Chapter Three
Damn it! He's going to chop Muzan up and dry him in the sun!
The child's village was completely massacred, and there was no one left to entrust his orphan to. If it weren't for him, would he have had to suffer this humiliation?
"Add one more thing!" Sanemi slammed the paper on the table. "Study the common script for one hour every day."
We can find some children's books for her to copy, and he will be responsible for teaching her to read them. It shouldn't be a big problem.
"Huh?" Qianxia's face instantly contorted in disgust. "Who am I supposed to learn from? I don't mean I have to go back to school!"
No way! She, a renowned mercenary warrior with eighteen years of fame, is returning to sit with a bunch of kids?!
I've completely lost face. Thanks for the invitation!
"Is there a problem with me?"
Why does this little brat look so disgusted?!
Sanemi couldn't hold back any longer and punched her on the head with his fist.
A dull cracking sound came from her head. It didn't hurt, but it was embarrassing. Qianxia clutched her head and wailed, "Waaah, it's okay! It's okay! Don't hit my head! It'll stunt my growth."
This girl is just like her brother, always hitting her on the head.
"Tsk!" Sanemi looked her up and down, finally settling on her small, short fingers. "Give up, you're not going to grow any taller."
Chika was dumbfounded.
How can you talk like that? It's even a personal attack!
In a fit of anger, she became furious.
"You're talking nonsense!" She jumped onto the table, glaring angrily. "My brother said that women can grow up to thirty. Not only will I grow up now, but I will grow up in the future, and I will grow up when I'm pregnant and when I give birth!"
Don't underestimate me!
Looking at the child standing on the table who wasn't even as tall as him, Sanemi couldn't help but chuckle. "Your brother lied to you, and—"
Before she could finish speaking, Sanemi raised his hand, moving so fast that the wind he was lifted into the air could be seen. Chinatsu instinctively wanted to dodge.
However, for a normal person, that speed would be unavoidable.
"Bang!"
Chika was hit again, causing her to lose her balance and lean backward.
Sanemi swiftly grabbed her by the back of the neck, lifted her up, and pressed her down to sit on the edge of the table. "One more rule! No standing on the table!"
Chika covered her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes, "Waaah! It hurts!"
"This is a place to eat," Sanemi said, ignoring her. He knew exactly how much force he was using; it wasn't nearly as exaggerated as he'd suggested.
"Eat breakfast and get some rest. We'll train early tomorrow."
Qianxia pouted as she watched him lift the lid of the bowl and scoop food from the pot.
Chika was very angry. She wanted to say that she wouldn't eat it, even if she starved to death.
The pot lid was opened, and Shimi scooped a full bowl and placed it in front of her with a "thump".
Chika shut up.
It smells so good!
Seeing her greedy look, Sanemi's anger subsided with a "hiss," and he said, "Eat up!"
He sat down on the other side with his bowl in his hand, and had just taken a sip with the wooden spoon when he heard a whistle outside the door, "Squeak—"
The sound was crisp, loud, and rapid.
"Eat your meal and get some rest!"
Sanemi, holding the bowl, opened his mouth and poured it out; with a swift movement of his knife, he vanished in an instant.
Chika lowered her head, holding a spoon and swirling it in the bowl, staring blankly at the rising steam.
With a "whoosh," it made a sound.
The heat dissipated, leaving two empty bowls standing alone on the table, and all the people around the table were gone.
......
Tokyo has been experiencing continuous rain for the past few days. After the rainy nights, the sky resembles thick ink, spreading deep across the world and draping everything in a mysterious and dark veil.
The evil spirits lurking in the depths of the night seemed to break free of their restraints, running rampant and silently casting a blood-red gloom over the long night.
"Wind Breathing, Type III: Sunny Breeze Tree!"
"The first form of the snake's breath is winding and meandering!"
"Wind Breathing, Type III: Sunny Breeze Tree!"
A sharp blade was drawn, light and shadow intertwined, and the head of the demon flew high into the air before turning to ashes.
"Tsk! It's not a crescent moon!" Sanemi landed on the blood-stained roof, blood dripping down his hair and soaking his body.
"Shinzogawa," Obanai Iguro landed on the tree, her eyes full of disdain, "you're just going to go back like this? Won't your kids be scared of you?"
"Afraid?" Sanemi sheathed his sword in annoyance. "Afraid of what?"
Kobayashi leaned against the tree, "Don't you know?"
They had seen many people with similar experiences, and they were also accustomed to the tragic fate of families being slaughtered by evil spirits, leaving only one survivor.
Obanai Iguro left it at that regarding what the sole survivor was like.
Sanemi snorted coldly and slid down the eaves to the ground. "For a brat like a child, do you expect me to clean up and go back?"
“This child isn’t as fragile as you think. You saw it yourself; she was jumping around in the Butterfly Mansion, causing trouble at the meeting, and she wasn’t afraid at all when faced with the snarling swords of several of us.”
"Can you believe it? She came right up to the table at my house today and started talking back to me. This kid has a better mentality than either of us. If she weren't human, I would have almost thought she was an undercover agent sent by Muzan to the Demon Slayer Corps."
