Kanae had never imagined that exposing a wound to someone else's gaze could be so disorienting.
When Natsunishi's fingers lightly touched the injured area on her shoulder through her uniform, the sense of bashfulness was no longer the primary emotion. Instead, a faint shiver climbed up her spine.
His fingertips were steady and gentle. He acted more like a physician who had practiced for many years rather than a swordsman who fought demons day in and day out. There was a reassuring warmth to his touch.
The tips of Kanae's ears turned red, but it wasn't from pain. The area where the fabric had adhered to the wound was carefully snipped away, revealing the jagged flesh and purple bruising beneath.
"Please... please don't look," she whispered, her voice of refusal softer and more delicate than she had intended.
She could face any demon on the battlefield with composure, enduring whatever agony they inflicted. Yet now, she felt flustered by the boy's pure, focused gaze and his intent to heal her.
He cleared away the sand and gravel embedded in her flesh, rinsed the wound with a persimmon-scented antiseptic, and then gently wiped and sutured it...
It clearly hurt, but the pain paled in comparison to the warm breath that brushed against her ear as he leaned in close. Scarlet heat and stinging pain spread simultaneously.
Kanae had no choice but to shyly lower her head, her watery eyes meeting the wooden fox mask hanging at the boy's waist.
He took bandages from his pack—they had a slightly coarse texture—and wound them around her waist and neck. Layer by layer, he wrapped her like a piece of shattered blue-and-silver porcelain being painstakingly pieced back together. When his knuckles accidentally brushed against her cheek, it felt like an unfinished embrace.
This distance was too close—close enough to see the curve of his eyelashes and hear every beat of his breathing. Even though he was entirely focused on treating her injuries, his profile looked very gentle. Her fingertips were still trembling slightly, but her cheeks were already burning fiercely.
When it came time to set the bone, the boy's palm completely enveloped her forearm with precise and decisive strength.
"It hurts..."
Amidst the soft click of the bone returning to its place, Kanae couldn't help but take a sharp breath. Subsequently, she heard her own runaway heartbeat.
It was like a drum.
Kanae hurriedly lowered her eyes, her gaze drifting between the fluttering wind patterns on the boy's pack and the dark depths of the distant forest. Fragmented and startled. Just like the ripples being stirred in the depths of her heart...
"What are you blushing for?"
Eh?
The girl looked up in confusion at the boy before her. He was looking at her with a strange expression. Had it already finished?
"It couldn't be an infection, could it?!"
Natsunishi was startled and hurriedly opened her detailed status panel to check again. This was followed by Kanae's mock indignation.
"Thank! Thank you, Senior Dummy!"
She grabbed her haori from the side to cover half of her face. Her voice was muffled by the fabric, but the tips of her ears were completely red.
Natsunishi: ???
What was with this bratty girl? Why did it feel like she was actually angry?!
Uzui Tengen, who had been watching the entire time, couldn't help but burst out laughing with a "Pfft."
This junior... this Kokonotsu kid was truly a piece of work. He then gave Kanae a thumbs-up. Such a gentle and kind child...
"Flamboyant young lady, you will make a fine wife in the future."
Natsunishi: "No, what are you suddenly acting crazy for now?!"
Uzui, however, slung an arm around his shoulder boisterously. "I am merely praising the Butterfly Girl for being a flamboyant and beautiful girl, just like my three wives!"
The air suddenly went silent for a moment.
"...Three?" Natsunishi turned his head slowly.
"That's right!" Uzui raised his chin proudly. "All three are beautiful and powerful—the most flamboyant arrangement possible!"
Kanae peeked out from behind her haori, her blush replaced by curiosity.
"They possess a flamboyance that does not lose to this young lady," he said, smiling at Natsunishi.
In a sense, the ninja had regained his confidence. What did it matter if the other guy practiced multiple Breathing Styles? Was it as flamboyant as having three wives?
The point isn't Kanae, you flamboyant maniac!
"The point isn't Kanae at all—did you just say 'three wives'?"
"You're only seventeen or eighteen, right?! Where are your wives? How old are they?"
