— Xander, upon leaving the ward, activated telepathy.
— Soon he located Kocho Shinobu. Smiling, he said, "I found you."
— Xander's figure vanished in an instant, and he appeared in the laboratory. Opening the door, he saw Kocho Shinobu busy at work inside.
— "Is that Aoi? It's so late..." Hearing the creak of the opening door, Shinobu thought Aoi Kanzaki had arrived. Turning and seeing Xander, she froze, as if turned to stone.
— Putting aside her medicine, Shinobu smiled and said, "Xander, what are you doing here?"
— Seeing her, Xander looked concerned.
— "Shinobu, I need to tell you something."
— Hearing this, the smile on Shinobu's face gradually faded.
— Xander continued, "This isn't the place to talk, come with me."
— Then he left the laboratory and headed to the Butterfly Mansion courtyard.
— Shinobu, taking her sword, followed him. Looking at his back, she quietly smiled and said, "Xander, what do you want to say?"
— Xander turned around and, looking at her, said, "Shinobu, I've joined the Demon Slayer Corps, so I'll keep the promise I made to you initially."
— As soon as he finished the sentence, Shinobu lunged at him, and her sword, the "Sun Circle," swiftly thrust towards his side.
— "Shave!" — Xander's figure vanished and reappeared behind Shinobu, dodging her attack.
— Shinobu turned and kicked him, a blade instantly popping out from the sole of her foot.
— Xander still did not intend to attack, only dodging her attacks with all his might.
— Seeing that her strikes were ineffective, Shinobu gradually lost control of herself.
— "Why!? Why!? Why do you still appear?!" she shouted.
— Seeing Shinobu losing her composure, Xander grabbed her "Sun Circle" sword and held it to himself.
— "I'm sorry I was late," he said.
— Shinobu couldn't hold back her tears, and her sobs reached Xander, making him feel even more guilty.
— At that moment, he saw a light turn on in the adjacent room.
— Xander picked Shinobu up in his arms and instantly disappeared from the Butterfly Mansion.
— Right after they left, Aoi Kanzaki came out into the courtyard.
— "I thought I heard Master Shinobu's voice, but isn't she in the room where no one is allowed to enter?"
— On the other side, Xander had brought Shinobu to the mountain's peak.
— Having regained her composure, Shinobu escaped from his embrace.
— "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
— "You were crying, so I brought you here. Otherwise, if someone saw you in that state, you would lose face," Xander replied.
— Shinobu snorted, rolled her eyes, and asked, "When did you join the Demon Slayer Corps? Didn't you say you didn't want to?"
— Xander smiled slightly, sat on the ground, and looked at the moon.
— "Well, I did," he said.
— "Three years! A full three years! What kind of thing took you three years?" Shinobu asked angrily.
— At this moment, Shinobu was no longer as gentle as before. It seemed this was her true self.
— "It's all in the past, it doesn't matter," Xander shook his head.
— Shinobu furiously grabbed his clothes and said, "How is it not important! Do you know what I've been through these three years? And! Why did you protect a demon during the day?" You know that my family and sister were killed by demons, so why did you still do it?
— "Isn't it proven that Nezuko doesn't harm humans?" Xander replied.
Hearing this, Shinobu angrily let go of his shirt, then sat beside him, lowered her head, and hugged her knees.
— "Xander, do you think humans and demons can really coexist peacefully?" she asked.
Not waiting for Xander's answer, she continued, "Since my beloved sister was killed by a demon, every time I see others shedding tears because their loved ones were killed by demons, every time I hear their desperate cries, anger builds up in me, and an indelible disgust remains deep in my soul.
— "The other Pillars are probably the same. This time they saw Nezuko, who never ate people, and remember her aura. With the Lord's will, no one was to act.
— "I know, but you still can't forgive a demon," Xander said quietly.
Shinobu sighed, looking at him with resentment.
— "You're always like this, always able to mercilessly expose me and always make me angry," she said.
Xander gave an awkward smile and didn't reply.
Shinobu rolled her eyes again and continued, "However, peaceful coexistence with demons was my sister's wish, and I must continue her work. If there's a way that doesn't require killing unfortunate demons, I must keep thinking about it, so the smile my sister loved won't disappear. However, I'm a little tired."
Saying this, she curled up.
Seeing her state, Xander reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Xander, why do demons always lie? They lack reason to protect themselves and rely on instinct to kill humans. Can my sister's wish really come true?" Shinobu asked.
As she said this, her eyes involuntarily filled with tears again.
"Yes, with you here, sister Kanai's wish will definitely come true," Xander looked at the crying Shinobu and lied.
Hearing his words, Shinobu lifted her head and saw his gentle eyes. Unable to hold back her emotions, she threw herself into his chest and cried bitterly.
After a long time, her sobbing gradually subsided. Suddenly, she moved away from him and turned her back.
"Oh, right! You still haven't answered my question! When did you join the Demon Slayer Corps? And what's with your Ice Breathing?" she asked.
Xander, confused, looked at her back and said, "I met Kanao when I participated in the final selection. Didn't Kanao tell you?"
Hearing this, Shinobu remembered that Kanao had kept her head low and said nothing after returning from the final selection.
— At that moment, I thought Kanao was afraid that I would be upset, so I said: "Don't think about anything, just cut the demon's ." Maybe Kanao was wondering whether to tell me about it? — Shinobu wondered, covering her mouth with her hand. — Oh, I accidentally forgot, how is your Breath of Ice coming along?
— The one who killed Kanai's sister was Upper Sword #2, Douma, whose ability is related to ice, so I created Breath of Ice, and now Douma's ability won't affect me, — Xander replied, standing up.
Shinobu turned and looked at him in surprise.
— Did you really study this breathing technique just to help me get revenge for my sister? — Shinobu asked.
Xander smiled gently and did not respond.
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