Seeing the woman on top of the man in the position, a posture full of ambiguity and tension, Kanae Kocho not only showed no intention of stopping them, but instead, quite unkindly, elegantly covered the corners of her mouth with her sleeve embroidered with butterfly patterns.
Her slightly trembling shoulders ruthlessly betrayed the fact that she was desperately trying to suppress her laughter.
"Go for it, Shinobu!"
With an encouraging look that seemed to say, "I believe in you, sister," she looked at her younger sister, who was now completely trapped, and softly added fuel to the fire, saying:
"However, you can't bully Mr. Giyu like that again next time."
"He'll be... very troubled."
Although that's what she said, there wasn't a hint of blame in her tone; it was purely out of pure enjoyment, like watching a good show.
Hearing her sister's words, Shinobu Kocho felt like she was about to cry. o(╥╥)o
She's truly in a bind now.
The man beneath her was as stiff as a stone, and his usually calm, icy blue eyes were now staring straight at her with an expression she couldn't decipher at all.
His chest was firm and hot; even through several layers of thin clothing, she could clearly feel his heart pounding wildly.
His breath was hot and rapid; each exhale felt like a spark, spraying onto her cheeks, making her dizzy and weak all over.
She wanted to get off him immediately and escape this embarrassing situation that made her so ashamed she wanted to die on the spot.
But once she gets up, this clueless blockhead will definitely tell her sister everything that happened in the room!
The thought of that scene filled Shinobu Kocho with despair.
Tonic!!
Absolutely a tonic!!
She would rather die than let her sister know about her perverted act of secretly smelling Mr. Giyu's clothes!
So she could only grit her teeth and continue in this shameful position, using all her strength to tightly cover the man's mouth beneath her, while sending him a signal with eyes full of threat and pleading.
Giyu Tomioka indeed remained silent.
He was completely bewildered by the series of unexpected events that were beyond his comprehension.
His brain was working frantically, under immense strain.
[Event 1: Kanae kissed me.]
[Event 2: Shinobu is smelling my clothes.]
[Event 3: Shinobu tackled me to the ground.]
[In conclusion:...?]
His supposedly Heaven-Defying Comprehension proved utterly inadequate and powerless when dealing with complex interpersonal relationships, especially those involving women's emotions.
In the end, it was the kind-hearted Kanae who couldn't bear to watch any longer.
She feared that if things continued like this, her shy younger sister would actually evaporate on the spot from excessive shame and indignation.
"Okay, okay."
She stood up, walked to the two of them, bent down, and gently patted Shinobu Kocho's back in a tone that was both helpless and indulgent.
"Get up quickly, the food is getting cold."
"Mr. Giyu is really something, how could he let a girl keep pressing down on him like that?"
Her words were like a pardon.
Shinobu Kocho as if she had been granted a pardon. She scrambled to her feet as if Giyu Tomioka had been electrocuted, and then ran out of the restaurant without looking back. Her retreating figure looked like she was fleeing in a panic.
With Kanae's smiling help, Giyu Tomioka slowly sat up from the ground.
He rubbed the back of his head, still a little dazed from the impact, watched the purple figure disappear through the doorway in an instant, then looked at the culprit in front of him, who was grinning with crescent-shaped eyes. He opened his mouth, but ultimately chose to remain silent.
Never mind.
Girls' minds are too complicated.
If you can't understand something, don't dwell on it.
Or... salmon and carrot is simpler.
This dinner, filled with chaos, unexpected events, and various surprises, ultimately ended in a strange harmony.
Shinobu Kocho never returned.
Giyu Tomioka silently finished all the remaining food on the table, including the almost untouched rice belonging to the Kocho Sisters.
Kanae knelt opposite him, resting her chin on her hand, gazing at him quietly with a tender, almost overflowing gaze.
That gaze was focused, intense, and undisguised.
It was as if they wanted to etch his image deep into their souls.
Being gazed upon by such a loving gaze, even someone as thick-skinned as Giyu Tomioka felt a rare sense of unease.
He unconsciously quickened his eating pace.
"I'm stuffed."
After putting the last grain of rice into his mouth, he put down his chopsticks and said in an almost reporting tone.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work."
Kanae smiled, stood up, and began to clear the table of dishes with remarkable ease.
"Um... I'll do it."
Giyu Tomioka quickly stood up, wanting to help.
"No need."
Kanae gently pressed his hand down, stopping him from moving.
"Mr. Giyu has just finished such a tough training session; now it's time for him to rest."
Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable tenderness.
"Leave this to me."
"After all..."
She turned to him, revealing a radiant smile as bright as a hundred flowers in full bloom.
"Taking care of one's husband is a wife's duty, isn't it?"
"Boom--!"
"Wife... wife?!"
Giyu Tomioka's brain, which had just barely cooled down, crashed once again.
The person who successfully dropped this bombshell was in a good mood, humming a tune as he carried his bowl and chopsticks into the kitchen.
Only Giyu Tomioka remained, frozen in place like a stone statue, repeatedly chewing on those words that made him question the meaning of life.
When Kanae finished washing the dishes, dried her hands, and came out of the kitchen, Giyu Tomioka finally struggled out of his chaotic thoughts.
He raised his head, looked at her, and said with utmost solemnity:
"I'm planning a trip to the Swordsmith Village."
He remembered that he had made a promise to them.
We must forge the most suitable Nichirin Blade for them.
"OK."
Kanae nodded without hesitation, her face still bearing that gentle smile.
"Shinobu and I will follow your arrangements."
She walked to his side, and with her soft hands, very naturally, adjusted the red and white haori he was wearing.
"So, when do we set off?"
Giyu Tomioka gazed at her gentle profile so close to his, his heart, once again, involuntarily skipped a beat.
He took a deep breath, forcing down the panicking emotions surging within him, and said in as calm a tone as possible:
"Now."
A moment later.
The entrance to the Water Hashira Mansion.
Three figures, fully equipped and ready to go.
Giyu Tomioka still had that aloof demeanor, but in his usually calm and undisturbed ice-blue eyes, there was a hint of expectation, a light that even he himself hadn't noticed.
Kanae Kocho stood quietly beside him, her gentle eyes never leaving him from beginning to end.
After a fierce internal struggle, Shinobu Kocho finally, somewhat awkwardly, walked out of the room.
She changed into a more practical team uniform. Although her face still had a slightly embarrassed blush, her bright purple eyes had rekindled a burning flame of desire for drug production and revenge.
She walked up to the two of them, first glaring fiercely at Giyu Tomioka, and then, as if asserting her dominance, deliberately squeezed between him and her sister.
"Snort!"
The girl uttered a single, arrogant syllable that was unclear in meaning.
Seeing her adorable, contradictory expression, Kanae smiled helplessly.
Giyu Tomioka, on the other hand, silently glanced at the two sisters.
He suddenly felt...
That seems pretty good too.
"They're gone."
Without saying anything more, he took the lead and walked towards the road in the distance, which was dyed golden by the setting sun.
Two equally beautiful young women, one on his left and one on his right, followed closely behind him.
The three shadows, stretched long and long in the afterglow of the setting sun, eventually overlapped and became indistinguishable.