Soft jade sculpted into a jade gate, a spring breeze passing leaves the flower wilted.
Twin lotus petals bloom by the shore, rain's intent stirs ripples in the stream.
The white-haired girl lay in Shiraki's arms, her crystal-like, delicate toes occasionally curling tight or relaxing.
Her skin was smooth as warm jade, radiant and soft, naturally rosy, dazzlingly vibrant. Two strands of hair clung to her tender cheeks, adding a touch of alluring charm.
Her exquisite, jade-like face outshone flowers, fingers slender as spring onions, lips as if holding crimson cinnabar.
Her usually lively blue eyes now shimmered with spring's warmth, gazes flowing softly. Most strikingly, they were heterochromatic—a dreamlike blend of noble gilded gold and clear sky blue.
This showed that, at this moment, Sirin and Kiana were jointly controlling the body.
"Mmm, I didn't expect it to feel like this…"
A softened queenly tone overlapped with a lark-like, crisp girlish voice.
Her ice-lotus-like, adorable feet tangled with Shiraki's, Kiana's cherry lips curved slightly, a gentle smile blooming. She tilted her head, kissing Shiraki's lips, their foreheads touching lightly.
Shiraki held the warm, soft jade close, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair.
When Shirakis shared physical contact, their identical souls synced their minds and senses, even allowing control of the other's body if their consciousness slept.
In theory, the sensations Kiana and Shiraki shared were nearly identical to those between Shiraki and Reverie.
In practice, due to their independent consciousnesses, Kiana couldn't experience the pure, doubled bliss of Shiraki and Reverie, but it was still a wondrous thrill no ordinary carbon-based life could fathom.
Such a delightful experience couldn't be Kiana's alone. Before it began, Sirin surfaced from the depths of their consciousness.
Thanks to the mysterious space's power, Sirin and Kiana could achieve what other split personalities couldn't—coexisting simultaneously.
It was like Kamen Rider W, with both consciousnesses controlling the body, but less rigid than W's strict left-right split.
Sirin could control the upper body while Kiana handled the lower, or Sirin could manage just the hands, leaving the rest to Kiana.
Of course, bodily sensations were fully shared.
This opened up a lot of unique, spicy play options~!
Playing so boldly on their first time made Kiana a tad shy, but facing "herself," that shyness was negligible!
After all, even some folks sewing or practicing judo in private might impulsively do something wild and feel embarrassed later, right?
"By the way, if Dad comes looking, what'll you do?" Shiraki nibbled Kiana's earlobe.
With no outsiders around, Shiraki used Kiana's term for Siegfried.
The odd sensation left Kiana's body limp, and she shifted, curling into Shiraki's embrace.
"No matter what, I won't let World Serpent nab and lock up Dad. As for the rest… I'll give him a good thrashing to vent first~!"
She knew Siegfried left to avoid triggering Sirin, but vanishing without a word, leaving her for eight years, had piled up plenty of resentment that needed an outlet.
"Plus, while Sirin was at fault first, Dad did some pretty harsh stuff to her. As his daughter, she's got the right to 'retaliate,' doesn't she?"
The white-haired girl sprawled on Shiraki, her dainty chin resting on his chest, her head swaying side to side.
But as her words fell, her right eye's golden pupil flickered. She pressed a hand to Shiraki's chest, sitting up. "I haven't accepted Siegfried as my father…"
"Whatever happened before, what's the point of being tsundere with me now? I'll admit, a tsundere 'me' is pretty cute!"
Her blue eyes gleamed, Kiana put her hands on her hips, her slimes bouncing with the motion.
"…" Sirin was speechless.
Her resentment toward Siegfried had faded with Kiana's synced memories and Shiraki's restoration, but calling him "Dad" like Kiana? No way.
For Cecilia's sake, she could barely acknowledge him as a father.
"Honestly, I bet Dad'll come for me first."
Shiraki sat up, his hands cradling Kiana's slender, boneless waist, setting her on his lap, toying with her jade-soft hands.
"No problem. We just stay glued together. I won't give him a chance to catch you alone!" The white-haired girl grinned charmingly.
"That's one way to do it." Shiraki looked up, brushing Kiana's sweat-dampened, disheveled hair from her flushed face to behind her ear.
"And if we head to the Elysian Realm later, Dad probably won't find us."
Kiana's lips curved, then she leaned down, taking Shiraki's finger into her mouth.
A warm sensation spread from his fingertip, and Shiraki gazed at the faint blush on her cheeks, the captivating glint in her eyes, frozen in awe, words escaping him.
Feeling Shiraki's stunned admiration, the white-haired girl's blush deepened, utterly enchanting.
"Is that okay? You really want to see Dad, don't you?"
With fully synced memories, Shiraki could feel Kiana's deep bond with Siegfried.
