Chapter 8
Sabito and Giyu Tomioka are demon slayers who have been tempered by countless trials. They fight with their lives on the line, walking between life and death, and have reached the level of "Pillars" in the Demon Slayer Corps.
Aori didn't know exactly how powerful the "Pillars" were, but she knew that they were the highest-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
If these two were really doing something bad, they wouldn't be fighting like this—those powerful fists could kill several of her with one punch.
Azhi was terrified after just a little bit of putting herself in the shoes of the character.
Therefore, after calming down a bit, Azhi vaguely sensed a deep-seated concern beneath this intimidating tactic.
—But I'm still angry about what happened earlier!
Ultimately, Aori doesn't know many people here. The only people she's truly familiar with and trusts are Giyu Tomioka and Sabito.
They were the ones who took in the homeless Azhi.
When Azhi first arrived in this world, she felt no sense of reality. She was like a dandelion growing wildly in the wilderness, easily scattered by a strong wind.
However, the task issued by 000 connected them together, giving Azhi a temporary shelter from the wind, allowing her to take root and grow in the sunlight.
Thankfully, it was just a trick. If they had really turned into strangers, it would have been a devastating blow to Azhi, something she wouldn't have been able to accept.
The girl's eyes were filled with tears as she was helped to sit up, looking dazed.
Her once neatly styled hair came loose after all the fuss, cascading down like water. The hairpin she had carefully placed in her hair was also teetering on the verge of falling, its tassels rustling softly as they wrapped around her hair.
The hairpin finally received the attention it was initially expected, but under these circumstances.
The rabbit caught the falling hairpin in time, preventing it from suffering the tragic fate of being smashed to pieces upon hitting the ground.
Upon first touch, the cool sensation of metal and gemstones spreads across the palm, only to be warmed by body heat in no time.
This is truly a beautiful hairpin. The translucent gemstones refract a hazy light under the lamplight, and surprisingly, they match the beaded bracelet on Azhi's wrist very well.
The jewelry is beautiful, and it looks even more beautiful on a young girl.
Unaware of her surroundings, Azhi wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, making her eyes even redder. Her breath was damp, and her dark eyes were soaked in water as she sobbed pitifully.
Qintu shook his head, looking both helpless and resigned. His brows relaxed again as he gently placed the now-warm hairpin on the table.
How can I bear to criticize them harshly? It's already quite good that they don't feel guilty in return!
Yoshiyuki Tomioka realized that something serious had happened. He stood there almost helplessly, his whole body stiff, and his intimidating aura from just now crumbled completely.
However, Giyu Tomioka disagreed with the "bullying" that Aori mentioned, and even had some doubts. He was clearly just using the simplest and most direct way to make the girl realize the recklessness of his behavior.
He awkwardly added, "We're just scaring... Stop crying."
This seemingly authoritarian reassurance did absolutely nothing but add fuel to the fire.
Azhi bit her lip, pushed away the black-haired swordsman's hand that was trying to help her up, and braced herself on the edge of the table to get down and escape from them. But the moment her feet touched the ground, a burning pain shot through her.
"Hmm..."
She staggered and winced in pain.
It was the spot where she bumped herself earlier. Since it only hurt a little when she first fell, and then she didn't feel anything, Azhi didn't pay much attention to it.
I never imagined it would flare up so badly.
Before she could make any move, Azhi was suddenly picked up by the waist and put on the table. Their relaxed manner made Azhi feel like a weightless rag doll.
A large, well-defined hand lifted the hem of the kimono, completely exposing the injury to the air. The knee, which should have been flawless, was now swollen and red, looking somewhat frightening against the white skin.
Azhi's skin is delicate, and even minor bumps and scrapes that she wouldn't usually notice leave bruises, let alone the loud sound of her fall just now.
Therefore, when Giyu Tomioka and Sabito saw it, they couldn't help but frown.
Sabito knelt down on one knee and guided Aori to place her foot on his knee so that he could examine the injury on her leg more closely.
A small, white foot landed on the muscular swordsman's strong leg. Sabito supported Aori's leg with one hand, bent slightly, and gently pressed the skin around Aori's knee with her fingertips. After confirming that there was no problem with the bone, she breathed a sigh of relief.
He added, "This is a lesson learned."
A-Zhi hissed, her fingers gripping the table turning white from the force. She stared intently at the gruesome wound on her knee, enduring the escalating pain, and muttered, "How long will it take to heal?"
Giyu Tomioka lowered his eyes and looked at the somewhat sullen Aori, then stated the cruel truth: "If it were you, it would probably take half a month."
He skillfully turned and walked to the cabinet, took out a medicine bottle from the drawer, and tossed it to Sabito, who was examining it. His deep blue eyes were full of affirmation for Sabito's words, "This is a lesson learned."
—Those two people are awful!
The two of them seemed to be singing in unison. If they were praising and flattering Azhi, that would be fine, but they were "attacking" her, the two of them "attacking" her together!
Azhi let out a soft snort, turning her head to look at the sky, deliberately avoiding looking at the two people, clearly still angry about what had just happened.
However, her soft anger didn't seem to be intimidating enough, and people with bad tempers might bully her even more.
Sabito gave a barely perceptible smile.
Rubbing a bruise with medicated oil will help it heal faster, but rubbing it in will double the pain.
