Chapter 270: Difference between young and old

**Translation:**

"Ever since I talked with Sister Ruka yesterday, you've been silent. Did something happen?"

"In the end, greed is punished. So, I'll leave everything to you, future me."

Escaping might be shameful, but it's effective. The key is convincing yourself to escape. Li Mo blinded his conscience and left the difficulties for his future self.

Surely, his future self would figure out a solution, right?

"Kanaho-san, it's all your fault that I've become a scumbag."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"You unleashed the beast in my heart."

Kanaho nodded and said, "I see, I see. I'll reward you tonight."

Li Mo replied with a straight face, "What position?"

She smiled without answering.

That night, Li Mo realized it wasn't yoga practice but a reenactment of a certain scenario.

The next day, Li Mo was washing bedsheets at the Rengoku household. **Rengoku Shinjuro**, the middle-aged man, was doing the same. In the same place, the middle-aged man and the young man exchanged a knowing glance.

The difference between them was that the young man looked energetic, as if he hadn't just had the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man's face showed exhaustion, as if he'd been drained by a succubus.

"Drink more goji berry tea, old man," the young man surnamed Li said.

The middle-aged man didn't respond directly, instead saying stubbornly, "It's just that I'm getting old."

Humans couldn't be compared to demons.

Their stay at the Rengoku household wasn't long. On one hand, Kanaho had already made her final assessment of Ruka's health. On the other, there was still a lot of work at the Butterfly Mansion, and Kanaho couldn't stay away for too long like Makomo could.

Li Mo had come to the Rengoku household with a purpose.

—To say goodbye.

Just like when he had gone to **Mount Sagiri** earlier. Unfortunately, **Tomioka Giyuu** and **Sabito** were nowhere to be found, so he couldn't bid them farewell in person. No matter, leaving a letter would suffice.

It wasn't like he would never return.

A few days ago, he had been on the way here. Now, he was on the way back.

Li Mo felt like he was always on the move.

"So, where are you going next?"

Kanaho's question seemed casual, but she already knew the answer. She was subtly guiding Li Mo to say what needed to be said.

She and Makomo had both accompanied Li Mo to visit one family. Now, it was time to take **Shinobu** to visit the other.

Their destination was the **Kamado household**.

"I'll take Shinobu with me. And I'll bring **Kanao** too."

"Why bring Kanao...? Are you trying to arrange a marriage for her? But didn't you say arranged marriages are shameful?"

**Tsuyuri Kanao**.

If fate had its way, that girl and **Tanjiro** would end up together. A stoic girl and a sunny boy—they balanced each other out. But then again, Tanjiro's radiant personality could probably match with any girl.

Was it because of his interference that **Muzan Kibutsuji** had been defeated early, causing this potential couple to drift apart? Was he trying to play matchmaker?

After some thought, Li Mo said, "Let's just see. What if they hit it off?"

"By the way, Tanjiro is a year younger than Kanao."

Doing the math, Kanao was now twelve, while Tanjiro was only eleven.

An older girl and a younger boy... what was the saying again?

Kanaho laughed. "Aren't you worried Kanao might feel at a disadvantage?"

Li Mo didn't respond.

And so, the matter was settled.

The Butterfly Mansion, as an auxiliary institution of the Demon Slayer Corps, had been fully preserved. According to Kanaho, it would now become a medical facility for treating patients.

—Even if the Kocho sisters weren't as skilled as Tamayo, they were still excellent doctors. The existence of demons hadn't just pushed the Demon Slayer Corps to develop breathing techniques; it had also advanced their medical expertise.

Returning to the Butterfly Mansion, Li Mo was relieved to see that Shinobu hadn't packed her luggage yet. He didn't want to experience the pain of having to leave again right after arriving.

But this situation wasn't perfect.

For the past two nights, Li Mo had been sleeping alone.

He wasn't used to it. A young man—no, a young demon—who had tasted the forbidden fruit couldn't resist the comfort of falling asleep while holding warm skin.

Once you've had meat, going back to vegetables is hard.

For the past two days, Li Mo had been slacking off, barely even working on his magic research.

He had hit a bottleneck in every aspect. Even with an intelligence stat of 16, he was still mediocre when it came to development.

Take the modified **Solo Ron** technique, for example. After the modifications, it no longer had its previous flaws, but new problems had arisen. It was like fixing a bug in a program only to create a new one.

—If it works, why fix it?

Li Mo finally understood the pain of being a programmer.

"Li Mo, it's time to go."

"Go where?"

Shinobu's eyes sharpened as she asked the question. Ever since that unreliable man had returned, everyone at the Butterfly Mansion said that the gentle, smiling Shinobu had died, replaced by the bold, heroic woman of the past.

Shinobu's appearance hadn't reverted to her old style. With her natural beauty, she still looked stunning. But Li Mo preferred the current Shinobu.

"To the Kamado household. Didn't we agree we'd leave today?"

"Oh, that. Right, I should have packed my luggage... Well, it seems I didn't do it yesterday."

Shinobu tilted her head, looking at the embarrassed young man, then smiled and said, "Dear Li Mo, I'll give you a few minutes. If you can't finish in time, you'll face the consequences."

First came silence, then action. When a demon sets his mind to something, almost nothing can stop him.

His shikigami, a spirit servant, was summoned, and Li Mo himself wasn't idle. After two trips, he knew exactly what to bring.

"All packed. Shinobu, how did I do?"

In just a minute or two, Li Mo appeared before Shinobu with his luggage.

A demon didn't need to bring much for a trip. Even without any supplies, he could survive just fine in the wild.

"For this round, Shinobu gives you a low score."

"Eh~~~ Why? I packed so quickly."

"If you had taken care of it earlier, you would've packed last night."

Li Mo had no retort. Facing the woman he loved, what could he do? He could only admit his mistake.

**Tsuyuri Kanao** watched the interaction between her older brother and sister.

Blinking her eyes, the innocent girl sensed that the relationship between Li Mo and Shinobu wasn't simple, just like his relationship with Kanaho.

But the girl said nothing, quietly burying everything in her heart.