Sunshine Girl Will Be Watching You

Kiyohiko lay sprawled on the tatami, his arms and legs splayed and his tongue hanging out like a husky suffering from heatstroke. His body's regenerative ability was strong, but the damage to his sense of taste was clearly beyond its reach.

"That wicked woman... she's definitely a devil reincarnated..."

He muttered, rolling over and staring blankly at the ceiling.

Just then, the paper door slid open with a clatter.

Aoi Kanzaki walked in carrying a wooden tray, her face still wearing that stern expression as though someone owed her eight million yen. On the tray were a cup of hot tea and two delicate red bean daifuku.

"Still complaining? Lady Shinobu did that for your own good."

Aoi spoke irritably. Though her tone was harsh, her movements were brisk as she set the tray on the small table in the middle of the tatami.

"Also, Lady Shinobu specifically ordered these refreshments prepared for you. She said she was worried someone's mouth would be too bitter, and he'd go drawing turtles again to vent his displeasure."

Kiyohiko sprang upright, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Oh! Sunflower Seed! I knew you were a good person! That woman Shinobu Kocho may be ruthless, but you really are the Butterfly Mansion's last conscience!"

Grinning, he leaned over and reached for a daifuku.

"Who are you calling Sunflower Seed?! And don't you dare speak ill of Lady Shinobu!"

Aoi glared at him and instinctively started to push the plate closer so he could reach it more easily.

At that very moment, their fingers brushed accidentally in midair.

Unlike the way things usually played out in anime, neither of them made any suggestive moves because of the touch.

Instead, Aoi jerked her hand back as though she had been shocked.

Kiyohiko's fingers... were so cold.

It wasn't a temperature a human should have, but a chill like stagnant water in a deep well, just like those man-eating monsters that had roamed the damned Final Selection. The chill pierced her fingertips in an instant and reached her heart, awakening the revulsion buried deep within it.

"Miss Aoi, what's wrong?" Kiyohiko found her reaction a little strange and started forward to check on her.

Aoi Kanzaki instinctively lurched backward. The violent movement tilted the tray, making the teacup wobble and spill a few drops of hot tea.

Aoi's face turned deathly pale. She hurriedly steadied the tray, her eyes darting away as she began to stammer.

"I-I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to... I just..."

She bit her lower lip and lowered her head, unable to look at Kiyohiko.

Why? I thought I'd gotten used to it, so why was one little touch enough to make me react like that?

I really am useless after all.

She wasn't afraid of the boy in front of her who was always joking around. She was afraid of herself for being unable to overcome her fear. He had always insisted he was human, and they had spent so much time together, yet her instinctive reaction just now made her feel both rude and useless.

"Someone like me really can't even deliver something properly."

"Sunflower Seed."

His voice was low and gentle, without its usual exaggerated tone.

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

Aoi froze and looked up in surprise, meeting his serious gaze.

The boy before her had none of his earlier silliness. He was half crouched, looking straight into her eyes, leaving her nowhere to look away.

"You know, the stories of the Demon Slayer Corps swinging their blades and slaying demons on the battlefield are certainly impressive, but that's only half the story."

Kiyohiko pointed at the clean, tidy room, then at the bedsheets hanging out to dry and the chimney from the place where medicine was being brewed outside the window.

"If you weren't here in the rear keeping everything in order, what would those injured guys do when they came back? Lie in the mud and wait to die? Without you, this whole Butterfly Mansion would probably have descended into chaos long ago."

"But... I... I'm just running away..."

Aoi's eyes reddened slightly, and her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"Running away from what? Everyone has their own battlefield."

Kiyohiko cut her off, a faint smile curving his lips. There was no teasing in it, only the clarity of someone who could see into people's hearts.

"Look, even a troublesome 'nonhuman' like me is obediently under your thumb now, aren't I? If you didn't bring me food every day, scold me, and watch me drink my medicine, I'd probably have been growing mold in some ditch by now."

He raised his hand, held it upright, and gave Aoi Kanzaki a few light karate chops on the head.

"Don't underestimate yourself. A sunflower seed may be small, but once it's buried in the soil, it'll grow up one day and bloom into a great big flower, bringing sunshine to everyone."

"You're the sunshine of this place, Aoi."

Aoi stared at him, tears welling in her eyes, but stubbornly refused to let them fall. The weight that had been pressing on her heart seemed to lift a little at his words.

"Idiot."

She sniffled, her voice thick and nasal, while her cheeks flushed bright red.

"Who said I wanted to bring you sunshine...? You conceited jerk..."

Despite her words, she didn't retaliate for Kiyohiko's attack just now, and her previously stiff body relaxed completely.

[Current Bond Value with target detected: 90]

"Hehe, if you're not denying it, that means you agree!"

Seeing the mood lighten, Kiyohiko instantly changed his expression, returning to that punchable look of his.

"Of course, if you want to go to the battlefield, I can help you practice fighting too. Just don't use me as a punching bag like that wicked woman does."

He snatched a daifuku from the plate and opened his mouth wide.

"All that talking made me hungry. Since these are treats made with love and delivered by Sunshine Girl, I won't hold back."

He bit off more than half the daifuku in one mouthful.

Three seconds later.

Kiyohiko froze.

His face went from rosy to bluish purple, then from bluish purple to a sickly green. His features seemed to be twisted together by an invisible giant hand, and finally he turned to stone.

"Cough, cough, cough! What the hell is this?! It's bitter?! Why does the daifuku taste like bitter melon?! And concentrated bitter melon juice at that?!"

Clutching his throat, he rolled frantically around on the tatami, tears streaming down his face.

Aoi Kanzaki stared for a moment at Kiyohiko writhing in agony on the floor, then burst out laughing. It was the happiest and most carefree she had laughed in days.

"Serves you right! That's what you get for drawing all over things and speaking ill of Lady Shinobu!"

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, picked up the tray, and walked lightly toward the door. Then she looked back and pulled a face.

"Remember to eat it all! Sunshine Girl will be watching you!"

Kiyohiko was still wriggling on the floor like a maggot. "That... wicked woman..."

"I'll never let her get away with this..."