Chapter 33 (End of reverse V) "In any case..."

If inner thoughts could be materialized, Azhi would definitely be filled with a huge question mark, having heard some unbelievable things.

So the reason why the Upper Moon kept being hot and cold towards her was that he mistook her for his wife.

Azhi unconsciously opened her lips, staring blankly at Shangxian, almost completely absorbed by him.

She retorted blankly, forgetting even to shed tears, "I am not your...wife."

Unlike her previous reaction when Tanjiro misunderstood her as Giyu's wife, where she found it more amusing, when the demon said this to her, her feelings were a mixture of confusion, horror, and a touch of shyness.

But what's amazing is that ghosts still preserve the customs of marriage and funerals in human society?

Before Azhi could even begin to let her thoughts wander, Upper Moon's next words pulled her back to reality.

“For hundreds of years, I have never eaten a human!” His lips, taut into a straight line, were slightly cold. As if aware of the power of his words, he added, “I have never relied on eating humans to increase my strength.”

It simply states a fact, without any superfluous embellishments or emphasis, yet it conveys a profound weight within these two short sentences.

As A-Zhi knew, demons feed on humans, and the shortcut for demons to increase their power is by eating humans. The more humans a demon eats, the stronger it becomes. This demon, who defeated Giyuu and made people know he was powerful, but didn't know exactly how powerful, had never eaten a human.

No one could doubt the truthfulness of his words, not even Aori. She didn't even have the slightest doubt, subconsciously feeling that Kokushibo would disdain lying.

So this is actually a ghost that has endured hunger for hundreds of years and has never eaten a human!

However, Aori suddenly remembered that Nezuko had never eaten a person, so it didn't seem like a strange thing.

But having learned this information, Azhi could only vaguely understand that her life was temporarily safe, and found it difficult to find anything more direct.

The six eyes that were fixed on her were brighter than candlelight, and seemed to tremble slightly. Azhi looked up at him, bewildered like a newborn kitten, "But... I'm not yours..."

Azhi wanted to repeat herself, but she couldn't expect her still confused brain to make any better response, but her words came to an abrupt halt.

Not wanting the girl to say anything he didn't like, Kokushibo chose to address the problem at its source by gently covering her mouth with his hand.

Dry, slightly dehydrated lips were pressed against his palm, and the warm breath and words he spoke were captured in his hand.

Kokushibo knew, of course, that the girl was extremely confused. She had lost all her memories, didn't know the cause and effect of events, and didn't remember any of the memories they shared...

But none of that matters. All the entanglements will vanish with Yoriichi's departure and Ori's amnesia. What Kokushibo wants now is for Ori to stop hiding from him and stop being afraid of him.

This might sound difficult, but Kokushibo tried his best to resolve the conflict, feeling that he understood Ori's personality fairly well.

He suddenly leaned down, wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, looked at her deeply, and then, as if relieved, rested his forehead on her shoulder, revealing a hint of dejection in his posture.

"I haven't contacted any other ghosts..."

The power dynamic between the two seemed to have completely reversed, with Azhi becoming the one on top, yet the huge size difference made her look somewhat out of place.

Upper Moon didn't actually leave his weight to Aori; he just leaned against her slightly, as if he was simply looking for something to lean on.

If it were someone he knew doing this, A-Zhi would probably be rubbing his forehead to comfort him, although they wouldn't be in such an intimate position like this.

Every breath she exhaled was absorbed by Azhi, making her feel uneasy. She tried to move but couldn't break free. Fortunately, aside from the strangeness, the pressure from her tired body was relieved somewhat.

She remained in that position as she listened to Upper Moon recount his story.

Most of it was about his experiences, and because he spoke very slowly, Azhi could hear him very clearly.

Upper Moon said he knew someone near Yoshiwara, and the story dates back to a hundred years ago when he unintentionally saved someone.

One night, Kokushibo encountered the head of the Kondo family, who was being chased by his enemies. Being a man who didn't care about other people's business, he originally wanted to leave immediately.

However, after witnessing Kondo's superb swordsmanship, he felt it would be a great pity for him to die, so he rescued him from those people. As a result, he was treated as an honored guest by the Kondo clan from then on.

Kondo's residence is near Yoshiwara, and he occasionally spars with Upper Moon when he passes by there.

