Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Chapter 218 Reconciliation

The days with Kyojuro by my side are different from those when I am alone.

It was still the same day, the same room, the same time period from when Shinobu left to when she returned, but even the ticking of the clock seemed more pleasant to Kyojuro as he sat here.

Is this why time seems to be speeding up? Because Kyojuro is here, so every minute and every second has a special meaning, just like he said?

"Shinobu seems very busy every day."

The small and sharp knife moved across the carved wooden block. Every cut was carefully considered. The rough edges gradually became rounded, and the rounded outlines were gradually carved into clear arcs. The rough wooden block gradually took on the shape of a human.

Lin Guang was very serious and didn't even raise his head when asking the question, as if he didn't care about the answer at all.

"Um...yeah, it's busy every day!"

"What is she busy with?"

"They're probably busy researching a drug that can turn ghosts back into humans! They're all experiments we can't understand!"

Unlike Rinko, Kyojuro had limited knowledge of the craft of carving. He had not practiced for that long and had rarely tried this activity before. He needed to think much longer than the boy next to him before holding the carving knife in his hand.

But after all, he was someone who was used to holding a knife, and he was indeed a person with a delicate mind. Even for such an unskilled job, after observing Lin Guang, he had some ideas of his own and began to make attempts.

The first few cuts were not very good, and the cut wood blocks deviated from the expected shape, but after more attempts, the square wood blocks were gradually changed in shape.

"Can ghosts turn back into humans?"

Lin Guang asked, seeming a little surprised.

"I don't know! But Butterfly has been trying so hard, maybe it really works! After all, people can turn into ghosts, right? So it's not impossible that after drinking the medicine, I can turn back into a human!"

Kyojuro's answer was so matter-of-fact, so matter-of-fact that Rinko couldn't understand it, the incident itself, and the words that sounded a little strange.

That's a strange analogy, he thought.

When humans are sick, they need to take medicine to get better, but ghosts don’t need to take medicine. All they need to do is eat humans. No matter if they are sick, weak, or hungry, they will get better as long as they eat humans.

So are humans considered medicine for ghosts?

And if a ghost takes medicine like a human, will it become a human?

If that person eats a human, will he become a more terrifying ghost?

Speaking of which, Xuan Mi, as a human, can eat ghosts. Isn’t he a little scarier than a ghost?

"What is Rinko thinking?"

Kyojuro noticed the boy's silence and gave him enough time to think before asking softly.

"I was thinking how amazing Xuan Mi is."

Lin Guang was still immersed in his own thoughts, but responded out of habit.

Kyojuro blinked, his eyes widening as they shifted from the block to the boy's face, and to be honest, he was a little slow to catch up.

-

-

The two heads were very close, almost touching, and the two figures were almost touching. This was the scene that Butterfly saw when he came back.

One was taller, both in size and voice. Walking down the hallway, one could hear his resonant voice praising someone's deft hands. Once the door was opened, his enthusiasm seemed to tangibly heat his face. The other, smaller, sat quietly, a cardboard box in his arms and something in his hands. The quiet boy was completely unaware of her presence until she entered the room. Only when she was caught in his sight did she clearly register his presence.

"It seems like the two of you are getting along very well."

Shinobu spoke softly, moving naturally towards the two of them.

"Welcome back! Thank you for your hard work, Butterfly!"

The first one to look up was Kyojuro. His clear voice was always full of energy. Shinobu actually preferred a quiet environment and quieter people, but she thought it would be difficult for anyone to refuse a warm-hearted and energetic man like Mr. Rengoku.

"Rinko! Didn't you say you wanted to tell Butterfly? It's not a manly thing to not keep your promise!"

The palm of the hand falls on the boy's shoulder and pats his back. This is a silent hint and also a substantial act of encouragement.

Shinobu's gaze shifted from Kyojuro to the boy beside him.

The boy had clearly noticed her the moment she came in, and perhaps he had noticed it even earlier than that, but he ignored her, deliberately not greeting her, and kept his head down, as if the thing in his hand had completely diverted all his attention, as if he hadn't noticed that a third person had appeared in the room.

But unfortunately, this situation was broken by Kyojuro.

The silence that lasted for several days between the two people was shattered by the intervention of a third person. Lin Guang finally had to come back to his senses from his concentration. The boy still lowered his head, holding something tightly in his hand. Maybe it was something he carved out of wood. After all, that was what Kyojuro brought today, and there were still some wood fragments in the cardboard box in the boy's arms.

The truth is easily seen through.

"It's okay, Mr. Rengoku, as long as Rinkou does what he likes..."

"...This is for Shinobu."

Before he could finish his words or fully express his opinion, the boy spoke first.

He stood up from the ground, and the thing in his hand finally revealed its full appearance.

It's a butterfly.

It was similar to the one on her head, but not exactly the same. Shinobu looked at the butterfly, even a little dazed. She remembered the appearance of this butterfly from a long time ago, when she was still young, but she was stubborn and wanted to cure Rinkou. She kept discussing with her father and trying to make some medicine that could improve her physical condition. At that time, the butterfly pattern used to tie those prescriptions together and hang on the rope was like this.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been angry with you on purpose. I shouldn't have ignored you on purpose. I'm sorry for making Shinobu sad and for making him endure like this."

Lin Guang looked at her at first, but as he spoke, the boy lowered his head little by little, perhaps because of guilt, or perhaps because of fear.

Ah...what a cute boy.

Obviously so much time has passed and everything has changed, but this boy is still like he was many years ago, standing alone under the tree, holding the butterfly that landed in his palm and asking her what it is.

"It's okay, Rinkou. I'm not enduring because of Rinkou, and I won't be angry because of Rinkou."

"really?"

The boy raised his head cautiously, their eyes met, and Shinobu smiled softly and nodded.

"real."

"That's great! Rinko! You don't have to worry anymore!"

Kyojuro, who had been silent the whole time, finally found his voice again. The man picked up the boy and held him high. The boy was laughing almost as happily as he was.

Laughter echoed in the room.

Shinobu looked at the wooden butterfly in her palm, and vaguely remembered that afternoon when her sister pulled Rinkou and her up after they fell from the tree. They were both covered in dust, and the pain from falling from a height had not yet dissipated. They were both in a mess. She didn't know who laughed first, and then the second time.

They laughed together, looking embarrassed but happy.

That, she thought, was probably the best way forward.