Heavy and hot.
She walked barefoot on the desolate land, aimlessly, as a thunderous roar echoed in the sky and the ground gradually trembled.
A bad feeling rose in her heart, and she quickened her pace, as a stream of scorching lava erupted from the ground beneath her feet.
"Ah!"
The scalding temperature almost melted her; she was swept high into the air by the lava, then plummeted downwards, where another burst of lava erupted below.
The limbs were completely melted away.
"Hmm..." she groaned softly, her Matsuge fluttering open, revealing a pair of olive-green eyes that looked somewhat bewildered, like a newborn fawn, making her all the more endearing.
Then, her gaze sharpened as she looked at the man lying on top of her, his long silver hair falling down, mixed with his beautiful black hair, his face pale and haggard.
" Shiraishi," Kūkaku Shiba called out, quickly flipping over to sever their connection.
The snoring continued; Shiraishi was fast asleep.
She breathed a sigh of relief; at least she was alive.
My stomach was rumbling; I was so hungry I felt like I was about to flatten out of a sheet of paper.
This time it wasn't as extreme as ten days and ten nights, but it was still three days and three nights non-stop.
Her memory was filled with crazy scenes; she couldn't even remember when she fell asleep.
Kūkaku Shiba slapped his forehead and slowly got off the bed, feeling no pain as he had at the beginning.
She walked to the pool, scooped up water and poured it over herself, washing her body, especially her chest and face.
When the pain was still intense, these places became footholds for the army.
Now they've all become dry and brittle; you can rub them off with your hands.
Unfortunately, those teeth marks, like stamps, aren't so easy to remove.
"Is that guy a dog?" she muttered. She hadn't noticed before, but now she realized the marks were too exaggerated.
I couldn't wear my old clothes outside, so I had to wear Shiraishi's T-shirt and cargo pants, which didn't cover my abdomen.
She put on her leather jacket, the zipper barely reaching her upper abdomen.
If you try to go any higher, you'll either slide down or the zipper will fly off.
That's too obvious.
Kūkaku Shiba had to put her beige cloak back on to try and conceal herself. She took a wad of cash from the open safe, avoiding the damp bills and choosing only the clean ones.
For three days and three nights, the entire cave became a battlefield.
She carried the money, opened the cliff face, and the blinding sunlight shone on the cave entrance. Unlike the coolness inside, it was still very hot outside.
She squinted for a moment, finally adjusting to the light, stepped out of the cave, closed the door behind her, and vanished in an Shunpo, heading straight for Beginning of Spring Town.
That was the only place in the West District Ten with shops, and a major thoroughfare connecting the front and back areas.
Even in the sweltering summer, there were many people coming and going, and the streets were bustling with activity. The sweat from the men blended into an unpleasant stench.
People on the street can't detect it, but newcomers often smell an odor, which they eventually lose.
Kūkaku Shiba tried to walk to the side, her mind filled with hesitation.
She had planned to buy ready-made food before coming, but after arriving, she suddenly remembered that Shiraishi seemed to have praised Nemu Kurotsuchi's cooking skills.
Should she personally cook a meal to demonstrate her wilderness survival culinary skills?
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head and rejected the idea, deciding against it, and headed towards an eel restaurant.
It wasn't lunchtime yet, and the eel restaurant was quiet. Seeing a customer, the waiter quickly approached and asked, "Miss, what would you like to order? Our signature eel rice is absolutely the best in Beginning of Spring Town."
Kūkaku Shiba asked, "How much does it cost?"
"Cheap, four thousand rings a bowl."
The waiter rubbed his hands together and announced the price, of course without mentioning that this was the most expensive meal at the eel restaurant.
Kūkaku Shiba didn't have the habit of haggling, so she casually said, "Twenty servings, to go."
"Twenty portions?" The shopkeeper was taken aback. He didn't think this was a great thing; instead, he was worried that the other party was playing a trick on him. Eighty thousand rings was no small sum.
At least in Rukongai, a shop with 80,000 rings is definitely a big business.
Kūkaku Shiba pulled out the banknotes from his pocket; they were all 1000-yuan notes.
The waiter immediately smiled, turned around and shouted, "Twenty servings of eel rice, to go. Miss, please wait this way, I'll bring you a pot of tea."
"Hmm," Kūkaku Shiba walked over and sat on the tatami mat. A pot of tea was quickly placed on the table, but it didn't taste very good.
She took a couple of sips, then lost interest and sat there quietly waiting.
After a while, the waiter came out carrying a five-tiered lacquered box. He opened the lid, revealing four steaming plates of eel rice on each tier, then closed the lid again. "Here you are."
Kūkaku Shiba counted out eighty banknotes and handed them over, saying, "Count them."
"Alright." The waiter counted them accurately and said with a smile, "Have a good trip, and welcome back next time."
Kūkaku Shiba carried the food box out, then went to an izakaya to buy a few bottles of sake and some snacks. After spending the remaining twenty thousand yen bills, he left Beginning of Spring Town and used Shunpo to rush back to the cave.
Back at the cliff face, she opened the door, and the cool air swept away the heat outside. Shiraishi was still fast asleep inside.
Kūkaku Shiba carried the food box to the table and called out, "Wake up, aren't you hungry yet?"
No response.
She put it down, ran over, and nudged it, saying, "Hey, get up quickly."
"Hmm." Shiraishi was woken up by a gentle nudge, still groggy. "I'll sleep a little longer."
Are you sure you're not hungry?
It would have been fine if I hadn't been reminded, but once I was, the feeling of hunger instantly overwhelmed me, and all my drowsiness vanished. "Food."
Shiraishi leaped to the table, opened the food box, grabbed a plate of eel rice, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Don't finish eating it all."
The sight of the reincarnated demon terrified Kūkaku Shiba, who quickly rushed forward to grab a plate.
After devouring three floors, Shiraishi finally calmed down. He opened a bottle of sake and gulped it down in one go, exclaiming, "Phew, I'm finally alive again!"
Kūkaku Shiba her eyes and said, "Who told you to be so crazy?"
Looking at the Shiraishi beauty before him, Shiraishi retorted, "Whose fault is this?"
She took a sip of sake and said slowly, "Please, you were the one telling me what to do the whole time. If it's not your fault, who can blame me?"
"Okay, okay, it's my fault," Shiraishi said, admitting his mistake, while moving his body toward her.
"Stop."
Kūkaku Shiba saw through his thoughts and said seriously, "There's something I must say in advance: I'm leaving here soon."
Upon hearing this, Shiraishi asked in astonishment, "Why are you leaving?"
"If I don't leave now, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave."
Kūkaku Shiba rested her chin on her hand, her eyes gazing at him with gentle, watery eyes. "I think I've really fallen in love with you. I even thought about cooking for you just now."
If things continue like this, I might want to marry you and have children.
Shiraishi really wanted to say, "I will take responsibility," but he didn't, deciding to listen first.
"But I can't imagine a child calling me 'Mom,' nor can I imagine waking up every day to find someone next to me on my pillow. I can't guarantee that we won't have conflicts over the long years to come."
"Furthermore, I don't want to give up my dream of becoming the greatest pyrotechnician in Rukongai."
After uttering his thoughts in one breath, Kūkaku Shiba gulped down a bottle of sake and asked, "I've finished speaking. What do you have to say? Are you going to try and persuade me to stay?"