The midday sun, like Taishang Laojun's alchemy furnace, hangs in the azure sky.
The scorching sun relentlessly baked the dry loess road.
The air was distorted and deformed by the heat, creating visible heat waves.
"Huff... huff... it's so hot..."
Shinobu Kocho stretched out her delicate, fair hand and gently fanned it beside her exquisite, doll-like face, which was flushed alluringly by the sun.
Below her slender waist, the very short pleated skirt was gently lifted by the breeze, revealing a pair of shapely legs taking delicate steps.
In this desolate wilderness, it has become a deadly sight that could instantly make any normal man's blood rush to his head.
"Ugh, it's so hot! This weather is unbearable!"
Shinobu deliberately dragged out that soft, drawn-out ending sound.
She pouted her rosy cherry lips slightly, and her purple eyes turned and landed precisely on Giyu Tomioka's broad back.
"Hmph! That sly sister of mine!! We agreed on fair competition, but she took advantage of me and slept with Mr. Giyu!"
"Her smug, self-satisfied look infuriated me!"
"If I don't seize the opportunity to take the initiative and close the gap, where will I have a place in this 'home' in the future?!"
Shinobu secretly bit her crystal-clear lower lip, and a plan filled with the aroma of tea instantly popped into her mind.
"Ouch--!"
Sudden,
Walking on the flat dirt road without a single large rock, Shinobu let out a delicate, hesitant gasp.
She stumbled, her whole body drooping like a purple butterfly wilted by the sun. Her legs gave way, and with a pitiful whimper, she collapsed onto the dusty ground.
"Smack!"
Giyu Tomioka paused slightly, then casually reached behind him with his left hand.
He grabbed Shinobu's soft wrist, pulling her up and preventing her from coming into close contact with the yellow earth.
"What's wrong?"
Giyu turned his head.
His deep blue eyes remained unchanged, displaying the same serene composure.
But beneath that calm, a closer look reveals a hidden concern and indulgence in his gaze toward Shinobu.
He was, after all, a young man with emotions and desires.
His feelings for this always smiling, occasionally cunning confidante had long since tipped to the Pacific Ocean.
"Waaah... Mr. Giyu, I think I twisted my ankle..."
Shinobu leaned against Giyu's strong forearm.
She bit her lower lip, looking pitiful and endearing, and said:
"And this sun is so scorching! I think I'm getting heatstroke. I'm dizzy and my chest feels really tight... In my current state, I'm afraid I'll seriously slow down the team's progress. Mr. Giyu, what do you suggest we do?"
While speaking,
Her full, proud breasts brushed against Giyu's forearm almost imperceptibly.
A faint, sweet fragrance, like an all-pervasive poison, rushed straight to Giyu's brain through his respiratory tract.
"You scheming woman who only knows how to use poison! Stop pretending to be innocent!"
Before Giyu Tomioka could even speak, Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira who had been neglected all morning by the natural intimacy between the two, exploded on the spot!
"Boom!"
Those heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one green, glared intently at Shinobu, who was clinging to Giyu's arm, practically fuming with rage.
"You were walking so briskly just now! Your stride was incredibly steady! You could even jump over a puddle! And now you've suddenly twisted your ankle on flat ground?! Do you think I'm blind?!"
"You're such a nuisance, a troublesome burden! I knew bringing you along was a huge mistake!"
"Since you can't walk anymore, you might as well die by the roadside and be eaten by wild dogs!"
"Tomioka, ignore this hypocritical, shameless woman! Let's hurry on our way! Don't forget we're here to slay demons, not to play house with her!"
However, this was met with Obanai's relentless sabotage.
Instead of feeling ashamed of being exposed, Shinobu arrogantly turned her head away from Giyu, stuck out her pink tongue at Obanai, and made an extremely annoying face!
"Hehe~ With such a bad temper, no wonder you're still a single dog that no girl likes~"
Then, she buried her face in Giyu's direction again, her voice becoming even weaker than before, even carrying a hint of sobbing; it was enough to make anyone who heard it and saw it weep.
"Waaaaah... Mr. Iguro is so mean! Is he planning to leave a helpless woman like me alone in the middle of nowhere?"
"Mr. Giyu, my sister repeatedly told me before she left that she was entrusting my safety to you. You wouldn't just stand by and watch me die, would you?"
