Chapter Twenty-Nine
How are you feeling right now?
"The feeling of not wanting to sleep."
"Do you have any cravings or desires?"
"have."
"Want to eat people?"
"I want hot pot with mutton, and a can of beer, preferably with some peanuts."
"......"
The air was silent for three seconds. Everyone present took a small step back, their faces showing a mixture of doubt and skepticism: "This answer seems correct, but something is not right."
The Demon Slayer Corps' final trial was supposed to involve surviving for seven days in Mount Fujikasa. However, it ended abruptly in less than a day.
No one knows who was behind it, and no one can explain what exactly happened. In short, the trial came to an abrupt end.
Except for a few who couldn't handle the pressure and withdrew voluntarily, everyone else passed the challenge. After all, everyone had seen how each person performed.
The sky was still dark. On the open ground covered with fallen wisteria blossoms, the Pillars Sanemi Shinazugawa, Mitsuri Kanroji, Obanai Iguro, Tengen Uzui, and Shinobu Kocho gathered together, surrounded by a few new members who wouldn't leave no matter how hard they tried to shoo them away, peeking around as if they were watching a spectacle.
Surrounded by wisteria blossoms, Chika sat cross-legged, her bright red eyes gleaming. Anyone who saw her would immediately think: something's not right.
Then, the conversation at the beginning took place.
"what to do?"
Genya swallowed hard, a hint of worry on his face. "Chika seems to have turned into a ghost, but it also seems... not quite right."
Shinobu Kocho tapped her chin lightly with her fingertip. "Oh my~ How about I draw a couple of vials of blood to do some research first?"
"Just looking at Chinatsu's eyes, she really does look like a ghost." Mitsuri bent down and leaned closer, her curiosity overflowing. "Don't you really feel anything else? Like wanting to bite something or something?"
"Kanroji Mitsuri, stay away. Her condition is unclear, she's in danger." Obanai Iguro moved closer to her, his eyes fixed on Chinatsu with the same wariness he would show when eyeing his prey.
Miri blinked and waved her hand with a smile, "It's okay, it's okay. I feel like Chika didn't mean any harm. She looks so well-behaved."
Chika scratched her head, looking completely bewildered.
"How do I determine if it's a ghost? I feel perfectly fine. Apart from having boundless energy, I don't feel uncomfortable at all."
"I wasn't thinking of biting anyone, and I didn't hear that Muzan Kibutsuji voice you guys were talking about. Oh right, did I just say his name?"
The moment these words were spoken, the onlookers erupted in uproar.
"Huh??? He can call out Muzan Kibutsuji's name??? Wow!!"
"Isn't it said that demons will explode if they utter Muzan's name?"
"That's why I said she doesn't look like a ghost."
"Could it be that the transformation hasn't been successful yet?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, while Sanemi remained silent, staring intently at Chinatsu. Just as everyone was debating whether to wait for the sun to come out and try it out, he made a move.
"Whoosh—"
The sound of the blade being drawn was very clear, and everyone turned to look at Sanemi at the same time, while Chinatsu felt goosebumps rise on her skin.
Help! When he was a human, he didn't think there was anything scary about him, but now that he's become the opposite, Sanemi's aura suddenly becomes frightening.
"Brother! Calm down!" Seeing this, Genmi almost knelt down on the spot, rushing over and grabbing Sanemi's arm. "Don't be impulsive! Let's take another look!"
Several veins popped out of Shimi's temples.
Sanemi and Genya's reactions were within Chika's comprehension, but there was one person who made her feel extremely uneasy.
It was the boy named Kamado Tanjiro who had been frantically sniffing around in front of Doma.
She didn't think she knew him well, but now he was holding his Nichirin Blade tightly, standing firmly in front of her.
"Get out of here."
Sanemi's voice was as cold as ice. He punched Genya away and then slapped Tanjiro, sending him staggering back several steps.
Seeing the two not-so-slender people being flung away like rag dolls, everyone present instantly fell silent, even their breathing became soft.
Tanjiro and Genya tried to get up to stop them, but Obanai Iguro and Tengen Uzui immediately stepped forward and held them down.
Iguro grabbed Tanjiro's arm and pinned him to the ground, his tone cold and hard, "Don't be too presumptuous, brat."
Uzui Tengen was even more direct, hoisting Genya onto his shoulder and lifting him high, "Hey hey hey~ Kid, don't meddle in adult stuff, just watch quietly~"
In front of everyone, Sanemi did not attack Chinatsu. Instead, he gripped the blade tightly in his backhand, and then—
"laugh--!"
The sharp blade sliced across his palm, and a thick, pungent smell of blood quickly filled the air.
Sanemi clenched his bleeding fist and presented it directly to Chinatsu.
Those who knew the inside story immediately understood.
Sanemi's blood is a rare blood type, which has a fatal attraction to demons. If Chinatsu is really a demon, she would have no chance of resisting.
All eyes were once again focused on Chika, holding their breath and waiting for her reaction.
Her reaction was indeed unexpected by everyone.
Faced with Sanemi's blood-soaked hand, the red light in her eyes grew even more intense, saliva uncontrollably dripped from the corner of her mouth, and the sound of her swallowing could even be clearly heard.
Just as everyone's hearts tightened, she suddenly blurted out something.
"Hehe...it smells like a restaurant..."
Sanemi: "......"
Everyone: "......"
The snake on Ihei's neck paused, as if pondering what "restaurant smell" meant.
Despite her words, Chika made no move to pounce on him. She just stood there, staring at Sanemi's hand and drooling, like a cat that had seen a dried fish but dared not move.
