Shinobu Kocho gently tucked the blanket around Nezuko, then sat on her knees in the shadows and watched her for a long while before leaving with a soft sigh.
Tanjiro and Takeo were helping prepare dinner. When Shinobu Kocho came out, both looked at her expectantly.
"Miss Shinobu?" Tanjiro began hesitantly. "Nezuko..."
Shinobu Kocho seemed lost in thought. Only when she heard him call did she look up. "Oh..."
She collected herself and answered, "Nezuko's vital signs are normal. Her temperature, heartbeat, and everything else are within the normal range. From the outside, she really does appear to be sleeping. My guess is... she's using sleep to replenish her energy instead of eating people. Her body is healthy... you don't need to worry that she'll suddenly die one day."
Shinobu Kocho's words made Tanjiro let out a long sigh of relief.
Doctors had visited the Wisteria House before, but their answers were usually vague, leaving Tanjiro more anxious with every visit.
Shinobu Kocho's words were like a shot of reassurance. At the very least, they took a great weight off his mind.
Tanjiro rubbed his damp eyes, then patted Takeo's head. "Did you hear that, Takeo? Nezuko's going to be all right."
As the brothers went back to work hand in hand, Haruto reached for Shinobu's tightly clenched fist.
He tucked the loose hair the wind had blown across her face behind her fair, delicate ear and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Do demons who don't eat people... really exist?" Shinobu stared blankly into the night. "Even Tamayo and Yushiro in Asakusa need human blood to survive...
"But a demon who hasn't touched a drop of blood, who's survived for over a year on sleep alone... I've never seen one before.
"Maybe the world of harmony my sister dreams