He didn't say much, and each difference was only described in a few words, but even so, it only took him a little over half an hour to tell the story that spanned hundreds of years.

If we were to simply evaluate the current scene, Aori and Kokushibo would resemble a pair of lovers who, having been separated for so long, are hiding in a corner to exchange feelings upon their first meeting, with the tall swordsman whispering sweet nothings in the girl's ear.

Aside from the female protagonist's occasional moments of bewilderment, one could easily misunderstand it this way if they didn't know the inside story.

Honestly, given Azhi's current dazed state, 000 felt it was fortunate that she wasn't assigned to a suspenseful world, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have survived more than two episodes.

It will last at most two and a half episodes. In that half episode, the murderer kept her around a little longer because she was cute.

The upper moon seemed to have stopped. After a moment of processing, Aori secretly glanced down and asked in a low voice, "Are you... mistaken me for someone else?"

Because Upper Moon spoke very seriously, and Aori listened attentively, she tried to bring him to his senses with a question, just as seriously.

Kokushibo: "I haven't admitted my mistake!"

With such a resolute tone, if the topic were changed, Aori would definitely have already wavered in her opinion and turned to believe the seemingly smarter Upper Moon.

Azhi, feeling dizzy, asked: "What happened?"

Completely illogical, Azhi chose to shift the focus of the problem.

000 didn't quite agree with anything Kokushibo said, even his initial statement that "he did everything that Ori wanted."

If he had truly accomplished what A-Zhi expected, then that mission back in the Warring States period wouldn't have ended in such a disastrous failure.

Although it's a bit unreasonable to say this, since Kokushibo didn't know that Ori had a mission, he is undoubtedly a huge obstacle right now.

He declined to comment on other matters, but all the 000s who spoke of his "wife" believed that Kokushibo was talking nonsense, and at this moment, he could not use the coldest language to expose him.

Because 000 simply couldn't explain to Aori why a complete Upper Moon demon she'd never met would be so convinced of their improper relationship, unless Kokushibo was stupid. Once she said that, 000 felt pretty stupid herself.

It's quite frustrating.

So 000 started spouting nonsense: "Ah, this is a cheat code I gave you, to make him think you're his wife, so you won't get eaten."

Since binding itself to Azhi, 000 has become a master of deception, and what makes it very proud is that Azhi doesn't pry like others.

In summary, they are very easy to fool. For example, if 000 really had the ability to make up stories like this, they would have run away with Azhi long ago, instead of ending up like this.

Azhi immediately believed it without a doubt and praised, "[000, you're amazing!] Even such a powerful Upper Moon can be bewitched."

【You should have told me sooner.】Azhi suddenly remembered how scared she looked before; it must have looked pretty bad. She didn't know when 000 had cast the spell. 【But isn't this a bit inappropriate?】

Instead of turning her into a ghost's wife, wouldn't it be more appropriate to give her some other identity?

Azhi felt increasingly awkward about it and even tried to bargain: "Would it be better if it were an older sister or a younger sister? Or even an aunt or something?"

If this Upper Moon originally had a wife, then she replaced that wife and listened to what should have been said to someone else.

If not, it's quite pitiful... In short, it's really too much to take someone else's wife status for no reason.

000: […………]

000 got led astray; if it were replaced with something else, wouldn't it become a forbidden love? But it quickly realized its mistake.

[He doesn't have a wife!] 000 seized another opportunity to smear Kokushibo, determined to leave a bad impression on Aori. [Someone like him, it's suspicious that he hasn't been able to find a wife all these years.]

That means a wife was created out of thin air.

Seeing how deeply he was immersed in the role, he must have taken this matter to heart. However, life is unpredictable. He never expected that after hundreds of years, he still couldn't get what he wanted, and now a fake one has appeared.

Azhi sighed sincerely, "That's really pitiful."

She was lost in thought and didn't notice that the wicked Upper Moon had quietly picked her up at some point. She only realized what was happening when her feet were dangling in the air and panicked for a moment.

Holding her like a baby, they reached their destination in just two short steps, and Azhi was carried to the futon again.

A large package came into view, which must have contained a lot of things. Recalling the noise she had just heard, Aori knew why Kokushibo had gone out earlier.

