And so, Horitake and Mitsuri successfully moved into the Butterfly Mansion.
Shinobu maintained a cautious stance toward their arrival, while the other five girls welcomed them warmly.
That afternoon, Yoyoi and his family arrived safely at the new Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, followed shortly by the final convoy.
This marked the complete success of the headquarters relocation.
Thanks to the Lord's brilliant leadership, the Pillars' timely decisions, and the tireless efforts of every member, they'd achieved near-perfect execution in both evacuation and battle.
Not a single loss throughout, only minor injuries among a handful, with staggering results—this was a rare, resounding victory in the Corps' history.
Lord Ubuyashiki Yoyoi addressed all personnel at the new headquarters:
"This operation's success is thanks to everyone's cooperation.
On behalf of the Demon Slayer Corps, I offer my sincerest gratitude to every member."
(Why does this suddenly feel like some news broadcast?)
Anyway, the operation was a massive success!
Horitake, Shinobu, and Mitsuri visited the Ubuyashiki family's new residence to pay their respects and confirm Yoyoi and his family were unharmed before leaving.
As they departed, Yoyoi reminded Horitake not to miss the Pillars' Meeting in two days.
Horitake, of course, wouldn't forget.
After leaving the Ubuyashiki residence, Horitake tracked down Goto and staked his claim on the house next to the Butterfly Mansion. "That's my place from now on."
He also asked Goto to handle furnishing it with furniture and decor.
Goto agreed readily but warned that, with the fresh relocation, things were swamped. It'd take a while before Horitake could move in.
Horitake shrugged it off. "No problem. Mitsuri and I are crashing at the Butterfly Mansion for now."
When Goto heard Horitake and Mitsuri were both staying at the Butterfly Mansion, his eyes widened in awe.
This guy's taking down two Pillars!
Not bad, Heavenly Pillar! Snatching both flowers among the ten Pillars in one go—what skill, what a role model!
Horitake basked in Goto's admiration.
He clapped Goto on the shoulder. "Not everyone can pull off embracing both sides like me. Want to be like this? You need the skills and the moves. Keep envying from afar!"
With that, Horitake sauntered off.
And Goto? Of course he was envious!
Lady Kocho and Lady Kanroji were one-in-a-million—nay, one-in-ten-thousand beauties, each with distinct charm and personality.
For an ordinary man to win even one would be eight lifetimes of good fortune.
Yet the Heavenly Pillar had gone after both—and succeeded with one, with the other nearly in the bag!
Truly worthy of the title.
Later that day, in a drunken slip after work, Goto let Horitake's situation slip.
From there, it spread: one to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, a thousand to ten thousand. In less than two days, the entire Demon Slayer Corps headquarters buzzed with gossip about Horitake, Shinobu, and Mitsuri!
The rumors flew thick and fast!
The discussions burned hot!
Shinobu, hearing the gossip, was furious.
She decided it was time to give Horitake a piece of her mind.
Otherwise, this jerk would think the Insect Pillar had no spine!
So, the night before the Pillars' Meeting, Shinobu decided to have a talk with Horitake.
At the Butterfly Mansion, all eight of them—Horitake and Mitsuri included—were gathered for dinner.
As the head of the house, Shinobu finished first. Her usual smile gone, she set her bowl down on the table with a deliberate thud—not too hard, not too light.
Then, expressionless, she turned to Horitake. "Horitake-san, come with me. We need to talk."
With that, she walked out.
The remaining seven exchanged bewildered glances, unsure what had gotten into her.
Kanae, holding her bowl and chopsticks, froze in indecision, unsure whether to keep eating with her big sister clearly upset.
Horitake, familiar with Kanae's temperament, reassured her. "It's fine, Kanae. This isn't about you. Keep eating."
Kanae's thoughts went like this:
Though Shinobu-nee is the head of the Butterfly Mansion, Horitake-sama is a Pillar—higher rank. I should listen to him.
Kanae nodded and resumed eating.
Horitake couldn't help but sigh at Kanae's need for explicit direction.
His thoughts drifted to his little bro Tanjiro.
Tanjiro, Tanjiro—hurry up and join the Corps. There's a girl here waiting for you to save her.
Truth be told, Horitake wouldn't mind helping Kanae open her heart.
But that'd mean getting tangled with another girl.
Three was already pushing his limits—what would four be like?
Plus, he felt a twinge of guilt toward Tanjiro.
Horitake planned to marry Tanjiro's sister Nezuko someday—essentially taking her from Tanjiro's side. Tanjiro would hate to lose his sister.
Stealing his sister and his fiancée? That'd be too cruel, too vile!
With clear instructions, Kanae ate on guilt-free, but the others couldn't relax so easily.
Little Aoi glanced worriedly toward Shinobu's direction and whispered to Horitake, "Horitake-sama, did you upset Shinobu-sama again recently?"
The trio of round-eyed sisters—Kiyomi, Kiyomi, and Naho—nodded, wondering the same.
Horitake threw his hands up in exasperation. "I've been at the Butterfly Mansion this whole time—what have I even done? You've all seen it.
"Where would I find the time to upset your Shinobu-nee?
"Who knows what's gotten into her?
"Sigh… women's hearts, deep as the ocean—unfathomable, ever-shifting…"
The round-eyed trio—Kiyomi, Sumire, and Naho—chattered away:
"Yeah, yeah, Horitake-sama's been totally normal lately. Nothing to upset Shinobu-sama."
"But sometimes Shinobu-sama gets mad out of nowhere."
"So, um, should Horitake-sama go talk to her?"
Horitake shrugged, shoveling rice into his mouth. "Whatever. I've got a clear conscience, and your Shinobu-nee can't beat me anyway."
At that moment, Mitsuri beside him thought of something. Her face flushed red as she leaned in to whisper in Horitake's ear:
"Horitake-bro… was it because we were too loud last night? Is that why Shinobu-nee's mad?"
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