Hearing the sound, Mizuki turned her head and saw a girl wearing a butterfly haori sitting on the veranda, sipping flower tea and smiling at her.
The warm sunlight fell upon Kochou Shinobu, and her colorful haori seemed to emit a strange glow.
Mizuki's eyes lit up slightly, and she walked forward: "Shinobu, did you see the demon that ran in?"
Since this person is from her dream, she should have noticed it.
Kochou Shinobu replied with a smile: "No, I'm the only one here."
Hearing this, Mizuki's brow furrowed slightly.
Not here?
Is it still outside?
That shouldn't be the case. She was delayed by Muzan, slowing her down by several minutes.
Given the Sleep Demon's ability, it shouldn't fail to find this place.
At this moment, Kochou Shinobu patted the floor next to her: "Mizuki, come here."
Mizuki politely refused: "No, I still have things to do."
"Mizuki, are you worried about that demon?" Kochou Shinobu smiled: "I believe it must be with Yoriichi-san."
"Yoriichi?" Mizuki was slightly stunned. "How do you know Yoriichi?"
She didn't seem to have ever mentioned her elder brother's name to Kochou Shinobu, and the way she spoke suggested familiarity with Yoriichi... What was she thinking? This was her dream. Let alone knowing Yoriichi, it wouldn't be impossible for Muzan and Yoriichi to drink wisteria flower tea face to face.
But... are these people throwing a party in her dream?
This was originally just a casual remark from Mizuki, but she didn't expect to actually receive a response from Kochou Shinobu.
She replied with a smile: "Because Mizuki wanted me to meet Yoriichi-san, that's why I know Yoriichi-san."
"Huh?"
Why would she want Kochou Shinobu to know Yoriichi?
My elder brother has been dead for hundreds of years, what good is it for the two of you to know each other?
I can't exactly take her to his grave for an introduction.
Mizuki felt too helpless to complain, so she simply went along with Kochou Shinobu's words and asked: "Then where is Yoriichi?"
Kochou Shinobu smiled slightly: "If you were looking for Yoriichi-san, Mizuki, you walked in the wrong direction as soon as you arrived."
"Huh?"
The corner of Mizuki's mouth twitched slightly. What happened to this being her dream?
She couldn't even get everything she wanted, and following her instincts led her astray.
Kochou Shinobu patted the floor beside her again: "Come and sit."
Mizuki couldn't refuse her. Operating under the assumption that she had already gone the wrong way, she sat down next to Kochou Shinobu.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to Yoriichi-san."
"Mhm." Mizuki truly wasn't worried, though not because Yoriichi existed within her dream.
In fact, the Sleep Demon possesses the ability to control dreams. Even if the King of Heaven came, the Sleep Demon would still be the king here.
Didn't you see that even Muzan was being controlled by the Sleep Demon just now?
It's just that Mizuki herself is an almost immortal existence, so any trick the Sleep Demon might use would be ineffective against her.
The only way to completely eliminate her is through consumption.
What Mizuki didn't know was that the unconscious edges of the dreamer's mind are a manifestation of the dreamer's subconscious, which even the Sleep Demon cannot freely manipulate.
Kochou Shinobu poured her a cup of tea and said with a smile: "Have some flower tea."
Mizuki was slightly stunned and subconsciously took the tea.
After learning her true identity, Kochou Shinobu never proactively invited her to eat human food.
Seeming to understand her confusion, Kochou Shinobu smiled and explained: "It's fine here, Mizuki. You can try it."
Here?
Mizuki seemed to understand something. She picked up the tea and took a small sip. A burst of fragrance exploded in her mouth—a taste she had never experienced before.
Kochou Shinobu asked curiously: "How does it taste?"
"...It tastes wonderful."
As the saying goes, after starving for a few meals, everything tastes good.
Mizuki had completely forgotten what human food tasted like.
Her sense of smell was perfectly fine; she could still detect the aroma of food, but what humans called fragrance might not be the same for a demon.
All in all, recovering her sense of taste felt wonderful.
Kochou Shinobu poured her another cup, looking up at the sun in the sky: "The weather is truly lovely today."
It was as if Kochou Shinobu had truly only invited her to enjoy the sun, and the atmosphere was exceptionally peaceful.
Mizuki couldn't help but look sideways, seeing Kochou Shinobu's delicate profile, with the thin golden sunlight hitting her eyelashes, making them sparkle.
She seemed to remember.
The reason she stayed at the Butterfly Mansion was that she felt it was quiet and safe here.
After Yoriichi died, a massive stone had been pressing down on her heart, making her feel constantly depressed and even making breathing difficult.
Was it loneliness, or a heavy burden of responsibility?
She wasn't sure.
Later, when she met Tamayo, perhaps encountering a friend who shared her struggle, Mizuki's mood calmed down considerably.
Afterward, when she parted ways with Tamayo, that heavy feeling returned to her heart, until now... it seemed that, unknowingly, the knot in her heart had disappeared.
Mizuki didn't dwell on it, assuming that since she had arrived in the Taisho Era, with Tanjirou and the Taisho Nine Hashira present, Muzan was destined to be defeated in this era, which was why the knot in her heart had vanished.
But it didn't seem to be the case.
Speaking of which, why was Shinobu here?
Why not someone else?
Tamayo, Tanjirou, Nezuko—why specifically Shinobu?
Was it because Shinobu was special to her?
Looking at Kochou Shinobu's profile, a strange feeling seemed to rise in Mizuki's heart, making her spirit flutter slightly.
She opened her mouth: "Shinobu, could it be that..."
Before Mizuki finished speaking, the surrounding space suddenly twisted, and the buildings began to collapse like grains of sand.
Looking up, even the sun grew dim and began to disintegrate.
Mizuki stood up, her face showing surprise: "What is this?"
Kochou Shinobu looked over, smiling: "It seems Yoriichi-san has dealt with the intruder."
"Mizuki, you are about to wake up."
The sudden change disrupted Mizuki's thoughts. She hadn't expected the person in her dream to actually possess the ability to resist a demon.
Seeing the surrounding environment rapidly falling apart, Mizuki finally remembered what she had wanted to ask earlier, and she looked urgently at Kochou Shinobu.
"Shinobu, could it be that I feel for you..."
Her field of vision was suddenly consumed by a flash of white light. Before Mizuki's consciousness returned, she only saw Kochou Shinobu smiling and moving her mouth, but she couldn't hear what she said... The chugging sound of the train drilled into her ears, and the dim lights gradually brightened.
Mizuki tightened her grip on the Nichirin Blade in her Hand and subconsciously looked around.
The Hand on the table was split in two as if struck by Sun Breathing, and it disintegrated along the wound.
Mizuki fell silent for a moment. She hadn't expected that a momentary lapse of concentration could drag her into a dream.
This fellow certainly found her weakness.
Mizuki did not stop. After her consciousness cleared for a moment, she continued walking towards the front of the train... Meanwhile, Enmu was on top of the train's roof.
"Hmph, I've finally merged with this train. As long as I can consume the two hundred people inside, I'll gain the ability to reach the Upper Rank." Enmu spread his Hands, enjoying the night wind. "Then I'll challenge those guys and become the new..."
Enmu's high spirits suddenly froze. Just moments before Mizuki's return, Enmu finally received the will from his clone.
That woman... is abnormal...
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