Chapter 266: Daily Life

With Kibutsuji Muzan dead, the burden on Li Mo's shoulders was finally lifted. In this world, there was almost nothing left for him to do.

—And then he was dragged off by Shinobu Kocho to do manual labor.

The Butterfly Mansion, as a medical institution, was still responsible for the follow-up treatment of the wounded. Although the Demon Slayer Corps no longer existed, there were still mountains of tasks to handle. The Ubuyashiki family wasn't the type to discard their tools after use.

As for being forced into manual labor, Li Mo believed it was Shinobu's revenge for him previously roping her into hard work.

But in reality, even if Shinobu hadn't dragged him into it, he would have volunteered to be a "laborer" at least once.

Because he needed to deactivate the Demon Slayer Marks.

Li Mo himself could use special methods to sever the negative effects of the marks. However, these methods weren't something just anyone could learn.

So, he had to deactivate the marks for everyone. Before the final battle, not only the Hashira but also the majority of the swordsmen who went to the battlefield had activated their marks. As long as their physical condition met the requirements, they could activate them.

And the physical requirements weren't particularly high.

Activating the marks was easy, but deactivating them required Li Mo to analyze each case individually. Unlike activating the marks, which had a straightforward process, deactivating them didn't have a universal solution. Li Mo had to analyze each case separately.

As for whether a universal solution could be found, Li Mo did eventually discover one. But that was only after he had almost finished deactivating all the marks.

"Finally, it's over."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mo-chan."

"Kanae, how many times have I told you? Can't you change the way you address me?" Li Mo said earnestly.

Unfortunately, he knew full well that Kanae Kocho wouldn't change her way of addressing him. Ah, what a tragic thing.

Why does a grown man like me have to be addressed like this? I'm not some cute "boy."

"Mo-chan, are you going to visit Rengoku-senpai?"

"Yes."

Kanae Kocho blinked, her eyes filled with curiosity. "I'm curious, why did Rengoku-senpai's wife invite you to their home?"

"You mean Ruka-nee? We have a good relationship."

"Eh—?"

Kanae drew out her tone, sounding suspicious. With that look in her eyes, Li Mo didn't notice anything at first, but then he said, "What are you thinking, Kanae?"

"Nothing, I'm just making some reasonable assumptions. For example, what kind of girls does Li-san like..."

Li Mo rolled his eyes. "What's wrong with me liking older sister types?"

After all, during their time in the Red Light District, he had already said everything there was to say. There were no secrets left between them.

"Hey, Makomo, did you hear that?"

Kanae called out, and immediately, Makomo and Shinobu's heads peeked out from above the bed, their black hair cascading down like two distinct "waterfalls."

Li Mo's gaze shifted from the window, and he said seriously, "Sometimes it's nice to change things up."

Unsurprisingly, the two girls by the window gave him a look of disdain, while the instigator, Kanae, just laughed.

Li Mo, at the center of the "storm," shrugged, unfazed.

...

The current Butterfly Mansion still retained traces of the old one. For example, the cabinets used to store medicinal herbs were of the same style.

"Yes, that's the herb. Please help dry it, Li Mo."

—Manual labor.

It referred to physical work. Of course, if you generalized it, there were many things it could encompass.

But what Li Mo was doing was mental work, skilled work.

Using magic to help dry herbs.

The Kocho sisters' medical skills were a blend of many schools of thought. But no matter the medical technique, herbs were needed. These herbs could be medicinal plants, and some needed to be dried before use.

Given the conveniance of magic, Li Mo could simulate the effects of air-drying, oven-drying, and sun-drying. As for how these effects were achieved, it was a tale of hardship.

Why was he using magic to develop productivity instead of researching magic itself?

Wait, no, it wasn't about developing productivity. He *was* the productivity...

But when he glanced at Shinobu's beautiful profile, he stopped complaining and instead felt motivated.

"What are you looking at?"

"Shinobu, what's with the color of your hair?"

Li Mo didn't directly say he was admiring her but instead pointed to the purple at the ends of her hair.

He remembered that not long ago, her hair was still black. In the original story, her hair turned purple due to the effects of wisteria poison.

"Dyed it. Is that not allowed?"

"Why not dye all of it? Wouldn't that be more convenient? And does dyeing technology even exist now?" Li Mo asked incredulously.

Shinobu said, "Pay attention! You're overdoing this batch of herbs!"

"Got it, boss lady."

Ah, is this what being a corporate slave feels like?

Considering that in his previous life he was almost a working adult, and in this life he was still a high school student, and in both the Demon Slayer world and Teyvat he had been wandering the wilderness, and in Fuyuki City he had been holed up in a cave for a long time...

This feeling of being a corporate slave was a first.

—And it felt kind of novel.

Li Mo successfully completed the task without damaging a single herb.

Shinobu stored the herbs and brushed aside the strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. "Do you think it looks good?"

She was answering the question about her hair.

Her answer solved the problem but also raised a new one... How did Shinobu know?

"Kanae?"

Shinobu didn't answer Li Mo, but he had his target. This version of Shinobu was something he had only mentioned to Kanae.

"By the way, Tamayo-sama asked when you're going to fulfill your promise to her. What did you promise her?"

"To send her to hell."

Li Mo's answer was too blunt.

So much so that Shinobu kicked him out of the room. But he firmly believed it was because he was no longer useful.

He should go find Makomo now.

Tamayo-sama, are you really leaning towards death?

Shinobu paused, then pushed these distracting thoughts aside. She remembered how Li Mo had been staring at her profile earlier...

Indeed, dyeing her hair was the right choice.

Shinobu smiled, a genuine smile.

...

Makomo.

She was practically the adopted daughter of Sakonji Urokodaki, the respected senior of Sabito and Giyu Tomioka.

At the same time, she was also Li Mo's senior.

—In terms of actual age, Li Mo was several years older than Makomo.

But seniority, like generational titles, had nothing to do with age. Was it rare for someone to become a grandfather at a young age?

Setting aside their titles, Makomo was just a girl.

Despite being seventeen or eighteen, the same age as Kanae, she was actually shorter than Shinobu...

"Are you thinking something malicious?" Makomo said coldly.

She suddenly felt a chill.

As if someone was talking badly about her height. And considering this guy preferred older sisters.

What's so great about being tall?

Her small frown was adorable, making Li Mo unable to resist patting her head. She responded with a cold glare, which eventually turned into a chase, gradually leading them away from the Butterfly Mansion.

Li Mo had planned to leave anyway, heading with Makomo to visit Sakonji Urokodaki, who was still at Mount Sagiri.