Following the direction of Izumi Kiyowa's gaze, Mei realized that he had already pieced together everything that had happened.
Images of herself leaning over his lap to tend to his wound flooded back into her mind, causing her cheeks to flush an even deeper crimson. Her face burned so intensely she felt as though it were on fire.
Her eyes quivered, and she hung her head low. Her hands twisted together nervously, her fingers gripping the hem of her clothes so tightly the fabric began to wrinkle.
"You... you... that Mr. Rengoku was the one who told me to do it! Otherwise... otherwise, I wouldn't have... No, I mean, I would have, but..."
Watching Mei stammer and trip over her words, Kiyowa simply gazed at her with a gentle expression. Under the weight of his stare, the tips of her ears turned a vivid pink, looking as though they might bleed if squeezed.
Amused by her extreme bashfulness, Kiyowa gave a soft chuckle. Not wanting to prolong her embarrassment, he took the initiative to change the subject.
"Mei, the biggest problems have been mostly resolved. What do you plan to do next?"
Mei was momentarily stunned by his question. Her thoughts snapped back from her earlier fluster to the harsh reality of their situation. She glanced at her brother lying in the corner, his body still wrapped in bandages, and her voice sank.
"I... I don't really know what to do. I'm not a very smart person. I've always just listened to my brother—whatever he told me to do, I did. But with him like this, my head is a mess..."
As she spoke, Mei instinctively looked up at him. Without realizing it, she had already begun to view Kiyowa as her only pillar of support besides her brother.
Kiyowa naturally noticed her gaze. After a moment of silent contemplation, he spoke softly.
"Mei, it's practically impossible for you to survive here on your own before your brother fully recovers. You have to take care of him, and you still need to buy medicine for his wounds.
"You sucked the venom from my wound today, and plus that half a rice ball from before, you've saved my life twice now. So, I've decided to stay here with you. For one, I don't have a place to stay anyway, so I'll be imposing on you. Secondly, I need to keep an eye out for those who might still try to move against you. There are plenty of human traffickers in Yoshiwara, and they won't pass up a golden opportunity like this while Gyutaro is incapacitated."
Kiyowa's words were sincere and clear-sighted, providing Mei with a graceful way to accept his help. He didn't just point out her predicament; he framed his staying as an act of "repaying a debt." This preserved her dignity while giving him a legitimate reason to remain.
Mei slowly lifted her head as she listened. In her beautiful blue eyes, a tide of complex emotions surged. She understood exactly what he was trying to do. In her state of total disorientation, his words were like a beacon of light in the dark.
Mei had a very clear understanding of herself. She knew she wasn't smart and was quite weak; aside from her beauty, she felt she had nothing to offer. And in a soul-devouring place like Yoshiwara, beauty was hardly a blessing without protection.
Even though Gyutaro had said he didn't want her becoming a courtesan in those houses, Mei knew her brother couldn't hold them off forever. Rather than being forced into it later, she had considered just walking into that life herself.
But... she was truly unwilling. Growing up here, how could she not know the fate of the women in those brothels? Once their beauty faded with age, most became fish food in the river or a pile of bleached bones on the back mountain. Those who caught diseases were simply rolled up in straw mats and tossed into the wilderness to be burned.
But in this place, that was the only way to survive. She was beautiful, and she could earn enough money for her brother to live the rest of his life without worry. That would have been enough.
She had already resigned herself to this fate, but when Kiyowa appeared, an indescribable sense of hope for her future flickered to life. If he refused to stay, she and her severely injured brother were doomed. Yet, he chose to stay, even phrasing his offer so delicately to spare her feelings and protect her pride...
Mei just stared at him. Words hovered on her tongue, but she didn't know what to say, feeling a lump of emotion blocking her throat.
"You... you should just leave."
Mei took a deep breath, her voice trembling as the words escaped her lips. As if she had come to a difficult decision, she looked up and locked eyes with Kiyowa's pale, haggard face.
"We... we have nothing here. Not even food. If you stay, we'll only drag you down. You've done enough. You really don't need to... to keep doing this..."
She didn't want to become a burden to anyone, especially to him.
Kiyowa simply shook his head. He flopped back down and pulled the quilt over his head, acting like a bit of a scoundrel.
"I have nowhere else to go, and your place is just fine! I'm tired, the poison is kicking in, I'm going to sleep!"
His voice was muffled by the blanket. Watching his antics, Mei felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Eventually, she just sniffled, bit her lip, and whispered softly to him.
"If... if you insist on this, I'll find a way to repay you in the future. At least... at least I won't let you lose out on anything..."
By the time she finished, her voice was almost inaudible, and her face was terrifyingly red.
The candlelight flickered, casting a dim glow over the room. No one spoke, but an indescribable warmth and a hint of intimacy began to spread. Perhaps Yoshiwara was simply a place that naturally bred such peculiar bonds between men and women.
But just then, a booming voice rang out:
"Umu! I have returned!
"Here is the medicine! It looks like your recovery is going well! That puts my mind at ease. This child nearly fainted from exhaustion while sucking the venom out of your wound earlier. You have both protected the person most important to you! Truly admirable!"
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Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(83 Chapter- Ongoing)
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