231: Fool

Leaving the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu didn't actually go to deliver medicine—that was a task for the Kakushi.

She just didn't want to stay there and watch the two of them being so intimate as if no one else were around. That scene was like fine needles, gently pricking her heart; it wasn't heavy, but it made her feel suffocatingly uneasy.

She casually kicked a pebble at her feet, watching it roll into the grass. In the courtyard, wisteria flower leaves were swept up by the wind, swirling as they fell. Her purple eyes followed that drifting pale lavender, but there was no focus in her gaze, only a sense of loss she was unwilling to delve into.

Members of the Demon Slayer Corps passed by her with hurried steps, each with a clear purpose, rushing to their respective posts or missions. Only she, like an abrupt, idle stroke of a pen, wandered aimlessly through this busy scene.

"So annoying..."

She muttered under her breath, unable to tell if she was annoyed with her idle self or with that "stinky guy" who had so easily disturbed the peace of her heart. Because of him, she couldn't even muster the energy for medicine compounding, which usually kept her most focused.

"Shinobu-sama." A young corps member stopped in front of her and bowed respectfully. "Excuse me, is the Flower Hashira available right now? I have some questions I'd like to ask..."

Shinobu snapped back to her senses and answered almost subconsciously, "Big sister... might not be able to spare any time right now." As soon as the words left her mouth, she was stunned for a moment. She knew full well what those two were doing inside.

"Ah, I see." The corps member was a bit disappointed but quickly nodded in understanding. "Then I'll come back later to disturb the Flower Hashira."

Watching the corps member leave, Shinobu sighed softly.

"As expected... Big sister is still the most popular."

There was sincere pride in those words, but also a hint of envy she hadn't even noticed. Looking at the entire Demon Slayer Corps, among the current Hashira-level members, Big Sister Kanae was undoubtedly the most well-liked. She was gentle, powerful, and inclusive, like a warm sun that wouldn't burn anyone; almost no one could dislike her.

"So, Big Sister is the best." She nodded firmly as if to convince herself, trying to suppress that bit of bitterness. "Big Sister's happiness is what's most important... That idiot really got lucky."

Since Big Sister is the sun, then I'll just continue being her shadow. Anyway, in that guy's eyes, I'll probably always just be a "stinky little sister" with a bad temper who loves to be difficult.

This realization caused the secret expectation in her heart to completely die down, but it also brought a kind of "sobriety" that was almost self-torturing. She took a deep breath, preparing to turn around and find something to do, burying all those messy emotions in busyness.

Just as she turned, she bumped into a warm, solid chest without any warning.

The familiar touch and scent made her breath hitch.

Then, that voice, which always carried a hint of playfulness, sounded from above her head: "Yo, who's this? Not looking where you're going and bumping into me?"

Shinobu looked up abruptly, meeting a pair of smiling eyes. She stared at him blankly for two seconds, her lips involuntarily curving upward into a small arc against her will, though her words were far from kind: "Humph, it would be better if I bumped you to death."

"Oh my," Lin Luo raised an eyebrow in mock surprise, using the excuse she had just made up to tease her. "Isn't this our little Shinobu? Back so soon from delivering medicine to the Master?"

Shinobu rolled her eyes at him, the throb of reunion quickly covered by their familiar "bickering mode." "I specifically left some private time for you and Big Sister. You got lucky, and yet you're still ungrateful."

She deliberately emphasized the words "private time," trying to use banter to hide something.

"Oh~" Lin Luo drawled, leaning in closer with a deepening smile. "So my little sister is so sensible and 'good'~"

This obviously teasing use of "little sister" and "good" was like a small needle, gently puncturing Shinobu's forced indifference. The bitterness she had deliberately suppressed surged in her heart, almost bursting through her throat.

She quickly lowered her eyelashes, using the movement to hide the fleeting gloom. When she looked up again, a smile even brighter than the wisteria flowers in the courtyard graced her face, and her voice was excessively cheerful:

"Of course! Where else in the world would you find such a 'considerate' good sister like me!"

