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Giyuu Tomioka was in a lot of pain. How much, exactly, was frustratingly unclear to the doctors of the Butterfly Estate thanks to Giyuu's blank expression and refusal to talk. The blue-eyed girl Giyuu couldn't recall the name of had threatened to punch his bandaged torso at one point, but it still didn't compel him to break his admittedly pointless vow of silence. Even if she hadn't been so obviously unwilling to act on the threat, Giyuu assumed he could endure a bit more pain for the moment. It would hurt less than getting to know people, after all. The threat that finally forced him to say something was a truly terrible one. One of the little helper girls Giyuu occasionally saw running around had suggested that they fetch Kocho. He was now regretting what he had said in response. Maybe, he thought, if I had just said more than "headache"... maybe they wouldn't have gotten her anyway.
Giyuu Tomioka was in a lot of pain, but not just because of his wounds. He had spoken to these girls, something he rarely did for most people. And yet, they hadn't upheld their part of the deal. The embodiment of this betrayal was there, standing in the doorway, smiling pleasantly despite the grim sight before her.
"My, my, Tomioka," she said in the most carefree tone he'd heard in weeks. "you look like you fought an Upper Moon!"
Giyuu's mind must have been slowed by blood loss. As soon as he opened his eyes from blinking, Kocho was looming over him, her butterfly-patterned haori settling as if she had just landed from a jump.
"But... I'm told this was just a normal demon!" Kocho giggled quietly, causing Giyuu to clench his teeth hard for a moment. His headache flared up at that. "So~" she continued in a singsong voice. "...how did a weak little demon lay the mighty Giyuu Tomioka so low?"
Giyuu wasn't sure what caused him to speak so easily now, but he did nonetheless.
"I... wasn't aware blood demon techniques could be activated after beheading." He held back the urge to groan from the simple pain of speaking.
"Oh my, they can?" Kocho responded, her expression changing into one of obviously faked surprise. "I'd still love to know what kind of technique was able to beat you so badly... and how."
He began formulating a response in his head, taking a few seconds of silence as usual. I had no way of knowing the demon would explode. Half of the house fell down on me and... Giyuu stopped that train of thought and decided on a better, more aloof response.
"I was in the wrong place."
Kocho's smile seemed less... fabricated than normal.
"How unlucky. But you aren't in the wrong place anymore," she said quietly, leaning over to make sure Giyuu couldn't keep looking away. "You can talk to me, you know. Not saying what hurts right now won't make it hurt less."
Giyuu still tried hard to avert his eyes, but his headache returned with a vengeance, causing him to wince, an action that also, unfortunately, worsened the headache.
"Head. Shoulders. Stomach, arms, legs...." He trailed off, trying to think of more body parts that hurt. 'Everywhere' was not the right answer, unless he intended to turn into a human roll of bandages.
Giyuu Tomioka... was in a lot of pain. And he wasn't entirely sure how Kocho could help that. Even a doctor as gifted as she was couldn't fix all the fractures, bruises, and cuts he was sure he had. Yes, that was it. She couldn't hope to help him from this state. There was no point in talking to her, then. In accordance with his logic, Giyuu silently vowed to keep himself shut up for the rest of his time at the Butterfly Estate.