At this moment, Kamado Asaki carefully observed the woman before him.
Shinobu Kocho stood in a tree by the shore. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, and the corners of her mouth held a smile. She wore a haori like butterfly wings. At the back of her head was a mint-colored butterfly-shaped hairpin with deep-purple edges, fixing her hair into a yakai-maki updo.
And one hand was behind her back; it was unknown what she was holding.
All of a sudden, Asaki guessed it, and a chill instantly sprouted in his heart.
The girl, brimming with a smile, was a monster.
Asaki had already sensed the other party's uncanny nature.
First, he hadn't noticed Shinobu Kocho's presence.
And that feeling, as if seeing countless butterflies wasn't an illusion; it was an aura formed by some technique.
Also, that wind that had circled his neck just now, thinking back, it should've been blade wind. If she'd intended it just now, my head would probably already have been cut off…
Humans can be this strong, too?
"She's the powerful demon hunter from the Demon Slayer Corps in Black Fang's memories, right?"
Asaki slowly showed a harmless smile and met Shinobu Kocho's gaze face-to-face.
Asaki saw that the other party had no intention of speaking, only smiling gently while looking at him. That doubled the pressure in Asaki's heart.
He broke the silence first: "Hello, I'm Kamado Asaki, a traveling adventurer. I've just arrived nearby."
Shinobu Kocho's lips curled, revealing a sly smile.
"I'm Shinobu Kocho, a demon hunter."
"A traveling adventurer? Then you must know many different local customs and cultures."
"Actually, I also envy a traveler's life."
"Can you tell me a bit about what you've seen and heard on your travels?"
The man in front of her was definitely not ordinary. The clothes he wore were ragged, full of battle traces, yet there were no wounds on his body.
Just now, when he sped through the water toward the lake's surface, the force he carried was even a bit stronger than a demon's.
And the feeling he gave Shinobu Kocho was very strange; somewhat like a demon, yet very different from a demon.
Demon hunters have a kind of intuition, and most of the time it's right.
So just now, Shinobu Kocho had nearly mistaken him for a demon and killed him.
He wasn't ordinary, so Shinobu Kocho wanted to know his background.
Asaki smiled and said, "What have I seen and heard? That's a lot. I can't finish it even if given three days and nights."
"For example, I went to a country where their princess was incomparably beautiful, beautiful inside as well, yet envied by the queen, and in the end had to flee the palace. But later she received help from seven dwarves, then even found her Prince Charming, and together they drove the queen out."
Shinobu Kocho covered her mouth and chuckled: "That really is a nice happy-ending story."
She didn't believe Asaki at all; the story he made up was full of holes.
Then Asaki added, "No, things hadn't ended yet."
"After they'd been married for a long time, the Prince Charming fell for an even more beautiful girl, and the princess became a vicious queen, jealous of other girls' beauty."
Shinobu Kocho nodded: "Mm… that ending sounds more like the truth. But it's still a story."
Asaki said indifferently, "Treat it as a story and it's a story. Treat it as reality and it's reality."
At this moment, Asaki's vision blurred, and the Shinobu Kocho before him had already vanished.
At the same time, a fragrant wind swept from behind. As Asaki turned his head, Shinobu Kocho was already close to him, almost face to face, looking into Asaki's eyes.
Asaki could feel Shinobu Kocho's breath brushing his face, warm and ticklish.
But he didn't feel any flirtation, only a bone-piercing chill.
The gap in strength was way too big. She'd been right in front of him a moment ago, yet he couldn't see her movements at all…
"Asaki, right? Your ability to tell stories is really lousy."
"Spit it out. Who exactly are you, and what are you doing here?"
"An ordinary person can't have a physique like yours, and in the Demon Slayer Corps, I have no impression of you."
"Tell me your background. You'd better satisfy me this time, or you'll be in danger, yo."
Terrifying. Too terrifying.
Shinobu Kocho's strength had already exceeded Asaki's imagination.
He felt that if he exposed his identity as a demon, the other party might cut him down in a single exchange.
A human girl who looked only in her early twenties—where did such power come from?
Asaki was silent for a while, then spoke casually, "Mm, I was just joking earlier."
"Actually, my family was all killed by demons. After crazily tempering my body, I traveled alone for a long time, following the demons' news to get here."
"I felt a bit tired inside just now, so I went into the water to ease my mind."
"Finding demons for revenge is my true purpose."
These words were half true and half false. Asaki spoke rather casually, but the memory of that night inevitably surfaced again, filling his eyes with sorrow.
Shinobu Kocho froze, then drifted her body back away.
Her earlier questions were because Shinobu Kocho worried Asaki had something to do with demons, for although she couldn't be sure, she always felt Asaki was a bit like a demon.
With a trace of doubt, she couldn't relax her guard.
But, regardless of his background, those sorrow-filled eyes couldn't be faked. Shinobu Kocho trusted her own judgment.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up your sad matters."
Making someone recall their most painful sorrow is like sprinkling salt on a wound, right. At this moment, Shinobu Kocho instead felt a bit guilty.
Asaki waved his hand and said, "It's fine. I've gotten used to it."
Shinobu Kocho gave a soft "mm," then suddenly covered her mouth and laughed lightly.
But she didn't reply. She only swept Asaki's body with a meaningful gaze, then turned around and beckoned for Asaki to follow.
"Come with me. I'll get you a change of clothes, and by the way, find you a place to rest."
"Your clothes are clinging to your body."
"There's a town called Shiqiao Town just ahead. Come on. Haven't you been traveling for a long time and gotten tired?"
"And besides, has no one told you that you look a lot like a beggar right now?"
Asaki looked down. Indeed, he'd gone into the water with his clothes on, and now that he'd come ashore, he was soaked all over, with his clothes stuck to him.
Truly miserable.
But Asaki stood still where he was. Shinobu Kocho turned her head, glanced at him, and asked in puzzlement, "What's wrong?"
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