Chapter 28

The bitter scents of herbs clinging to you are gradually dissipating. They spiral, off and away, diffusing into the musty street air, but your nose continues to tingle with each breath you draw, as if the scents had imprinted themselves in your senses. They serve as a reminder, though, as to why you're aimlessly wandering down this road.

You collect yourself, channel your next burst of motivation into focusing on your search, and continue cutting a path through the street. The market is crowded, and though it isn't to the point you would feel suffocated, the attentive stares you're bearing the brunt of makes you feel like an exotic animal at an auction.

You recall what Shinobu mentioned during her tour. It turns out there was truth to what you assumed had been polite flattery. You're drawing a sizable amount of attention without Shinobu by your side. The thoughts in the gazes trained on you are also considerably more naïve, not as shadowed as the ones Shinobu had gotten when both of you had been exploring the village. While she had received plenty of appreciation and awe, a small portion of the attention had been of an decidedly… unsavoury sort.

Your even kneeled expression twitches at the memory of the chilling stares from the shady figures lingering in the margins of the crowd… you shake your head, drawing in another breath of dusty air to calm your simmering anger. You're overthinking things. Compared to other isolated villages you've visited, this place doesn't seem as lawless.

It's only been ten minutes since you left Shinobu to browse in the apothecary, and already your worries seek to overthrow you. If Shinobu could hear you think, you'd be too embarrassed to meet her anymore.

With a slight headshake, you redirect your focus to the task at hand. Your legs don't slow their stride as you scan the names etched into signboards hanging above the stretch of shops along the street. The lanes on both sides are packed with businesses, though it's clear some are more prosperous than others.

You continue searching, but each failure to find the shop you're looking for steadily feeds your growing niggle of doubt. You increase your pace, neck growing sore with how many times you're twisting it this way and that. You've already gone past three shops selling grain, but none of them are the one you'd been told to find.

The shop better be here, you think. Aibooru wouldn't be merciless enough to pull a bluff on something so important, would he?

The thought that your contact might have tricked you sours your mood. A serious urge to whack Aibooru over the head comes over you. If only he were here you'd– no, wait. You should be relieved he isn't here, or you'd probably have to contend with another man interested in gaining Shinobu's affections. The thought of yet another battle tires you. It has barely been a month since the fallout between you and Fuji.

"Haah…" You sigh into the hand you clamped over your face.

Your impatience is making you think nonsense. Also, your mind has conveniently left aside the fact that Aibooru wouldn't be malicious to level where he'd even harm you for Shinobu's attention. He might be infuriating, but he's the most trustworthy and the levelheaded man you know.

Even if you wish to keep Shinobu too yourself, your sudden spike of overprotectiveness is rather ridiculous. You smother another sigh that threatens to erupt from you at that thought.

Oh, whatever. If you fail to find the shop, you'll just write a letter of complaint to Aibooru when you get back. Also, it doesn't hurt that Shinobu has no idea what you had planned. It would be impossible for her to be disappointed if your arrangement falls through.

...though you dearly hope it won't. This date could already be considered successful, but you want to end it on a memorable note. You don't know if you can consider what you planned romantic or not, but you think she'll enjoy it. Her duties keep her on the feet, constantly busy. She would appreciate the opportunity to relax, is what you think.

You repeat that assertion as motivation and toss out your thoughts of abandoning your search to return to her side. "Just bear it, Ryuu," you mutter. "The shop shouldn't be too far off. I've walked almost half this street already."

Your search continues, waves of noisy chatter and noises frothing and boiling around you. The most prominent are the baying of shopkeepers and nearby cart sellers, all competing to peddle their wares. Their voices ring loudly in your ears, pitched and sonorous, and you find yourself pricked by nostalgia at their overly enthusiastic cries and the sight of their gesticulating limbs. When was the last time you had done this?

You ponder over the question, grasping onto an answer seconds later. Counting backward from your four years as a Slayer, you hadn't yelled your head off to attract fickle customers since you were fourteen, the year you were forced into the shonin lifestyle.

At least things have drastically improved since you've started. No longer a mere salesman, but a merchant. No longer spending sleepless nights wondering if you've earned enough to keep yourself fed and clothed. You miss the rush of personally making a sale, but aside from that, you're satisfied. Now, you're more than happy to spend most of your time on your demon slaying duties.

Still, the sobering fact that you've been on your own for nearly half a decade renders you speechless. It doesn't feel real that you've already spent nineteen years in this world. How much longer you'd be here remains to be seen. Perhaps your luck would finally run out, and you'd meet a demon belonging to the Twelve Kizuki.

