Chapter Four

As dawn broke, accompanied by the crowing of a rooster, a drowsy Chika was tucked under someone's arm and led up the mountain.

In the early morning mist, Sanemi raised his hand and pressed the person down onto the grass on the mountaintop, pointing down the mountain and saying only one sentence.

"Get home before breakfast. If you're not home by then, don't eat."

The person vanished instantly.

At the sound of "breakfast," Chika suddenly opened her eyes and, still somewhat drowsy, glanced around.

"Where's breakfast? You're lying!"

He tilted his head and fell asleep.

After finishing breakfast, Sanemi practiced his swordplay in the courtyard for a while, and then patrolled the surroundings. The weather was gloomy and rainy, and the sun was tightly covered by thick clouds, so there was no sunlight.

The food in the pot kept getting heated and cooled, then heated again, but no one was seen coming from the doorway.

Sanemi was still worried, so he picked up his sword and went up the mountain again.

Then, he saw it on the mountaintop: a baby sleeping soundly with its bottom sticking up.

"Chinatsu!!"

Sanemi drew his sword.

"ah--"

A piercing scream echoed through the sky, startling the flock of birds hidden deep in the forest, which flapped their wings and took flight.

Shinobu Kocho, who was gathering herbs in the forest, suddenly looked serious. "Kanao, you should go back quickly. I'll go check on things."

Following the sound, Shinobu Kocho began to doubt herself. Normally, demons wouldn't come out in broad daylight, but it was a cloudy day. Some demons, driven by extreme hunger, might still take a gamble.

"ah--"

Chika covered her head and long rabbit ears, screamed, and jumped high into the air.

With a loud "bang."

A long ditch was carved into the muddy ground.

The next moment, a strong gust of wind swept overhead.

Chika quickly shrank her neck and lunged forward.

With a loud "bang."

The large trees on both sides were cut in half.

"Ah—I'm going to die! Murder! Ah—"

With her knees on the ground, Qianxia rolled over, got up without looking back, and ran away.

When Shinobu arrived, she saw a soft, white object rushing towards her from afar, and her survival instinct was almost palpable.

"Sister Ren! Save me!"

Chinatsu spotted Shinobu Kocho, who was moving swiftly and aggressively. She jumped up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Shinobu-neechan, there's someone behind me..."

Shinobu Kocho took a breath, her eyes instantly turning serious. "A demon?"

They've really gone too far, daring to come out and hunt for food during the day. Is Shinazugawa too careless, just leaving someone in the deep mountains and forests like that?

"The Breath of Insects—The Bee..."

The blade had just been drawn when a familiar roar was heard.

"Wind Breathing Form 1: Dust Traveler Wind - Slash!"

Shinobu Kocho paused as she drew her sword. Wasn't that the voice of Shinazugawa?

Not far away, Chika seemed to sense something, clutched her butt and jumped up with a "Whoa!"

The little person hopped a long way like a rabbit.

He darted to Shinobu's side in a flash, his feet barely touching the ground, and let out a familiar, dry wail, "Shinobu-neechan!! Help! Sanemi's going to kill me!"

"Come here!" Sanemi appeared, the sword in his hand humming with anger, his eyes bloodshot, looking quite frightening.

Shinobu Kocho, puzzled, asked, "Mr. Shinazugawa?"

"Shinobu, get out of the way! This has nothing to do with you!" Sanemi's eyes widened. "I'm going to teach her a lesson today, or she'll really get out of control."

Shinobu glanced at Chinatsu, who was clutching her clothes looking aggrieved but unharmed, then at Sanemi, who was holding a knife and clearly furious, and tilted her head. "No, there's something you can't talk things out and resolve, isn't there?"

"Furthermore, Mr. Shinazugawa, you mustn't point the Demon Slayer Corps' Nichirin Blades at humans, okay? The Master will be unhappy if he finds out."

No matter what Shinobu Kocho said, Chika nodded vigorously in agreement.

Yes, yes.

"That's right, that's right."

Sanemi sheathed his sword. "Ah, I won't use the sword then."

He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and his veins bulged.

Chika swallowed hard, her hand that was clutching Shinobu's sleeve slowly turned into a loop around her arm, and she hid behind Shinobu's wide sleeve, her expression aggrieved, "Shinobu-neechan, waaaah."

Shinobu Kocho pulled her out, gently pulled down her hat, and smoothed the messy hair on her head. "Did you do something wrong? Why did you make Mr. Shinazugawa so angry?"

Chinatsu glanced at Sanemi, "I... Sanemi brought me to run in the mountains..."

The little guy hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Huh?" Shinobu Kocho asked, puzzled. "They got into a fight while running??"

"Then... I fell asleep on the mountain." Qianxia lowered her head, extremely shy.

Sanemi snorted coldly, "Ah, I'm down the mountain, I've prepared food for her, what is this girl doing, lying on her back with her butt sticking out, fast asleep."

Chika lowered her head even further.

You really can't blame her. Who goes out for a run before dawn or before the roosters crow?

“Chika, this is not right of you,” Shinobu Kocho took her hand, her face full of worry. “The weather is so bad today, there might be evil spirits active nearby. You could easily get into trouble like this.”

