Chapter 52: Kochou Shinobu
Drawn by a sliver of light from beneath a door, Akira's quiet footsteps carried him down the silent corridor of the Butterfly Mansion. A flicker of doubt, then concern, guided him closer until he could peer through a small gap. Inside, he finally saw what had captured Kochou Shinobu's attention so late into the night—she was researching wisteria flowers.
The delicate purple blossoms were a peculiar anomaly of nature: harmless to humans, yet agonizingly painful, even fatal, to demons. Akira had long suspected they held a potent, demon-specific toxin. It was a line of inquiry he found baffling that the Ubuyashiki family, for all their centuries of leadership, had seemingly never pursued.
Ever since he had intervened and saved the Kocho family from their tragic fate, he had entrusted this very research to their father, Sawaki. He had asked the man to experiment not just with wisteria, but with a range of other poisons, hoping to formulate a compound that could finally turn the tide against demons. It didn't need to be instantly lethal; a substance that could merely weaken or restrain them would be an very useful asset to the Demon Slayer Corps.
However, that task had been given to Sawaki alone.
Although Akira knew that in the future that might have been, Shinobu was the one to master the art of demon-killing poisons, the girl before him was still young. Neither he nor her father wanted her anywhere near such dangerous substances.
But now, it seemed she had involved herself anyway.
"Researching with the doors and windows all shut, aren't you afraid something might happen?" Akira's voice was soft as he stepped into the room, gently tapping the top of her head.
Shinobu flinched, turning to glare at him over her shoulder. "I'm not an idiot. I wouldn't bring anything truly dangerous into my own bedroom."
"Did your father tell you everything?" Though his words were vague, she knew exactly what he meant. The development of a poison to kill demons.
"Mm..." She looked away, her voice softening. "I want to help my sister. And… I want to help you, too."
Setting aside the mortar and pestle she'd been using, Shinobu stood up to face him properly.
"You've worked hard," Akira said, his voice laced with an honest warmth. He freed the hand that wasn't holding Kanao and gently ruffled Shinobu's hair. He didn't offer platitudes like 'you shouldn't stay up so late'; she was a medical prodigy and knew more about health than he did. Besides, a preachy lecture felt entirely wrong for the moment.
Uncharacteristically, Shinobu didn't push his hand away. She simply stood there, letting his fingers comb through her short, dark hair.
"It's not hard work," she murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Compared to you, facing those monsters head-on… what I'm doing is nothing."
A small smile touched Akira's lips. "That doesn't sound like the Shinobu I know."
Her admission had genuinely surprised him. It wasn't that she was inconsiderate—far from it. The fact that she could co-manage the Butterfly Mansion's medical ward with her father proved the young girl possessed a maturity far beyond her years. But she usually wrapped her true feelings in a layer of sharp wit and tsundere barbs, rarely expressing herself with such raw sincerity.
"People have to grow up, don't they?" she said, her voice quiet but firm. "My sister told me so much yesterday… And while I know I'm selfish, and all I really want is for us to live peacefully here in the Butterfly Mansion… I can't be as kind and selfless as she is. But at the very least, I'm willing to do what I can for you."
She looked down at her own small hands, her voice filling with an undisguised disappointment. "My physical fitness has never been good. A wooden training post that my sister can slice through in a single stroke… I can only leave a shallow scratch on it, even with all my strength…"
There was little she could do about it. Beyond gender, one's innate physical build was a critical factor in developing strength. A smaller frame, a more delicate skeleton, meant less surface area for muscle to attach, naturally limiting one's power.
And Shinobu's physique was indeed petite. Nearing thirteen, she had barely reached 130 centimeters and remained slender. In stark contrast, Akira, who had just turned fourteen, was already approaching 160 centimeters. Kanae, a few months his senior, was the same height. Even Makomo, who was also on the smaller side, had shot past 150 centimeters.
But even Makomo was beginning to find her raw strength insufficient, forcing her to focus on refining her technique to compensate. It was enough to allow her to decapitate demons, but it was a constant struggle.
Shinobu's innate disadvantages were far more pronounced. For her, no amount of technical mastery could bridge the gap. After all, the wooden posts used for training at the Butterfly Mansion were nowhere near as durable as the neck of an average demon.
Akira knew that in another life, even as an adult, Shinobu had never gained the strength to behead a demon with a Nichirin Sword like an ordinary slayer. It was that very limitation that had forced her down a different path: the development of lethal poisons.
And now, even though she was no longer driven by the burning hatred for demons that had once defined her, she was still beginning that same journey—not for revenge, but to protect her sister and the boy who cared so deeply for her.
"Since I can't help you as a swordsman," she declared, her gaze lifting to meet his, a fierce determination shining in her amethyst eyes, "then I have to do something in the fields where I excel. In medicine. In pharmacology."
Her expression softened, a flicker of vulnerability showing through. "My sister, you, even our parents… you all still treat me like a child, even though I can diagnose patients and manage treatments like an adult. I used to love being pampered, but… when I think that someday in the future, you and my sister might…"
Her voice choked, catching in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to speak the possibility she dreaded most.
"You're not that much older than me," she whispered, her head bowed as a tear finally escaped and traced a path down her cheek. "I can do something. I can help you somehow. At the very least… my only use shouldn't be to patch you up when you come back here as injured patients…"
Watching her sob quietly, her small shoulders trembling, Akira found himself at a loss for words.
Just then, he felt a small tug on his sleeve. Kanao, who had been watching silently, gestured for him to put her down. Once on her feet, she walked softly up behind Shinobu and wrapped her small arms around her waist, pressing her entire body against her back. She tilted her head, bringing her lips close to Shinobu's ear.
"Sister Shinobu, don't cry," Kanao whispered, her voice still hesitant but filled with a desperate sincerity. "Kanao will be good from now on. So please don't cry, okay?" She didn't fully grasp the weight of Shinobu's fears, but she understood her sadness and could only offer comfort in her own clumsy way.
Following her lead, Akira bent down slightly, embracing Shinobu from the front and gently stroking her hair.
"Thank you, Shinobu," he said, his voice a low, steady anchor. "I promise you, the future you're afraid of will never happen. Everyone in the Butterfly Mansion—you, me, Kanae, and Kanao—we will all live, and we will all be safe."
"Mm," she mumbled into his chest.
Sandwiched between the two of them, one large and one small, Shinobu's sobs slowly subsided. She hesitantly raised an arm, placing it on Akira's back, and leaned her head against his chest, surrendering to the warmth and tranquility of the moment.
After a long while, it was Akira who reluctantly loosened his arms. Shinobu, too, had to let go. In that instant, she felt she finally understood Kanao's attachment; once you truly experienced that embrace, it was incredibly hard to leave its security behind. This boy, only a little over a year older than her, possessed a presence that could make one feel so utterly safe.
"Alright," Akira said softly, breaking the lingering silence. "It's getting late. Let's save the research for the daytime. Get some proper rest. You can't help anyone if you don't take care of your own health." He then looked down at the smaller girl still clinging to Shinobu. "And that goes for you too, Kanao."
"Mm, I'll listen to you," Shinobu replied, her voice clear again.
"Okay, Big Brother," Kanao chirped.
"Then, good night, you two."
"Good night," they answered in unison.
He had expected a quiet night, but instead, he had listened to Shinobu's heartfelt confession, closing the distance between them even further. As an added bonus, he had also solved the mystery of Kanao's late-night wanderings.
The future will definitely be better, Akira thought to himself as he walked back to his own room. It was both an expectation and a vow.
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