I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

All the light, along with the overwhelming hatred and murderous intent, was firmly locked away by this gentle mask.

The only flaw in this perfect disguise was her hand resting on the hilt of the knife.

Her small, pale hand, with knuckles slightly blue from excessive force and bulging veins on the back of her hand, formed a startling contrast to her delicate appearance.

The girl walked into the courtyard and stopped ten steps away from Lynn.

She stood there quietly, her venomous aura almost freezing the air, making the entire courtyard pale in comparison.

Lynn held his teacup and met her gaze calmly.

He could "see" the substantial darkness that followed closely behind her, composed of endless resentment;

You can also "see" the raging fire within her that is burning her soul with fury.

[Loading target information...]

Name: Shinobu Kocho

[World of Demon Slayer]

[Status: Broken Mimicry (After her sister's death, she forcibly imitates her sister's gentleness, but her heart is filled only with hatred for ghosts and a madness for revenge)]

The information on the screen flashed by.

Lynn understood.

Sure enough it was her.

Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kocho.

A girl who has abandoned joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and has lived her life as revenge itself.

Every breath she took, every frown and smile she made, was a carefully prepared poison for her ultimate destruction.

Lynn put down his teacup, the steam from the tea obscuring his expression.

"Welcome," he said, his voice gentle and calm, breaking the deathly silence of the courtyard.

"...My safe haven for the soul across all worlds."

"It might seem a bit abrupt at our first meeting. Please don't be nervous; you are absolutely safe here."

His gaze first fell on the girl's hand, her knuckles blue from gripping the knife hilt tightly.

Then he slowly moved up and met her empty eyes and perfect smile.

He sighed softly, as if he could see through the turbulent waves hidden beneath that smiling facade.

“I can see… your eyes are crying out, but your lips are smiling.”

Lynn's voice was soft, yet it was like a precise scalpel, cutting through the girl's most meticulous disguise.

"It must be exhausting to maintain such a contradictory self, right?"

Chapter Two: Your Anger Smells Burnt

Lynn's voice was soft, yet it was like an invisible scalpel, precisely cutting through Shinobu Kocho's most meticulous disguise.

"Your eyes are crying out, but your lips are smiling."

The moment she finished speaking, Shinobu Kocho's perfect, flawless smile stiffened for the first time, almost imperceptibly.

It felt as if something had been pierced through in an instant.

Her fingers, which were resting on the hilt of the knife, twitched involuntarily, and she even paused for half a second.

Lynn seemed oblivious to the subtle change, simply gazing at her with those all-seeing eyes, and softly added the second half of her sentence.

"Maintaining such a contradictory self...it must be exhausting, right?"

boom.

If the previous sentence was the needle that punctured the balloon, then this sentence is the spark that ignites the explosive.

tired?

This word was too distant and too luxurious for her.

Ever since her older sister Kanae died at the hands of the Upper Moon Two, she has forgotten what "tiredness" feels like.

What sustained her was hatred.

What drove her was anger.

She dedicated everything to revenge, like a machine meticulously operating towards its ultimate goal.

Machines don't get tired.

She took a deep breath, desperately suppressing her momentary shock and horror.

Her reason finally regained its footing, forcing her to shift her attention from the mysterious man before her to exploring her surroundings.

"Where is this place?"

Shinobu Kocho cautiously glanced around, her grip on the hilt of her Nichirin Blade tightening.

This is definitely not the Butterfly House.

There was no smell of disinfectant, no groans of the wounded, and no fragrance of wisteria in the air.

Instead, she was greeted by the fresh scent of earth and a strange, refreshing fragrance of cherry blossoms.

The courtyard in front of me is so beautiful it seems unreal.

Beneath my feet lies fine, snow-white sand, and in the distance, stone lanterns and babbling brooks.

Above us was not the sky, but a dazzling galaxy, as if the entire universe had been condensed into this space.

The cherry blossom tree, dancing without wind, scatters its crimson petals; everything is excessively quiet and peaceful.

This tranquility formed a sharp and glaring contrast with the world in her heart that had long since turned to scorched earth.