As she spoke, she unnoticeably and accurately stomped hard on the top of Lin Luo's foot, with a hint of venting her frustration. She ground her heel down with significant force.

"Right, brother-in-law?" She looked up with a sweet smile, but her eyes were like a kitten showing its claws.

The sudden pain made Lin Luo hiss and take a sharp breath. He looked down at his "ambushed" foot, then back at the charming face in front of him that screamed "I did it on purpose, what are you going to do about it?" For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He suddenly stepped closer, ignoring the pain in his foot and her slightly recoiling shoulders. He lowered his head and spoke in a volume only the two of them could hear, his tone rare and serious, devoid of all joking:

"That's why... I like little Shinobu so much."

The smile on Shinobu's face froze, and then a blush uncontrollably spread rapidly from the base of her ears. She subconsciously applied more pressure with her foot, but her voice was a bit weak: "D-Don't joke with me! I'll..."

I'll take it seriously.

She swallowed those last few words back down her throat, where they turned into a rapid heartbeat.

Lin Luo seemed not to hear her "warning," or perhaps he simply didn't care. He raised his hand, his fingertips gently brushing the top of her head, picking a tiny wisteria flower petal that had drifted onto her soft hair at some point.

He twirled the pale lavender petal, but his gaze didn't fall on it. Instead, he looked quietly and deeply into her panicked purple eyes.

"I'm not joking." His voice was still very low, but as clear as the sentence that had cast a stone into the lake of her heart. "I like Kanae..."

He paused, looking into her eyes, speaking each word clearly and candidly:

"And I like little Shinobu too."

Shinobu's breath suddenly hitched.

She jerked her gaze away, not daring to meet his eyes again. Her heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst through her chest. Her cheeks were startlingly hot, and even her fingertips seemed to be tingling slightly.

There he goes again... saying those things... always saying things that make her unable to stop overthinking and hoping, yet fearing she's just being delusional... "Idiot... stop saying things like that." Shinobu's cheeks were burning as she glared at him in shame and anger, trying to use ferocity to hide the chaos in her heart.

Lin Luo seemed to have completely missed her "warning." He leaned in even closer, his warm breath almost brushing her ear, his voice carrying a coaxing smile: "And what about little Shinobu? Do you like me?"

His face was too close, close enough to see her own reflection in his eyes, along with that unmistakable seriousness. Shinobu's heart trembled. She hurriedly reached out, pressing against his forehead to push him away, and used the force to take half a step back, creating distance from this heart-pounding proximity.

"Like you... my foot!" She steadied her breathing, arming herself with her usual tone of disdain. "Acting like an idiot, only Big Sister has a good enough temper to tolerate your sappy behavior!"

Lin Luo immediately clutched his chest, putting on an exaggerated look of heartbreak: "Ah, I'm wounded, my heart hurts so much... Little Shinobu is so mean."

"What does that have to do with me?" Shinobu huffed and turned to leave, her pace somewhat fast as if she were trying to escape this atmosphere that made her feel so out of place.

Lin Luo watched her back as she practically "fled in panic," the smile on his lips deepening as he followed her at a leisurely pace.

One after the other, they walked quite a distance through the courtyard path lined with wisteria flowers. Shinobu never looked back, but she couldn't ignore the presence following her every step.

Finally, Lin Luo took a couple of quick steps and gently tugged at her sleeve: "Hey, it's time to go back."

Shinobu didn't stop, only pouting: "You go back. I want to clear my head a bit more."

"If you don't go back with me, how am I supposed to go back?" Lin Luo's tone was innocent.

"Can't you just go find Big Sister?" Shinobu's voice was muffled, carrying a petulant tone she hadn't noticed herself. "I didn't ask you to come find me."

