"Is something the matter?"
Kochou Shinobu asked with a smile; she had heard what the Kasugai Crow said earlier.
However, Kiyokawa Izumi's gaze was far too strange.
"Ahem, the omnipotent and highly respected Insect Hashira, well, I actually have a favor to ask."
Kiyokawa Izumi complimented the person before him quite insincerely, his face plastered with a smile.
Hearing this, Kochou Shinobu's mouth twitched slightly, and the smile on her face almost faltered.
She took a deep breath and asked, "What is it?"
"It's nothing too excessive. Well, I heard from other swordsmen that you are very proficient in pharmacology and medicine, and that the poisons you prepare can even kill demons. Could you lend me some to use?"
Kiyokawa Izumi rubbed his hands together and leaned forward, looking at Kochou Shinobu with an expectant face.
"Is that all?"
Kochou Shinobu's slender eyebrows rose slightly as she said thoughtfully, "I thought you wanted me to accompany you."
"Could you?"
Kiyokawa Izumi was overjoyed and asked hurriedly.
"Of course... not!"
Kochou Shinobu made a deliberate pause before emphasizing her words.
Only after seeing a look of disappointment appear on his face did she continue with a smile.
"Preparing some toxins for you isn't a difficult task. When do you set out?"
"I can set out anytime."
Kiyokawa Izumi said solemnly.
No matter how hesitant or confused he felt inside, once he accepted a mission, he wouldn't intentionally delay.
He wouldn't dawdle here just because he was afraid.
"Is that so..."
Kochou Shinobu looked at Kiyokawa Izumi with some surprise; she had expected him to be very reluctant.
"Be careful on your way. Stay safe!"
The petite girl spoke softly to the person in front of her.
With the tips of her hair unconsciously brushing her shoulders and her lips curved in a natural arc, a genuine smile appeared on Kochou Shinobu's face, like a flower blooming in spring.
Kiyokawa Izumi was silent for a moment before nodding slightly.
The heartfelt concern and well-wishes touched him slightly.
He hadn't heard words like that for a long, long time...
Before noon, Kiyokawa Izumi had already set out, carrying five rice balls in his arms, clearly meant as rations for the journey.
"Northeast, Northeast!"
The low-flying Kasugai Crow kept repeating.
While hurrying along, Kiyokawa Izumi didn't forget to maintain his Breathing Technique, but this was clearly very difficult.
After all, he had only recently mastered the Breathing Technique and hadn't yet reached the realm where he could attempt Total Concentration Breathing: Constant.
He was simply practicing the Breathing Technique consciously.
He wanted to let his body get used to and remember this breathing rhythm.
What left him most speechless was that he didn't know where he was going or how much farther it was; the Kasugai Crow beside him only knew how to report directions.
Crossing through mountain forests and fields, there was no time for him to admire the surroundings, and any pedestrians he encountered were just hurried passersby.
When his physical strength was depleted to a certain point, Kiyokawa Izumi sat down against a large tree, took out a rice ball, and quickly ate it with some fresh water.
It really couldn't be called delicious.
Whenever he ate rice balls, he would involuntarily recall the delicacies of his previous life.
Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine... just thinking about them made him drool.
"Northwest, Northwest!"
The sharp voice rang out, and Kiyokawa Izumi grumbled somewhat helplessly.
"How much longer is it going to take? Why isn't there a more convenient way to travel? For example, can't every Team Member be provided with a bicycle?"
"I'm not even hoping for a rickshaw, but there should at least be bicycles, right?"
If he remembered correctly, bicycles had already appeared during the Meiji Era.
Traveling on foot was a bit foolish and quite inefficient.
The Kasugai Crow landed from the sky, perched on Kiyokawa Izumi's shoulder, and tilted its small head slightly, looking as if it didn't understand what he was talking about.
"Northwest! Go now!"
"You have to give me time to rest, right?"
After a brief silence of a few breaths, the Kasugai Crow continued: "Rest, over! Depart!"
"How long has it even been? Don't rush me!"
Kiyokawa Izumi said, somewhat exasperated...
At sunset, Kiyokawa Izumi barely managed to reach a small town where a demon was suspected to have appeared.
An unnamed small river flowed through the town; the water was quite clear, and a few fishing boats were quietly moored at the nearby shore.
The town was divided into east and west sides, with two stone bridges spanning the middle; there were many pedestrians, and it was quite lively.
Kiyokawa Izumi stood on the bridge looking into the distance; dozens, or perhaps hundreds, of wooden machiya houses were neatly lined up, their undulating black-tiled roofs looking like waves of ink.
Besides that, there were very rare post offices and cafés; the new trends of the era seemed to have reached here. Kiyokawa Izumi's eyebrows rose slightly; although he was a bit surprised, he didn't care that much.
He had only come here to subjugate a demon.
Just then, the sound of conversation nearby caught his attention.
"Sigh."
An old man rowing a small fishing boat sighed helplessly. "Another one. Children always go missing after nightfall."
"It's truly terrifying!"
A middle-aged man said with a gloomy expression.
"Stop talking about that. Let's pull the person up first."
Another person couldn't help but say, the expression on his face somewhat unsightly.
There were also some pedestrians on the shore watching from the side; such a commotion naturally caught Kiyokawa Izumi's attention.
After watching for a while, Kiyokawa Izumi's brow furrowed slightly.
Those three men on the small fishing boat were not fishing.
A young woman who had committed suicide by jumping into the river was being pulled up by them.