Faced with the two neatly dressed little girls, Mitsuri felt her body tense. She was always shy when she grew nervous, and the pressure of standing in front of them made her hands fidget slightly.
The little girl with white hair spoke first.
"Welcome back. Congratulations on passing the assessment."
The girl with black hair followed.
"First, your team uniforms will be prepared. Your body measurements will be taken, and your class rank will be engraved."
The white-haired girl continued smoothly.
"There are ten classes in total:
Mizunoto
MizuMitsuri
Kanoto
KaMitsuri
Tsuchinoto
TsuchiMitsuri
Hinoto
HiMitsuri
Kinoto
KiMitsuri"
Her partner explained further.
"When one first joins the Demon Slayer Corps, they begin at the lowest level—the Mizunoto rank."
As she clapped her hands, a flurry of strange caws echoed from the sky. Several crows swooped down, their wings cutting sharp lines through the air. One of them landed on Mitsuri's shoulder.
She flinched, shrinking back from the sharp-beaked bird.
"This is a Kasugai Crow," the black-haired girl explained, "responsible for communication within the Demon Slayer Corps. From today onward, it will follow you."
The white-haired girl then stepped forward.
"Next, you will select the ore that will be used to forge your blade. It takes ten to fifteen days to complete the forging process."
Lifting a red cloth from the table behind her, the black-haired girl revealed a tray containing several dull, grayish lumps of metal.
"To slay demons, to protect yourself and the world, you must choose the steel for your Nichirin Blade yourself."
Mitsuri approached hesitantly. The lumps of Tamahagane ore all looked the same to her. Her mind went blank—she wished Yukishiro were here. After pacing around the table several times, she finally picked the largest piece.
Her reasoning was embarrassingly simple. "If it's like food," she thought, "then the biggest one must be the most satisfying."
The two girls bowed in unison.
"Your tailored uniform and Nichirin Blade will be delivered to your registered address. Your missions will be assigned through your Kasugai Crow. With this, the final stage of the assessment concludes. Please proceed down the mountain."
Mitsuri bowed clumsily, then hesitated. Her heart pounded as she gathered her courage.
"Wait... may I ask, did the boy in white—did Yukishiro—also pass the test?"
"Yes," the white-haired girl replied without hesitation.
"Then... where was he taken? Can I go see him?"
"Buttefly Mansion," the black-haired girl answered.
…
Butterfly Mansion – Half a Month Later
Han Yukishiro limped out of the ward, his left arm strapped in a sling. It was the first time he had set foot outside his room since waking up from his injuries.
His body still ached, but the simple act of walking into the sunlight felt like a miracle. He wore the plain hospital yukata given to patients, and as the cool breeze brushed against his face, he paused to inhale deeply. The scents of fresh herbs and the faint sweetness of blooming flowers greeted him.
The courtyard of Butterfly Mansion stretched before him—familiar and yet changed. The constant chatter of the nurses, the swaying of laundry on the lines, the laughter of children training—it was all noise he once found irritating. Now, after surviving the trial at Fujikiyama, even those voices carried a comforting warmth.
Yukishiro lowered himself onto the wooden steps of the corridor. His long, snow-white hair stirred faintly in the wind, catching the light of the sun. His gaze turned to the cherry tree in the center of the yard.
"I'm... alive again."
The thought felt heavy.
He remembered little of the final hours of the assessment. His memories blurred into fragments—blood, steel, and the weight of his sword.
Above all, only one phrase remained engraved into his heart: swing the sword.
He looked down at his scarred palms. Even now, the rough skin burned with phantom pain, as though the blade's hilt still pressed into his flesh.
At the corner of the house, a familiar figure appeared—Kanzaki Aoi, balancing a stack of white sheets in her arms. When her eyes fell on him, seated silently under the sunlight, a flicker of relief and something softer crossed her face. But she quickly masked it, her voice sharp and scolding.
"Who allowed you to come out? Go back inside immediately!"
Yukishiro turned his head slowly toward her.
She froze.
His pale face carried exhaustion, his dark eyes heavy and sharp, yet beneath them was fragility that tugged at her heart.
Guilt pricked at her as she realized how harsh her tone had been. Her twin ponytails swayed mockingly as if to remind her of her failed composure.
"The room was suffocating," he said softly. "I just wanted some fresh air."
Aoi blinked. It was the first time she had heard him speak with such gentleness. Her prepared mask crumbled. Words caught in her throat, and for a moment, she stood speechless.
Flustered, she marched past him and began hanging the sheets along the clothesline.
The fabric gleamed white in the sunlight, fluttering like banners of purity. Yukishiro watched quietly, unmoving, as though becoming part of the garden itself. Unlike his first arrival at Butterfly Mansion, when everything felt alien and cold, he now found himself slipping—if only slightly—into the rhythm of this place.
A sudden, rasping caw broke the peace.
"Quack! Alive, alive, quack!"
A black crow landed squarely on his knees, fixing him with beady eyes.
Yukishiro raised a brow. "What is this?"
"Bah! You rude brat!" the bird snapped, flapping its wings. "I'm no thing—I'm a Kasugai Crow! Do you understand? From today, I am your partner, quack!"
Yukishiro scowled, waving a hand. "Too noisy."
"You ungrateful boy!" the crow screeched, pecking at his sleeve. "I thought of you every day, and now you dismiss me? You heartless human!"
It flapped its wings on his head until Aoi finally snapped.
She snatched a broom from the wall and brandished it at the bird.
"You damned charcoal-feathered nuisance! You squawk all day—aren't you tired? Get lost before I pluck your feathers and make soup out of you!"
The crow let out a terrified squawk and darted to the beams above, glaring down at them with indignant eyes before flying off.
"You'll regret this! I'll go find a busty girl instead!"
"Go on, then!" Aoi shouted after it, cheeks flushed. "Annoy someone else for once!"
She slammed the broom against the wall and turned, only to meet Yukishiro's gaze. His eyes, cold and cutting, seemed to pierce through her defenses.
"Kasugai Crows are given to every official Demon Slayer," she explained hastily. "They deliver missions and communications from the Corps."
He nodded faintly, eyes narrowing.
"I heard about Fujikiyama. Congratulations... on joining the Demon Slayer Corps."
"Thanks."
The single word startled her. From him, gratitude was rare. For reasons she couldn't explain, warmth bloomed in her chest.
"Several people visited you while you were unconscious," she said quickly, as if to cover her embarrassment.
"Mitsuri stayed by your side for a week before her sister came to take her away."
Yukishiro blinked. "That girl... took care of me?"
Aoi nodded. "Though honestly, the one who saved your life was that boy Akino. He treated your wounds, performed first aid... you had even stopped breathing. It was Mitsuri who..." She faltered, her cheeks burning as the implication hit her. "She, um, helped you... with artificial respiration."
Yukishiro's expression froze. Embarrassment crawled over his face. The memory flashed—Mitsuri leaning over him—and his chest burned with mortification. He clenched his fists, silently swearing, I'll never face that clumsy girl again.
Aoi quickly changed the subject. "I also heard Akino gave up his own qualification to save you. At the very last moment, too."
The words struck him harder than he expected. Yukishiro trembled, his lips parting—but no words came. After a long silence, he muttered, "I'm tired," and limped back toward his ward, not once looking back.
Aoi stood frozen, watching his retreating figure.
Her heart tightened with the sense that she had said something she shouldn't have.