Unlike Kochou Shinobu, who was angry, Kanae felt a little embarrassed, and Tanjirou was surprised that this person could actually say something that sounded like a joke.
It was like an older brother genuinely sizing up his younger sister... Wait, that wasn't the point!
Did he misunderstand?
Was Young Miss Shinobu and Young Miss Mizuki's relationship actually that kind of relationship?
He had never thought of it that way, only that the two were very close, practically inseparable at the Butterfly Mansion... Inseparable?!
Tanjirou suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing the crucial point.
Didn't that mean that for a long time... girls and girls... The fifteen-year-old Tanjirou's face flushed crimson, and his mind was dizzy, unable to speak.
Hearing Kochou Shinobu's resentful voice, Kokushibou scrutinized her up and down, saying plainly, "Based on your appearance, I find it hard to believe you."
Over the hundreds of years, although Kokushibou still possessed human intellect, his human emotions had faded to the extreme.
But ever since he learned that Mizuki was still alive, a ripple stirred once more in his cold heart, as if he had recovered a fraction of his human emotions.
He had long since completely discarded what was known as romantic love, yet when he heard this while chatting with Mizuki in the Swordsmith Village, he actually felt a sense of interest—an emotion that had long faded from his human self.
Hmm, although his own younger sister's orientation seemed a little problematic.
She was a demon, yet she fell in love with a human.
Huh?
What else?
Could it be strange for a girl to like another girl?
"???" Kochou Shinobu was about to explode with rage. Was she ugly?
She was the foremost beauty in the Demon Slayer Corps! What a joke!!
"If you don't want your eyes, you can donate them to someone in need," Kochou Shinobu muttered with her usual death-like smile. "Conveniently, you alone can help three people."
"A little more kindness might even lessen your sins."
Kokushibou raised his eyes. Just as Kochou Shinobu was preparing to press the attack, thinking it best to insult him to death, she suddenly heard Kokushibou say:
"Shorty."
"Cough..." Kochou Shinobu's eyes widened slightly. It was as if a wooden arrow carved with the word'Shorty' had flown into her head, causing her to spit blood.
"Weak strength, too." Another wooden arrow flew toward her.
"Pfft~"
"Flat-chested."
"..."
"Terrible figure."
"..."
Kochou Shinobu lost all strength, slumping onto the ground, her figure turning gray and white. She stared blankly at the floor and whispered, "I... I can't refute it."
It was terrible.
Sure enough, those were all her flaws.
Feeling as though she had been rejected by Mizuki's family, Kochou Shinobu felt a deep sense of frustration.
"What are they talking about?" Muichiro couldn't quite understand. He stared at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting away.
Kanao's eyes were bright, as if she were contemplating something.
Inosuke scratched his head and asked Tanjirou, "Did you understand?"
Tanjirou: "..."
So what was going on now?
Why did the atmosphere suddenly become so strange?
Kanae looked at Kochou Shinobu, feeling embarrassed for her. It looked super... super devastating.
She knew deeply that her younger sister's biggest insecurity was her height.
"Um..." Kanae swallowed, reaching out to place a Hand on her sister's shoulder, intending to comfort her.
Kochou Shinobu suddenly stood up, interrupting Kanae's comfort. Her gray eyes gradually turned gloomy.
"Hmm?" Kokushibou sensed something was amiss.
"You certainly have a lot to say~" Kochou Shinobu's purple eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, "You're clearly a terrible older brother who never cared about his sister, yet now you want to interfere with her love life."
"How truly sickening~"
Everyone: "..."
"..." Kokushibou could hear the dense resentment in her voice.
It seemed he had indeed misunderstood. Kokushibou could probably grasp the situation now.
In a way, this woman was indeed very similar to Mizuki.
At least, they were similar in terms of personality and venomous speech.
Kokushibou opened his mouth, about to speak, when Kibutsuji Muzan's voice suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Kokushibou, stop wasting time and kill all these Hashira!"
"Everyone else has been dealt with, and we can't let them rush over to my location."
As he said this, Muzan's tone clearly became a little irritated.
It was truly unbelievable, those pieces of trash.
Despite having received his blood, they hadn't even managed to kill a single Hashira.
Especially that guy named Kaigaku, he truly was useless!
Although he had given him the title of Upper Rank at the time merely out of trust for Kokushibou.
Anyway, having one more Hand was decent; even if he couldn't help much, he could at least help stall the Demon Slayer Corps.
Who knew that guy would actually be killed by a brat who wasn't even a Hashira!
When he saw this scene, Muzan wanted to kill him personally.
Can't you at least stall one or two Hashira?
He truly was the weakest Upper Rank he had ever promoted in hundreds of years.
He had no idea what that guy Kokushibou saw in him.
Kokushibou's expression remained unchanged as he replied mentally, "I understand."
Muzan took a breath and continued, "That's not enough. I will have Nakime guide the other Hashira to your location."
"Move faster!"
With that woman's blood, these Hashira practically had a second life. Even if Hantengu had crippled that Hashira, they recovered instantly, just like demons.
There were still many Hashira who were unopposed, and the trash summoned merely to make up the numbers in the Infinity Castle couldn't stop them for a moment.
How infuriating!
The Demon Slayer Corps was actually this strong now!
Muzan felt an unprecedented crisis. He had to quickly break down the toxins in his body, or he might genuinely fail.
If it weren't for the geographical advantage of the Infinity Castle, these Hashira would have likely rushed him already.
He had Nakime deliberately change the layout of the Infinity Castle to pull them further away, but the Hashira cleverly avoided it.
The best solution was to have Kokushibou intercept these people before he finished decomposing the toxins in his body.
Although these combined Hashira might cause Kokushibou to retreat, as long as he himself was alive, nothing else mattered.
"Understood." Kokushibou, however, didn't realize Muzan's intention to sacrifice his ally; he merely gave a simple affirmation.
In his view, as long as Mizuki didn't show up, even if the other Hashira joined forces and had mastered the Demon Slayer Mark, they still wouldn't be his match.
The more people there were, the more his power could be unleashed.
However... to prevent being surrounded by the Hashira, he should first reduce their numbers.
Kokushibou suddenly raised his head, staring directly at the woman who had been muttering incessantly since the start.
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