Aori could hardly imagine what could be hidden inside such a large package. Then, she stared in disbelief as Kokushibo took out a blanket, clothes, charcoal, and a ceramic pot from the package...

Finally, there was a bundle wrapped up and its contents were unclear... Where did these things come from?

The next second, Azhi knew the answer to the question.

"I borrowed it from Kondo." Kokushibo's tone was quite frank. He had found what he wanted and handed it to the girl, saying simply, "Eat it!"

The aroma of rice filled her nostrils, and as if echoing Shangxian's words, Azhi's stomach rumbled. She pressed her abdomen in bewilderment.

Compared to the issue of life, the issue of food naturally came second. If you think about it carefully, it seems that Azhi hasn't eaten anything for a whole day and night.

Ah Zhi really wanted to be like an indomitable hero who wouldn't accept charity, but unfortunately, once her belly started growing, it wouldn't cooperate, like a symphony playing, putting her in an even more awkward situation.

She could only reluctantly accept the food.

It was a rice ball, still warm, with pickled plums inside. Azhi took small bites, and it was quite delicious.

Eating alone felt a little strange, but Aori wasn't stupid enough to ask Upper Moon, "Are you hungry?"

He continued to do things for the fake "wife" without thinking, and for the first time in a long time, Azhi tasted the pain of having things to say but not being able to say them.

Shangxian started a fire nearby, and the moment the flames appeared, the chill in the room was dispelled. He began to fiddle with the pottery jar and the small, unidentified package with somewhat clumsy movements.

Later, Azhi also learned what was hidden in the small package—it contained herbs, and the smell was just as strong.

So Shangxian knelt down in front of the newly lit fire and began to boil medicine.

000 scanned the screen and said calmly, "[This is a medicine for treating colds and flu; it's non-toxic and harmless.]"

Azhi held the rice ball and secretly glanced at him. The flickering firelight gradually licked the charcoal, as if casting a bright filter around him, making him appear much gentler.

There was no doubt that the medicine was being prepared for her, naturally it was for her, the fake "wife." Ah Zhi was still not quite used to this suddenly added identity.

To be honest, even before she tasted it, Ah Zhi already felt a bitter taste in her mouth. After imagining it in advance, she felt even more that the medicine would be incredibly torturous.

"drink!"

As expected, it was another short sentence. Moreover, A-Zhi suspected that Upper Moon had seen her reluctance, so this sentence had a more commanding tone than the previous one.

Putting everything else aside for now, this Upper Moon is quite serious about his non-existent wife, Aori thought to herself.

While she was grimacing as she drank the medicine, Upper Moon, with his back to her, began to take off his outer garment, then his white inner lining, without any attempt at modesty.

In a few swift movements, Kokushibo stripped his upper body completely naked. Light and shadow cast shadows on his strong, muscular body, and his smooth waistline was no longer covered by clothing, fully exposed to Aori's eyes.

Ah Zhi... Ah Zhi choked, unable to spit out or swallow the medicine in her mouth.

Hearing her voice, Upper Moon, holding the clothes in his hand, turned around to look at her. Her well-toned chest and abdomen were also fully visible to Aori, and her honey-colored skin glowed.

Anyone who has touched it knows how elastic it is.

Kokushibo was also soaked. He hadn't changed his clothes when Aori changed, and then he went out to get something, so he was thoroughly soaked twice.

Even so, the package he brought when he returned the second time was completely dry, not only because the package was made of waterproof material, but also because he carefully protected it with the same borrowed umbrella.

These things are naturally not worth talking about.

Kokushibo suddenly remembered that he was suddenly at Kondo's house late at night, and was first mistaken for a robber and almost driven away, until Kondo came out and cleared up the misunderstanding.

Then, when he expressed his need for these things, especially items that women need, Kondo's face showed a rather peculiar expression.

And finally, when Kondo stammered and asked who it was for, Kokushibo answered "his wife," he was so shocked that he almost fell over.

"…………"

Shangxian spread out her clothes, which she had taken off, and warmed herself by the fire. It seemed that she was the only one who felt uncomfortable.

Ah Zhi silently turned around, holding the bowl.

********

It was indeed a very overcast day, with no sun shining. In this densely wooded area, it looked even darker, almost like nighttime.