Brother, you've broken the law, you know that? Oh, wait—different era. Perhaps it was normal for sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls to marry. He has three wives. Is it taking it too seriously to look for my "true self" in a game...
Sigh, I need to relax my mindset. This bastard actually has three young and beautiful wives! Given the modeling quality of this game...
"Kanae has the looks of a superstar; I really don't know what great deed you did in your past life to be so blessed."
Natsunishi felt like tears of envy were about to fall. Uzui laughed triumphantly. Meanwhile, Kanae pointed at herself with a dazed, cute expression.
Eh? Me? A superstar? Does he mean a world-famous actress like Sadayakko Kawakami?
"Senior..."
Natsunishi: "Just call me Natsunishi. Senior? I only joined the corps a few months ago."
Kanae: "...Eh?"
Afterward, the three of them made some quick preparations and began leading the group out of the dense forest. The Kanoe-ranked swordsman was also helped up by Natsunishi. Seeing how quickly the group had become familiar with each other, he couldn't help but think.
As a fellow member of the Demon Slayer Corps, did he seem a bit redundant here?
The Kanoe-ranked slayer gave a bitter smile. "I really envy you powerful seniors... unlike me, I'm just a Kanoe-rank."
Natsunishi patted his shoulder. "Don't lose heart. I'm a Kanoe-rank too."
The Kanoe-ranked swordsman went silent for a moment, his eyes growing even darker. "Ah... Senior really knows how to talk."
Perhaps it was the long conversation between the group that dispelled the fear among the loggers.
"Thank you very much for saving me." One person approached and asked in a low voice, "But... who exactly are you people?"
Kanae answered with a gentle smile. "We are members of the Demon Slayer Corps, swordsmen specifically responsible for eliminating evil demons like the one today."
The group looked at each other, still wearing blank expressions. People of this era mostly spent their entire lives in one place. Not to mention having broad knowledge, even the weird tales and ghost stories circulating among the folk weren't necessarily known to everyone.
Kanae wanted to explain further to soothe them, but she saw Natsunishi step forward proactively. He swiftly whipped out a small booklet with a deep blue cover and flashed it nimbly before the loggers.
"Tokyo Special Affairs Section 9, Demon Slayer Mobile Unit on a case."
His tone was flat but carried an unquestionable weight. "No need to ask for specific details; just cooperate with our work."
They might not have heard of folk legends, but the words "Government Agency" carried a natural deterrent. Even if it was a fabricated, fictional title, it was enough to suppress these simple villagers.
The crowd nodded, impressed despite not understanding. Sure enough, they spoke no more, at most whispering among themselves as they gradually dispersed.
Once they had left, Kanae quietly tugged on Natsunishi's sleeve. Her eyes were full of curiosity. "What kind of identification was that?"
Special Affairs Section 9? Mobile Unit? On a case? How come she had never heard of such an organization within the Corps? And that ID... why didn't she have one?
Natsunishi lowered his voice. "A passbook from the Central Bank."
He had specifically commissioned a member of the Kakushi to open it at the Kyoto branch earlier. All his large sums of money were stored in there.
Upon hearing Natsunishi's explanation, Uzui Tengen burst into a loud laugh from the side. "Hahahaha! You truly are a flamboyant and interesting person!"
"Kokonotsu, I, Tengen, acknowledge you."
"Your... strength is certainly not below mine. Someone like you is destined to flamboyantly reach the top of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
He slapped Natsunishi's shoulder hard, his eyes full of admiration.
"Become a Hashira with me! When that time comes and we join forces, even an Upper Rank will be no match for our hot-blooded and flamboyant duo!"
Natsunishi: ???
Had this kid's "eighth-grader syndrome" worsened again? He looked at Kochou Kanae beside them. He saw her pursing her lips, her shoulders trembling slightly; she was clearly trying her best to hold back her laughter.
"Therefore, to celebrate the completion of the mission and the fate of our meeting today..."
"You two, let's have a grand and flamboyant banquet tonight!"
Uzui: ╭(●｀∀´●)╯
Natsunishi, Kanae: (°_°)?