"Huh?" Chinatsu was taken aback. "Don't evil spirits only come out at night?"

“No,” Shinobu Kocho shook her head. “They are just afraid of sunlight. On cloudy, rainy, or snowy days, as long as there is no sun, they will still come out.”

“I see,” Chika lowered her head silently. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Shinobu Kocho gently stroked her head. "Are you so sleepy because you didn't sleep well last night?"

Qianxia's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes, I didn't sleep well last night. I kept having nightmares, sob sob sob."

She grabbed Shinobu Kocho's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably, "I can't sleep at all, sob sob sob, every time I close my eyes all I see are images of my family dying tragically, sob sob sob."

Sanemi closed his eyes as if he was enduring something, and his hand gripped the blade even tighter.

Sensing the unsettling atmosphere, Qianxia dared not whimper anymore. She felt that if she continued to whimper, a knife would be held to her neck.

Shinobu Kocho felt something was off. "Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Shinazugawa?"

Why are you getting even angrier?

"Guess why I got up so early today?" Sanemi practically spat out each word through gritted teeth.

"Because this guy snored all night long!!!"

"Wind Breathing - Slash!!"

"ah--"

A scream erupted from the ground.

Chika was confused: Huh? She hadn't even opened her mouth yet.

"Oh no, something really has happened!"

Sanemi and Shinobu exchanged a glance and instantly teleported.

"Hey! Don't leave me alone." Chika quickly followed.

The three of them rushed as fast as they could, but they were still too late.

When they arrived, the screaming man was already dead.

The woman with disheveled hair buried her head in his neck and began to eat with gusto, crunching each bite like she was gnawing on a radish.

Chinatsu thought so, but she didn't dare say it, afraid of getting beaten up, because Sanemi and Shinobu's expressions were too serious.

The two exchanged a glance, drew their swords, their cold light gleaming, and the woman fell lifeless.

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky, making the surrounding atmosphere a little heavier.

Sanemi and Shinobu Kocho, one with his head tilted back and silent, the other with his head bowed and his hand gripping his knife tightly.

“I’m right here,” Sanemi trembled all over, the cold rain falling on him, yet he was oblivious.

"I could have saved him."

Shinobu Kocho didn't speak, but with a flick of her wrist, she created a beautiful sword flourish before sheathing her blade. "Let's go. I'll have Kasugai Crow go find the hidden one. Let's go ahead and see if there are any survivors..."

Not far away, Chika, dressed in white fluff, was huddled under a tree, her long rabbit ears damp with rain, looking rather listless.

Is he scared?

Shinobu Kocho walked over, gathered her sleeves, and squatted down. "Chika."

Her voice was soft and gentle, "Don't be afraid, Mr. Shinazugawa and I are here."

"Um?"

Fear? Fear of what?

Did you think she was afraid of that evil spirit?

Or are you still afraid of that man who'll be treated like a carrot?

So, should we be afraid?

Chika hesitated, then said, "Yeah. I'm scared."

She held her head in her hands, looked up at Shinobu Kocho, her gray eyes listless. "Can you make the rain stop? I want to go back."

The rain is getting heavier, and my clothes will get wet.

Shinobu Kocho's smile faltered slightly, and she felt a pang of heartache.

"Sorry, I can't let the rain stop."

Upon hearing this, Qianxia became even more listless. Just as she was about to reply that she was fine, everything suddenly went black before her eyes, and a fragrant aroma filled her nostrils, filling her body with warmth.

She reached out and rummaged around; it was a white haori embroidered with a distinctive butterfly pattern.

"This is," Shinobu Kocho's haori?

"But I can protect you from the rain." Shinobu Kocho rested her knees on her hands and knees, smiling gently. "So, no problem, no problem!"

Chinatsu: "..."

The body is warm, what's going on?

Sanemi stood aside, quietly watching the scene, his eyes complex and deep. Although he did not say a word, his tightly furrowed brows revealed his inner worry and unease.

Something seems off about Chika.

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

......

If you have any doubts, just ask your lord.

"Her emotions are all fake."

Sanemi knelt on one knee and recounted what he had seen and heard yesterday.

"What was Chinatsu's expression when she saw the demon and that poor man?" Ubuyashiki wasn't there, so he couldn't answer Sanemi's question. He could only try to understand more about the situation and then analyze it.

Sanemi frankly said, "At the time, Shinobu Kocho and I were both focused on saving lives, so we didn't pay attention to her condition immediately."

“But when I came to my senses and looked at her, she was sheltering from the rain under a tree, and there was no fear on her face.” Sanemi recalled her state at the time, “She only looked agitated, as if she was worried that her clothes would get dirty from the rain.”

He and Sanemi had seen many real survivors, so he naturally knew best what they should be like.

Although she already had an answer in her heart, Ubuyashiki still chose to learn more, "What was she like during her time at your house?"

"She ate very well, slept soundly, and was very lazy. She would rather lie down than sit, and rather sit than stand. She was not like a survivor who had lost her family. When she talked about the demons, there was no hatred in her eyes."

Ubuyashiki also fell into deep thought.

After a long while.

"I understand. I will send people to investigate. In the next few days, keep a close eye on her, introduce her to other people, and take her on more missions."

"Isn't it a good thing that she's not afraid?"

......