Chapter 236: I'm back to uphold my promise

Kocho Shinobu had changed a lot. Even more than Kocho Kanae.

In Li Mo's memory, Kocho Shinobu had two distinct images. One was the outwardly warm but inwardly cold older sister from the manga, and the other was the short-tempered little sister. The latter left a deeper impression.

—During those two or three years as a swordsman, bickering with Shinobu was one of the few things that could lighten his mood.

That fiery little sister was just too amusing.

The current Shinobu, however, was closer to the image of the older sister in his memory. She had grown a bit taller, though she was still shorter than him, standing at around 150 centimeters.

The biggest change was in her demeanor.

The transition from a fiery little sister to a calm, mature older sister was indeed significant.

When Li Mo had first reunited with Shinobu, Kanae had mentioned how much she had changed. Li Mo had a mental image of her, but seeing her in person still left him momentarily stunned.

Her cold demeanor was a little intimidating.

Shinobu didn't maintain that expression for long. She calmly removed her white lab coat, revealing the sleek Demon Slayer Corps uniform underneath, which accentuated her figure. The curves of her chest were subtly perfect.

"Let's sit down and have a proper chat. Sister… Brother-in-law…"

Li Mo wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt a slight chill when Shinobu said the word "brother-in-law."

But it was just a slight chill.

"Ms. Tamayo, could you please clean the coat later?"

"Of course. I'll have Yushiro take care of it."

Shinobu led the two of them back upstairs. The basement wasn't just a research lab; it was also where Tamayo and Yushiro lived. While it wasn't impossible to have a conversation there, Shinobu had grown accustomed to resting upstairs, especially since Yushiro always had a sour expression.

"Aoi, could you make some tea? I need to entertain my sister and brother-in-law."

"Oh… okay!"

Along the way, they encountered a young girl who, after being instructed by Shinobu, glanced at Li Mo before hurrying off.

Li Mo couldn't help but feel that the girl's gaze lingered on him.

Was the term "brother-in-law" that eye-catching?

"Kanzaki Aoi is a swordsman. She passed the Final Selection, but due to psychological reasons, she couldn't fight on the front lines. So she was assigned here. Without her, the Butterfly Mansion might fall apart," Kocho Kanae explained the girl's situation to Li Mo.

Li Mo blinked. No wonder she looked so familiar. She was the girl who ended up marrying Inosuke Hashibira…

"Yes, as the older sister of the Butterfly Mansion, I'm always out and about. Aoi has to handle all the miscellaneous tasks. Originally, she came here to study medicine, but now all her energy is spent on chores."

"But isn't Shinobu here too?"

"When I'm busy assisting Ms. Tamayo with research, do I really have time to manage all the trivial matters?" Shinobu said gently.

"The Butterfly Mansion is running smoothly, isn't it?"

"So that's why you had time to find me a brother-in-law outside, huh?"

There it was. Had her fiery temper turned into sarcasm?

Li Mo watched the exchange between the sisters and had to admit that Shinobu had changed a lot.

Soon, they arrived at the reception room. Kocho Kanae and Li Mo sat together, while Shinobu sat across from them.

Kanzaki Aoi quickly brought the tea and served it to each of them before politely leaving.

Shinobu gracefully picked up her teacup, blowing on the steam before asking, "Li-san, when did you return?"

"Five days ago, to be precise."

"Five days? Why didn't I hear anything about it?"

Her tone was gentle, but the underlying message was clear: without a reasonable explanation, she wouldn't be convinced.

A reasonable explanation, huh…

Li Mo said, "I contacted Oyakata-sama on the first night. He instructed that my return should not be made public."

Within the Demon Slayer Corps, Oyakata-sama's authority was absolute. Using him as a shield was perfectly acceptable. Given Oyakata-sama's gentle nature, he surely wouldn't mind.

Shinobu took a sip of tea and said, "I see. Then why did it take you five days to come to the Butterfly Mansion? Where were you during that time?"

The first question was dodged, but Shinobu's follow-up was the real challenge.

Li Mo replied, "I first appeared in Tokyo, where I learned that Kanae was undercover in the Red Light District. Coincidentally, I discovered that an Upper Moon was hiding there. So I went to assist in the battle, and things kept me busy until now."

Shinobu's gaze shifted between the two of them. "But according to my knowledge, the news of Upper Moon Six's defeat spread two days ago. Sister, do you have anything to say?"

The Demon Slayer Corps had a clear understanding of the Upper Moons' strength, largely due to the news three years ago that Li Mo had perished alongside Upper Moon Three.

When Shinobu first heard that her sister had defeated Upper Moon Six, she was shocked. She knew her sister's capabilities well.

Because she knew, she doubted.

How could her sister have defeated Upper Moon Six, and almost unscathed at that?

But if Li Mo was involved, it made sense.

Three years ago, he had defeated Upper Moon Three. Now, three years later, he could certainly defeat Upper Moon Six.

"Well… I didn't do much. Just some cleanup work."

"How far have you two progressed?"

Shinobu wasn't interested in her sister's evasiveness. Whenever their disagreements grew heated, Kanae would act like this.

Had she imitated her sister too much, to the point where Kanae and Li Mo used the term "brother-in-law" to provoke her?

But based on their interactions, the intimacy between Kanae and Li Mo had surpassed that of mere friends.

The casual skin contact, the natural hand-holding…

All of it hinted at something more.

"No formal marriage."

"But the deed is done."

The two of them spoke in unison, even high-fiving as if Shinobu weren't there.

Shinobu took a deep breath.

These two…

"When's the wedding?" Shinobu's thread of rationality hadn't snapped yet.

This was a sharp sword.

A naked blade.

The most cutting retort.

Li Mo and Kocho Kanae exchanged glances.

They had discussed this on the way.

The conclusion was…

"When there are no more demons in Japan, we'll get married," Kocho Kanae said.

"When will that be?" Shinobu asked.

The current generation of the Demon Slayer Corps was the strongest since the original Breath users. Yet even Oyakata-sama was uncertain about defeating the Demon King.

Li Mo spoke up, "I'm back, Shinobu."

"You're back, and then what? Brother-in-law."

Shinobu continued to use the term "brother-in-law." For some reason, during their earlier conversation, a sense of resentment had built up in her heart.

She wasn't happy.

So she refused to call him "Li-san."

Then, she felt his hand pat her head.

"Do you remember what I told you, Shinobu?

I said that before becoming a swordsman, I would make demons a thing of the past. Unfortunately, I failed to do that in the past.

Shinobu, I've returned to fulfill that promise."

Memories of the past surfaced in her mind. The year he had said those words to her, she was nine years old.

Now, she was fourteen.

And yet, you're still patting my head like I'm that little girl?

"I understand."

Shinobu should have responded with a firm tone. But when the words reached her lips, they softened unintentionally.

She didn't even tell him to remove his hand, instead turning her head away.

She no longer looked directly at him.