Chapter 28 "Hello, do we...know each other?"
The barely perceptible touches were enough to give Azhi goosebumps all over.
The stunned Aori had no way of knowing whether the Upper Moon demon did it on purpose. Logically speaking, demons shouldn't do such a thing, but Aori had a strange, unfounded suspicion in her heart.
Before she could think about it any further, Azhi put all of that out of her mind again—000 is back!
Its appearance unsurprisingly startled Azhi again, but unlike before, she didn't throw a tantrum. Instead, she was overjoyed and choked up, an overwhelming sense of grievance washing over her: "You're finally back!"
She looked like a pitiful little thing who had been bullied to the extreme, as if she had finally found someone to stand up for her after being oppressed.
000 thought to itself, "Am I going to get bullied? But thankfully it came back early." [Hmm.]
"It's alright as long as things are done." Feeling reassured, Azhi breathed a sigh of relief. She hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Did you swear just now?"
Just now, 000 seemed to be very angry and shouted a curse. After being bound together for so many years, this is the first time that Azhi has seen the system swear... It's a bit strange.
She cleared her throat restrainedly, changing the subject to avoid setting a bad example for the child. "No, you misheard. Shouldn't you first explain the situation?"
Why did she suddenly switch to a different map from the old house, a map that was still a desolate place with no inhabitants for miles around and only a ghost?
Azhi was immediately dejected. She felt even more confused than 000 and was too embarrassed to admit how much trouble she had caused while 000 was away. She felt like she was a terrible teammate.
But what's frustrating is that she clearly didn't do anything.
"...Just like you see, he was... he was taken away." Azhi felt that she might be the most speechless host 000 had ever encountered.
Knowing it wasn't Aori's fault, 000 chose to attack another oni. A surge of rage erupted, causing even the code to crackle with electricity. [You should have beaten him up!]
—Who are we going to fight? The ghosts?
【Huh?】Azhi paused for a moment, thinking that 000 might have misunderstood her. It had become quite aggressive since leaving. She said seriously, 【He's a ghost, I'm scared.】
His attitude was very sincere, but his tone was very timid.
Azhi honestly expressed her cowardice. She wasn't exaggerating at all. When she first encountered this Upper Moon, her calves were numb, and she didn't have the slightest courage to resist.
And even if she resisted, it didn't seem to make any difference.
【…………】
000: You'll be bullied to death if you keep acting like this!
Kokushibo couldn't hear the conversation between the system and Aori that transcended dimensions. After finishing the last bit and confirming that it was completely clean, he placed the cloth on Aori's wet clothes.
His movements just now were incredibly meticulous, and there was no sign of awkwardness. It wasn't something he had done to anyone else before; Kokushibo was simply using his experience in maintaining his swords.
The girl struggled to get the hang of it, her toes trembling, and she didn't know when it would end. So, Kokushibo simply took over the job.
When you actually do it, you'll find it's completely different from wiping a knife. The blade is hard and not easy to break, so you need to use a certain amount of force to ensure that it doesn't rust. But a young girl is delicate, and even a little bit of force will leave a red mark.
Azhi also showed great sensitivity.
Even the slightest touch could make her tremble uncontrollably. You could see her conflicted expression, wanting to pull away but not daring to. It was hard to describe what she was feeling.
Kokushibo brushed his hand across the girl's soles with an air of nonchalance yet somewhat carelessly.
She did indeed move again, her eyes widening in disbelief. The hem of her dress, which had been clinging to her legs, flipped up a little, and it was because of this that Kokushibo saw the crisscrossing bruises on Aori's two calves.
The delicate skin was flushed a bright pink, where the ribbon demon had bound her. Her strength was still too much for Azhi, leaving a complete imprint on her tender skin.
It's not hard to imagine that, beneath the clothing, the girl's slender waist would bear even more obvious marks, since it had been bound from beginning to end until Kokushibo entered the room.
However, one scar was particularly different from the newly created bruises.
One of the girl's bent knees was a faint pink, while the other was covered by a bluish mark. If you looked closely, you could see that the edges were tinged with gray, indicating that the mark was about to fade.