"No biggie. Hmph~! He hid from me for so long, let him sweat a few days, right?" Kiana's lively eyes twinkled mischievously, a mix of playfulness and naughtiness.
"Alright, enough about that. Let's tell 'another me' about saving Teacher Himeko! Plus, she needs to grab some 'demon' cell samples."
Kiana's hands gently rested on Shiraki's shoulders, pushing him back onto the bed, rolling to lie beside him.
"Yeah, you're right."
Once Kochou Kanae synced Kiana's memories, she'd worry about Himeko's safety too.
Her smooth, fair feet touched the carpet. On Earth, Reverie climbed onto her bed, collapsing. Her wing-like lashes trembled, eyes closing slowly.
Her consciousness deftly entered the mysterious space, where Reverie, Shiraki, Sirin, and Kiana materialized simultaneously.
At the center stood a figure in a butterfly haori, raven-black hair cascading like a waterfall, a butterfly hairpin's wings quivering. Gentle smiles lit her pale purple-pink eyes.
It was Kochou Kanae, waiting patiently.
By the way, before Shirakis entered the mysterious space, time across multiverses was incomparable.
There's a physics term called a reference frame. Independent multiverses lack a basis for measuring time's flow.
But when Shirakis' souls entered the mysterious space, their universes gained a reference, aligning all their worlds' time flows at a 1:1 ratio.
The group exchanged no words. Kochou Kanae simply extended her jade-like hand to Shiraki's.
Memory sync…
"Her injuries are severe. Creating a recovery serum from 'demon' cells or turning her into a demon is worth trying." Kochou Kanae's brows furrowed.
Of course, turning into a demon assumed no urge to eat flesh or drink blood. Otherwise, Himeko might, upon realizing…
Wait! What's this!?
The sync soon reached the end—Kiana and Shiraki's pre-space romp, their intimate moments flooding Kanae's mind with vivid sensations. Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she shot Shiraki and Kiana a helpless glance.
Really, this stuff… so impatient~?
Telepathically linked, Kiana instantly grasped Kanae's look. A trace of shyness flickered, but she puffed out her chest confidently.
All selves—do what you want, no need for restraint or hesitation!
Kanae chuckled lightly, just a playful jab. If it were her, she'd be game anytime Shiraki wanted—no burden, since they're the same.
Back to business, Kiana continued, "If we develop something from demon cells, it won't just help Teacher Himeko—all Valkyries worldwide could benefit."
Undeniably, sunlight-resistant demons were biologically "superior" to humans. If every Valkyrie gained demonic regeneration, even if demons couldn't resist Honkai erosion, it'd drastically cut casualties in Honkai battles.
"But that risks disrupting biological and societal balance after Honkai's quelled." Shiraki raised the issue's downside.
Secular rulers and resource-hoarding capitalists, learning of immortal beings, would act predictably.
"So, the best option is a special recovery serum from demon cells. Full demonization is a last resort."
Muzan's such a coward—cowardly *and* stupid. If he turned Japan's elite rulers into demons, what could the Demon Slayer Corps do?
How many corrupt politicians could resist eternal youth? Plus, those eerie, supernatural Blood Demon Arts.
Even if the cost was a cannibalistic diet, plenty would jump at it.
Or, without their consent, just turn the Emperor into a demon. To walk in sunlight, he'd mobilize the nation to hunt the Blue Spider Lily.
Tell them if Muzan dies, all demons die, and Muzan'd be guarded like a treasure.
Kanae's gentle expression soured as Shiraki's thoughts raced, ending with a sigh.
"Luckily, with Muzan's personality, even in the worst case, he'd never proactively do that. Otherwise, the Demon Slayer Corps taking him down would be a pipe dream!"
Their grassroots mindset aligned, a glance conveying mutual understanding. With such efficient communication, the Shirakis finalized their plan and exited the mysterious space.
Reverie opened her eyes to her phone's message chime. Picking it up, she squinted. "Mai Kisaragi?"
Unexpectedly, this rich girl who'd crashed into her had been casually chatting with "her" lately, always starting with compensation or concern for the accident.
Shiraki didn't fantasize about meeting a wealthy beauty and sparking a romance—real life wasn't that kind.
Ruling that out, Mai's odd behavior hinted at deeper motives worth pondering.
"Whatever~!" Reverie chuckled, ignoring the message and setting her phone down.
She had no interest in entangling with this world. If not for its cross-dimensional intel, she and Shiraki might ditch it entirely.
Tidying her room, she stashed gold coins and weapons from the weapon race world under her bed. Pulling back the curtains for a glance outside, she stretched nonchalantly, vanishing the next instant.
Destination: Demon Slayer.
Across from her apartment, in a building, people monitoring Shiraki's place with high-tech gear erupted into chaos.