Chapter 6

There's been a change in Shinobu's attitude towards you these days.

That thought strikes you in mid conversation. Your words falter. The conversation trips to an awkward standstill as your tongue goes limp. You can't recall what you were saying. Your head feels as heavy as a lump of lead.

You sit there, dumbfounded.

But even in silence, peace does not come. Instead, that thought invades deeper into your mind and brings up another question, potentially more dangerous than the last.

Why is Shinobu treating you differently?

Shinobu's profile comes into focus. She is sitting just opposite of you, looking understandably confused by your sudden silence. You don't blame her. You're wondering why you're acting strangely yourself.

"Is there something wrong?" Shinobu asks. One of her finely trimmed eyebrows rises. It reminds you of the absurdity of the situation.

You don't trust yourself to speak, but staying silent will make the situation worse. You open your mouth and say, "The tea."

After two words, your mind draws a blank. Is that it?

No, you can't give up now. You wrack your brains and try again. "I choked on the tea." You speak your answer firmly and project confidence you most definitely do not have.

"We've already finished the pot." Shinobu stabs holes in your story without blinking.

"Did I say tea?" You curse yourself internally. "I meant fly. I choked on a fly."

Shinobu looks at you like you've grown two noses and three heads. You wish you had. At least you'd be able to explain why you suddenly turned into a doddering child incapable of speech. Still, better to spout nonsense then sit there in a mimicry of a wooden post.

"I see. I suppose I'd better check on the insect repelling incense." Shinobu stands up. Her thin lipped smile sends a wave of anxiety surging through you, for you do not know what it promises. "The fly that has made its way into my lab might take advantage of my lackadaisical attitude to flourish."

She's onto you. "I... thanks."

Once Shinobu turns her back to you, your hands clamp onto the sides of your head as if you could physically drag out the strange thoughts it harbours. It doesn't work, because obviously, whatever manner of insanity that's seized you won't leave you alone until you reach the crux of the problem.

What the hell is the problem, anyway?

You think back to your previous thought. Right. You need to find out why Shinobu's attitude towards you has changed.

You sift through your memories of this past week. She's been greeting you in the halls. Hm... that's a normal occurrence. Everyone in the Butterfly Estate offers greetings when they see you. They have been nothing but polite.

Ah... but after greeting you, Shinobu usually strikes up a conversation. She'll ask you about what you had planned for the day, and you'd follow up by asking her the same. It's been common scenario these days, and you've enjoyed these casual conversations more than you should.

It's nice to simply talk to someone you admire – some days, you still can't believe you're working alongside Shinobu – but you have never stopped to ask yourself why she's going out of her way to entertain you.

When did this start? Before you left on your last mission? No, you can't recall any instances where Shinobu has been overtly friendly toward you. After your mutual agreement to work alongside each other as equals, the entirety of your interactions can be summed up as friendly, but distant.

This means the change must have happened after you returned from your mission to the mountains. And at that thought, a light goes off in your head.

Of course!

The favour you completed for her must have warmed her up to you. It's not farfetched to think Shinobu is grateful to you for accomplishing that task. Given how important those items are, only someone with a heart of ice would continue to treat you as a stranger.

"Ah..." You laugh quietly under your breath. "I made a fuss over nothing."

Shinobu returns from her errand and slips into her seat. Her pale purple eyes seem to pierce through you. You mentally apologize for making her carry out that menial task. It could have been avoided if you weren't so muddleheaded.

"The incense has been relighted. I should hope there will be no further interruptions by rogue flies."

Her honeyed tone belies the warning in her eyes. You can feel sweat gather on the back of your neck. You're instantly reminded of the enormous rift separating the two of you.

Shinobu is a pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps. Meanwhile you are simply a mid-ranked slayer with no outstanding contributions, save for your assistance with Oyakata-sama's businesses. Those aren't even related to Demon Slaying.

Though you're proud you've been of help, you are nowhere near Shinobu's level of excellence.

Your heart settles. It seems you have been hoping for something more than what you're capable of. You vow to carry yourself more carefully. Ruining the camaraderie between Shinobu and yourself might dampen your relationship with the kids, and you don't want to admit it, but you've grown attached to them.

"Thank you, Shinobu-san. I appreciate your help," you say.

Shinobu's expression softens. "It is no trouble at all, Ryuu-san."

