"Even Mr. Rengoku wasn't his opponent, he's truly too powerful."
Kanao's voice didn't show much emotional fluctuation, but Kochou Shinobu could understand her shock.
Whether it was demons or humans, she had never encountered someone so powerful, almost on a completely different level from everyone else.
Including Mr. Rengoku, none of them had even touched a corner of Miss Mizuki's clothes; it was a complete instructional battle.
Kyoujurou stood with his hands on his hips, looking at The Three Little Ones lying on the ground, and laughed loudly: "Hahaha, everyone worked hard! I'll treat everyone to sweet potato miso soup for lunch!"
Everyone tried their best to look up.
"What's wrong, young men?"
No... as expected of Mr. Rengoku... he still has so much energy.
"It's lunchtime! Alright, everyone get up quickly!"
"..."
"Miss Mizuki, would you like to come along? My treat!" Kyoujurou turned to ask Mizuki, then realized Mizuki's identity and scratched his head awkwardly, "Ah, sorry, I forgot."
Mizuki gently shook her head: "It's fine."
Tanjirou and the other two got up, trembling and shaking on their legs.
"What exactly happened? My body hurts so much~" Zenitsu was still grumbling over there.
The other two hung their heads, looking dusty, disheveled, and completely listless, unable to respond.
Looking at everyone, Kochou Shinobu turned and smiled: "Kanao, you should come along too."
Kanao was startled: "Eh? But I..."
"Go on, look." Kochou Shinobu pointed behind her.
Kanao turned her head to see Tanjirou, dragging his tired body, come up to her, extend his hand, and smile: "Kanao, why don't you come along too?"
Kyoujurou enthusiastically said: "Oh, come with us, Kanao!"
Kanao's body was a bit stiff, so Kochou Shinobu simply gave her a push from behind.
Finally, the stiff child was enthusiastically led away by the group.
Kochou Shinobu sighed with emotion: "That child, Tanjirou, possesses an incredible power. I probably understand why you value him so much, Mizuki."
"Even Kanao has slowly been changed by that child. You might not believe it, but sometimes that child can be quite a headache for me."
Mizuki muttered to herself: "Nonsense, don't you understand the protagonist's value?"
However... Mizuki's eyes moved slightly, and she asked doubtfully: "Aren't you going?"
Kochou Shinobu shook her head and smiled: "I already ate while you were fighting, you know."
"...Weren't you just sitting here without moving?"
The Butterfly Mansion is one of the most important logistical units of the Demon Slayer Corps, and of course, it has its own cafeteria.
However, the others hadn't finished yet, so how could Kochou Shinobu be so impolite?
Kochou Shinobu paused, a slight smile playing on her lips: "As expected of Mizuki, to be able to observe her surroundings with such ease even in that situation."
"...Don't change the subject, go eat." Mizuki lowered her eyelids slightly, sat up straight, and looked at the sky.
"…" Kochou Shinobu was silent for a moment, then stood up, patted the dust off her clothes, and said with a smile: "Well, then, I'll go eat first."
After the sound of footsteps gradually faded, Mizuki let out a long sigh.
It wasn't just the strange feelings in her heart that bothered her, but also the approaching final battle.
Mizuki subconsciously pulled out a cloth pouch from her bosom, staring at it in a daze.
She was going to meet that guy again... This time, her sword wouldn't be as powerless as it was back then... "What's that?" A sudden voice in her ear brought Mizuki back to her senses; she had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed Shinobu approaching at all.
Mizuki turned her head. Kochou Shinobu, holding a rice ball, sat down beside her, curiously looking at the cloth pouch in her hand.
Mizuki sighed: "It's nothing..."
She was silent for a moment, then opened the cloth pouch, revealing an old bamboo flute.
It looked quite old.
Just as Kochou Shinobu was curious about the origin of the bamboo flute, Mizuki proactively explained: "This was given to me by my brother who became a demon."
"When we were both very young."
It was originally just given to Yoriichi, who was beaten by their father; she was just an extra.
An extra... My own thoughts are really twisted... Michikatsu didn't seem to have offended me back then, did he?
Mizuki couldn't help but mock herself inwardly.
Kochou Shinobu was startled, her eyes softening: "Are you worried, Mizuki, that you won't be able to do it?"
"No, I just suddenly remembered it. I no longer have any feelings for that guy."
Kochou Shinobu smiled: "Then why do you still keep this bamboo flute, Mizuki?"
"A burial object."
Kochou Shinobu was taken aback: "Huh?"
Mizuki silently put away the bamboo flute: "After cutting off his head, I'll bury this along with him."
"Is that... so?" Kochou Shinobu didn't think so.
But Mizuki was unwilling to elaborate, so she wouldn't ask further.
Mizuki glanced sideways: "Is it really okay for you to eat so little?"
"Yes, it's fine." Kochou Shinobu smiled.
Just one rice ball, her appetite is really small.
The topic ended, and an awkward silence fell.
It wasn't until Kochou Shinobu finished her rice ball that she proactively broke the silence.
"Mizuki, could you tell me more about the past?"
Mizuki's expression froze, and she instinctively turned her head and replied, "Why?"
After speaking, she regretted it a little; what a brainless answer.
And Kochou Shinobu's purple eyes met Mizuki's slightly bewildered red eyes, her gaze flickering slightly, and a beautiful curve formed on her lips.
"Because I want to understand Mizuki more."
Kochou Shinobu's voice seemed to carry an incomprehensible magic, gentle yet mature, but not without a maiden's emotion.
Mizuki's red eyes widened slightly, feeling her calm heart quicken its beat.
Even when she was surrounded and attacked by several people just now, there was no change at all.
The sound was so loud it seemed to vibrate right next to her ear, as if even the person beside her could hear it clearly, making Mizuki instinctively want to suppress her heartbeat.
Seemingly worried about Mizuki's difficulty, Kochou Shinobu smiled and waved her hand: "Ah, if it's troublesome, then never mind."
When she said that, Mizuki indeed felt less nervous.
It should just be a conversation between friends; this is all very normal.
Acting like this herself would seem very strange.
Mizuki closed her eyes slightly: "That was during the Sengoku Period..."
She had forgotten many things from the past, but thanks to Enmu, those old memories were still well preserved in the depths of her mind in her dreams, so she had recently recalled her childhood memories.
"Mm-hmm." Kochou Shinobu was a good listener, occasionally making two cute humming sounds.
However, from her expression, she wasn't just listening perfunctorily, but was genuinely interested in Mizuki's past.
When something interesting happened, she would proactively join in.
When something sad happened, she would listen silently.
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