Chapter 53: Talk Between Sisters

Hearing this question, Shinobu froze slightly, before walking over to a nearby bench and sitting down.

Her expression was reflective and revealed how complicated this subject was for her, and her seriousness showed that she intended to give Kanao a complete answer.

If it were someone else asking, she might simply ignore it or give a totally superficial answer, but to Kanao she couldn't say that.

Shinobu held her in high regard, like a member of her family, like her dear sister.

"Because Lucian offered me the one thing I couldn't refuse – the chance to avenge my sister. From the day she died, that was my only desire and goal. I would wake up thinking about how to carry out this revenge and go to bed thinking about how to cause the culprit as much pain as possible.

I knew I couldn't beat a more powerful Superior Moon, so I had already started making a suicide plan, I was about to turn my body into a deadly poison for even the most powerful demons, but even then I wasn't sure if I would really be able to get my revenge."

"But what was the price? Was it really worth it?" Despite her usual indifference, Kanao was still able to express feelings, especially when listening to Shinobu's narration.

When Kanae died, she felt something similar, a burning anger and overwhelming hatred.

But unlike Shinobu, who fed this hatred and became obsessed with revenge, she went through a regression and returned to her empty, numb state.

She didn't sink into bitterness, but she did sink into melancholy.

"He said he wanted me and I agreed." The answer came in a flat tone, bringing a clear contrast to the previous words that were flooded with emotions of sadness and anger.

"... Wanted you in what way?" Surprised at how calm Shinobu was about this, Kanao asked a question to find out what had happened during the time she hadn't seen her older sister.

"Apparently in all of them," she replied, and although she didn't want to admit it, being wanted and considered a member of his family was still comforting.

"All..." Kanao couldn't help but pause for a moment to reflect on what this implied, "As a woman included?"

"That too." She nodded, and going against her nature of not showing emotion, blushed slightly, "But contrary to what it may seem, he's still gentlemanly enough not to force things to go too fast. So I'm an unconsummated wife."

"That's good," Kanao sighed, relieved that her sister wasn't suffering from this arrangement, "... I think I'd do the same to avenge Kanae, so there's no need to blame yourself."

She was a little surprised that Lucian, who was constantly exuding malice, had any chivalry or kindness in him, but she quickly put that aside and focused on her sister, carefully observing her features which contained a certain sadness.

Even though Shinobu was hiding it, Kanao could still see that she felt guilty for having betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps and forced them to come to this world.

But she didn't care about that. Although she liked her colleagues at the Butterfly Mansion, the only things that really mattered to her were Kanae and Shinobu.

But Kanae had already died and Shinobu was here with her too.

And thinking about how lifeless and painful her days were, with her parents torturing her and her siblings.

Remembering the pain she felt when she saw the lifeless bodies of her siblings.

Thinking of the desolation of being sold into slavery.

And then remembering when they appeared in her life like a ray of sunshine through the dark storm clouds, saving her and illuminating her life.

And just as the sun nourishes plants and flowers, they nourished her and allowed her to grow and begin to blossom.

Although she had not yet blossomed and needed a coin to make her decisions.

But she knew one thing for sure – she wouldn't need a coin to choose whether to avenge Kanae or not.

"Thank you...", Shinobu said with slightly watery eyes and hugged Kanao tightly.

Kanao naturally returned the tight hug, completing this beautiful moment between sisters.

....

While Shinobu and Kanao were going through a "reconciliation", Lucian was drinking tea next to Daki during his research break.

"Why 'Crimson'?", Daki asked, a little perplexed by this choice of name, after all, it wasn't a very common one.

"It kind of just was. We're blood demons, we're attracted to blood, we're strengthened by blood, my blood turns others into demons and my eyes are crimson-colored, so it seemed natural to choose 'Crimson' as a surname," Lucian replied naturally, his thought process to come up with this name was not complicated.

'Besides, crimson is my favorite biome in terraria...', he thought before adding one more thing: "The title 'Crimson Demon King' also looks really cool."

"Well... that's true, Crimson really does fit." Hearing these weak but meaningful arguments, Daki couldn't help but agree.

Not everything needs a good reason to happen, sometimes simply being nice is good enough.

"Yes, so from now on your name is 'Daki Crimson'." He smiled, before bringing a radical change to the subject: "According to my recent research, a ghoul with kagune isn't born with two different types of rc cells, but a third type not possessed by other ghouls.

A ghoul with koukaku-type rc cells has a kakuhou in the shoulder area and a kagune koukaku. The cells have a predetermined binding pattern, although some advanced users can modify the binding pattern to access other types of kagune or change their shape freely.

Hinami, on the other hand, has rc cells capable of binding to two different types of kagune, completely naturally and without conscious intervention. They even allocate themselves to different kakuhou by themselves, guaranteeing the integrity of both kagunes.

I believe that before long I'll be able to create a type of rc cell that we can freely control with our body manipulation skills."

"... Why are you telling me this?" Daki asked in confusion, hearing terms she didn't know.

Kagune she still knew what it was, but kakuhou? Rc cells? No one had said anything like that to her until now.

"Oh, I forgot you don't know about the anatomy of ghouls. The rc cells are a special type of cell that beings from this world possess and what allows ghouls to have a kagune. Kakuhou is an organ for storing rc cells. As for the 'bonding patterns', it's the way in which the rc cells are bonding to form a kagune.

Quite simply: a low-density bond provides speed and the ability to launch projectiles, that is, kagune ukaku. The cells become like a gas and are therefore the most malleable type of kagune, rc can also be crystallized to form projectiles;

High-density bonds generate a kagune with high weight and defense, that is, koukaku. The cells remain in a solid state, so they have high defense;

Bonds that are 'fast' generate a kagune that regenerates easily, although it breaks down just as easily, that is, rinkaku. The cells are in a liquid state, which is why it's so easy;

As for the ones that form the bikaku... I don't know how to describe it so I won't try," Lucian explained.

"I see... and considering the malleability of ukaku, that must be why you prioritized this type of kagune when you distributed them to us." Daki nodded, finally understanding why Lucian had given ukaku kagunes to most of his subordinates

She knows him very well, and he knows that she prefers things that are malleable, that can be controlled, that can change shape.

And affected by him, she has similar preferences for realizing the conveniences that such powers bring.