"We're closing in five minutes, Miss Ninja, are you looking for me for something?"
He stepped forward and sat opposite Butterfly Ninja, looking at the fair-skinned, beautiful young woman in front of him, and Hoshino Sora couldn't help but ask curiously.
She didn't leave after finishing her meal, just sat silently in the restaurant, ordered a few snacks, and stayed until everyone else had left. At this point, there were less than five minutes until closing.
The waitstaff were resting, and the chefs were also resting. If it were a customer, seeing such an atmosphere, they should consciously leave, as tidying up also takes time.
Seeing this, even Hoshino Sora, as foolish as he was, knew that the other party might have something to discuss with him, so he proactively stepped forward to inquire.
While asking, his brain was working at high speed, pondering the purpose of her actions.
Soon, Hoshino Sora had an answer in his heart. If the other party was really looking for him, then there could only be one purpose.
Power.
They had set their sights on the power he bestowed upon Kanroji Mitsuri, but Kanroji Mitsuri, either to keep his secret or out of shyness, hadn't told them the full story of the matter.
The Demon Slayer Corps couldn't get useful information from Kanroji Mitsuri, so they sent Butterfly Ninja to gather intelligence, wanting to see if she could obtain the power he bestowed.
Tsk, he was suddenly curious what kind of expression Butterfly Ninja would make when she learned the truth! It must be very interesting!
Unfortunately, this power couldn't be easily bestowed upon others; otherwise, if they paid a price, Hoshino Sora would be very willing to share the Gourmet Cell with them.
"I just wanted to eat, and I accidentally stayed a bit long. Is the manager annoyed with me?"
Noticing Hoshino Sora's slightly upturned lips, Butterfly Ninja took a sip of the beer on the table, then revealed a faint smile. She wasn't going to reveal her purpose so quickly.
"No, not at all, I welcome Miss Ninja very much. I was just worried that you had something on your mind and were holding it in. Since there's nothing, then Miss Ninja, please enjoy your meal and drinks. I'll go back to the kitchen to clean up first."
Hearing Butterfly Ninja's words, Hoshino Sora was stunned for a moment, then gave an embarrassed smile. He was a bit too eager. Since the other party didn't want to talk for now, he would just wait.
Or perhaps, she really just happened to be on a mission nearby, saw that he was still open, and came over to buy some food. But if that were the case, then he was indeed being a bit presumptuous.
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora inexplicably felt a surge of embarrassment, then turned and quickly returned to the kitchen. Soon, the "Closed" sign was hung up, and Butterfly Ninja also left the restaurant.
The next day, the same scene appeared again. Butterfly Ninja once again stayed in the restaurant until the last moment, but this time, Hoshino Sora didn't go forward, only stood in the distance with a thoughtful expression.
The third day, the fourth day...
Butterfly Ninja stayed for seven consecutive days. Every time she came, she would eat that jar of pickled ginger. After filling her stomach, she would order a few glasses of beer and some of the shop's special snacks to go with it, staying until the very last moment before leaving.
Because she did this for such a long time, Hoshino Sora initially found it a bit novel, but soon he got used to it. Every evening, near closing time, he would chat with Butterfly Ninja, treating it as entertainment.
Maintaining the relationship between old customers and the shop was also very important.
"Starting tomorrow, this place will be closed for a while. I'm not sure when it will reopen. If you have anything you want to ask, say it now. If not, I'm closing up."
Looking at Butterfly Ninja's delicate face, Hoshino Sora asked one last time. He honestly had a good impression of this rather heroic young woman, so he didn't want her to die easily.
In the original story, due to a lack of strength, the other party ingested 70 times the lethal dose of Wisteria poison, and then used Doma's personal flaw to make him consume her.
Finally, the Wisteria poison was released within Doma's body, and his body dissolved and collapsed due to the Wisteria poison, eventually being completely annihilated.
This was a fighting style born from a lack of strength; Butterfly Ninja, as the Insect Hashira, was the weakest among the Hashira, and thus had no way to confront a powerful Upper Rank head-on, so she could only choose to poison herself.
However, Hoshino Sora had a way to grant her strength; it just depended on whether she was willing to accept such power. Regardless of her choice, he would respect it.
"You still can't hide anything from me. You must have seen through it long ago."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Butterfly Ninja smiled and nodded. Then, with a serious expression, she looked at the man in front of her. After understanding him for some time, she had learned many of his secrets.
Hoshino Sora was not from their world. This Dimensional Restaurant connected beings from different worlds, and no one could act violently within this restaurant, or they would face forceful suppression.
She remembered very clearly that someone in the shop had gotten drunk and acted aggressively, but as soon as he started to act bravely and confrontational, Hoshino Sora slapped him to the ground, rendering him unable to move for a long time.
If it were an ordinary person, she wouldn't think much of it, but the key was that the person was a burly general, clearly not a weak character.
Facing such an existence, Hoshino Sora could subdue him with one hand, which showed how terrifying his strength was.
"I saw through it long ago, and even guessed what you were going to ask. But if you don't say it, it makes me seem a bit presumptuous for speaking first. Don't do this next time."
Shrugging his shoulders, Hoshino Sora said, quite speechless. When she came the second day, he thought she just wanted to stay there, but she came for seven consecutive days. Even a fool would know she definitely had something on her mind.
The Demon Slayer Corps wasn't that leisurely.
"I want to gain strength."
"Is it to avenge your sister?"
It was an expected conversation. Hoshino Sora asked back.
"That's right! I want to avenge my sister! I want to personally sever that guy's head! For that, I need strength, powerful strength, strength enough to personally slay an Upper Rank!"
Looking into Butterfly Ninja's eyes, the two had talked a lot these past few days, including many things about Butterfly Ninja's sister. The other party seemed to be deliberately telling him, wanting to make him feel sympathy.
Hoshino Sora didn't expose Butterfly Ninja's little trick, but listened attentively to all the stories she told. After several conversations, he knew everything about Butterfly Ninja.
However, to gain sympathy and obtain strength, the other party had been conveying one point to Hoshino Sora during this time.
Conveying that she desperately needed strength for revenge, conveying that she wanted to kill all demons in the world, conveying her determination to kill Doma!
If it were an ordinary person, upon hearing Butterfly Ninja's passionate narration, they would have already fallen for it and willingly handed over the power. Hoshino Sora was the same, but he couldn't just hand it over directly!
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