Demon Slayer: My breathing technique went awry after Nezuko pushed me down.

However, just as Shirakawa Yu took a deep breath, preparing to adjust his state—

A faint fragrance of wisteria blossoms, mostly masked by the intense stench of blood, wafted into his nose.

The taste is...

Bai Chuanyu's pupils shrank suddenly!

not good!!!

His body reacted with its most instinctive instinct at that moment—

Pounce forward!

But it was too late.

Just as he lunged forward, a gentle, smiling greeting rang in his ear.

"Moshi moshi~"

The voice was soft and gentle, and it rang in Shirakawa Yu's ear.

But along with that gentle greeting came the stinging pain of a cold knife tip piercing flesh.

And then, a soft apology followed immediately.

"Smimasai~~"

The pain in his back made Shirakawa Yu groan.

Almost instinctively, he swung his knife backward with a backhand strike!

A purplish-pink blade flashed past behind him, but only struck air.

The fragrance of wisteria blossoms drifted lightly past his back as he slashed.

Like a butterfly.

A purple butterfly fluttering under the moonlight.

It landed gracefully not far in front of him.

It was a slender figure, its colorful feathers swaying gently in the night breeze, like a lifelike butterfly.

She had purple hair and purple eyes, her body leaned slightly forward, her left hand on the scabbard at her waist, and her right hand... holding a slender Nichirin Blade.

There was still a bit of bright red blood on the tip of the knife.

The butterfly hair ornament on her bun trembled gently in the wind.

She looked up at Bai Chuanyu, a gentle smile curving her lips.

Those purple eyes were filled with laughter.

Good evening~

She said softly.

Her voice was soft and sweet.

...Butterfly...Endure!

Finally, I met her! She's Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!

But at this moment, Shirakawa Yu couldn't feel happy at all.

He had fantasized countless times about the scene of his first encounter with Shinobu Kocho.

The two happened to meet on the street.

In the Butterfly House, she gently changed her dressing.

On the training field, she patiently guided herself, and so on...

But that's the one thing he never expected!

Their first real meeting was when she... ambushed him from behind!

This first meeting... was so unromantic!!!

Especially...

"How dare you!" Shirakawa Yu pointed at Kocho Shinobu in shame and anger, "You poked me—in the butt!!!"

Shinobu blinked, her face showing just the right amount of apology.

"Oh dear~ I'm sorry~"

She gently tapped her head with her hand and stuck out her tongue.

"As a Pillar, I really shouldn't be doing something like this—a sneak attack."

"But don't be so delicate, I just poked it very, very lightly, I didn't use any force~"

She tilted her head, her smile innocent.

"It's probably just a minor cut."

"You're talking nonsense!" Bai Chuanyu covered the left side of his buttock.

"There's at least three centimeters of blood on the tip of your knife! Whose skin is three centimeters thick?!"

Upon hearing this, Shinobu Kocho looked down at the tip of her sword.

Then, she casually moved the knife behind her back and hid it, saying nonchalantly:

No~

Shirakawa Yu (#｀皿'): "......You hid it so poorly! I saw it all!"

You've misread it~

The butterfly said with a forced smile.

Bai Chuanyu wanted to argue again, but suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness.

His feet wobbled, and he quickly used his knife to brace himself against the ground.

and many more......

This feeling...

He suddenly looked up, staring at Shinobu Kocho in disbelief.

"You... used poison?"

At this moment, Shinobu's smile deepened slightly.

"Hehe~ You've been found out?"

She hopped a few steps lightly.

Her steps were light, just like a butterfly.

"Don't worry, I only used a little bit of the drug to make you drowsy."

She approached step by step, her voice still gentle.

"If you can stand up to Tomioka head-on and stay clear-headed, you'll give me a real headache~"

"But don't worry, I won't kill you."

Shinobu Kocho stopped five meters away from Shirakawa Hayao, her purple eyes curving into crescents.

"Given your level of expertise and such strange abilities, the way you handle this should be decided by our lord."

"All you need to do is..."

"Just keep quiet while I kill those two brats next to you."

The moment she finished speaking, her smile remained, but her body moved!

A purple afterimage swept across the open space, heading straight for the twigs and beads!

But this attack was intercepted by Shirakawa Yu, who was clearly already anesthetized!

Chapter 71 Kanao's Arrival: A Battleground?

"Breath of Color, Fifth Form: Scarlet Curtain!!!"

The pink light curtain lit up again!

Shinobu Kocho's sword struck the light screen, making a soft "ding" sound.

She leaped back lightly, landing several meters away, and looked at Bai Chuanyu with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Oh?" She tilted her head, her smile unchanged. "You can still move?"

Shirakawa Yu took a deep breath.

Pink air wafted in and out of his mouth and nose, back and forth twice.

Then, he shook his head violently.

The dizziness has been significantly reduced.

"Humph~"

He twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at Shinobu Kocho.

"You think this little bit of medicine can knock me out?"

Butterfly blinked, her smile widening.

"That's really impressive!" she exclaimed softly, her tone as if she were praising a child who had performed well.

"Although I don't research poisons for human use much, the amount of these anesthetics should be enough to take down a bear."

She paused, tilting her head to examine Bai Chuanyu.

"Shirakawa Yu-kun's body is truly special~"

"Want to know why?" Shirakawa Yu grinned, revealing a cheeky expression. "It's not impossible, as long as you—"

"Just a moment~"

Shinobu Kocho interrupted him with a smile.