Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

Mitsuha estimated that its value should be around one hundred coins.

It may not sound like much, but for ordinary families with modest means, it is still a considerable expense.

Without a doubt, the man wanted the jade bracelet to give to the girl who was traveling with him.

At that moment, the girl stood in the crowd to the right of the man, her hands clenched tightly, staring nervously at the man in front of her.

The girl's hair was not yet tied up, clearly indicating that she was not yet married.

She is not yet married, but she already has a romantic relationship with a man...

Ah, they must be young couples who secretly ran away from home during the fireworks festival without telling their parents.

Wearing a fox mask and sitting in a basket, Mitsuha discovers the truth.

It was at this moment that the man, who had been aiming for a long time, threw the bamboo ring in his hand again, trying to snag the small jade bracelet.

Unfortunately, his result was the same as the previous three times: the bamboo ring missed the jade bracelet and rolled onto the muddy ground, failing to loop around it.

"Oh no! Just a little bit more!"

"Keep it up, buddy! You only have one bamboo hoop left!"

I don't think he'll succeed in getting what he wants.

Amidst the surrounding crowd, voices of regret and mockery immediately arose.

"Poor guy, he threw in four bamboo rings and didn't catch anything. Even just a rice ball would have been better..."

"That's normal. The bracelet was placed far away and it's small. The shop owner clearly didn't want anyone to win it..."

"That little girl is probably going to be sad."

The teasing chatter of the crowd around her continued. Looking at the young man ahead, holding the last bamboo ring, his forehead beaded with sweat yet still intently aiming at the jade bracelet, Butterfly took a small bite of the glutinous rice ball in her hand and suddenly spoke:

"Mitsuba, do you think he'll be able to catch her this time?"

From the basket behind her, Mitsuha glanced at the man's movements and replied with absolute certainty.

Her eyesight was excellent; she could tell that although the young man had been carefully adjusting the angle at which he threw the bamboo hoop the first four times, he had never been able to find the right angle.

This time will be no different; his last attempt is bound to fail.

"Really……"

Upon hearing this, Butterfly sighed softly. She turned to look at the young girl walking with the young man in the crowd not far away, and said with a hint of regret:

"Looks like this guy's going to have a fireworks display with some disappointment tonight..."

"Is it a pity...?"

Upon hearing this, Mitsuha lowered her head and remained silent.

Seemingly touched by these words, she, who had originally intended to observe quietly, suddenly looked up at the young man in front of her.

After a brief hesitation, she finally decided to speak.

"Hey buddy, move your hand a little to the left."

The young man, who had been concentrating intently, turned around instinctively upon hearing the sound, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Trust me, shift slightly to the left, and throw it with the same force as before. You'll definitely catch it."

"Ah, okay, okay..."

Perhaps it was the subtle aura of authority emanating from Mitsuha that influenced him, or perhaps he truly sensed the firmness and confidence in Mitsuha's words.

In conclusion, the young man ultimately chose to do as instructed.

"Yes, that's the angle. Don't be nervous, relax your arms, and try to recall how much force you used before..."

Following Mitsuha's reminder from behind, the young man adjusted the angle and force of his arm little by little, and then threw the last bamboo hoop in his hand with force.

And so, under the young man's tense gaze, the slightly imperfect bamboo ring traced a graceful parabola in mid-air before finally landing steadily on the jade bracelet.

"Oh! He got it! He got it!"

"That kid actually managed to snag it!"

"He earned at least a hundred-coin bracelet with just five coins! This kid's luck is incredible?!"

Chapter 24 Because I Don't Like Stories of Regret

"Hey! Okay! I got it!"

Amidst the shock of the surrounding crowd, the young man cheered loudly.

He immediately rushed forward, picked up the bracelet, and then turned around without hesitation to the girl standing in the crowd to put it on her wrist. Finally, he picked her up and spun her around with cheers.

"so good……"

The lively atmosphere reached its peak. Standing in the crowd and watching this scene, Butterfly took another bite of the glutinous rice ball in her hand and subconsciously sighed.

Their gazes also fell on the young couple who were embracing and cheering. A slight smile appeared on Mitsuha's lips, which were hidden under her mask.

Why did Xiaosanye suddenly want to help him?

The butterfly suddenly asked.

"Because I don't like stories with regrets."

Mitsuha answered truthfully.

Because my own life is already full of regrets.

Although Mitsuha didn't say it aloud, Butterfly understood the meaning.

She was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and her expression dimmed slightly.

Just then, several young men rushed in from outside the crowd and anxiously shouted to the young couple who were still embracing:

"Oh no! Kimura, your dad's here!"

