Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16
Tanjiro ultimately did not leave Nezuko behind; the remaining bond between the siblings made it difficult for them to separate again.
Because she was unaware of the hidden details beforehand, A-Zhi, who offered to watch the box, expressed her understanding.
I heard that the boy has companions at Kyogoku-ya and Ogimoto-ya. Ogimoto-ya is not very familiar with them, but Kyogoku-ya is home to the most famous Warabi-hime, and she knows mostly about people.
These estimates won't be of much help.
"Tanjiro..." Aori called out to the boy. She pursed her lips, her clear eyes lingering on Tanjiro Kamado's ear, and asked something that had always been on her mind, "What are your earrings...?"
Azhi didn't know why she cared about this earring. It seemed to have a special magic that made it impossible for her to ignore it the moment she saw it.
It was a strange, deeply buried stirring within my soul that was awakened.
She didn't even know what she wanted to ask, or what kind of answer she wanted to get from the boy, but she still asked anyway.
"……earring?"
Completely unprepared for Aori to ask such a question, Kamado Tanjiro repeated it, not quite understanding, but noticing the undisguised expectation on the girl's face.
The girl seemed to want to touch the earring. She stood on tiptoe and involuntarily reached out her hand. Tanjiro Kamado leaned down slightly, but before her snow-white fingertips could touch it, she was startled and withdrew her hand.
Tanjiro Kamado paused for a moment, but did not insist. He straightened up, touched the sun-shaped earring on his cheek, and smiled brightly.
“It was given to me by my father. He said it was passed down from our ancestors.”
The boy had neither the need nor the motivation to lie about such a trivial matter, and besides, he wasn't that kind of person.
Even though the answer given was standard, strangely enough, after listening to it, Azhi felt a faint sense of regret, as if this was not what she wanted to hear.
But if it's not these, then what answer best matches her expectations?
"I see."
Azhi didn't understand. Her voice suddenly became as light as fine sand, as if it would dissipate into the air with a gust of wind. She was stunned for a moment before she came back to her senses.
The answer did not bring any unexpected results. The inexplicable sense of loss that Azhi felt disappeared as the topic ended, leaving little trace in her heart.
Perhaps because she hadn't been sleeping well lately, many strange thoughts flooded her mind. Azhi smiled again, and she stroked the boy's bangs, her round eyes melting with sweetness.
Finally, unable to resist, he tiptoed and pinched the boy's cheek, whispering earnestly, "Tanjiro, if you encounter any particularly dangerous situation, you must run without hesitation!"
Azhi didn't think that running away when there was no chance of winning and rushing in would mean sacrificing her life was a mistake; on the contrary, she thought it was the right thing to do.
For Aori, running away is not shameful. Just like her, if she didn't run away, she would only be a burden. As for Tanjiro, he would probably condemn himself because of his upright character.
"You absolutely must be careful."
The girl's eyes were gentle, and her words were full of care. Her intimate gestures made Tanjiro Kamado easily think of his family.
Even the usually composed Tanjiro Kamado was somewhat engrossed in it. His face flushed, his mind blank, and he subconsciously hummed in response before realizing what Aori meant.
Tanjiro Kamado's eyes widened suddenly, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
First of all, what Ms. Aori said is completely different from what others said. Secondly, Zenitsu should really like Ms. Aori.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Tanjiro Kamado went to Suma's room without lingering, which is typical of the Demon Slayer Corps' style of coming and going in a hurry.
After he left, the room returned to silence. Azhi was wide awake and sat on the floor with her knees drawn up to her chest, slowly stroking the edge of the carpet with her fingertips, her mind filled with thoughts of ghosts.
If all the missing women were taken away by ghosts, then there must have been several missing courtesans in each house in the red-light district. If we calculate it that way, there should be around a hundred missing women.
She vaguely remembered that the more people a ghost ate, the stronger it was—undoubtedly terrible news.
Azhi was somewhat agitated. She angrily took a bite of her pastry, chewing it as if to vent her frustration: "What a despicable ghost!"
Why did you ask that question just now?
It was as if it had been waiting for a long time, and 000 was somewhat impatient, but it forcibly suppressed this emotion to make itself appear less urgent.
Azhi let out a soft "Ah," her thick eyelashes fluttering as she asked with a blank expression, "What?"
She had already put what had just happened out of her mind.
It's...that earring. The sun-shaped earring that hides many secrets.
000 tried its best to appear calm, but heaven knows, when it heard Azhi ask that question, its entire spiritual body buzzed and it experienced a rare sense of unease.
Azhi paused for a moment. Although the interval was actually very short, she could no longer feel what she had felt at the time and couldn't explain why.
She bit her fingertip, a hint of dazedness in her eyes: "I don't know, maybe it's because that sun-shaped earring is really pretty."
000: [...]
He seems carefree and thoughtless.
After carefully checking and confirming, 000 realized that Azhi really didn't take the matter to heart, so she stopped pressing the issue and her serious attitude gradually relaxed.
It might just be a coincidence.
Aori dawdled, thinking that she could offer some small help when Tanjiro came to her next time, but directly asking 000 made her feel guilty, as if she were cheating.
She'd been in the office for so long without finding anything amiss, and Aori wasn't expecting to suddenly discover any clues herself; she'd still have to rely on 000.
She pleaded shamelessly, her attitude very sincere: "Where...where is the ghost?"
To be honest, 000 has no obligation to answer Azhi's questions.
[Not at the temporary residence.] 000 looked at Aori, and instead of rebuking her as usual for her almost probing behavior, reassured her, [Those who were recently arrested will all be fine.]
The sense of unease grew stronger. 000 knew that Azhi was essentially a little fool, and it had already gone to great lengths to help her complete her mission.
Admittedly, Azhi was more obedient than any of its previous hosts. If it were in a low-risk world, it probably wouldn't take long to finish the mission and would even get the highest score.
It was just bad luck for Azhi; she encountered the most dangerous world on her first visit. 000 had already done her best to protect her.
As things stand, if the plan proceeds as expected and nothing unexpected happens, everything will come to a successful conclusion.
Recalling the harrowing experience when A-Zhi first entered this world a few years ago, 000 still feels a lingering fear.
It's no exaggeration to say that even after such a long period of recuperation, the energy it consumed has not yet returned to its optimal state.
000 truly believes that once the mission is completed, the system center should award it a Best System Award to justify all the hardships it has endured along the way.
It then added, in a very serious tone, "Behave yourself lately, don't cause trouble."
Just as Azhi was starting to feel a little relieved, she was met with 000's accusations. She strongly disagreed with what 000 said, wrinkled her nose, and whispered in defense: "[I didn't do anything! I'm trying to avoid her like the plague.]"
To avoid getting into trouble, she has always been very well-behaved and doesn't get involved in anything.
However, Azhi felt something was strange.
She blinked, her tone puzzled, and asked sincerely, "You're acting a little strange today. Why are you being so agreeable?"
Ah Zhi felt a little uncomfortable.
000: [!] I was startled!
A note from the author:
----------------------
[Poor thing][Poor thing][Poor thing]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