Chika, who was squatting to the side eavesdropping, had a black line on her face and silently shrank her neck.
She had no idea what it was like for people to be slaughtered by demons. When she was a mercenary, she never left anyone alive.
Iguro Obanai, lying on the tree, listened to Shinazugawa speak with great interest. This was probably the most eloquent conversation Shinazugawa had ever had since they became colleagues, aside from discussions about demons.
The kid himself didn't realize that his face became much more lively when he talked about the child. The last time he was this lively was when he learned that his younger brother had gone to training and was clamoring to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
That time... tsk tsk! Let's not talk about it.
"Did you ask for the child's identification information? What's her full name? How old is she? Besides her older brother Qianhe, are there any other relatives in her family?"
Obanai Iguro steered the conversation back to the children's identity, saying, "My lord has checked the village's roster of people, and it seems there are no siblings named Chika and Chizuru in that village."
"Besides, something's really off about that village, didn't you notice?"
“His identity,” Sanemi stammered, “I was in a rush today and didn’t have time to ask. I’d guess he’s only twelve or thirteen. If he jumped, he wouldn’t even reach my chest.”
He measured the height from the neck down.
"A tiny little one."
Qianxia, who was just a month shy of turning 18, felt a sudden pang of heartache. It was true that she was less than 1.6 meters tall, barely reaching the other woman's chest, but the question was, was it appropriate for him to bring that up as casual conversation?
"Clang—"
A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm descended from the sky and struck Sanemi directly.
As a pillar of wind, he was naturally not struck by lightning. With a light touch of his toes, he instantly disappeared from his original spot and landed beside Obanai Iguro.
"Huh? Thunder? Is it going to rain?" Sanemi frowned as he looked at the muddy ground that had been shattered by the thunder.
The person who made the mistake was furious.
......
When Sanemi returned home covered in blood, the house was ablaze with candlelight, and a row of candles lit up the front of the house, illuminating the entire courtyard.
From afar, he saw the child squatting at the door.
The little doll was wrapped tightly in a sheet, leaving only its two eyes exposed, gazing towards the door. The moment Sanemi appeared, those eyes lit up instantly.
The little guy, barefoot, ran towards him with lightning speed.
Sanemi's first reaction was to dodge; he was filthy.
Before he could finish speaking, his feet slipped on the long bed sheet and he swayed to one side.
"Thump!"
"Awoo!"
The sound of a forehead hitting an arm was crisp, and so was someone's pitiful cry.
There was no need to feign distress. When Qianxia looked up, her eyes were already brimming with tears. "Wow!!! Where did you go? Why are you so late? Do you know how dark and scary it is at night?!"
She wrapped herself tightly in the sheet, trying her best to keep her only sweater from touching him, since it was extremely difficult to wash off bloodstains, and it was her only sweater; it wouldn't be good if it got dirty.
Sanemi was extremely helpless, feeling once again that he had brought back a troublesome child. If it were a boy, it would be fine, but it was a girl. What was he going to do?
"Didn't I tell you to go to bed early? I just got a message that someone nearby was attacked by an evil spirit, oh my god..."
"Waaah!! How scary!" Qianxia naturally knew where he had been, but that didn't stop her from perfecting her persona. "You left me here all alone, and the room was pitch black, just like the other day with my brother."
"My brother said he was going out for a while, leaving me alone at home, and then he never came back. Waaaaah! He didn't even leave me his body!"
"I'm so miserable! Ah!"
He's so pitiful.
Sanemi let out a long sigh, veins bulging on her forehead, her head buzzing with each sob.
But he was completely helpless.
He really didn't expect the child to react so strongly when alone at home.
So annoying! So noisy!
How can there be such a noisy child in this world!
Knock her out and throw her back into the Butterfly Mansion.
The moment he raised his hand, the little kid hugged him tightly, looking up at his big, sparkling eyes.
Tsk! I can't bring myself to do it.
“I’ll take you back to the Butterfly Mansion,” Sanemi tried to negotiate with her. “There are many people there, it’s safe and secluded. You don’t have to worry about being bothered by evil spirits.”
"I don't want to!" Chika refused outright.
If you finally manage to get out and then go back, wouldn't that be a waste of your performance?
Sanemi wanted to explode. Talking to this brat was less satisfying than killing a thousand demons. "Then! You! Tell! What do you want me to do?"
"Take me out tonight! Or, find someone to stay with me!" Qianxia pouted, looking aggrieved. "Otherwise, I'm scared."
"You're not a team member yet, so you can't participate in the operation. Everyone's busy, and no one has time to spend with you."
"But I'm scared!"
"That's why I said I'd take you to the Butterfly Mansion!"
"I don't want to! I want to stay here with you!"
"I'm going out to exorcise ghosts that night. Before you become a team member, you'll be home alone."
"But I'm scared!"
Sanemi felt like he was talking to a brick wall.
He wants to kill the ghost! Right now! He really wants to!
......
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