"Northeast direction! There are demons in the northeastern forest, please proceed as soon as possible!"
Shinobu quickly set out, heading towards the northeastern forest. She arrived shortly and began searching for the demon's aura, her nimble purple eyes observing her surroundings until she saw a piece of clothing scattered on the ground.
A vein throbbed on Shinobu's smooth forehead. She tightened her grip on her nichirin blade. "Yōsen-san, why are you still here! How many times have I come for nothing!" Shinobu was starting to lose her patience.
"No! I must find him! Yōsen-san is such an idiot!"
After a week of continuously missing him, Shinobu decided that when she finally saw Yōsen, she would definitely give him a flick on the forehead!
Half a month passed like this. Even though Shinobu hadn't fought any demons recently, she was exhausted from constantly traveling and then returning to the Butterfly Mansion to research Yōsen's blood. This non-stop grind meant Shinobu wasn't getting enough sleep.
During meetings at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, she could only force herself to stay alert. While waiting for the Master, she would close her eyes for a brief rest.
A white-haired man with a fierce face and a large scar next to her looked at her, then hesitated before asking,
"Kochou, what's wrong with you?"
"Shinazugawa-san, shut up."
"..."
It wasn't until the Master arrived that Shinobu opened her eyes, knelt on one knee, and greeted the Master along with the other Pillars.
"Greetings, Master!"
...Daytime
"Aya, please come back and tell me as quickly as possible once you get the information, okay?"
"Caw~ Understood, Lady Shinobu!"
Night
"In Sakiyama, to the west, a demon has appeared! Five Demon Slayers are fighting it!"
Finally, a demon! Although she didn't know if Yōsen was in that vicinity, Shinobu still reached the destination as quickly as possible. What met her eyes were five unconscious Demon Slayers lying on the ground, and...
Yōsen, kneeling on one knee, one hand on the hilt of his nichirin blade, his head slumped, having passed out.
Shinobu was surprised for a moment but quickly regained her composure. Yōsen was a demon; as long as his head wasn't cut off, he would be fine. The injured personnel on the ground were more urgent. She sent Aya to notify the Kakushi. After examining them, she found that their injuries were mostly not serious.
She looked at Yōsen with complex emotions and walked over to him, supporting his head. There was still blood on his face, and his breathing was a little ragged.
"Is that so, you protected them, huh?"
She gently placed Yōsen on her lap, watching his furrowed brows and hearing his uneasy murmurs. For the first time, Shinobu saw Yōsen display such a vulnerable expression. Unconsciously, Shinobu reached out her fair, delicate fingers to smooth Yōsen's furrowed brow, while her other hand was already resting on his head.
Her unique, melodious voice gently comforted him.
"It's okay..."
"It's okay..."
"Yōsen-san did very well~"
After an unknown amount of time, Yōsen slowly woke up. He opened his eyes and met Shinobu's gaze. His blue eyes were still misty, making them even clearer and brighter. Yōsen was first bewildered, then belatedly moved away from Shinobu's leg.
"You... why are you here?"
Shinobu extended her finger and lightly tapped Yōsen's forehead. She had originally intended to give him a flick, but seeing how hard he had worked, she decided against it. Still, she had a bit of mischievousness, so Shinobu said with a complaining tone,
"Isn't it because Yōsen-san finished all my work? I finally had one, but I still didn't make it~"
"Yōsen-san made me run for nothing several times, you know~"
As expected, Yōsen opened his mouth, somewhat at a loss. He had originally wanted to repay Shinobu but hadn't expected to cause her trouble. Yōsen lowered his head slightly, like a child who had made a mistake, and apologized to Shinobu,
"Sorry, I didn't... mean to cause you... trouble, I just wanted to... help you."
Yōsen-san is really earnest.
Shinobu felt a bit embarrassed. "Alright, I won't tease him anymore."
"Thank you for your kindness, Yōsen-san~"
"But Yōsen-san, I am one of the Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps! Slaying demons is my duty, a mission that must be completed, no matter how hard or tiring it is!"
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm very happy that Yōsen-san can help me~" Shinobu stood up, brushed off the dirt on her clothes, and extended her hand to Yōsen. Yōsen instinctively reached out, but then noticed his hand was covered in blood and quickly pulled it back. However, Shinobu's hand firmly grasped his, and Yōsen couldn't pull away.
"My... hands are dirty."
"It's alright~"
After pulling Yōsen up, she now, under the moonlight, carefully examined his current state. His clothes were torn in several places, and his golden hair looked a bit disheveled, giving him a travel-worn appearance.
"Yōsen-san, your clothes are torn. I'll get you a new set."
Shinobu pulled out a brand new set of light blue clothes from somewhere and handed them to Yōsen. Yōsen stared blankly without reaching out; the blood on his hands would stain the clothes. Shinobu noticed this and, calculating the time, realized it would still be a while before the Kakushi arrived.
"Oh, right, I remember there's a river nearby. Yōsen-san, why don't you go wash up there~"
Shinobu led Yōsen elsewhere. Yōsen obediently followed behind her. Soon, the sound of flowing water could be heard; it was a clear small river.
"Yōsen-san, please feel free~"
"Okay." Yōsen didn't hesitate and began to undress right in front of Shinobu. It wasn't until Yōsen had completely bared his upper body that Shinobu reacted. She quickly turned her back, her voice a little unnatural as she said,
"Yōsen-san! How can you take off your clothes directly in front of a girl!" Shinobu didn't know why, but while there were many male members in the Demon Slayer Corps, and sometimes more skin might be exposed when they were injured, she felt a bit embarrassed when it came to Yōsen.
Yōsen asked, puzzled, "Wh... why?"
"Men and women should not touch each other intimately. Anyway, boys and girls shouldn't be too close unless they are lovers. No! They must be husband and wife!"
"Und... understood." Yōsen nodded, seeming to understand but not quite, and quietly moved a little further away from Shinobu. "I'll go... wash up."
Hearing Yōsen's footsteps receding, Shinobu dared to turn back. Inadvertently, she saw the crisscrossing scars on Yōsen's back and frowned. "Yōsen-san is a demon, so why does he still have so many unhealed scars?" Recalling when Yōsen had undressed in front of her earlier, she had accidentally glimpsed many similar scars on his chest. It looked like several of them had been fatal wounds!
"Yōsen-san... what exactly happened to you, and what was your past like?"
"It truly makes one curious."