It made her feel...a wave of physical nausea.

"Was this your doing?"

Shinobu Kocho spoke, her voice as soft as a whisper, but every word was imbued with icy killing intent.

Her gaze was fixed on the man sitting in the corridor.

He looked very young, no more than his early twenties, and was dressed in a simple, casual outfit that she had never seen before. He didn't look like a samurai; he looked more like an idle rich young master.

He had short black hair, a handsome face, and a gentle, even somewhat lazy, demeanor.

He didn't exude any aura of a strong person.

There were no calluses from a swordsman's years of wielding a blade, no faint smell of blood from a killer, and none of the steel-like, resolute gaze of a Demon Slayer.

He was like a glass of lukewarm water, unremarkable and posed no threat whatsoever.

Yet this "ordinary person" sat calmly in the center of this eerie space, leisurely sipping tea.

This in itself is the biggest inconsistency.

"Vampire magic?"

This was the only explanation she could think of.

A highly sophisticated form of blood demon magic capable of creating illusions.

But the more this is the case, the more suspicious it becomes.

Who knows, he might just be a demon in human skin!

Lynn looked at her as if she were facing a formidable enemy, and instead of being angry, she found it rather amusing.

As expected of Shinobu, who just lost her older sister, her dark side has soared to 98%.

This murderous aura was almost tangible, making the surrounding air thick and sticky.

"Blood Demon Arts? No, I'm not that kind of lowly and disgusting creature."

Lynn sat calmly on the veranda, holding a teacup, and even had the leisure to take a sip.

"This is the 'Safe Haven for All Worlds,' a place where you can temporarily let go of all your burdens."

He looked at the girl's hands, her knuckles white from straining, and spoke casually.

“My name is Lynn, and I am a human. You can call me ‘teacher’.”

“You are safe here, and you can… put down your weapons.”

"After all, that thing is quite heavy."

teacher?

Shinobu Kocho's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The way he addressed her, and the man's nonchalant attitude, heightened her vigilance to the highest level.

Just as she was about to speak again to probe further.

A refreshing stream of information flooded into her mind without warning.

Welcome to the Universal Safe Haven for the Soul

Rule 1: Within this space, the host and guests are in a state of absolute safety and cannot harm each other in any way.

Rule Two: Within this space, all external causes, tracking, and spying are isolated.

Rule 3: Guests may choose to leave at any time and return to the starting point.

The information was simple and clear, yet it carried an undeniable power, as if it were the fundamental law of the world.

Shinobu's pupils contracted sharply again.

what is this?

To directly force words into the brain?

She was skeptical, but her instincts as a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman made her subconsciously want to verify it.

A murderous intent erupted!

She's about to draw her sword!

However, the next second, she was horrified to find that her body... was no longer under her control!

No, it's not that it's disobedient.

Instead, the surging killing intent within her body, the moment it reached her right wrist, vanished like a stone thrown into the sea, soothed by an invisible yet irresistible gentle force.

Her muscles can move.

Her fingers can move.

However, the command to "draw a knife and injure someone" could not be issued.

It's as if the "rules" of this world don't allow the word "violence" to exist.

how come? !

Shinobu Kocho's heart was in turmoil.

This was completely beyond her comprehension!

Even an Upper Moon demon could never do such a thing!

Could it be... that he's telling the truth?

Is this really an "absolutely safe" place?

For the first time, after confirming this, the nerves that had been stretched to their limit for so long involuntarily relaxed a little.

It was only a trace.

But it was this slight relaxation that allowed the overwhelming exhaustion she had forcibly suppressed deep within her soul to find an outlet.

During the day, she had to wear the same smile as her older sister, manage the Butterfly Mansion, treat the wounded, and play the role of a gentle and reliable stepson.

At night, she transforms into a vengeful ghost, hunting down evil spirits and frantically searching for clues about her enemy.

I'm really... exhausted.

And this strange place, this tranquil atmosphere that makes you want to cry, is slowly eroding the defenses she built with hatred.