CHAPTER 110: CHAPTER 110: MYSTERIES OF THE HUMAN BODY

Sosuke, abandoning his affectionate moment with Kanae, joined the others in searching the area. Only after confirming no demonic presence did they finally breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Although the demons had been cleared from the area, it was clear that Jigoro’s secluded retreat was no longer safe.

Seeing that dawn was still some time away, they decided to have Kaigaku and Zenitsu keep watch while the others rested.

Tengen could use Kaigaku’s room.

Sosuke’s injuries, however, required immediate attention.

Kanae began bandaging him, and only then did they realize the full extent of his wounds.

To be honest, Sosuke himself was shocked.

The female demon’s blade had been terrifyingly sharp, and in the heat of the moment, he hadn’t noticed the severity of his injuries. Now, looking at his body, he saw it was riddled with cuts and gashes.

The most dangerous wound wasn’t on his foot, despite having half his big toe and parts of his other toes severed.

Those injuries weren’t life-threatening. The critical wounds were on his chest and abdomen.

These likely stemmed from the destruction of his Hammer-Sword. The razor-sharp blade had slashed across his lower right chest and abdomen. Due to the blade’s speed, the wound had closed almost instantly, and Sosuke’s Total breathing technique had prevented excessive bleeding. Otherwise, they would have seen that the strike had nearly pierced his internal organs.

The wound, a sword slash roughly twenty centimeters long, began beneath his right chest and stretched across his right waist.

Had the blade penetrated just a few centimeters deeper, it would have severed his internal organs, likely proving fatal.

At the time, Sosuke had only registered the shattering of his Hammer-Sword; he had no clear memory of the attack itself.

Every inch of his body throbbed with pain. He could only focus on using his breathing technique to staunch the bleeding, leaving no mental space for anything else.

Beyond this major wound, countless smaller injuries marred his body.

Three shallow cuts marked his face, but Kanae assured him they wouldn’t scar, finally easing his worry.

Kanae, however, couldn’t find such peace. As she tended to his wounds, her eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.

Sosuke, at a loss for how to comfort her, tried to take her hand, but she was busy bandaging him. Instead, he pulled a silly face.

"What’s that for?" Kanae glanced at him before covering his eyes with a towel. "No staring or making faces."

Darkness fell over Sosuke’s vision. "Hurry up and take it off," he protested. "I want to see the pretty girl."

"Hmph," Kanae huffed, but she eventually removed the towel from his eyes.

"I’ve already sent a message via Kasugai Crow," she said. "Once the Water Pillar arrives tomorrow, we’ll have to return to the Butterfly Mansion. After this incident, the Former Sound Pillar will also need to relocate his secluded residence, and our operations outside have become too dangerous."

Sosuke nodded. He understood why he always needed protection, no matter where he went.

His forging techniques were invaluable to the Demon Slayer Corps.

At the same time, they made him a thorn in the side of the demons.

Lower One had brought Lower Third and that coward to attack this place, all with the sole purpose of targeting him.

Now that his safety had been compromised, Kagaya would never allow him to continue running around recklessly. He would undoubtedly be ordered back to the Butterfly Mansion.

Sosuke had no complaints about this. If he couldn’t even worry about his own safety, what right did he have to be dissatisfied? Life was already full of enough ingratitude.

Leaving without helping Jigoro forge his Automaton still left Sosuke feeling somewhat unsatisfied. He wondered if there might be a way to resolve this.

After he voiced his concern, Kanae thought for a moment and said, "There might be other ways. Don’t overthink it. The most important thing now is for you to rest properly."

"I can’t help but think about it," Sosuke replied. "I’m not very smart, so I have to think things through more carefully. Take what happened tonight, for example. I can’t shake the feeling that something was off."

"Like what?" Kanae asked, noticing his eagerness to talk. Although his wounds looked severe, the bleeding wasn’t as alarming as she’d expected, and his mental state seemed relatively stable. She decided to indulge in some casual conversation.

"What we know for sure is that three demons attacked tonight. Two were Lower Moons, and according to Zenitsu, the third wasn’t a Lower Moon and was quite cowardly."

Sosuke said, "So, why didn’t the Sound Pillar appear when I was fighting Lower Third? I initially thought he might have been held up by other demons, but now it seems there must be another reason."

"You suspect..." Kanae paused, startled.

Before she could finish, Sosuke quickly shook his head. "I don’t suspect anything. The Sound Pillar must have had his reasons for not appearing. I’m just curious—three demons came tonight: one kept you occupied, another tried to kill me, and the third was as timid as a mouse, not even daring to show himself while I fought Lower Third. What was Tengen doing at that time? And did you notice..."

"What?" Kanae asked, surprised. Amidst the chaos of the night, how could Sosuke have noticed so much?

"The way the Sound Pillar looked at me then... it was strange. He seemed very angry," Sosuke said.

"...Could you be overthinking things?" Kanae said, mainly referring to the Sound Pillar’s anger toward Sosuke. After speaking, she nodded. "You do have a point. Given his combat experience and abilities, he shouldn’t be completely unaware of the battle above. Come to think of it, his complexion seemed off. His lips were purplish, and though he tried to hide it, I could tell his limbs were a bit weak, as if his body were drained."

"...As if his body had been emptied?" Sosuke paused. "Did his three wives come too?"

"Huh?" Kanae blinked. "Why would his body weaken just because his three wives are here?"

"That’s a topic related to the mysteries of the human body," Sosuke replied solemnly. "We can discuss it in detail later."

Kanae was about to nod when she suddenly realized something. Her calm demeanor instantly shattered, and she accidentally applied too much force with her hands. Sosuke’s face paled. "I’m gonna die..."

Kanae snapped back to her senses, her face flushing crimson as she tended to Sosuke’s wound. She glared at him, muttering, "Stop talking nonsense."

After saying this, she inexplicably curled the corner of her lips, as if wanting to smile but forcibly suppressing it.

Sosuke was captivated by this fleeting smile, staring at her in a daze.

"Don’t look!" Kanae reached out with both small hands to cover his eyes, but Sosuke swiftly grabbed them.

The lamplight in the room flickered, as if a mysterious atmosphere was brewing.

Suddenly, Kanae instinctively averted her gaze and murmured, "Have you reviewed today’s battle yet?"

"Not yet..." Sosuke took a deep breath, calming himself.

Kanae continued, "You’re injured. Don’t let your mind wander. Do you even value your life?"

"Then if I wasn’t injured..."

"Even if you weren’t injured, it’s still not allowed!"

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