"S-Su Chen."
At the sight of the newcomer, Shinobu Kocho looked a little awkward.
Su Chen walked up to her.
Standing over a hundred and seventy centimeters tall, he immediately made an adorably contrasting pair with Shinobu Kocho.
Su Chen smiled faintly. "Shinobu, thank you for looking after me that day."
"It's all right." Shinobu Kocho did not dare look Su Chen in the eye.
As she answered, she walked toward the basement.
She was very obviously keeping her distance.
Seeing this, Su Chen understood.
Shinobu Kocho was avoiding him.
But Su Chen had come to solve the problem. How could he let this little butterfly escape right in front of him?
And so.
Su Chen moved along with Shinobu Kocho.
The distance between them quickly closed.
But just then, something unexpected happened.
Su Chen's foot slipped.
He accidentally stepped on Shinobu Kocho's smooth foot!
Their fair, delicate feet overlapped.
Warm, smooth sensations mingled continuously!
A tingling sensation spread from the girl's toes throughout her body.
Shinobu Kocho flushed slightly.
Then she reflexively pulled her foot back.
But as luck would have it.
In her haste, her other delicate foot lost its footing and slipped.
To keep herself from making a fool of herself.
After a few little hops.
The girl's other foot stepped on Su Chen's foot.
Shinobu Kocho: "..."
Red.
Shinobu Kocho's face turned red again.
The blush suffused her face until it resembled a red apple.
She wished she could find a hole to crawl into!
Su Chen looked at her, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He had never seen Shinobu Kocho so embarrassed.
He even suspected that if this stepping continued, Shinobu Kocho would blush her Demon Slayer Mark into existence!
"All right, all right. Be more careful when you walk next time."
After Su Chen helped Shinobu Kocho steady herself.
He asked gently, "Have you been too tired lately?"
Shinobu Kocho's heart fluttered slightly, and she could not help regretting it.
I shouldn't have spoken to Su Chen.
Every time I speak, I embarrass myself.
Every time I speak, I embarrass myself.
No wonder Mr. Rengoku kept saying yesterday that training with Su Chen made him want to find a hole to crawl into.
Shinobu Kocho felt she needed one now, too.
She paused and took a deep breath.
Even the smile on her face faded. "I'm fine."
With that.
Shinobu Kocho's beautiful eyes shifted, and an idea immediately stirred in her mind.
Since she could not outtalk Su Chen, she would talk about something else.
So she changed the subject. "Oh, where's Kanao Tsuyuri?"
Su Chen replied, "Kanao Tsuyuri's Nichirin Blade has been repaired by the swordsmith. She's outside chatting with him right now."
"Chatting?" Shinobu Kocho froze.
That must be quite an unusual conversation.
Besides, Kanao Tsuyuri chats with people?
How come I, her teacher, don't know about this?
Shinobu Kocho gave Su Chen a suspicious look.
It seems I know rather little about what Su Chen has been doing lately!
Su Chen was becoming harder and harder to read.
"Shinobu," Su Chen suddenly said.
Shinobu Kocho answered instinctively, "What is it?"
Su Chen held out his Wooden Katana and said earnestly, "Could you replace this with a Nichirin Blade forged from scarlet iron ore? I'm not quite used to using a Wooden Katana all the time."
"Well..." Shinobu Kocho looked a little troubled.
Just as I thought.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seemed everything Aoi Kanzaki had said was true. Shinobu Kocho had indeed run into difficulties.
What Su Chen had just said was merely a way to sound Shinobu Kocho out.
But he had not expected her finances to be this tight.
"It's fine. I was just saying. Once I beat Shinazugawa tomorrow, won't I have a Nichirin Blade?" Su Chen waved his hand, pretending not to care.
But Shinobu Kocho took it to heart.
Her little fair hands clenched until they reddened.
She had never expected that, as the Insect Hashira, she would one day have to worry about money.
Seeing Shinobu Kocho's smile fade a little, Su Chen immediately guessed that she had probably taken it seriously.
He comforted her softly. "It's fine. Sit here and rest for a while. I'll get you a glass of water."
Su Chen pulled over a chair for Shinobu Kocho, then headed toward the back room.
At this, a sly gleam appeared in Shinobu Kocho's eyes.
He's finally gone.
Shinobu Kocho walked toward the basement.
She made up her mind to lock the door as soon as she went inside!
Then I won't have to see Su Chen, right?
But just then.
A tall figure blocked Shinobu Kocho's way again.
An angry vein bulged on Shinobu Kocho's smooth forehead.
She raised her head and said through somewhat gritted teeth, "Shinazugawa, what are you doing here?"
Right between Shinobu Kocho and the way to the basement.
At some point, a man whose face was covered in scars had stepped into her path.
This was a man whose looks alone could stop a child from crying!
In the end, he had followed Obanai Iguro's advice and come to the Butterfly Mansion to see Shinobu Kocho.
At that moment, Shinazugawa felt somewhat conflicted.
He noticed that the usually good-tempered Shinobu Kocho was unusually angry today.
Have I offended her somehow?
"I'm not here to ask about Kanae. That's all in the past, after all."
Shinazugawa suddenly spoke.
It would have been better if he had not tried to explain.
His explanation only made things worse.
The angry veins on Shinobu Kocho's forehead visibly multiplied.
"Mr. Shinazugawa, are you deliberately looking for trouble?"
Shinobu Kocho smiled as she spoke. "Or are you holding a grudge because I scolded you over Mr. Su Chen last time?"
Shinazugawa froze.
He hurriedly waved his hands. "No, I didn't mean to blame you."
He regretted it as soon as he said it.
Isn't this just making things worse?
Before Shinobu Kocho could react, Shinazugawa hurriedly corrected himself. "Actually, I came here about something else!"
"Something else?"
Shinobu Kocho gave Shinazugawa a suspicious look.
This was the first time she had seen Shinazugawa look as though he was asking for a favor.
As far as Shinobu Kocho remembered, Shinazugawa had never been pleasant to anyone except her older sister Kanae.
Could Shinazugawa really have something urgent to discuss?
"Let's hear it first."
Shinobu Kocho sighed and spoke irritably.
At this, Shinazugawa finally breathed a sigh of relief.
To him, women were simply a kind of fickle monster.
Seeing that he had a chance to speak, Shinazugawa immediately laid out his entire reason for coming.
"Awakening the Demon Slayer Mark?"
Shinobu Kocho said in surprise, "Didn't Mr. Su Chen already explain the method at the meeting?"
"Don't tell me you've been practicing according to that method lately and still haven't awakened it?"
Shinazugawa immediately fell silent.
His dignity as a Hashira shattered into pieces.
But how could the sly Shinobu let him off?
After all, this was not the first time Shinazugawa had provoked her.
Naturally, once she caught an opening, she would show no mercy.
"My, my~ How would little Shinobu know the answer to that question, Mr. Shinazugawa?"
"After all, Mr. Su Chen already told everyone the method. Surely it should be only natural for you to manage it, Mr. Shinazugawa?"
"But it's all right if you haven't. After all, there's nothing to be done if you can't manage it, Mr. Shinazugawa! Isn't that right?"
"Besides, you need to ask Mr. Su Chen about this, don't you? If you're finding it difficult, that's all right. Little Shinobu can introduce you!"
"Surely you aren't too embarrassed to ask Mr. Su Chen?"
"Big-bro-ther-Shi-na-zu-ga-wa~"
Before you continue