"Is there anything strange about turning back into a human?" Shinobu asked softly.
"Hmm... no."
Yoizumi thought for a moment and shook his head.
Yoizumi raised his hand and pressed it against his chest; the steady yet fervent beating of his heart and the warmth radiating from his torso all told Yoizumi that he was now a true human.
If he had to say something.
Yoizumi was somewhat happy.
He was no longer a demon, but a human.
From now on, he would experience all sorts of things that only humans could feel.
"Ah... there is one thing."
Yoizumi suddenly stopped, turned to look at Shinobu, and slowly moved his palm towards her cheek. His sapphire eyes shimmered with joy, and his voice was very soft.
"Now, my hand isn't cold anymore."
Shinobu slightly widened her eyes, feeling the warmth emanating from the hand pressed against her face. She closed her eyes, leaned her face closer, covered Yoizumi's hand with her own, and sighed softly.
"Yes... it's not cold at all."
Closing her eyes and carefully feeling the warmth unique to Yoizumi, Shinobu felt a sense of peace settle in her heart.
So this is Yoizumi's body temperature... it's so warm... no longer icy cold.
Continuing hand in hand on the way back to the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu turned her head to look at Yoizumi, scrutinizing him carefully. Feeling Shinobu's gaze, Yoizumi responded with a smile.
"What is it?"
"Yoizumi... did you get a little shorter?"
She stood on her tiptoes and held up her hand to measure, and indeed he had.
Now that she mentioned it, Yoizumi did feel a slight change in his field of vision.
"When I was demonized, my body was also affected."
"This must be my original physique."
Although he looked 4-5 centimeters shorter than before, it didn't negatively impact Yoizumi's figure; he still maintained his tall and slender appearance.
For Shinobu, however... it just meant it was easier to reach Yoizumi's face.
"Yoizumi," Shinobu stopped walking, tightened her grip on his hand, and spoke softly.
"Yes," hearing Shinobu call his name, Yoizumi replied.
"There's a place I want you to accompany me to."
"Anywhere Shinobu wants to go is fine; I will accompany you."
"Is that so... that's very reassuring..." Shinobu sighed, and at the fork leading to the Butterfly Mansion, she took a path Yoizumi had never set foot on.
Yoizumi looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, with wisteria swaying everywhere. Its fragrance permeated the air. Even after returning to human form, Yoizumi still found its scent very pleasant.
Shinobu raised her hand and gently stroked the clusters of wisteria growing along the wall. A hint of nostalgia flashed in her purple eyes. She closed her eyes, leaned closer to the wisteria, and gently inhaled its scent.
"Yoizumi, do you know?"
"My older sister... she really loved wisteria."
Older sister... Seeing Shinobu hand him a cluster of wisteria, Yoizumi reached out and took it. Following Shinobu's steps, the surrounding environment gradually changed.
Tombstones appeared one after another before them.
This is... Shinobu stopped walking. Yoizumi's gaze followed Shinobu's, landing on the tombstone in front of them. His eyes widened slightly as Yoizumi clearly saw the name carved upon it.
Kochou Kanae.
The woman who had appeared in the black and white world.
"Yoizumi has met my older sister, hasn't he?" Her finger gently rested on the photograph, lingering on her sister's smile. Sadness was visible in Shinobu's downcast eyes.
"Yes."
"What kind of person do you think my older sister was, Yoizumi?"
What kind of person... that's another difficult... No... Yoizumi half-squatted down, placed the wisteria he was holding in front of the tombstone, and looked up slightly at Shinobu's reddened eyes. His warm palm steadily caught Shinobu's right hand, which had slid down from the photo.
"When I saw her and learned she was Shinobu's older sister, my first thought was..."
"She truly lives up to being Shinobu's older sister..."
"Because..."
Yoizumi used his other hand to gently wipe away the tear that was about to roll down Shinobu's eye, his sapphire eyes filled with tenderness.
"She, like Shinobu, is a gentle person."
Gentle, huh... Shinobu took a deep breath and let out an uncontrollable chuckle.
"If you knew what I was like before, you might not think that way."
Yoizumi stood up, his gentle gaze fixed on Shinobu's beautiful eyes. He curved his lips and spoke softly.
"I know."
"Shinobu's older sister told me a lot about Shinobu's past."
"Whether it was in the past... or now."
"To me, Shinobu is Shinobu."
"She is the gentlest and most adorable existence in this world."
Hey... did you hear that?
Older sister... Shinobu gazed at Yoizumi, her eyes filled with deep emotion, and tightly intertwined her fingers with his hand.
This person... he is the one who can make me happy... he is the one who can allow me to become what my older sister wished for, something my former self never imagined... [I hope Shinobu can be an ordinary, happy, and joyful child.]
When I become an old woman... and see you again, Older Sister, will you still recognize me?
[Of course, I will...]
[Because I, your older sister, love Shinobu the most...]
In a daze, Shinobu seemed to hear her older sister's voice. Her eyes trembled, tears rolled down her cheeks, yet a brilliant smile appeared on her face.
"Ah..." Yoizumi was flustered, unsure what to do. Shinobu was crying and laughing; was she sad or happy? Through her blurry vision, Shinobu saw Yoizumi's panic, sighed softly, leaned closer to him, rested her slender body against his, and pressed her head against his chest with her eyes closed.
Yoizumi bent down and wrapped his arms around Shinobu, easily holding her completely in his embrace, and gently patted her back.
"Shinobu, don't cry."
Hugging Yoizumi back, every breath Shinobu took was filled with Yoizumi's scent and Yoizumi's body temperature, which seemed capable of dispelling all her sadness and unease.
This is wonderful... so warm.
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