[Demon Slayer] Three-tomoe Sharingan-Chapter 118 - 117: Kochou Shinobu: Don’t Move!

While the mouth and nose are close together, that’s no reason for you to poke my nose with a wooden spoon, is it?

The warm medicinal broth spilled. Aside from a few droplets clinging to the straight bridge of his nose, most of it flowed down his philtrum toward his tightly pressed lips.

"Ara, my apologies."

Kochou Shinobu, having realized she had been distracted a moment ago, spoke with utter insincerity.

"..."

How could Kiyokawa Izumi possibly blame her?

He would even find excuses for her—perhaps the steam rising from the medicine bowl had blurred her vision.

Or perhaps she had been captivated by his own handsome, refined face and couldn’t snap out of it for a while.

He was just that considerate—while recuperating from his injuries.

"Don’t move!"

Seeming to notice Kiyokawa Izumi’s instinctive movement to raise his hand, Kochou Shinobu quickly set down the medicine bowl. With one hand, she lightly placed it on his shoulder. The pressure was very gentle, just a faint, barely-there touch, as if to prevent him from raising his hand.

With her other hand, she also set down the wooden spoon, gently pinched her sleeve, and leaned over to wipe his face.

Kochou Shinobu carefully and gently wiped away the remaining medicinal broth from Kiyokawa Izumi’s face.

The moment she leaned over, Kiyokawa Izumi felt the light before his eyes suddenly blocked, his gaze forced to fixate on the exquisite face now mere inches away.

The purple pupils still held little light to speak of, the familiar smile like a mask worn upon her face.

The scent of herbs mixed with the girl’s faint body fragrance. Kiyokawa Izumi instinctively held his breath and whispered, "There’s some on my neck too, it’s really itchy."

"Don’t move!"

Kochou Shinobu emphasized again, her warm breath washing over him. Her slightly cool fingers gently unfastened the collar of Kiyokawa Izumi’s garment.

The latter’s chest was wrapped in layer upon layer of bandages, securing it to reduce movement of the fractured bone ends—essentially similar to modern external fixation techniques, just using more primitive medical Materials and methods.

A cool sensation appeared on his neck. Although the girl’s hair hung down, it did not touch Kiyokawa Izumi’s face or collarbone. She controlled this sense of distance very well.

Clearly, she was worried that the strands of her hair lightly brushing his face or collarbone might cause him discomfort.

The slightest movement of his chest muscles would trigger noticeable pain. Kochou Shinobu was consciously avoiding unnecessary contact.

Watching her movements so gentle, so focused, Kiyokawa Izumi, having nothing else to do, could only shift his gaze slightly and stare blankly at the ceiling.

"I hope Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi won’t mind smelling more like herbs?"

Kochou Shinobu said with a smile, "The previous spill doesn’t count, you need another spoonful to make up for it!"

"..."

More medicine to take.

Kiyokawa Izumi really wanted to ask, why does a bone fracture require taking medicine?

Could it be medicine to nourish the lungs?

Unable to resist, he could only obediently open his mouth at this moment, passively accepting the feeding from ’Mother Shinobu’.

"So well-behaved. Should I praise you?"

"?"

Why does that sound vaguely familiar? It seems like someone has said something similar before.

"Why are you copying the Serpent Hashira’s way of talking... Do you really think of me as a child?"

"Because, right now, you really are very obedient.

That way, you won’t be disliked. I’m sure Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi doesn’t want to end up like Mr. Giyuu, does he?"

"Tch."

Teasing the disheveled Kiyokawa Izumi was very amusing to Kochou Shinobu. As she picked up the bowl to leave, she didn’t forget to remind him.

"If you really can’t hold it in anymore, remember to send that little guy to notify the ’Kakushi’ on duty. You absolutely cannot sneak out of bed! Using the Breathing Technique is also strictly forbidden!"

"Roger that!"

These words, of course, were not spoken by Kiyokawa Izumi.

A Kasugai Crow with feathers as black as ink had flown into the room at some unknown time. Perched on the windowsill, it tilted its head, staring intently at Kiyokawa Izumi.

It wasn’t assessing its master’s injuries—the little guy wasn’t that clever yet.

It had simply accepted a surveillance mission: to keep a close eye on its master and prevent him from acting recklessly.

Kiyokawa Izumi’s face stiffened, looking at his own Kasugai Crow in disbelief—When did you get bribed?

"Why are you listening to her so much? I told you I’m fine. I’m not the type to push myself recklessly, understand?"

The Kasugai Crow continued to stare at him, silent.

"..."