"What did you say?!"

"My dad told your father that you secretly took Xiaoxue out to play! He's on his way here right now! He also said he's going to break your legs this time!"

"Let's go! Let's hurry!"

Upon hearing this, the young man immediately tried to carry the girl in his arms and flee the place.

The girl seemed very familiar with similar situations. She laughed happily and jumped onto the man's back without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his neck.

After running only two steps, the young man seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly turned around, shouting loudly towards Mitsuha:

"My benefactor! I can't thank you enough! My home is in the south of the city. Come find me if you ever need anything!"

After saying that, the man carried the girl he loved on his back and, under the cover of his group of friends, hurriedly fled the place.

"It's great to be young..."

As she waved goodbye to them, the butterfly couldn't help but sigh once more.

"This kind of pure love that only happens between young men and women is always enviable, no matter when you see it..."

"You talk as if you're very old."

"A spinster who's still unmarried in her twenties, how can she not look old..."

With a sigh to herself, Butterfly casually handed the glutinous rice ball in her hand to Mitsuha behind her.

"Here, want to try a bite?"

Perhaps influenced by what had just happened, Mitsuha, who was also quite enthusiastic, did not refuse this time.

She took the initiative to lift the lower half of the mask and took a bite from the string of glutinous rice balls that the butterfly offered.

But the very next instant, she suddenly felt an extremely piercing gaze coming from the side.

Turning her head in confusion, Mitsuha was immediately taken aback.

She was a teenage girl.

Of course, it's not a big deal to be stared at by a girl.

But the key point is that Mitsuha knows this girl.

Not only did I recognize her, but she was also wearing the clothes of a lady-in-waiting from the imperial family.

The atmosphere became somewhat silent for a moment. Mitsuha, who was being stared at by the girl next to her, subconsciously looked away.

Why...why are you staring at me?

She suddenly remembered that she had indeed given her maids a day off and let them go out and have fun...

"I...I didn't see it..."

The girl trembled upon hearing this and quickly lowered her head.

Her reaction only made Mitsuha more uneasy.

"You...recognize me?"

"I didn't recognize you, really..."

They even used honorifics; it's obvious they recognized me...

Looking down at the girl who was shaking her head repeatedly, Mitsuha sighed softly and tried to defend herself:

"I didn't mean to deliberately send you away before. I didn't want to come out to play on my own. I was forced to, you know?"

The girl nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

"Yes, I understand. You didn't mean that. You were forced to come out by Dr. Butterfly."

"My lord, please rest assured, I will absolutely not tell anyone that I met you here tonight, nor will I reveal that you secretly went out with Doctor Butterfly!"

"I'm serious, I really didn't..."

"Yes, Master, there's no need for further explanation. I understand everything!"

If anyone asks me, I will tell them that Master is resting in his room! I will absolutely not reveal a single word about your affairs!

Seeing the resolute expression on the girl's face, Mitsuha hesitated for a moment before finally waving her hand and choosing to give up.

"Alright, good to know. Remember to go home and rest early tonight..."

"Yes! I understand! I will definitely protect your secret, Master!"

The girl nodded vigorously, turned around, and, empowered by some strange sense of conviction, walked away with her head held high.

"Pfft...hahahaha!"

It was at this moment that Butterfly, who had been trying so hard to hold back her laughter, finally burst out laughing.

"What?! Little Mitsuha! So all your maids are this cute?!"

"Shut up, it's all your fault..."

Unlike the butterfly, who loves watching the drama unfold, Mitsuha's face was filled with utter despair.

She had no hope whatsoever that these little girls could keep secrets.

She didn't even dare to imagine how much the young maids around her would embellish the story of her being secretly taken out by Butterfly to attend the fireworks festival after tonight, and how it would spread like wildfire among the servants of the entire Sky Keep.

Putting aside the image of the family head, the real headache would be if word got back to the retainers...

Seeing that the butterfly didn't care at all and was even laughing heartlessly, Mitsuha completely gave up thinking.

Forget it, I'm going to die anyway, why bother caring so much?

As long as those retainers don't try anything with the butterfly, let them whisper in her ear...

Anyway, she can't remember it now even if I read it to her.

Thinking of this, Mitsuha suddenly felt much lighter inside.

It was as if all those things that had been clogging her heart and pulling at her had been cleared away all at once...

"Alright, Little Misaka, stop thinking about the future. We can worry about tomorrow tomorrow. I brought you out to play tonight..."

"you're right."

Nodding in agreement with Butterfly's words, Mitsuha temporarily abandoned her thoughts and put everything aside. She extended her right hand and said to her without any hesitation:

"So, give me the money."