While Tanjiro and Mitsuri were leaving the manor together, Amane, who had come to see them off, finally noticed something she had missed that morning.
With narrowed eyes, she stared strangely at Tanjiro's tall figure disappearing in the distance. His height had definitely surpassed Mitsuri's, even though he had clearly been the shorter one just yesterday. She remembered.
'…Perhaps it's because of his Mark? We have very little information left about historical events and important knowledge from the past, so we cannot tell what other side-effects Tanjiro will go through during this time… Should I inform Shinobu to observe him for any changes?'
Thinking about it deeply, she decided to do so.
'Since Tanjiro has refused to reveal the Mark's deadly disadvantage to his siblings, we must ensure the information doesn't reach them… But if more people start to awaken Marks, it will become difficult to hide.'
With a contemplating look on her face, she went back inside alongside Hinaki and Nichika.
....
Strolling toward the Butterfly Mansion, Tanjiro and Mitsuri conversed as usual.
"Tanjiro, can I try holding the sword?" she requested with big, excited eyes.
Perceiving her excitement, he simply passed the sword into her hand, not minding it. "Sure. Be careful though."
With a smile, Mitsuri gripped the sheathed sword in one hand with ease and swung it around without any difficulty.
'So easy…'
She had lifted far heavier things, so what was a light sword to her?
She unsheathed it and saw the pitch-black colour of the blade, finding the shade wonderful. "It's so beautiful…"
Doing a quick front slash with the real sword, which gave her goosebumps, she smiled brightly and felt like she had become a Demon Slayer already.
"Hmm, you can also modify a weapon of your choice, but I think it's better to have a standard sword. A normal sword has a lot more potential and is easy to carry around, perfect for killing demons at any time…" he said, his voice gentle like his usual self.
Nodding her head, she admitted, "Yes, I like the sword this way more. Samurai swords are the best, hehe." She showed a grin.
Tanjiro flashed a thumbs up nonchalantly.
Although her original weapon was flashy and looked cool, that was all there was to it. Weapons were made for killing, and since she had been blessed with a strong physique from the beginning, what she needed most next was mastery over swordsmanship, combat awareness, and tons of battle experience. Not some slithery or stupid-ass weapon that would require months just to get a hold of.
Above them, Kanae floated with an unexplainable expression. She had not said a word since earlier, and Tanjiro had a hunch about the reason.
'Damn, she thinks I'll die before twenty-five and then she'll have nobody to talk to… Hah, so silly. Let's just wait till I'm alone…'
Like that, they continued to advance slowly on their own without being led by Kakushi.
Since Tanjiro knew the route, he had politely declined any sort of assistance that Amane offered. There was no need for it.
After traveling on the paved path for a full ten minutes, they arrived at the Butterfly Mansion around 2 PM.
Mitsuri was delighted to see another large house and rushed forward with a big smile.
Soon, they were greeted by Aoi, who was free at the moment. She had already been notified by the Kasugai crow, so she was expecting them.
"Yo, Aoi." He waved with a smile.
Aoi looked at his blindfold strangely for a long moment before bowing politely. "Welcome back, Tanjiro-san."
She then greeted the shy Mitsuri, who seemed hesitant to speak. "Please, Kanroji-san, you're most welcome here. I'm Aoi. I work here as a maid and nurse. If there's anything you need help with, you can rely on me and the others."
"Hai!" Mitsuri nodded a few times. 'Although her eyes look strict, she's surprisingly considerate… Plus she's so adorable.' She thought.
Tanjiro had felt everyone's aura from afar, so he sighed in relief. Separating from the little ones still worried him, even though there was zero danger here. The incident with Muzan on the first day had really given him a headache—not to mention his family had been supposed to die, with Nezuko as the sole exception.
He had already changed their fate, but as a big brother, it was natural to be concerned about his younger siblings.
"What are those brats doing? They didn't pester you, did they?" he asked Aoi while they entered the mansion.
Mitsuri giggled at his cute questions. 'He's in full big-brother mode now…'
Aoi shook her head lightly. "No, they didn't. Instead, they were really gentle and dependable, ready to help out at every moment. Currently, they're in the main hall with the others, playing and enjoying their free time."
"Oh, that's good." He smiled. They had grown up under Kie's strict nurturing and looked up to their Onii-chan's kind demeanor all this time, plus Tanjuro's gentleness. There was no way they would turn out to be annoying little monkeys.
Mitsuri chimed in. "Tanjiro must be the person they aspire to become, right? That would explain their upbringing…"
He turned to her and chuckled with a grin. "Heh, obviously."
Conversing as they walked, Aoi led them to the second floor and familiarized them with their rooms. Both of them would be living in the mansion, so the empty rooms had already been prepared by her earlier.
Tanjiro settled Kie's basket in his room and went to meet his siblings alongside Mitsuri.
He hadn't heard Kanae's voice since arriving, so he concluded she must have gone to check on Shinobu.
'She's too emotional… Who am I to judge? She's dead, currently a ghost, and only has me to talk to… I need to make a decision…' He contemplated.
Some time passed.
"Onii-chan~ It's almost night. Wake up~" a sweet voice entered his mind.
His vibrant crimson eyes, no longer hidden behind a blindfold, gradually opened as Nezuko's tender figure came into view.
'Ahh… I must have fallen asleep…' he thought.
Rubbing his forehead, he stood up and looked around.
The massive hall was empty; only he and Nezuko remained.
"What time is it?" he asked, his eyes still slightly dizzy.
Nezuko giggled at his appearance and answered in a teasing voice. "It's past seven. Because nobody wanted to disturb Onii-chan, they let you rest peacefully and left the hall long ago."
He nodded.
Standing up, he cracked his joints with a bit of stretching and realized he wasn't wearing his blindfold.
'Right, I threw it away since it wasn't helping at all…'
His hand reached for Nezuko's head and gently patted it, which she happily enjoyed.
It seemed he had gotten bored earlier after spending an hour with everyone and dozed off without realizing.
'Well, they accepted Mitsuri without any issues—or rather, it didn't seem like it was their first time meeting her at all, heh… Good for her, I guess.'
"I need to have a talk with Shinobu-san. Why don't you go play with Hanako and the others?" he said softly.
She pouted immediately. "Nezuko also wants to be with Onii-chan…"
A bit surprised, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'll be living here from today, so don't be a bad girl now, ha…"
Feeling the warm sensation on her forehead, a bright smile appeared on her face. "Hehe, understood."
'Yare yare…'
....
Patreon.com/ lordazathoth
Your support will be very appreciated, seriously...