Giyu Tomioka lowered his head slightly, his deep blue eyes glancing at Shinobu's still playfully dangling ankle.
There wasn't even the slightest sign of redness or swelling.
He was certainly not stupid; he saw right through Shinobu's clumsy but endearing acting.
"Her physical condition is indeed not suitable for long-distance trekking in such extreme heat. If she really suffers heatstroke and faints, Kanae will be heartbroken..."
"That guy, Iguro, he talks so rudely. How could he just leave her on the side of the road?"
"Since she wants to rest, let's go along with it."
Giyu Tomioka released Shinobu's wrist.
"Come up."
Giyu's voice was as calm as still water, without any ripples.
"I'll carry you on my back; that way we can save the most time on our journey."
"Hehe! Mr. Giyu is the best~!"
Shinobu was overjoyed. Countless pink hearts materialized above her head, and she could even hear "BGM: Victory Song" playing on repeat in her mind.
Without hesitation, she lunged forward, like a playful and clingy octopus, and landed steadily on Giyu's back!
Two slender, fair arms wrapped around Giyu's neck.
"Hmm..."
The moment Shinobu lay down on him, Giyu Tomioka froze for a second.
It's too soft.
This is completely unscientific!
Even through two layers of fabric, the breathtakingly fullness of those two mounds pressed against his back without reservation!
This sensation, for a grown man who has just begun to experience the pleasures of sex, is nothing short of deadly poison!
It was even more dangerous than the impact Kanae had on him!
After all, Kanae is a mature and voluptuous face-off, while Shinobu's petite frame and huge bust create an extreme contrast that amplifies the tactile impact many times over!
Giyu's Adam's apple bobbed, and a suspicious blush crept up his ears at a visible speed.
"No! Calm down! Giyu Tomioka!"
"A clear mind remains unperturbed even when the sky falls... Regulate blood flow and reduce the sensitivity of nerve endings in the back!"
"Ren is just my younger sister; she's only relying on me. We absolutely mustn't overthink it!"
The straight man, Giyu, hypnotized himself in his mind, forcibly putting himself into the sage mode of a meditating monk, and strode forward with great strides, as steady as Mount Tai.
As Shinobu, perched on his back, watched Giyu's ears turn bright red, a smug, fox-like smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"Oh my, Mr. Giyu can be shy too? How adorable!"
Shinobu decides to press her advantage!
She deliberately rested her chin on Giyu's shoulder, her warm breath, accompanied by the fragrance of Wisteria, directly brushing against Giyu's sensitive earlobe.
She spoke in a soft, almost muttering voice, just loud enough for Obanai beside her to hear clearly:
"Wow... Mr. Giyu's back is so broad, so sturdy, it makes me feel so safe!"
"Lying on it, even my heartbeat feels so reassuring."
"No wonder you were so enamored with my sister's embrace, even to the point that you couldn't get out of bed! So this is what it feels like to be pampered like this by Mr. Giyu!"
"Boom!!"
This statement is so rich in information and so devastating that it's like dropping an atomic bomb on a dirt road!
"Tomioka Giyu!"
Obanai, walking beside me, was completely devastated!
His bandaged face was contorted into the likeness of the world-famous painting "The Scream".
"You beast! What did you do to Kanae Kocho?! You hypocrite!"
"It's broad daylight, and you're here flirting with your sister behind her back! You have no shame!"
"What do you take this sacred mission of slaying demons for?!"
"What do you take the Demon Slayer Corps' discipline for?!"
"I'm going to report you to the Master for your depraved and immoral lifestyle!"
Faced with Obanai's near-collapse and frantic roar.
Giyu chose "read but don't reply".
He took a deep breath, and instead of slowing down, he quickened his pace by three points.
He transformed into a deep blue afterimage, like a gust of wind, leaving the furious Obanai far behind.
"I'm so angry! So angry! Why did I have to go on a mission with that scumbag couple! I hate this world!"
Obanai punched an innocent little tree by the roadside, breaking it in two, and was furious.
The white snake- Kaburamaru around his neck rolled its eyes helplessly and silently shrank back into its collar, as if to say, "You'll get used to it, you'll get used to it. Even too much dog food will make you feel stuffed."