Oh No, Shinobu Kocho Seemed Really Angry

A large bowl of steaming ginger pork miso udon was set on the table.

The portion really was special-supply grade-the bowl was the size of a washbasin. It was covered with a thick layer of shredded ginger and golden-brown pan-fried pork belly.

Kiyohiko sat at the dining table, chopsticks in hand, and swallowed with difficulty as he looked at the mountain of "special-supply" udon before him. Beneath the golden, crispy fried pork cutlet lay not only the docile noodles, but also a thick layer of finely shredded ginger that seemed to be taunting him.

"Um... Miss Shinobu..."

Kiyohiko picked up a mouthful of noodles along with twenty-five grams of ginger and looked across the table with a miserable expression.

"I know you meant well, but isn't this amount of ginger... a little too lethal? It feels like I'm eating a ball of fire, not a meal! Are you trying to burn me to death and inherit my... uh, not that I have much to leave behind."

Shinobu Kocho sat across from him, her chin resting in her hands. The moment she heard that, her previously smiling face seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds.

She lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling as a mist instantly clouded her purple eyes.

"Is that so... So you don't like it, Mr. Kiyohiko."

Her voice grew very soft, with an unmistakable tremble and a nasal quality.

"I thought... you'd be happy if I shared my favorite thing with you. My fingers are still burning from the juice after I cut all that ginger... I didn't expect it to just be a burden to you, Mr. Kiyohiko."

She sighed softly, like a young wife forcing a smile despite suffering a terrible injustice. "It's all right. If you don't want it, just throw it away. After all... I'm just an unlikable bad woman, so naturally my cooking is hard to swallow too..."

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't say any more! I'll eat it! Isn't that enough?!"

Kiyohiko panicked at once. He had never been able to bear seeing a girl cry, especially when this woman, who was usually as formidable as a devil, suddenly showed such a vulnerable expression in front of him.

"Who said it tasted bad?! This is heavenly! I love ginger!"

To prove his innocence, he abruptly lowered his head and stuffed a huge mouthful of noodles and ginger into his mouth.

The pungent flavor exploded in his mouth and shot straight to the top of his head, nearly bringing tears to his eyes, but he still raised a thumb and mumbled, "Mmm! Sho good! It's really sho good! This taste... it's practically elevating my soul!"

"Hahaha..."

A chuckle broke Kiyohiko out of his self-congratulation.

He looked up through tear-blurred eyes and saw that Shinobu Kocho across from him showed no trace of sadness. She was covering her mouth, her shoulders trembling slightly with laughter, her purple eyes sparkling with the triumph of a successful prank. There wasn't a single tear in them.

"My, Mr. Kiyohiko, you're so adorably innocent."

Shinobu lowered her hand, and her expression instantly returned to her usual inscrutable smile. "You even fell for acting that anyone could see through at a glance. It seems that if I sold you someday, you'd even help count the money."

Kiyohiko finally managed to swallow the ginger in his mouth. His throat felt as though it were on fire, and he pointed at her in exasperation. "You bad woman! Is it fun toying with my feelings?!"

"It is. Very much so."

Shinobu Kocho nodded without hesitation. Then the smile at the corners of her mouth faded slightly, her gaze gradually deepening as it settled on Kiyohiko's abdomen.

"Since you're enjoying your food so much, let's talk about something serious."

The air in the kitchen seemed to turn cold with the change in her tone. The warm, playful atmosphere from moments ago vanished as though wiped away by an invisible hand.

Shinobu still rested her cheek in her hand, but her gaze now carried a chilling hint of pressure.

"Mr. Kiyohiko, about that 'transferring pain and injuries' Blood Demon Art of yours... You're forbidden from using it recklessly anymore."

Kiyohiko froze for a moment and put down his chopsticks. He wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, and his expression grew serious. "Why? I can regenerate. Those injuries are fatal to humans, but all I have to do is eat something and I'll recover."

"Are you an idiot?"

Shinobu Kocho's voice turned a few degrees colder. Looking at Kiyohiko's matter-of-fact expression, she felt an inexplicable surge of anger.

This guy knows perfectly well how dangerous that technique of his is.

Transferring pain and injuries meant he had to endure twice the pain, or even several times as much. Moreover, repairing his body consumed a great deal of energy each time, bringing him one step closer to the brink of "losing control."

Although eating could ease it and help him recover, what if one day he tried to save someone and turned completely into a beast that knew only how to eat people... What would she do then?

Kill him?

Even if he didn't turn into a beast, he would still bear several times the pain whenever he transferred pain and injuries. Had he ever taken care of his own body?

"I didn't say you couldn't use it, but you need to..."

Shinobu Kocho stopped halfway through her sentence.

What am I supposed to say next?

That I want him to live and don't want to kill him? That I'm worried about him and want him to take care of himself?

When did I become so sentimental about him?

So Shinobu Kocho said coldly, "Mr. Kiyohiko, don't forget who you are. At the Butterfly Mansion, I'm the one supervising you."

"Or... are you no longer going to listen to me?"

Kiyohiko took another slurp of the noodles Shinobu Kocho had made and shook his head frankly. "No."

Kiyohiko didn't understand why. He was clearly right to save people. Was he supposed to see someone hurt and not help? He had been a medical intern before, at any rate, and he had his own bottom line.

That's right, my bottom line! Even if Shinobu Kocho, that bad woman, cuts me with her Nichirin Blade this time, I absolutely won't back down!

Shinobu Kocho looked at Kiyohiko, tapping her fingers lightly on the tabletop with a series of soft knocks. "If you don't want to listen to me, that's fine too."

She lowered her head slightly and leaned a little closer to Kiyohiko, an icy chill in her purple eyes.

"After all, when you go mad from hunger, I won't go easy on you. I'll lock you in a dungeon and feed you nothing but the bitterest medicine extracted from Wisteria poison every day until you beg for mercy. Or... if even the medicine doesn't work, I'll have no choice but to use my blade and cut off your head."

With that, Shinobu Kocho turned her head away and stopped looking at Kiyohiko.

Seeing her like that, Kiyohiko put down his chopsticks and turned his head away too. He clearly hadn't done anything wrong this time, so why was she making it seem as if he had?

He could let it go normally, but this time he knew he was in the right. He absolutely couldn't bow his head to that bad woman.

The kitchen fell silent. Neither of them looked at the other, and neither said a word.

Five seconds later.

"Hey... um, Miss Shinobu."

Kiyohiko carefully extended a finger and gently poked the back of Shinobu's hand where it rested on the table. "You're not... really angry, are you?"

His voice softened, taking on a tentative, placating tone. "Then... how about this? Next time something like this happens, I'll ask you first? I'll save them after you say yes?"

"Shut up."

Shinobu Kocho abruptly pulled her hand back and turned her back to him.

"Who wants to bother with your stupid business? Hurry up and eat your noodles."

Oh no, she seems really angry.