"Aoi, don't look. You'll get eye damage."
Aoi quickly covered Kanao's eyes with both hands. But while she told the girl not to watch, she herself was staring at the scene with way too much interest. She even started imagining herself in Shinobu's place, pressed against Shuya like that.
Aoi licked her lips. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, and her cheeks were starting to burn. She almost reached up to check how hot her face was, but decided against it and kept her hands right where they were—still "protecting" Kanao.
What she didn't notice was that her fingers had left a perfect little gap. Kanao could see everything perfectly through it.
What is Shinobu-nee doing?
Kanao's small head was full of very big questions as she watched Shuya kiss Shinobu. Is this what Kanae-nee meant when she said we should spend more time with that man named Shuya?
Across the room, the happiest person by far was Kanae. She grabbed Saeko's arm and pointed excitedly at her sister. "Saeko, look! Look! That's my little sister Shinobu!"
"Uh…" Saeko scratched her cheek with one finger, clearly confused. "Is this… something to be proud of?"
Kanae put on a mysterious, knowing smile. "You wouldn't understand."
This was exactly what she had always wanted. Her little sisters finally finding their own happiness. Watching Shinobu's body gradually soften in Shuya's arms, her face turning that pretty shade of red… that was happiness, wasn't it?
Kanae's own cheeks flushed. Thanks to the contract linking them, she could almost feel what Shinobu was feeling right now. She didn't realize it, though. She just kept staring with pure delight. "Little Shinobu is so cute~"
Saeko watched Kanae's focused expression and slowly nodded to herself. Yeah… I think we're going to get along just fine.
Meanwhile, the second-happiest person in the room was definitely Nezuko.
Kanae-nee, Saeko-nee, Shinobu-nee…
And Shuya-nii hadn't gotten mad when she kissed his cheek earlier.
That meant she, Nezuko Kamado, still had a chance!
She clenched her little fists against her chest, confidence flooding back. Then she looked at Shinobu in Shuya's arms with obvious envy.
Shinobu never expected Shuya to kiss her in front of everyone. The second his lips touched hers, her brain completely short-circuited. Her purple eyes went wide, staring at his face only inches away. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her sister Kanae turn around at that exact moment.
Boom!
Something exploded inside her head. Her mind went completely blank. The only thought left was:
My sister saw everything! She saw it! She saw it!
Shinobu tried to push Shuya away, but with her strength—ranked dead last among the Hashira, barely able to cut off a demon's head even with her Nichirin Blade—her struggles felt more like cute little protests. Shuya wasn't letting go. Not when his whole goal was to make her flustered and shy.
Besides, she had kissed him first last night. This was just payback.
Shinobu finally gave up and squeezed her eyes shut like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. But the feeling of his lips on hers kept teasing her nerves. Her whole body went stiff… then she instinctively rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him back.
When Shuya's hands slid down to cup her firm butt, Shinobu trembled from head to toe. Every tiny hair on her body stood up like it had been hit with static. She melted completely, her body going soft and heavy against him, like he had stolen her spine.
She lost all sense of time. Eyes closed, lost in the kiss, she had no idea how long it lasted.
Finally Shuya pulled back.
Shinobu gasped for air, chest heaving, still leaning heavily on him because her legs had turned to jelly.
Shuya leaned in close again and gently kissed her earlobe. Shinobu shivered hard. Only then did he whisper against her ear, voice calm and teasing.
"Shinobu, let me give you one cold hard fact."
"Hm?" She looked up at him, still dizzy, blinking in confusion.
Shuya smiled. "You can actually breathe through your nose while kissing."
He lightly tapped the tip of her nose with his finger.
Shinobu's eyes narrowed. She finally understood he was messing with her. If she had any strength left she would have grabbed her Nichirin Blade and stabbed a hole straight through this bastard.
Kanae, Aoi, and Nezuko all nodded seriously to themselves in the background.
New information acquired.
Kanae bounced over, eyes sparkling. "Shinobu, Shinobu! How did the kiss feel? Was it good?"
"Big sister?!!"
Shinobu's eyes flew wide open. Her whole body started shaking. The purple color in her eyes began to fade. She clutched Shuya's clothes like a lifeline, screaming silently inside her head.
Why?! Why did my sister have to see that?!
And why is she asking me something so embarrassing?!