However, given the code of conduct of the two swordsmen present, they would obviously not choose the other method, which, although less painful, would double the recovery time.
To prevent her from moving around unconsciously during the massage and worsening her knee injury, Yoshiyuki Tomioka had to assist her. He also squatted down and controlled his strength to stabilize Aori's ankle.
Long, slender fingers covered in ointment touched the red and swollen area and massaged it with just the right amount of pressure until the semi-solid ointment melted with body heat.
The fingertips were not smooth, because the long hours of holding the knife had worn away thick calluses, making them even rougher on the already red, swollen, and hot skin.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. The girl bit her lip to endure the pain, her tense arches trembling slightly, and occasionally letting out uncontrollable cries of pain.
The process was neither long nor short, and to their surprise, the girl didn't cry. Although the injury was nothing to them, it must have been something A-Zhi had never experienced before.
—Unexpectedly, they showed extraordinary resilience under these circumstances.
"You're so afraid of pain, what if something really happens?" Sabito wiped away the remaining medicated oil, placed his hands on his lap, bent over slightly, and looked earnestly into Aori's eyes as he reasoned, "That would hurt a hundred times more than it does now."
"Smart people know to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, so why are you the only one rushing forward?"
"…………"
[Is he saying I'm stupid?] Azhi once again missed the point, sensing the deep malice. She mentally poked the system, offering a weak rebuttal for support: [I'm not stupid.]
"You're so reliable, I'll be fine with you here." For some reason, Azhi trusted this a lot.
Since 000 was released from hibernation, Azhi has become very dependent on it. She even feels more confident and acts more boldly.
While 000 is a product of a higher dimension, although it cannot interfere too much with the mission, protecting the personal safety of the host is always its top priority.
No matter how capable Junichi Takahashi is, he's just someone who has nothing to do with the main storyline. If there's a real problem, 000 will give an early warning.
000: [...]
Although it was cleverly flattered, 000 did not feel happy. It remained silent for a moment, and in an instant, many distant memories resurfaced before its eyes.
Fortunately, Azhi quickly regained its usual liveliness. It breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and comforted her, saying, "You're fine as you are now."
Azhi: [Right?]
The girl remained seated on the table, and in this situation, she could only look down at Giyu Tomioka and Sabito, who were kneeling on one knee—a posture that should have been one of superiority.
However, the two swordsmen's patient and meticulous guidance, as well as the girl's constant display of gentleness, instantly dismantled the tense atmosphere that should have been tense.
Azhi isn't the type to ignore advice; she was just frightened by what had just happened and needed to be gently and patiently comforted to feel safe again.
Like a small animal with little offensive power, after suffering a blow, the next time it goes out, it will first hide at the entrance of the cave and look out cautiously, only taking a step out after confirming that there is no danger.
Now that Sabito is speaking to her so gently, Aori feels embarrassed to continue her antics.
Azhi bit her lip again, her long hair falling slowly down her neck to her chest, her gaze drifting away with obvious guilt: "No... I just..." thinking that maybe she could find out some information.
"…………"
The two swordsmen remained silent and stared straight at A-Zhi.
That gaze was serious and upright, like an unyielding mountain.
Under such a gaze, Azhi really found it hard to find any excuses to argue. She seemed to be... really too dependent on 000, and this dependence made her lower her guard against others.
"Okay... I'll be more careful next time." Azhi's voice still had a heavy nasal tone. She glared at him and emphasized, her lip rouge already badly ruined after the previous tampering. "But next time... you can't treat me like this!"
Her slightly upturned eyes were still red, and a layer of fine sweat appeared on the girl's forehead. Her dark eyelashes trembled from time to time, as if she were secretly testing something, and she complained in a coquettish tone.
How pitiful!
That's how it feels to be appeased so easily, even before the appeasement process has even begun, and the person has already acknowledged their mistake and apologized. It's so easy that it doesn't feel like a accomplishment... That's the feeling, isn't it?
The rabbit was somewhat amused and exasperated, then suddenly realized something.
Why did Yiyong just agree to use force to solve the problem when he could have achieved unexpected results by reasoning with them and appealing to their emotions?
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Sabito and Giyu didn't stay long. Before dawn, they had to leave under the cover of night, perhaps to return and report, or perhaps to head to the next place without stopping.
The time spent apart was too long, and the time spent together was too short.
—Too busy.
Ah Zhi sighed, "Indeed, the capable are always the ones who do the most work."
The thought of not knowing when they would meet again made Aori a little anxious. After handing the packaged snacks to the two of them, she still couldn't give up and grabbed Sabito.
"Sabito, do you know what Giyuu wants?"
Azhi speaks very quickly and in a very low voice, as if she's having some kind of shady conversation. She also seems determined not to give up until she gets an answer, which is incredibly cute.
However, it was obvious that Sabito did not see any shyness or similar expression on Aori's face.
She seemed to be simply asking this question and wanting an answer.
"Well, let him tell you." Sabito looked at Aori with gentle eyes and couldn't help but reach out and ruffle the girl's hair. "Aori, take good care of yourself."
They were both acting very mysteriously.
Even though she had seen it many times, Aori felt that Giyu Tomioka and Sabito... no, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps—they could all fly!
Ah Zhi clung to the window, watching their backs gradually become two small black dots until they completely disappeared into the darkness and could no longer be seen.
A note from the author:
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[Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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