This injury was definitely not recent; it has taken a long time to heal and hasn't completely subsided, which shows how serious the injury was at the time.
—Were you not treated well here?
Kokushibo exuded an aura of displeasure.
He suddenly remembered that he had taken Aori away from Tokitoya. She probably hadn't suffered much hardship. On the contrary, every inch of the girl was meticulously nurtured, and there were no traces of suffering in her eyes.
But she appeared where she shouldn't have.
Perhaps simply to complete the Demon Slayer Corps' mission, Kokushibo didn't overlook the black-haired swordsman he saw last, dressed in a Demon Slayer Corps uniform and clearly acquainted with Ori; that should be a Pillar.
So what goal is needed, and what reason is required to make her end up in the Tokitoya?
No reason is acceptable!
Yes, Kokushibo suddenly remembered a fact—Yoriichi Tsugikuni had been dead for hundreds of years, the Yoriichi Tsugikuni who protected her had been dead for hundreds of years!
Now, the girl is wrapped in his clothes, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni is destined to no longer appear by her side. If he wants, no one else will appear.
The Upper Moon demon narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Aori with an ambiguous expression. His gaze swept over Aori's body as if it were a tangible thing, carrying an undeniable sense of aggression.
Aori's thoughts were pulled away from 000, and her attention was forced to shift back to Kokushibo.
She had no idea what the Upper Moon demon had been thinking during that short time. Stared at by those deep, dark gold eyes, Aori could hardly breathe.
She felt a sense of fear from afar, and her heart began to beat erratically. Her intuition told her that she shouldn't delve into it, but how could she not delve into it?
Aori watched as Kokushibo's hand, which was about to retract, suddenly stopped. His fingertips landed on the bluish mark and massaged the area around it, as if checking for any hidden problems.
Ah Zhiren went mad again; her brain completely shut down.
The contrast between the deeper touch and the white skin on the legs was striking; the soft, sagging skin bounced back immediately after being pressed in, and this happened twice.
Although the owner of the hand didn't mean anything intimate, the scene still made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
An indescribable tingling sensation spread throughout her body from there. Azhi felt like crying and asked tremblingly, "What should I do?"
"What else can we do?" The urgency in his voice was obvious. 000 was so angry she almost spat out blood. This cunning devil dared to do this right in front of her! "Push him away!"
Subconsciously obeying 000's words, Aori's palm reached Kokushibo's chest, and the fiery red coral bead on her wrist struck his strong muscles, which was undoubtedly the body that could only be obtained through countless trials.
But the heartbeat is too fast. Would a normal heartbeat be this fast?
Beneath Aori's palm, inside the Upper Moon Demon's chest cavity, was a heart beating violently. Through the thin clothing, the emotion that Kokushibo's face did not show clearly was so directly perceived by Aori in this way.
In a daze, Azhi felt as if her heartbeats resonated with hers, their amplitudes overlapping. She pushed frantically, but couldn't move it. In fact, the reaction force almost made her bend over.
Upper Moon's other hand saved her from her tragic fate of falling backward to the ground. Its large hand grasped A-Zhi's soft and slender fingertips and then easily enveloped them completely.
His broad palms radiated an astonishing warmth, quickly warming A-Zhi's icy hands until they were just as warm as his.
Her animal instincts made her want to avoid a more dangerous situation, so the girl pushed him again. This time, there was no resistance, and Kokushibo moved his body backward, returning to his original position.
The distance is a bit further, so it's not so dangerous anymore.
The girl, looking slightly awkward, quickly changed to a kneeling position. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her nose, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, making her look less pale than before.
Azhi wanted to break the awkward atmosphere, so she parted her beautifully shaped lips slightly and tentatively asked in a small voice, "Hello, do we...know each other?"
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Author's Note: The next chapter will be available on Crazy Literature.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:29:33 on April 24, 2023 and 20:06:02 on April 25, 2023!
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Catch that Mo Xiaoyu, Sand Sculpture is not a Sculpture, Chelsea 1;
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