Therefore, candles were kept burning in the small house, and the fire was never extinguished. After warming herself by the fire for so long and having drunk some medicine and sweated a bit, Azhi felt that she was fine.

Realizing that Kokushibo had almost finished all the work, Aori finally couldn't resist the inner condemnation and decided to take action against the blankets.

She was still a step too late; Shangxian had made the bed again in the blink of an eye, as if by magic.

Demons don't need to rest. It seems that Aori didn't realize this. The bed and blanket that Kokushibo originally prepared were only enough for one person, so she misunderstood.

Azhi was never a stingy or ungrateful person. She felt that the care she had received so far came from Upper Moon One, and it would be too shameless for her to enjoy it all by herself in the end.

But have you forgotten that if Kokushibo hadn't kidnapped you, you'd be living a life of luxury right now? 000 thought with a hint of helplessness.

But if it were said out loud, the nervous girl would definitely be furious, and besides, no one knew what this unpredictable ghost was thinking, so 000 simply shut up.

The girl folded her outer garment to use as a pillow, and lay down in a very proper posture. In addition, she was holding onto the edge of the quilt tightly against one side of the bed, almost falling off, which left a large area on the other side.

Her face was still flushed with an unnatural red, but it wasn't the red of a fever; it was more like the red of shyness. Her tightly closed eyelashes, which trembled from time to time, revealed that she was pretending to be asleep.

That's pretty awkward.

Seeing this, Kokushibo, who had no intention of doing so and was planning to continue meditating as usual, could no longer resist such an invitation.

In Kokushibo's eyes, everything that had just happened was a good start; at least the girl hadn't refused him like she had at the beginning, though he didn't know why.

A rustling sound that tugged at the ear, and Upper Moon's shadow was cast in the candlelight, rising and falling with his movements.

Although her eyes were closed, Azhi, who was still awake, could naturally feel the changes in light and darkness. After a short breath, the room returned to darkness, and then the soft bed sank down.

Actually, it wasn't that obvious because there was a hard floor under the bed. It was only because Azhi had been paying attention to it that she thought it was so obvious.

What made her even more uncomfortable was yet to come.

Even though a very spacious area had been reserved beforehand, with enough room for at least two more Aori to lie down, Kokushibo immediately took up all the reserved space after he lay down.

Azhi could feel the other person's arm about to touch her. She suppressed the urge to jump up, held back for a moment, and finally moved slightly to the edge again.

...and didn't move it.

Azhi felt she had done something stupid again. When she was lying on the bed, she subconsciously turned to face the direction where she couldn't see Upper Moon. Now she felt she should lie flat so she could secretly observe Kokushibo's movements.

It won't be like now, where we can only guess at everything.

With such complicated feelings, Azhi began to comfort herself that she was a stiff corpse. As she comforted herself, her breathing gradually became calmer.

Sometimes being carefree is a good thing.

Kokushibo was also turned to the side, and from his angle, all he could see was Aori's beautifully curved back and profile. As if trying to avoid his gaze, the girl subconsciously shrank her neck and buried the lower half of her face in the blanket.

Ah Zhi left herself absolutely no room to maneuver; she curled herself up into a ball, clinging tightly to the edge, lest she be squeezed out of bed and fall to the floor with the slightest movement.

She was still wary of him.

But she's not a very still sleeper. She's alright now, but I'm really not comfortable with A-Zhi. Kokushibo sighed in the darkness.

The accumulated fatigue made her sleep soundly. Even when Upper Moon dragged her a little closer, the girl only frowned slightly and did not react otherwise.

Kokushibo leaned closer, brushed a stray hair from her nose, looked down at her for a long time, and then said in a very soft voice as if he could no longer contain himself, "No matter what, I will not let go!"

Upper Moon One didn't do anything out of line again. After adjusting Aori's position, he propped his arms up behind his head, looked at the ceiling, and slowly closed his eyes.

This time, he will hold on tightly to A-Zhi.

-----------------------

Author's Note: To be honest, the author still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve... and there will be a new character appearing in the next chapter, um, if I can write it.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 20:08:13 on May 6, 2023 and 21:55:44 on May 8, 2023!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Remember to breathe 35 bottles; No comment 10 bottles; Sheep Winter 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!