Moments later, bringing the total time you spend away from Shinobu to a whopping fifteen minutes, you finally find what you've been searching for. You stop in your tracks to glare at the familiar 'rice' kanji inscribed into the aged wood above the shop, and pivot on your heel to enter the square cut entrance.

Away from prying eyes, the glorious isolation bleeds the tension from your shoulders. Just because you are adept as masking your discomfort doesn't mean you don't feel it. Thankfully, your skill in masking your true emotions comes in handy regardless of the situation.

"Welcome, sir!" The man at the counter greets you exuberantly, his voice bouncing off the packed shelves. "Take your time and look around! We've got lots on offer this week, a range of short–"

You raise a hand to cut him off. "My apologies, but I'm not here to shop. Could you call out Kokonoe-san?" At his wide-eyed look, you add, "Inform him that Kuroshio is here. He should be expecting me."

"Right away!" The salesman scampers through the back door, leaving you to look around. The shop is small but well-stocked. Baskets and sacks of grain sit on floors and shelves, marked with wooden tiles inscribed with names and prices. It gives weight to Aibooru's claim last season's harvest had been better than usual. It isn't surprising, there hasn't been any insect or natural disasters this year. A great outcome, given the farmers who supply you will doubtless remain comfortably fed well until the next harvest, predicating another profitable year.

"'o you're Kuroshio-san!" You look up at the exclaimation. The newcomer is short and stout, his belly hanging precariously over the sash wrapped tightly around his waist. His kimono looks outrageously tight and not at all comfortable, but he doesn't seem uncomfortable. A hidden skill?

"And you must be Kokonoe-san," you dip your head in greeting. "Thank you for acquesing to Aibooru's request."

"Not a problem, not a problem! Kusanagi-san sells to me at great prices, this is just a small thing in comparison. He told me to prepare what you asked for, so here it is!"

"I appreciate your assistance on this matter, Kokonoe-san." Your business smile pulls at the corners of your mouth. "Am I right to assume the mat is reasonably thick, as I told Aibooru to make sure of?"

"Of course, of course!" Kokonoe smacks the bundled sack sending up a puff of dust. His grin is unimpeded, though the salesman standing behind him covers his mouth in a hacking cough. He blathers on, "Kusanagi-san said you needed my help to get it because you wanted to keep a low profile. Normally, one wouldn't need to skulk around for something simple as this, so I'm assuming this is part of your surprise for a special lady. Am I correct?"

You have self-awareness to know your request is an odd one. Feeling your business smile pull at the corners of your mouth, you give him a non-commital shrug. Kokonoe's grin doesn't abide. He chortles, smacking his salesman hardily on the back. You have a feeling if you weren't on the other side of that counter, you'd receive the same treament.

"If you came all the way here to get this, you probably planned to take her to the nearby lake, eh? There isn't enough tourists for the village to start the business of sightseeing boats, but the waters are pretty enough that folks here flock to it." Kokonoe scratches his chin. "Too bad my wife isn't satisfied with just lake gazing after we married. Hah, now nothing less than new clothes makes her happy!"

You rub at your neck. He's not going to regale you with tales of his youth, is he? "Alright, so how much do I–"

"Oh, but I hope you've got 'ome insect repellent with you. This season's nice and cool, but that doesn't mean there won't be pesky bugs looking to bother you."

"Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately, I didn't bring any." Luckily, Shinobu would still be at the apothecary. You can get some insect repellent pouches there. "How much do I owe?"

"Well that's not right! If you're bringing out a lady, you need cover all your bases." Kokonoe informs you of the sum for the blanket mat and his services, and you reach into the back pocket sewn into your tonbi to retrieve your money pouch.

"Kuroshio-san, I do have some repellent incense with me, if you're interested." You don't look up from counting the money. That tone of voice is familiar, one you've used countless times before.

You hum low in your throat. "If you're willing to sell, how much are they going to cost me?"

Kokonoe adds another zero to the amount you've already counted out. "The stuff I have is top quality, and if you really need it Kuroshio-san, you shouldn't be stingy. Think of what your lady will say if she gets bitten by bugs. Angry women are fearsome!"

You guess it's true what they say about birds of a feather. Kusanagi Aibooru certainly knows how pick his people. Kokonoie's overbearing demeanor is not nearly enough to mask a sly personality lusting for profit.

At the thought of the Insect Pillar getting bitten, you muffle a laugh. Keeping a straight face, you respond, "Your kindness is appreciated, but I'll have to decline your offer. My woman is stronger than you think."

