Hinatsuru lowered her head, and when she saw the five-flavored zither in her hands, she was dumbfounded too.
"This..." Hinatsuru's brain had practically fried. She had been so absorbed in practicing earlier that, in trying to maintain her lie about being good at the zither, she had nearly driven herself mad.
Hinatsuru said somewhat awkwardly, "I was practicing the zither, wasn't I? I forgot to put it back."
"Oh? You have a taste for such refined pursuits too, Hinatsuru?" Makio asked with a smile. "Were you hoping to put on a good performance for Lord Tengen?"
"No," Hinatsuru explained. "It was because of the Dragon Hashira."
"The Dragon Hashira?!" Suma promptly ran over and asked along with Makio, "The Dragon Hashira Lord Tengen mentioned?!"
"Yes."
Hinatsuru then honestly recounted everything that had happened to Makio and Suma.
When they heard that Su Chen had emerged after slaying an Upper Rank, their eyes widened just as Hinatsuru's had earlier. "An U-U-U-U-U-U-U-Upper... Upper Rank?!"
"The Dragon Hashira slew an Upper Rank?!"
"While we're still looking for demons, someone else has already cut down an Upper Rank..."
Hinatsuru nodded. "Yes, an Upper Rank, though I don't know which rank."
Makio and Suma both sucked in two breaths of cold air and said in utter shock, "The Dragon Hashira is actually that terrifyingly powerful!"
Makio couldn't help looking down at her hands and sighing. "I'm already in my twenties, and my body's approaching maturity, but I've never even killed a Lower Rank Demon!"
Suma nodded in agreement. "That's right. Makio has worked so hard all these years, but she still isn't even as strong as an ordinary demon. Comparing yourself to others really is infuriating!"
Smack!
A hand landed on Suma's head with a crisp smack.
Suma burst into loud sobs. "Waaah! Makio's bullying