Seeing Yae suddenly faint, everyone was startled.
Shinobu Kocho swiftly rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground, and quickly placed her hand on Yae's forehead:
"So hot, she has a high fever."
Horitake also walked over to Shinobu Kocho. He looked at this strong child:
"So ill, yet still searching the snowy forests every night. Should I say she's foolish? Or should I say she's persistent?
Sister Shinobu, what should we do next?"
Shinobu Kocho held Yae and said:
"Let's take her back to the inn where I'm staying. We'll take care of her first. If she continues like this, her body won't be able to hold up."
Horitake nodded, then looked at the Akita dog pacing anxiously beside them, and asked calmly:
"I plan to take your owner back to take care of her. Do you have any objections?"
The Akita dog immediately stood obediently to the side, not making a sound or moving, seemingly acquiescing.
The nearby hunters, seeing this situation, completely dropped their guard against Horitake.
If this guy was really a bad person, why would he take care of Yae?
And the kind young lady wearing the butterfly haori—if this guy were a bad person, she wouldn't be so close to him.
Alright, in the minds of these hunters, for Horitake to go from bad guy to good guy, he needed Shinobu Kocho to complement him.
It was evident that Horitake, at first glance, indeed didn't look like a good person.
Shinobu Kocho carried Yae, and Horitake led the Akita dog, as they returned to the inn.
With the innkeeper's permission, Shinobu Kocho took Yae to her room.
After bringing her back to Shinobu Kocho's room, Shinobu Kocho looked at Horitake with an unfriendly expression.
Horitake was utterly bewildered:
"What's wrong?"
Shinobu Kocho looked at him with disdain:
"I need to put a blanket over Miss Yae and let her rest properly. Before that, I need to remove her outer clothes. Horitake-san, are you sure you want to watch this scene?"
Horitake stared at Shinobu Kocho with dead fish eyes, then helplessly led the dog out of the room. Man and dog waited quietly outside.
After a while, the room door was opened, and Shinobu Kocho said:
"You can come in now."
Horitake led the dog into the room.
Yae had already been settled in bed by Shinobu Kocho, and a wet towel was placed on her forehead to lower her temperature, preventing her brain from being damaged by the high fever.
Shinobu Kocho sat on the other side of Yae, carefully tending to her.
Horitake sat on this side of Yae, watching quietly.
The dog lay curled up in the corner, not making a sound.
After finishing her care, Shinobu Kocho looked up and suddenly noticed that Horitake's gaze towards Yae was very gentle.
She didn't know why, but Shinobu Kocho felt a little jealous, and her mood immediately soured.
However, Horitake seemed not to notice this.
He looked down at Yae and softly asked Shinobu Kocho:
"Sister Shinobu, what do you think of Yae?"
Although a little jealous, Shinobu Kocho still gave a fair assessment:
"This sister... is strong-willed and very courageous."
Horitake continued to ask:
"What do you think about her joining the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"That... we should probably ask Miss Yae her own thoughts."
"Haha, I just feel that with this child's spirit and personality, she could achieve great things in the Demon Slayer Corps."
Shinobu Kocho frowned as she looked at Horitake, especially at his gentle gaze.
Damn it! This scoundrel has never looked at me so gently!
Shinobu Kocho couldn't hold back anymore and spoke directly:
"Excuse me, Horitake the big scumbag, have you taken a fancy to this sister? Do you need me to play matchmaker for the two of you? Will I get a reward as a matchmaker after it's done?"
"Huh?"
Horitake was startled, looked up, and turned to Shinobu Kocho.
Although Shinobu Kocho maintained her smile, four clear words were written in that smile: I am not happy!
Horitake laughed:
"Sister Shinobu, what are you thinking?
While I may be a scoundbag, I'm not so much that I fall for every girl I see.
I saw that Sister Yae has a good personality and is also very pretty, so it reminded me of one of my junior disciples."
Shinobu Kocho frowned:
"The Tanjirou you just mentioned?"
"No, not him, my junior disciple."
"Your junior disciple?"
"That's right, my junior disciple's biggest dream is to gain the favor of pretty girls, but unfortunately, his personality is quite timid, and he likes to pester girls, so his romantic luck has always been poor.
I think Yae's personality could complement my junior disciple's personality.
In the future, if my junior disciple can have such a strong-willed wife to manage the household and external affairs, I would be relieved."
Only then did Shinobu Kocho understand Horitake's intentions:
"You... you want to set up Yae with your junior disciple?"
Horitake nodded and expressed his thoughts:
"You see, Yae's family is gone; she is now all alone.
Instead of letting her stay here alone, it would be better for me to take her to my master, let my master teach her, and let my junior disciple accompany her.
If she can join the Demon Slayer Corps in the future, she will surely achieve great things.
If she can form a pair with my junior disciple, that would be even more delightful for everyone!"
Hearing this, the strong jealousy in Shinobu Kocho's heart finally dissipated.
She also expressed her thoughts:
"Your idea is not bad, but it's just wishful thinking on your part.
It's still uncertain whether Sister Yae is willing to join the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Yes, I was thinking too far ahead, so far that it became a bit ethereal.
However, I truly feel that Yae's personality and my junior disciple's personality are a perfect match.
My junior disciple's personality, to put it bluntly, is almost like trying to support a lump of mud that won't stand up.
He needs a strong-willed girl to support him, to urge him, to drive him!"
Shinobu Kocho thought for a moment, a little doubtful:
"How old is your junior disciple this year?"
"Uh... probably sixteen."
"He's so young, he probably doesn't need to consider this problem so early, does he?"
"Actually, in my opinion, considering this problem for him now is not early at all.
It's really because my junior disciple, when it comes to relationships...
How should I put it?
He especially likes pretty girls and wants to find a pretty girl to be friends with, and then marry.
But his personality and his luck are too bad, and he only knows how to persistently pester girls without any flexibility or tact.
This has led to his poor popularity.
I really worry that he will be lonely for the rest of his life."
"Is that really the reason?" Shinobu Kocho expressed doubt.
"Alright, it's not just that reason.
There's another important reason: I want to set up Yae with my junior disciple to compensate him."
Shinobu Kocho became even more doubtful:
"What did you do to your junior disciple? Why do you need to compensate him?"
Horitake stopped speaking.
How should he answer?
Should he directly answer, "Because I stole Nezuko from my junior disciple!?"
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