After paying for your goods, you bid the disappointed Kokonoe goodbye. You leave his shop, heading down the street from where you came. Your stride is lengthy as you swiftly retrace your steps, and you reach the apothecary in a third of the time you wasted looking for Kokonoe's. Unlike his, this one is in a prime location, stationed in the main street just opposite the village's housing area. It's definitely a location countless people would kill to set up their business. There's always people milling about, and it's doubtless some of them will drop in for a look. It's not a hard and fast rule, but boredom is quite useful in generating profit.

You gently shoulder the door open. The bundle you collected is slung on your other shoulder, and it bounces on your back as you enter the apothecary. Stepping into the space sees you slammed with the overwhelming odor of crushed herbs, ranging from bitter to fragrant and mint. This second time no less staggering then when Shinobu first led you inside.

Your jumble of thoughts gradually refine into a singular goal: find Shinobu.

You glance at the boss slouched against the wall and turn your head to look at the rows of shelves placed directly across him. You walk past him, drawing a one eyed stare, and start looking down the aisles for your date. You finally find her at the other end of the shop, going through the shelf marked under the tool section. Her gaze is fixed on whatever she is looking at, and you as you approach her, something playful sinks its grip into you.

You keep your footsteps silent as you pad toward her, getting closer and closer. Before you can tap her shoulder, Shinobu tilts her head and freezes you in place with a mischievous look.

"Oh my," she murmurs, "So you didn't abandon me?" Her teasing tone unknots the worry in your gut. The excuse you used had been that you'd left your money pouch at the eating house, which meant you should have been back sooner than this. It doesn't help your case that eating house is a mere ten minute walk away.

"I wouldn't dare. Even if a demon accosted me, I'd still have returned if it meant clawing my way back." You watch Shinobu remove her hand from the shelf. Your eyes trace her arm to her shoulders, and you notice a tied bundle hanging on her left side. "Ah, did you already pay for something? I thought you agreed to let me pay for anything you wished to buy." You heave a great sigh. "My disappointment is immeasurable."

"And I haven't broken my promise," Shinobu says, faintly amused at your exaggeration. "I decided to have the owner pass several items to me first, so you wouldn't have to wait when you returned. You were gone for twenty minutes, you know."

"I'm sorry, I got lost." You reach for her hand. She lets you take it, and you give it a soft squeeze. "You must be mad, but I hope you'll forgive me. I don't know what I'd do if you decided not."

Shinobu's gaze darts behind you. "Why would I do such a thing?" She leans in, her voice dropping low, her tone sultry, "It would be my loss if I deprived myself of your kisses." You reel back, face flushing at her audacity. Your mind immediately flashes back to your entanglement under the tree, the plushness of her sweet lips. "You blush more easily than I thought. If you have ever to deal with an attractive female merchant, I worry you might be charmed away."

You have dealt with female merchants before. They were mostly wives from affluent trade families, or sole heiresses to a vast fortunes who wished to know where their money went. You never had trouble with them, and even when you'd endured their advances, you don't recall reacting how you do with Shinobu.

"That's a completely unnecessary worry," you answer wryly. You're catching up to the fact that Shinobu is likely the only woman who has ever succeeded in keeping you off-balance, purposely or otherwise. You clear your throat, ignoring the question in her gaze. "Have you selected everything you wanted? While sunlight still remains, we could walk a little longer. I plan to take you someplace to relax before we return to the mansion."

"Someplace private?" Shinobu doesn't smirk, but her twitching mouth is proof enough that she wishes to. "Should I be worried?"

You clear your throat again. Your saliva slides down your throat, hard to swallow despite the lack of obstruction. Kissing her in public is tempting, but is definitely an extremely bad idea. If the man manning the counter spotted you, he could potentially spread rumours. And if the kakushi visited the village, it wouldn't take long for Shinobu to be identified.

You turn away. "You seem to be adept at making me speechless."

"I will attempt to keep from doing it too often." Shinobu squeezes your hand, not denying your words. "I would be devastated if I scared you away."

"They say you're the fastest Pillar. You would catch me," you retort.

Shinobu smiles, seeming to find it particularly funny. "That is unfortunate for you, then."

"Unfortunate? It should be the opposite, no?" You raise an eyebrow, pinning her under your gaze. It is Shinobu's turn to hurriedly look away, and you jump when you feel lithe fingers pinching the back of your hand. "Ow- hey!"

"Go pay for my purchases, Ryuu." Shinobu lightly nudges you in the direction of the counter. You make sure your back is to her before your neutral expression morphs into a satisfied one. She was deft at teasing you, but it was good that she knew you could do the same every once in a while.

You purse your lips, quietly whistling. In truth, Shinobu had nothing to worry about, because even if she were the slowest in the Demon Slayer Corps, you would still let her catch you.