Night fell, and the backyard of the Butterfly Mansion grew quiet.
A bright moon hung in the night sky, casting a layer of silver light over the wisteria flowers in the courtyard.
Rin sat on the wooden floor of the corridor, looking at the system panel.
Not only had he made a grand display today, but he had also gained 5,000 Dimension Points. He was in an excellent mood.
Tap, tap, tap.
The light sound of wooden sandals echoed along the corridor.
Shinobu Kocho walked over carrying an elegant tray. On it was a sumptuous dinner. Tempura, grilled saury, and even a flask of warm sake.
"I cooked this myself. Since you didn't completely cripple Sanemi and the others today, consider this a reward."
Shinobu Kocho knelt beside Rin and pushed the tray in front of him.
At that moment, she was not wearing her usual butterfly-patterned haori, only a fitted deep purple yukata that outlined her petite yet perfectly proportioned figure.
Her freshly washed long hair draped loosely over her shoulders, carrying a faint, pleasant fragrance.
"Oh? You cooked this yourself?" Rin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That's rare. You didn't add any strange poison to it, did you?"
"Eat it if you want. If not, don't!" Shinobu Kocho rolled her eyes at him and reached out as if to take the tray away.
"Hey, how could I refuse food delivered right to me?"
Rin quickly pressed the tray down, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating enthusiastically.
It had to be said that although this sharp-tongued butterfly had a tsundere personality, her cooking skills were excellent. The tempura was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, cooked perfectly.
Watching Rin eat with such enthusiasm, Shinobu Kocho rested her cheek on one hand. Under the moonlight, her purple eyes appeared unusually gentle.
"Hey, Rin."
"Hm?" Rin chewed a piece of saury and responded vaguely.
"You... that 'Chidori' you used earlier, and those red eyes of yours..." Shinobu hesitated, but could not help asking, "What kind of power is that? I have read all the ancient books in the Butterfly Mansion, including records of swordsmen from the Sengoku era hundreds of years ago, and I have never heard of such an ability."
Hearing this question, Rin stopped his chopsticks.
He turned his head and looked at Shinobu's curious and probing eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"That is an energy system called 'Chakra.' As for my eyes..." Rin pointed to his dark pupils. "They are called the Sharingan, a very special Bloodline Limit belonging to the clan I come from."
"Clan? Bloodline Limit?" Shinobu Kocho looked puzzled.
"It's too troublesome to explain. You only need to know that this kind of power is born for battle and slaughter."
Rin picked up his sake cup and took a sip, his tone indifferent.
"But don't worry. I have no interest in ruling the world, and I'm not a savior. I kill demons simply because they happen to be in my way, and I earn a few things I need along the way."
Looking at Rin's casual and free-spirited yet extremely arrogant demeanor, Shinobu Kocho felt her heart skip another beat.
She took a deep breath, as if she had made some kind of decision, and looked at Rin's profile with unusual seriousness.
"You said... you would cut down that Upper Rank demon for me."
Shinobu Kocho's voice trembled slightly. The hatred she had suppressed in her heart for many years finally cracked open before the man in front of her.
"That demon who killed my sister... he has a pair of seven-colored eyes, his weapon is a pair of golden iron fans, and he uses an ice-type Blood Demon Art. If you meet him outside in the future..."
"Upper Rank Two, Doma."
Rin calmly spoke the name, directly interrupting Shinobu Kocho.
Boom!
Shinobu Kocho's pupils shrank as she stared at Rin in shock.
"You... how do you even know his name?"
Even the Master and the Demon Slayer Corps' intelligence network had failed to obtain detailed information about that Upper Rank demon, yet Rin not only knew it, he even knew his name.
This could only mean that Rin's intelligence network was even more terrifying than the Demon Slayer Corps'.
Or perhaps... he had truly investigated that evil demon thoroughly in secret for her sake.
"I said that as long as you don't wear that hypocritical mask in front of me, I'll see your matter through to the end."
Rin set down his sake cup, reached out, and casually rubbed Shinobu Kocho's soft long hair. His actions carried an unquestionable sense of dominance.
"Doma's living in borrowed time. You just need to stay at the Butterfly Mansion with peace of mind, continue being your sharp-tongued little butterfly, and prepare this level of dinner for me every day."
Feeling the warm touch on her head and hearing what could only be described as a declaration of absolute protection, Shinobu Kocho's eyes suddenly stung.
An unprecedented sense of peace swept through her entire body.
For so many years, she had carried the burden of avenging her sister alone, struggling within endless nightmares and despair.
And now, this man who had suddenly entered her world not only shattered her disguise with an overwhelmingly domineering attitude, but also took all her burdens upon himself as if it were nothing.
"You... you're really annoyingly arrogant..."
Shinobu Kocho abruptly lowered her head, trying hard to hide the moisture gathering in her eyes. However, her flushed earlobes and slightly trembling shoulders completely betrayed the intense emotions surging within her at that moment.
[Ding! Detected the host's extremely precise declaration of protection, shattering the psychological defenses of key character 'Shinobu Kocho'!]
[Shinobu Kocho conquest progress achieved (Absolute Trust)!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Dimension Points: 3000!]
Hearing the system notification in his mind, the smile on Rin's lips deepened.
Did this count as gaining both fortune and beauty?
Just as the ambiguous atmosphere on the corridor was about to overflow, behind a wooden pillar not far away, Kanao Tsuyuri, with her single ponytail, silently watched the scene.
She clutched the coin in her hand but did not flip it.
A flash of extremely complicated emotion flickered through her usually empty purple eyes.
She looked at her master, who was no longer forcing a smile but revealing the shy expression of a young girl. Then she looked at Rin's upright back, and a strange, indescribable feeling suddenly rose within her heart.