumi raised a hand to touch his face, feeling a bit strange, but couldn't quite pinpoint it.
Looking at the clothes Yoizumi was wearing, Shinobu reached out to straighten them, but found a character 'Seto' (se) on the garment near his heart.
Her eyes darkened. She looked at the oblivious Yoizumi and said kindly,
"These clothes suit you very well. Where did you buy them?"
Why did it come back to clothes again? But Yoizumi still obediently answered her question.
"Komatsuse gave them to me."
Komatsuse... sounds like a woman's name.
"I'm sorry, I ruined the clothes you gave me again." Yoizumi's face showed apology, and a hint of guilt appeared in his blue eyes. He had ruined both sets of clothes Shinobu had given him.
"No need to apologize, aren't these quite suitable for you anyway?" Shinobu looked indifferent, smiling cheerfully, but the hand gripping the side of the bed was clenching so hard it almost crushed the bed.
"Mhm." Yoizumi nodded in agreement.
Realizing that Shinobu didn't know Komatsuse, he continued, "Komatsuse is a good person, um... a strangely good person." After all, she always said things he didn't understand.
Hmm?
You still 'hmm'!
Why is everyone a good person in your eyes!
Shinobu's mood at this moment was very subtle, mixed with displeasure, anger, and so on, even her usual smile was difficult to maintain. She herself didn't understand what was wrong.
Her heart felt sour and stifled.
"You... are unhappy." Yoizumi stated with certainty.
"No~" Shinobu denied, standing up and walking towards the door under Yoizumi's puzzled gaze. "I'm a bit tired today. Yoizumi, you just woke up, so make sure to rest."
"Oh."
She said she wanted to chat, but she only asked these irrelevant questions. His eyes followed Shinobu's back until the door closed.
Did he say something wrong?
A bulging vein appeared on Shinobu's smooth forehead. She clenched her fist, closed the door, took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, and calmed her restless mind.
If she could, she really wanted to stomp her foot hard right now.
Yoizumi, that...
Idiot!
"Um... Lady Shinobu?" Kanzaki Aoi called out cautiously. She felt it wasn't a good time to call her, but it was urgent.
"Hi~ What's wrong, Xiao Aoi?" Seeing Shinobu return to her usual state, Kanzaki Aoi felt relieved and walked up to her.
"Wind Pillar-sama has arrived."
Why is Shinazugawa here?
"He didn't specify what it was about, just asked me to inform you."
I'm truly sorry, Shinazugawa-san.
I'm not in a good mood right now.
You'd better not be here for something that will make me angry.
"I understand, I'm going now." Shinobu took one last look at the room where Yoizumi was staying and quickly left.
I'll come back tonight... "Nezuko-chan~ Have you come to see me~" Agatsuma Zenitsu floated over to Nezuko, waving his long sleeves.
"Zenitsu-san, you haven't had your medicine yet, please don't move around!" Kiyo said, holding a bowl of herbal medicine.
"A small bowl of medicine, no problem at all!" He snatched the medicine, gulped it down in one go, trying hard to suppress the urge to vomit, then strutted in front of Nezuko to show off.
"For Nezuko-chan~ I'll drink even the bitterest medicine."
"Because I want to protect Nezuko-chan~"
"Ah, Nezuko-chan~ Don't run away~"
Agatsuma Zenitsu's long pants occasionally tripped him, but he'd get up as if nothing happened and continue chasing Nezuko.
"Hey! No shouting or running in the ward!" Kanzaki Aoi entered and saw this scene, scolding them with her hands on her hips.
"I'm so weak, I'm sorry..." Inosuke lay on the bed, still looking listless.
"Ah! Zenitsu! Stop making noise, Miss Aoi is going to get angry!" Tanjirou chased after Agatsuma Zenitsu, helplessly trying to stop him.
"Hurry up and be quiet!" Aoi also joined the chase.
Eventually, Agatsuma Zenitsu was tied up on the bed, unable to move.
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