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Chapter 142: Kanao's Unique Understanding of "Contact"
"What are you doing?!"
Nezuko quickly stepped forward, pulling Suyan away and shielding him behind her back.
She glared angrily at the expressionless Kanao, who looked as if she had just done the most ordinary thing in the world.
Kanao tilted her head, looking at Nezuko with a puzzled gaze.
She couldn't understand why the other girl was so angry.
Both Sister Shinobu and Sister Kanae had done the exact same thing earlier. Combined with their actions and Kanae's instructions to have more "contact" with Suyan, the pure-minded Kanao didn't think she had done anything wrong.
"Don't bully this child."
Recovering from her shock, Aoi Kanzaki immediately positioned herself in front of Kanao, shielding her.
She sternly confronted the hostile Nezuko.
Nezuko opened her mouth to argue but couldn't articulate her frustration, a bitter feeling swelling in her chest.
Who is bullying who here?! I was here first! I was the first one!! Seeing the mist gathering in Nezuko's eyes, Aoi felt a sudden pang of guilt, feeling as though she was the villain.
But thinking about it carefully, Nezuko really hadn't done anything wrong. Her feelings for Suyan were obvious to anyone with eyes; the nervous way she reacted to the commotion earlier proved everything.
First Shinobu jumped the gun, then Kanae jumped the gun, and now even Kanao—who barely knew Suyan—had jumped the gun.
It was a brutal blow to Nezuko's heart.
Aoi pulled Kanao closer and whispered in her ear, "Kanao, why did you do that?"
Hearing this, Suyan was equally perplexed by Kanao's behavior.
Logically speaking, he had only met her twice. Aside from asking her yesterday what she would say to Kanae if she came back to life...
Their only other interaction was just now: she pulled his shirt, he gave her candy, and she inexplicably kissed him.
Suyan found it hard to wrap his head around it.
How did she jump to doing something like that after two brief encounters?
He had imagined Aoi forcibly kissing him before he ever imagined this socially withdrawn girl taking the initiative.
He looked at Kanao curiously, wanting to hear her answer.
Kanao pulled out the coin Kanae had originally given her from her kimono and tossed it high into the air.
Suyan blinked.
Wait a minute, she didn't flip the coin when she took the candy or when she kissed me, did she? The copper coin spun through the air, tracing a straight line before falling back down.
Kanao caught it on the back of her hand, firmly pressing her other hand over it. Removing her top hand, she revealed the result to everyone.
Tails!
Seeing this, Kanao looked up at Aoi and said, "Sister said... to make contact... with Suyan..."
Her voice was incredibly soft, floating like a feather, and her speech was a bit disjointed, giving the impression that she wasn't very practiced at enunciating.
It was clear she rarely spoke in her daily life.
Aoi's eyelid twitched.
Is this the kind of "contact" Sister Kanae told you to make?! This isn't contact, this is kissing! Little sister! Even if you're not fluent in Japanese, you couldn't possibly misunderstand it to this extent, right?! Aoi opened her mouth to scold her, but the kiss had already happened. What else could she say?
She could only pull Kanao aside and quietly explain what "contact" actually meant.
Kanao just tilted her head at Aoi.
Clearly, the young girl had her own unique understanding of the word. At the very least, Aoi's explanation wasn't convincing her.
"Sigh~"
Aoi sighed helplessly, completely at a loss on how to handle the autistic girl.
Thankfully, Kanae was back now.
Maybe if she reported this, Sister Kanae would know what to do.
"I am truly sorry. This child is completely clueless about these kinds of things, but I promise you, she absolutely meant no harm."
Thinking this, Aoi bowed apologetically to Nezuko. "So... I am so, so sorry. I'll take her away right now."
With that, she dragged the wooden Kanao out of the training room.
Kanao didn't resist, letting Aoi pull her away.
But as she left, she kept chewing her candy, her gaze fixed intently on Suyan.
Even she couldn't explain exactly why she felt compelled to look at him.
As for Suyan?
When he heard Kanao's answer, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. He was utterly flabbergasted.
Just yesterday, Shinobu had been lecturing him not to lay a hand on Kanao.
Yet right after signing the Contract this morning, she had accepted reality and changed her tune?
Suyan couldn't understand it, but his mind was blown.
Yes, Suyan assumed that Kanao's actions were the result of Shinobu's instructions.
As for Kanae? He hadn't even considered her.
Shinobu had a much more forceful personality than her older sister; if Shinobu didn't agree, Kanae would never have been able to convince her, let alone instruct Kanao to do such a thing.
"Are you happy, Suyan-kouhai? Tasting the lips of four beautiful girls in a single morning?" Saeko walked up to him, teasingly.
Suyan snapped out of his daze, returning a smile. "This is nothing. I tasted eight in a row last night."
"Eight?"
Saeko paused to think. Counting the six contracted girls from Greed Island plus Makomo, who joined later, that was only seven.
Where did the eighth come from?
Suyan smiled and provided the answer. "Shinobu Kocho."
"Her?!"
Saeko was a little surprised.
This answer was definitely unexpected, yet it made perfect sense.
After all, Suyan was always very respectful to his contracted girls. He would always ask for their consent regarding their first kiss or their first time.
But clearly, he hadn't asked for Shinobu's permission just now.
She had almost thought Suyan's personality had changed. But if it wasn't Shinobu's first kiss, then it made sense.
"Alright, let's not dwell on that."
Suyan waved his hand. "Saeko-senpai, let's put the demon hunting on hold for a bit. How about letting little Nezuko learn Breathing Styles from you for a while?"
"Sure, no problem."
Saeko thought about it, then rubbed Nezuko's head. "I actually quite like this child anyway."
"Nezuko, I look forward to working with you."
Saeko smiled warmly at Nezuko, her words carrying a subtle double meaning.
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