Your mouth twitches. Apparently she feels favourable enough towards you to even use your given name. Everybody in the mansion has been calling you 'Tsuchinoto-san' and you're quite content with the title. You are grounded when they refer to you as such, there is no mistaking your position as a guest here.

Again, you wonder how you didn't notice such a large change. And does this also mean everyone else will no longer refer to you by your rank?

"You're acting strange today," Shinobu says without preamble. "Did I say anything wrong?"

"No, that's not it. I think the exhaustion from yesterday's all-nighter is finally setting in. I'm not as young as I used to be."

You aren't lying. You had stayed up the entire night reading through medical texts. After witnessing Shinobu in her element the last time you were allowed to observe her experiments, you can't let go of the idea to introduce several of her medical methods to doctors in the villages around the country.

If you can get them to replace their woefully inefficient techniques and tools, more lives can be saved. The number of people seeking help will multiply. Demand for medicines will increase. You can't make medicine, but you know where to find them. Ferrying goods might be boring compared to hawking them in an open market and scoring a hefty deal, but it is a safe income stream that comes with many benefits.

Shinobu's intense gaze finally lifts. She sits back, appeased by your explanation. "Is that so? Do take care of yourself outside of missions, and please inform me if you ever feel unwell. It would be odd if you fell ill in the home of a brilliant doctor."

You laugh. "You'd be the first person I'll inform. Rest assured that I'm still healthy as a horse. Even if I do fall sick, medicine will be all I need."

Shinobu pretends to sigh. "To think I have been reduced to a mere medicine dispenser. It is not the role I would have wished for, but I shall wholeheartedly accept this task."

She meets your eyes. It takes less than a second of eye contact before both of you burst out laughter.

"Shinobu-san," You manage through gasping breaths. "As I thought, you're seriously amazing."

Shinobu's smile is wider than you've ever seen. "More amazing than Tomioka-san?"

You can't help but grin. Their pseudo friendship-rivalry is legendary in the corps. You admire them both, but after spending time with the insect pillar, you have undoubtedly become painfully biased toward her.

You fold my arms and declare, "Of course!"

"My," Shinobu smiles, pleased. "You know how to flatter me so."

---

"Ryuu-san," Shinobu calls as you get ready to leave her laboratory.

"Yes?" You turn to face her. "Do you need me to get something from the market as well?"

A gobsmacked expression flits across her face. "You aren't returning to your room to rest?"

For some reason, your chest grows warm at her simple enquiry about your well-being. You brush it off and answer, "I will once I return. I told Aoi to leave tomorrow's grocery run to me."

"It's already past noon," Shinobu says. "The best ingredients will have long been sold. Don't forget it takes at least an hour to reach the nearest town by foot. Considering your current state, it would be better to depart tomorrow morning."

Shinobu's statements are accurate, but you'd already planned this trip several days in advance. You have a number of errands to run there, and not showing up for meetings you'd personally scheduled would disrespectful to the people who honoured them.

You could send a message using your Kasugai crow, but you don't want to conflate work and personal matters. And from your experience, your crow loathes to be disturbed if the matter is irrelevant to the Corps.

You appeal to her not to worry, saying, "I'm not so weak that I'd collapse from a strenuous journey, Shinobu-san. I'm scheduled to meet a number of merchants there today, backing out on such short notice would be impolite." You add on, "If I don't feel well, I can easily stay the night at the inn before journeying back tomorrow."

Shinobu doesn't look convinced. You don't want to worry her, but you've already expressed your opinion. You aren't in such a bad state that you'd keel over from what basically amounts to a long walk. As for the groceries, you'd offered to buy dry ingredients such as grain, salt or spices. Businesses would definitely have them even at a later hour.

"I suppose you're right," Shinobu relents. Then suddenly, she asks, "Ryuu-san, would you be adverse if I came along?"

"What?" You think you hear wrongly, but Shinobu's eyes remain fixated on you. "Oh, no, of course not."

You think Shinobu's answering smile holds a hint of anticipation. Before you can dissuade yourself, you decide to be honest. "I would appreciate the company," you tell her. "That is, if you don't mind spending an hour discussing your last experiment. There were some things I didn't understand and would like to clarify."

"Nothing more would delight me."

You give a short bow. "I'll let you get ready. See you at the entrance, Shinobu-san."