"Oh," Lin Luo nodded readily. "But it was Kanae who told me to come find you and bring you back."

"..." Shinobu's footsteps faltered for a moment, then she walked even faster. "I'm not going back."

"Why are you unhappy?" Lin Luo circled in front of her, blocking her path, and looked straight into her downcast eyes.

"It has nothing to do with you."

"Duplicity," Lin Luo chuckled, his tone certain.

"Little Shinobu." He reached out and gently cupped her face, preventing her from avoiding him. "If you ignore me... I'll be really sad."

Shinobu was forced to look up, meeting his deep eyes. Her heart beat like a drum, but she remained stubborn: "It's enough that Big Sister pays attention to you. Go find her..."

"And what about you?" Lin Luo interrupted her, his thumb gently stroking her cheek as his voice dropped. "I like you."

"I... what about me..." Her voice weakened involuntarily, her defenses crumbling inch by inch under his gentle and persistent gaze.

In the next moment, all unfinished words were sealed away.

Lin Luo leaned down and kissed her lips with an undeniable force.

This kiss was completely different from the gentle and lingering one he gave Kanae; it carried a bit of aggression and a hint of punishment, yet revealed a sense of cherishing as their lips and teeth brushed. Shinobu's mind instantly went blank, feeling only the soft and burning pressure on her lips, along with his crisp and familiar scent completely surrounding her.

A moment later, Lin Luo pulled back slightly, but his lips were still close to hers. His tongue lightly licked his lower lip as if wanting more, a brilliant smile in his eyes as he commented in a low voice:

"Hmm... sweet."

Shinobu stared blankly at his smiling face close at hand. The blood in her cheeks, ears, and even her entire body seemed to rush to her head at this moment, making her dizzy. Her forced awkwardness and disguise completely vanished in the face of this sudden kiss and this blunt, almost flirtatious comment.

"You... you... you!"

Shinobu suddenly covered her lips, as if doing so could erase that burning and domineering touch. Her pupils trembled like a startled butterfly. She instinctively took half a step back, but was firmly locked in place by his closely following figure.

Lin Luo's aura, with an unquestionable aggressiveness, enveloped her once more. "What's your answer, little Shinobu?" he pressed, his gaze burning, not allowing her to escape again.

"I... I can't..." Shinobu's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, filled with painful struggle, her fingernails digging into her palms. "I can't betray Big Sister..."

This was the strongest yet most fragile defense in her heart.

Lin Luo, however, seemed to have expected this. He gazed into the panicked shimmer in her eyes and, word by word, clearly and slowly threw out the sentence that could shatter all her concerns:

"What if I said... it was Kanae who told me to come find you?"

Boom—!

These words were like a thunderclap, accurately splitting the final barrier in Shinobu's heart. The immense shock and subsequent daze made her feel weightless for a moment, as if she had stepped into thin air and was falling into a cold abyss. Big Sister... Big Sister... However, the expected fall did not happen.

A pair of warm and powerful hands firmly held her cold, trembling hands, pulling her back from her self-destructive thoughts.

"Don't run away." Lin Luo's voice was low and firm, carrying a kind of almost domineering tenderness. "And I won't let you run away. Listen clearly, little Shinobu, whether it's Kanae or you—"

He Tighten your fingers, interlacing them with hers, as if he wanted to brand his determination into her very bones and blood.

"I don't want to let go of either, and I won't."

Before the words had even faded, he leaned in again, sealing all her unspoken cries and hesitation.

This time, the kiss was no longer just a brushing of lips. He forcefully pried open her teeth, which were slightly parted in her daze, and drove straight in, accurately capturing her bewildered tongue and entangling with it without a word.

"Mmm...!"

Shinobu let out a muffled whimper, her strength to resist rapidly dissolving under his scalding lips and tongue and his fiery declaration. His scent overwhelmed her, carrying an irresistible possessiveness and a heart-pounding promise, completely swallowing her whole.