A gust of cold wind swept through the ruined factory, kicking up dust and stirring the tattered remnants of Shinobu's haori.
The world had fallen into a deathly silence.
Shinichi remained frozen in his punching stance, his body suddenly as stiff as stone.
'Did I just hear a familiar voice? 'The thought echoed in his mind.
He slowly, hesitantly, let his eyes wander toward the massive crater revealed by the settling dust.
It sounded so familiar… Was that Shinobu's voice? Did she… did she just call his name?
Shinichi…
Shinichi?
SHINICHI!!!
His eyes flew wide, his amber pupils trembling uncontrollably.
'It was her! There's no mistaking that voice! She remembers me!'
A wave of immense joy washed over his face, only to be immediately replaced by a look of utter, gut-wrenching horror.
'So… what did I just do?'
'I punched Shinobu into a pit.'
'I beat Shinobu into a pit.'
'I… hit her… into a pit.'
The realization slammed into him with the force of a physical blow.
In an instant, the frozen Hashira came back to life.
His dignity was forgotten.
He stumbled, practically crawling on his hands and knees, scrambling toward the deep, human-shaped hole he had just created.
When he reached the edge and looked down, even he couldn't help but gasp.
"Did I… really hit her that hard?"
"Shinichi…"
A soft, pained murmur came from the bottom of the crater.
That was all he needed to hear.
With a panicked yelp, he dropped to his knees and began digging into the rubble with both hands.
Maru-ni, who had been hiding in a corner, immediately trotted over, bit the back of Shinichi's haori, and started pulling, adding his own canine effort to the rescue operation.
With a final, desperate heave, Shinichi managed to pull Shinobu completely free from the ground.
He gasped again.
Beside him, the Shiba Inu opened his mouth wide in a very human-like grin, his tail thumping on the ground.
Shinichi immediately shielded her from view, creating a sight too pitiful for anyone, even the moon, to witness.
He gently picked up her unconscious form, desperately infusing her with his own vitality, trying to stimulate the demon blood in her body to begin the healing process.
He had no idea how bad the damage was, but judging by the fact that Maru-ni was now rolling on the ground with silent, doggy laughter and Shinichi himself was fervently praying to any god that would listen for Shinobu to have selective amnesia about the last thirty seconds, it was definitely not a minor injury.
For the first time ever, Shinichi thought that maybe, just maybe, it would be better if she stayed an amnesiac just a little bit longer.
Or maybe just stayed in a coma until they got back to the Demon Slayer Corps.
Unfortunately, the universe rarely grants such wishes.
After a few tense moments, despite his frantic prayers, Shinobu's eyelids fluttered open.
For a moment, her violet, slitted pupils seemed just as blank and confused as he had hoped.
Then he noticed that, perhaps due to the sheer force of the impact, her eyes were no longer aligned.
One was looking up at the ceiling, the other was drifting off to the right.
"This is…" a gentle, warm voice whispered.
And this time, Shinichi was absolutely certain.
That was his Shinobu.
Reaching out, he gently nudged her face, and her eyes popped back into their normal alignment.
He stared into those familiar violet depths and spoke with a soft sincerity.
"This is Hiraoka County. But that doesn't matter anymore. Shinobu, I'm taking you home."
With her vision restored, Shinobu stared blankly at the face so close to hers.
The memories that had been shattered moments ago were now rushing back, reassembling themselves into a complete, unforgettable tapestry.
And in almost every scene, there was the man in front of her.
The cold, empty space in her heart was instantly filled with a tidal wave of longing and joy, emotions a normal demon could never comprehend.
A thin mist welled up in her eyes as she looked into his, which were trembling just as much as her own.
Her lips parted slightly.
Under Shinichi's hopeful, excited gaze, she gently called out the name that felt like home.
"Shinichi… Shinichi… Shinichi?… SHINICHI!!!"
The gentle call had, for some reason, morphed into a resentful, accusing shriek.
Clearly, the stinging, throbbing pain in her face had also been firmly re-engraved in her memory.
…
"Stand at attention!"
The sharp, angry voice made Shinichi instinctively straighten his back.
Then he thought, 'Wait a minute. I'm the Forest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, a respected senior.'
'Why am I acting so humble?'
But then he saw Shinobu's icy glare and the very noticeable red swelling on her pretty face, and he could only lower his head in guilt.
"Shinichi Moriki-san" Shinobu said, sitting primly on the ground with her hands folded in her lap.
Her eyes were narrowed, and her tone was dangerously sweet.
"Your feelings towards demons are truly… passionate. I never thought I, too, would one day be on the receiving end of such enthusiasm. I am truly honored."
The only thing that betrayed her calm demeanor were the blue veins bulging on her forehead.
"Shinobu… I… uh… your face… does it still hurt?" Shinichi asked, avoiding her gaze.
She didn't reply.
She just stared at him, her large, violet eyes unblinking, now welling up with moisture and pure, accusatory intent.
Her gaze screamed, "What do you think!?"
Shinichi's scalp tingled.
"I'm… sorry! I'm really, truly sorry! How about… I rub it for you?" he offered, tentatively reaching out a hand.
Smack!
She rudely slapped his hand away.
"No, no. I wouldn't dare trouble the esteemed Hashira-sama," she said in a strange, singsong voice.
"I am perfectly capable of healing this minor injury myself."
"Shinobu, stop it. I had no choice," he pleaded, completely helpless against her familiar passive-aggressive attacks.
He'd already punched her.
What was he supposed to do now? Let her punch him back?
"No choice?" Her voice suddenly cracked, taking on a wounded, nasal tone.
"Shinichi, you did that on purpose, didn't you?! I just remembered who you were… and you immediately punched me into the ground! I saw no hesitation in that fist! Just pure, unadulterated hatred for demons! You… have you started to dislike…?" Her voice choked, and she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
"No! That's not it at all! I swear!" he said, rushing to explain.
"I thought you were still… you know! Unconscious! And our battle couldn't drag on! I just wanted to calm you down first… and then take you to Lady Tamayo for help!"
"Calm me down?! By knocking me out cold!?" she retorted, her face flushing with anger.
"And Lady Tamayo? You two seem to be on very good terms!" She didn't care anymore. She raised her foot to kick him in the shin.
"You idiot! You reckless, dense blockhead who only knows how to use your fists! I… ah!"
Because her body was still healing, the sudden, angry movement made her stagger uncontrollably.
"Be careful!"
Shinichi was faster.
He lunged forward, catching her shaky body and pulling her into a firm embrace.
In an instant, the two hearts that had been separated for so long were pressed together once more.
"Shinobu…" Shinichi's voice was a low, rough whisper.
His arms tightened around her, as if he wanted to fuse her into his very bones.
"Welcome back… Really… it's so good to have you back…"
This time, Shinobu didn't push him away.
She closed her eyes, resting her head against his chest, and whispered.
"I'm back."
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Kay boys i'm running out of raw so the update will be twice a week.
the original author also update twice a week so i'll be translating it as soon as it comes out.