Chapter 63: The bad taste of dismembering
[TL/N: Read my new work - Detective Conan: I'm a Succubus?!]
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Shinobu watched Kanao with an incredibly complicated expression.
"Her name is Kanao Tsuyuri," she explained softly. "Because of the difficult environment she grew up in, she struggles to think for herself or make decisions."
"She struggles to think for herself?"
March 7th tilted her head, studying Kanao.
At first glance, the girl seemed lifeless, detached—her demeanor eerily similar to those suffering from PTSD.
"Maybe her childhood was too painful?"
Nanashi's golden eyes flickered as he observed her.
Perhaps…
This was the perfect chance for another experiment.
A Zanpakutō materialized in his hand.
"Archon."
Before Shinobu and Lemuel's astonished gazes, the blade dissolved into golden light and merged into Nanashi's eyes.
Then, he stepped forward.
A butterfly fluttered from Kanao's open palm.
Her gaze followed it, expression unreadable.
The red-winged butterfly drifted through the air, delicate and weightless—
Until it landed between Nanashi's fingers.
It stilled, unmoving.
Nanashi met Kanao's gaze.
Her lifeless eyes locked onto his golden, star-filled ones.
Then, he spoke.
"Do you think this butterfly is alive or dead?"
Kanao tilted her head.
The question confused her.
A butterfly can fly. How could it be dead?
But she didn't answer.
Because—
It was a choice.
And she didn't want to make one.
Nanashi's voice remained calm, yet firm.
"Its fate depends on your decision."
Shinobu and Lemuel exchanged glances, unsure where this was going.
But they didn't interrupt him.
"If you don't answer, it will die anyway."
Kanao stared into his golden eyes.
She saw certainty in them.
He wasn't joking.
He really would do it.
"You have ten seconds to decide."
Kanao froze.
She wasn't used to choosing.
So—
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a coin.
Just as she was about to flip it—
Nanashi spoke again.
"Do you know what a butterfly is?"
Kanao hesitated.
What… was the butterfly in front of her?
An animal? A beautiful thing?
It didn't really matter to her.
She could just let the coin decide.
"It's life," Nanashi continued. "Like Shinobu. It's life."
Kanao's eyes wavered.
Master…?
I don't understand…
"Shinobu—this butterfly is a life, just like her. Now, tell me your choice."
Shinobu's brows furrowed.
Why did he suddenly mention her?
Nanashi, however, seemed to be speaking to himself.
Because—
No one responded.
But he heard Kanao's heart.
Kanao hesitated for a long moment.
Then, slowly—
Her gaze shifted to Shinobu.
If the butterfly represented her master, then the choice was obvious.
She should choose for it to live.
But—
She couldn't speak.
"Time's up."
A glimmer of gold flashed in Nanashi's eyes.
And then—
The red butterfly shattered into pieces before Kanao's eyes.
"!!!!"
She stiffened.
No.
That was—
That was Master.
She saw Shinobu's body—
Torn apart.
Dismembered before her very eyes.
Killed right in front of her.
A feeling she had never experienced before—
An emotion she didn't even know she had—
Ignited like a flame in her chest.
Rage.
Ziing!
The sound of a sword unsheathing rang through the air.
A sharp glint of steel carved an arc—
And aimed straight for Nanashi's head.
"Kanao!"
A voice rang out—
Familiar.
Kanao's body froze.
Master?
The scene before her shattered.
Reality snapped back into focus.
Shinobu stood behind Nanashi, her face filled with shock and confusion.
Kanao's hands trembled, still gripping her sword.
Her gaze turned to Nanashi.
He simply narrowed his eyes, smiling faintly.
His fingers rested lightly against the blade near his cheek—
Effortlessly stopping it mid-swing.
"Remember that feeling… and find your heart."
Then, he stepped back.
The red butterfly once again flapped its wings from his fingers—
And flew away.
As if nothing had happened.
As if it had never been broken.
Kanao watched it disappear into the sky.
For the first time—
She felt something.
"Butterflies… are red."
"Nanashi, what exactly did you do just now? Why did that girl suddenly try to cut you down?"
Lemuel asked, her curiosity evident.
Shinobu also blinked in confusion.
Kanao wasn't the type of person to attack anyone— let alone someone like Nanashi.
She barely reacted to anything.
She hardly cared about anything.
Nanashi chuckled, seemingly amused.
"It was just an experiment—one to control the senses."
His voice carried a trace of mischief.
"I simply manipulated her vision and made her believe she saw Shinobu being cut into pieces by me."
Lemuel's expression stiffened.
"You mean… an illusion?"
"Something like that."
It was a direct manipulation of the five senses—a deception so flawless it was indistinguishable from reality.
A trick, much like a flower reflected in a mirror or the moon shimmering in water—beautiful yet untouchable.
"And the results?" Lemuel raised an eyebrow.
"Successful. Manipulating the five senses is easier than I expected."
Lemuel's lips twitched.
"Uh… setting aside your absurd ability, what kind of twisted, evil hobby do you have to do something like that?"
Nanashi simply laughed, unbothered.
Meanwhile, Shinobu stood quietly, her eyes wavering as she processed what had just happened.
Kanao… she got angry?
Because of my death?
A soft warmth flickered in Shinobu's heart.
The girl she and her sister had taken in and watched grow up—
The girl who had lost her sense of emotions due to childhood trauma—
The girl who always flipped a coin to make choices because she didn't know how to make them herself—
That same girl had reacted today.
For the first time, she had felt anger.
Because she thought I had died.
Shinobu's heart softened.
She felt relieved.
And at the same time—
Grateful to Nanashi.
Emotions are like seeds—once planted, they will sprout and grow.
Though it was only a small change, it was enough to help Kanao start feeling again.
Still…
Did he really have to go as far as making her watch me get cut into pieces?
Shinobu sighed, her gaze shifting toward Nanashi with a hint of resentment.
She could appreciate the outcome, but the method?
That was just cruel.