Tanjiro turned to look at her, his tense face slowly softening, and a light gradually appeared in his eyes. He looked as if he had seen hope, and even the hand gripping the sword loosened a little.
Shinobu Kocho crouched down, tilted her head, and leaned closer to Chinatsu. Her voice was soft but tinged with mischief, "Don't you want to eat? Aren't you hungry? Don't you feel like pouncing on her and taking a bite?"
Chika licked her lips. "Sister Shinobu, you smell really strongly of wisteria." As she spoke, she closed her eyes and sniffed lightly. "That kind of scent that comes from your skin."
Shinobu Kocho was stunned. She imitated Sanemi by slashing her hand open and offering it up, "Would you like to try?"
Chika slowly opened her eyes, then gently shook her head, her tone remarkably decisive.
"don't want."
Her refusal stunned everyone. Sanemi's originally gloomy eyes lit up with a glimmer of light because of her words, as if she had seen hope and breathed a sigh of relief.
"The body's desires are real; they're screaming, telling me how delicious you'll be. But..."
Chika wiped her mouth and stared at everyone with her bright red eyes.
"Reason tells me I can't."
A gentle breeze blew by, and silence returned to the surroundings.
"It's dawn."
Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted urgently.
Everyone looked up and saw the light and shadow swaying on the mountaintop not far away, with the orange-yellow dawn spreading.
What's puzzling is that the one who reacted most violently to this light wasn't Genya, nor Sanemi, but...
Young man, Tanjiro Kamado.
He expertly pulled out a basket and called out to Qianxia, "Come in quickly, come in quickly, the sun is about to rise!"
Everyone present looked completely bewildered: "..."
Where did the bamboo basket come from?
Chika, equally bewildered, remained silent.
Young man, there's something wrong with your behavior.
......
In the end, Chika was packed up and shipped back to the Demon Slayer Corps branch.
It's a little embarrassing to say, but she huddled in a bamboo basket the whole time, with a thick cloth covering her head, looking just like a rare mushroom that had just been dug up from the mountains.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was running at breakneck speed, so much so that she was completely disoriented and almost missed her dinner from the previous night.
"Please stay here for a while, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Outside the fence of the Demon Slayer Corps branch's basement, Shinobu Kocho still had that same smiling look in her eyes, but the word "wronged" in her words sounded a bit light and airy.
Sanemi Shinazugawa stood with his arms crossed the whole time, his face as cold as ice, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito; no one could guess what he was plotting.
The boy who had suggested using a bamboo basket to carry her was staring at her with barely concealed worry in his eyes.
That's right, Chika always felt that he wasn't looking at her, but rather at someone else through her. It made her want to turn around and see if there was an invisible person following her.
She glanced at everyone present, then honestly echoed Shinobu Kocho's words, "It's alright, it's not a grievance, it's understandable."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Shinobu Kocho changed the subject, "Would you mind if I drew a vial of blood to do some small research?"
She smiled without showing her teeth as she said this, but for some reason, Qianxia felt a chill on the back of her neck.
“Sure, of course.” Qianxia didn’t think the request was unreasonable and readily rolled up her sleeves and reached out.
Then Shinobu Kocho pulled out a syringe that was ten centimeters long.
"Holy crap! Are you trying to drain my blood and turn me into red bean soup?!" Qianxia's pupils dilated in shock.
Sanemi Shinazugawa, standing to the side, gripped Shinobu Kocho's hand tightly, his eyes full of disapproval. "Don't go too far."
Shinobu Kocho chuckled and winked, covering her mouth as she laughed until the corners of her eyes curved. "Just kidding~ I love seeing you guys get all scared and your fur stands on end, it's so cute."
As she spoke, she pulled out several small tubes of normal size from her sleeve, and put the ten-centimeter behemoth back in.
Chika also breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, she could tell that Shinobu Kocho had been serious just now.
But she had no evidence.
However, she did not get the truth, because after several vials of blood were drawn, Shinobu Kocho disappeared, along with Sanemi and the others who had remained silent for a long time.
A moment later, with the sound of the iron door creaking shut, only Qianxia remained in the basement.
Chinatsu didn't stand on ceremony. She pulled the pillow behind her closer, yawned, and chose to lie down and sleep.
"I'm so tired, I'll take a nap first."
......
"Chika~chan~"
In her dazed state, Qianxia felt herself having difficulty breathing.
It felt like my whole body was bound by something, and even my eyelids felt incredibly heavy.
She strained with all her might and barely managed to pry her eyelids open a crack.
However, the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Doma's face, which was so handsome it was outrageous.
At this moment, he felt as if he were sinking into a soft pillow, his arms tightly wrapped around her, and even his legs wrapped around her abdomen, trapping her so that she could not move.
His signature smile remained on his lips, and the tassels of his oversized hood fell gently beside her cheek as he tilted his head to examine her.
A subtle itch crept up on her, but Chika didn't have the strength to lift her hand to brush it away.
The surrounding light was dim, and the room's decor lacked any homely warmth, but she couldn't quite place it.
Did Doma steal her from the Demon Slayer Corps branch in the middle of the night?
No, no, no, I doubt it's possible.
Considering what she did before, the only possibility is...
Is she dreaming?
"Yes, we're in a dream~"
As if reading her thoughts, Doma's cool fingers traced a path from her shoulder up her neck to her chin.
"Since you don't come looking for me, I have no choice but to come looking for you."
His chin was lifted high, and his breath gently fell on her ear, carrying a faint coolness.
"Come find me~ my favorite~ Chinatsu-chan~"
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