"Where was he? I wanted to see him." Han Zhiqi repeated himself.
The Butterfly Mansion trio did not take his words seriously at all and laughed so hard they doubled over.
Aoi Kanzaki, standing nearby, could not stand it anymore.
Though she did not like this strange fellow either, everyone in his village had died. He had sat there without food or water for three days straight, so he must have suffered tremendous pain inside.
For him to suddenly say he wanted to see the Stone Hashira, he probably wanted to ask the strongest person to stand up for him. There was nothing wrong with that. They really should not have laughed at him like this; it was no different from rubbing salt into his wounds.
"All right, you three, that's enough. You've all lost family too, so you should be more understanding. It was wrong of you to laugh at him like that. Stop laughing and eat your food."
After Aoi Kanzaki's scolding, the three immediately realized they had gone too far. They quickly straightened up, lowered their heads, and resumed eating.
Aoi Kanzaki set down her chopsticks, turned around, and asked Han Zhiqi, "They're right. Master Himejima isn't someone you can see whenever you want. Why do you want to see Master Himejima? Do you want to ask him to help save your sister?"
"No. I wanted him as my master! I'll save my sister myself."
Become his disciple? So he was not asking someone to save his sister. This boy really did think differently from ordinary people.
Meeting Han Zhiqi's determined gaze, Aoi Kanzaki found herself at a loss for words.
"I... I see."
"That woman told me my sister was taken by demons. I couldn't save her alone. This was the closest place to my sister."
The Demon Slayer Corps was the place closest to demons. That was not wrong.
That woman? Who was that woman?
"Who told you all this?"
Xiao Qing, who was eating, tugged on Aoi Kanzaki's sleeve. Aoi Kanzaki turned around.
Xiao Qing leaned closer and whispered, "Sister Xiao Kui, it was Miss Shinobu. When this guy first woke up, he kept shouting that he wanted to save his sister. Miss Shinobu said those things and finally talked him into stopping."
Aoi Kanzaki nodded in sudden realization.
"Master Himejima is of high status and isn't easy to meet normally. Besides, he already has a disciple. How about this? Eat first. After dinner, I'll take you to see the captain and see what she says."
Han Zhiqi did not answer. He turned and returned to the steps, continuing to stare blankly into space.
Aoi Kanzaki had wanted to serve him a bowl of food, but seeing him like that, she thought better of it.
He was young, yet had such a strange temperament. His mind was completely elsewhere, not on eating. Even if she served him food, he probably would not appreciate it. Besides, judging from his tone earlier, missing one meal did not seem to matter much to him.
After dinner, Aoi Kanzaki bid farewell to the Butterfly Mansion trio and brought Han Zhiqi to the medical room in the rear courtyard.
Shinobu Kocho sat upright at the experiment table, examining plant slices through a microscope. Hearing the knock at the door, she casually said, "Come in."
Only after the two entered did she reluctantly raise her head. Seeing Han Zhiqi, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Aoi, Han Zhiqi, why are you here? Have a seat."
Han Zhiqi? That was his name?
Aoi Kanzaki turned to look at the boy beside her. This was the first time she had heard his name, and she thought it sounded quite strange.
"I was supposed to remove your bandages today, but I was so busy during the day that I forgot. It works out perfectly that you're here now."
Shinobu Kocho pulled over a chair and sat before Han Zhiqi. As she unwound his bandages, she asked Aoi beside her, "Aoi, did you bring Han Zhiqi here specifically to have his bandages removed? I didn't expect you to care about him so much."
Hearing this, Aoi Kanzaki knew the captain had misunderstood. Her face could not help turning red. She glanced at Han Zhiqi and said irritably, "Captain, what are you talking about? Who would care about him? He's weird and has a terrible temper. He's the one who insisted on becoming Master Himejima's disciple, so I had no choice but to bring him to see you."
"Mr. Himejima?" This piqued Shinobu Kocho's interest. "You know Mr. Himejima?"
"No. Those three women said he was the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps. I wanted the strongest person as my master, so I could become the strongest, then kill that man and save my sister."
Han Zhiqi's serious expression made Shinobu Kocho laugh.
"You really are a special child. But you aren't a member of our Demon Slayer Corps, so Mr. Himejima probably won't take you as his disciple. And I don't know whether Xiao Cheng and the others told you, but Mr. Himejima already has a disciple."
Han Zhiqi refused to give up. "That's fine. If I'm not in the Demon Slayer Corps, I can join the Demon Slayer Corps. You only need to take me to see him."
"Uh..." Shinobu Kocho did not know what to say for a moment. It seemed as though some god had guided this all along.
That morning at Ubuyashiki Estate, Master had suggested that she adopt him. She had suggested Mr. Sanemi instead, yet now he had actively expressed a desire to become Mr. Himejima's disciple. It seemed that no matter what, she should take him to see Mr. Himejima.
Shinobu Kocho was just about to speak when she saw Aoi Kanzaki beside her with a murderous look on her face. Aoi suddenly raised her hand and fiercely slapped the back of Han Zhiqi's head.
Caught off guard, Han Zhiqi lurched straight into Shinobu Kocho's arms.
Shinobu Kocho steadied Han Zhiqi with both hands and looked at Aoi Kanzaki in confusion.
"Aoi, why did you hit him?"
After remaining there for a moment, Han Zhiqi hurriedly broke free from Shinobu Kocho's embrace. Looking deeply embarrassed, he turned and glared at Aoi Kanzaki, snapping, "You crazy woman, is there something wrong with your head? Why did you hit someone for no reason?"
"For no reason? Hmph, you're exactly who I was hitting."
With her hands on her hips, Aoi Kanzaki glared down at Han Zhiqi furiously. "You rude brat, do you know who is sitting in front of you? She is one of the Nine Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Insect Hashira, Master Shinobu Kocho. Any Demon Slayer Corps member who sees her must call her Miss Butterfly or Miss Shinobu. But you, a patient who doesn't even count as a Corps member, dared to address her as 'you.' Who gave you the nerve? Hmm~"
Han Zhiqi felt especially wronged as well. Though he did not know what a "Hashira" represented, the respectful tones of these women when they spoke of the Stone Hashira and Insect Hashira made it seem that a Hashira was a symbol of high status, something like a leader.
"You never told me who she was. How was I supposed to know she was some Hashira? Besides, I don't even know what a Hashira is. What right did you have to accuse me like that?"
"It didn't matter whether you knew or not. It was still not allowed." Aoi Kanzaki had been angered out of her mind and had completely lost her reason.
Shinobu Kocho was both mentor and friend to her. She would not allow anyone to disrespect her. No matter what reason someone had, as long as they showed Shinobu Kocho disrespect, the answer was two words: "Not allowed."
Unable to win the argument, Han Zhiqi could only uphold the fine tradition of a good man not fighting with a woman. "You're completely unreasonable."
Having understood the cause of their quarrel, Shinobu Kocho found it rather amusing and covered her mouth as she chuckled.
But Aoi Kanzaki would not let it go. "What did you say? Say that again and see what happens. Do you believe I'll beat you up?" She glared with her round eyes, raising her fist in a fighting stance.
"Since you clearly can't stand each other, why not have a fight?"
Before you continue