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Chapter 122: Kocho Kanae's Little Prank
Meanwhile.
Suyan stepped out of the Dimensional Gate.
The location was the exact same room he had been in when he took Makomo into Greed Island the night before.
This was a unique property of the Dimensional Gate. Wherever a person conjured it and stepped through, that was exactly where they would emerge when they came back out.
The interesting part, however, was that if one of the girls conjured and opened a Dimensional Gate in the Demon Slayer world, Suyan could use Greed Island as a transit hub to reach her location.
The catch was that doing so would overwrite Suyan's previous entry point in the Demon Slayer world. Even if he used that Contractor's portal to enter Greed Island, the next time he used his own Dimensional Gate to return to the Demon Slayer world, he wouldn't appear at his original spot. He would appear at the exact location where the other person had opened the gate for him.
After appearing in the room, Suyan quickly swept his gaze across the area.
Kocho Shinobu hadn't woken up yet; she was still fast asleep. Her petite body was curled up obediently like a kitten in her older sister's arms. She slept peacefully—her brows relaxed, her breathing soft, without a hint of tension in her body.
For a moment, Suyan couldn't help but see a trace of Makomo's sleeping form in Shinobu.
It was hard to believe that this girl, sleeping with the serene, innocent face of a baby, was the same venom-tongued, quick-witted, and overly confident girl she usually was.
If anyone were told that the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps looked like this when she slept, they probably wouldn't believe it, right?
It created a bizarre but charming contrast to her usual demeanor.
Suyan sat on the edge of the bed, quietly watching the beautiful sleeping faces of the two sisters.
"Mmh~"
The first to wake was the older sister, Kocho Kanae.
She slowly opened her eyes and instinctively reached out to pull her younger sister closer, terrified that the sensation of holding Shinobu last night was nothing more than a beautiful dream.
Thankfully, the tangible warmth pressing against her chest and that long-lost, familiar scent radiating from Shinobu clearly told her...
This was no dream!
Kanae let out a long, relieved sigh.
Thank goodness.
She looked down at her sleeping sister, her mind drifting back to when they were little. Whenever Shinobu got scared at night, she would run into her room hugging a pillow, complaining that she was too frightened to sleep alone and demanding to sleep with her big sister.
It felt as though nothing had changed.
Just like she used to do every morning, Kanae reached out and pinched Shinobu's delicate nose.
Shinobu's brow furrowed slightly, a look of discomfort washing over her sleeping face. But she didn't resist in the slightest, completely lacking any defensiveness toward her sister's touch.
Kanae didn't stop there. She kept pinching her sister's nose, quietly enjoying the flustered look on Shinobu's face.
When Shinobu finally puffed out a breath and was forced to breathe through her mouth, Kanae's smile grew even wider.
Sure enough. Even though two years had passed, and Shinobu had changed so much—no longer the impulsive, hot-tempered girl she used to be—she was still her little sister. Her sleeping habits were exactly the same as they had always been. That hadn't changed at all.
Over the past two years, there had been countless times Kanae had wanted to reach out, touch her sister's face, and tease her while she slept. It wasn't until today that she finally got to fulfill that tiny, precious wish.
Her pranks on Shinobu grew increasingly brazen.
She twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and gently tickled Shinobu's face, the tip of her nose, and her earlobe.
"Mmn?"
Shinobu's eyelashes fluttered, and her breathing grew restless. It looked like she was going to wake up at any second.
Oh no.
Kanae felt a sudden sense of panic. Out of pure instinct, she moved to replicate an old habit: diving under the bed so that when Shinobu woke up, she could pop out and give her a scare.
"Mmph?!"
Kanae let out a muffled groan.
She had moved too fast. She hadn't even noticed Suyan sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, watching her prank her sister. And Suyan certainly hadn't expected her to suddenly sit up and dive off the mattress.
As a result, Kanae collided right into him.
Without taking the time to wonder why Suyan was there, Kanae smoothly rolled with the momentum and dove straight under the bed, leaving Suyan staring at her in sheer bewilderment.
Right at that moment, Shinobu opened her eyes. She let out a yawn and stretched comfortably. It felt as though she had slept in her sister's embrace all night, leaving her body more relaxed than it had been in years.
Because of the angle she was sleeping at, the very first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Suyan, sitting by the bed with a rather odd expression on his face.
Him?!
Shinobu's eyes trembled slightly. She quickly recalled how, after pouring her heart out to him last night, she had fallen asleep right in his arms.
She looked down at herself, noting that her clothes were perfectly intact.
She couldn't help but feel a little surprised. After all, she had fully prepared herself to give her body to him last night. She had even taken the initiative and given him her first kiss.
Yet this man hadn't taken advantage of her?
A sudden, inexplicable warmth and gratitude swelled in her heart.
Outwardly, however, she remained entirely unreadable. She unleashed her venomous tongue with a sweet smile, "Good morning, Mr. Scumbag. I'm actually quite surprised you didn't lay a hand on this beautiful young maiden last night. Could it be that Mr. Scumbag's body is already failing him?"
"I suppose that makes sense. After all, a scumbag who plays around with so many flowers is bound to experience such issues eventually. It's perfectly normal."
"Do you need me to prescribe you some medicine? While I may not specialize in that particular field, my medical skills are quite profound. I could certainly give it a try."
Shinobu stared right into Suyan's eyes, a harmless, angelic smile plastered across her face, her tone dripping with mock concern.
Suyan raised an eyebrow.
This girl was perfect in every way—except for that incredibly sharp mouth of hers.
Suyan looked over Shinobu's face, then thought of Kanae hiding under the bed. He was really looking forward to seeing how Shinobu would react to what he was about to say.
Holding back a laugh, he asked, "I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"Oh? Let me guess."
Shinobu blinked at him, speaking with playful sarcasm. "The bad news is that Mr. Scumbag is completely impotent now, right? And the good news is that Mr. Scumbag has finally decided to give up his scumbag ways?"
"That sounds like two pieces of good news to me. Congratulations, congratulations."
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