Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
For the past three months, the world has been unusually calm.
Not to mention the Twelve Kizuki, even the lowest-ranking, insignificant ghosts didn't cause much of a commotion.
The frequency of ghost appearances has plummeted.
This left the Demon Slayer Corps' Pillars, who practically worked year-round, incredibly bored.
Everyone finally got a paid long vacation, which is quite rare in the team's hundreds of years of history.
The afternoon sun shone on the backyard of the Butterfly Mansion.
Giyu Tomioka, dressed in plain casual clothes with his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, was wandering aimlessly along the stone path.
There are no ghosts to fight, no tedious patrol duties...
"Too much free time."
Giyu sighed silently to himself.
A member of the "Hidden" unit, dressed in a black uniform, walked towards us.
The hidden member moved very carefully, carrying a wooden tray in both hands.
On the tray were three beautifully presented hagi mochi, accompanied by a cup of steaming matcha.
The hidden member looked up and was suddenly startled to see a blank-faced young man standing in front of him. His legs went weak and he almost dropped the tray he was carrying.
"Water, Water Hashira Master!! Good afternoon!!"
The hidden members bowed repeatedly, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
Giyu stopped in his tracks.
His deep blue eyes, devoid of any emotion, weren't looking at anyone; instead, they were fixed on the green pastries on the tray.
Who was it given to?
The hidden member swallowed hard and answered honestly:
"Yes, sir, it's a gift for Lord Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira."
"He specifically instructed that this flavor of reed cake be eaten every afternoon..."
Sanemi Shinazugawa.
Giyu silently made plans in his mind.
"This guy yells at me every time he sees me, and he even tries to pull out a knife to attack me."
"... This clearly demonstrates that our working relationship is extremely strained."
"According to the rules of human social interaction, giving someone their favorite gift can significantly increase their favorability."
"If I personally deliver this reed cake, which is his favorite, he will definitely feel my sincerity."
"..."
Giyu nodded with great satisfaction.
Without hesitation, he reached out and took the wooden tray directly from the hidden member's hand.
"Give it to me."
Giyu looked seriously at the disheveled members of the Hidden Members, his tone revealing a helpful and righteous spirit.
"I happen to be going that way, I'll deliver it to you."
The hidden members were instantly petrified.
He stared wide-eyed at Giyu's retreating figure carrying the tray, countless terrifying thoughts flashing through his mind.
What is Lord Water Hashira doing?!?!
Could he be planning to poison the dessert to murder Lord Wind Hashira?!?!
If Lord Wind Hashira gets a stomachache, he'll definitely tear me to pieces!! o(╥╥)o
The Hidden Member couldn't even cry, but due to the Pillar's authority, he didn't dare to snatch it. He could only watch helplessly as the "death delivery" got further and further away, his heart filled with utter despair.
Giyu carried the tray with lighter steps, even feeling as if he were undertaking a great diplomatic mission.
When he was halfway there, he happened to pass by the main hall of the Butterfly Mansion.
The hall was bustling with activity at that moment.
Kanae Kocho is wearing a very bright pink casual outfit today. She is standing on a chair, directing several female team members to hang colorful ribbons and balloons on the wall.
"Yes, hang it a little higher over there! And don't make sure that fairy light is crooked!"
Kanae's voice carried an undisguised joy.
Giyu stopped and walked over with the tray in his hand.
"What are you doing?"
Looking at the room full of gaudy decorations, Giyu asked very humbly,
Do you need any help?
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Kanae turned around abruptly.
When she saw Giyu Tomioka standing below, holding a plate, her big, watery pink eyes instantly lit up.
She nimbly jumped off the chair and quickly walked to Giyu.
"Mr. Giyu!"
Kanae put her hands behind her back, leaned forward slightly, and blinked her eyes expectantly.
"You really have no idea what we're preparing?!"
"Don't you think today is a very special day?!"
Giyu frowned slightly.
Looking at Kanae's beautiful face, his brain began frantically searching through historical databases.
Special day?
Today is neither the founding anniversary of the Demon Slayer Corps nor the Master's medical check-up day.
"Just a heads-up."
Kanae looked at this clueless blockhead, sighed helplessly, and held out two delicate white fingers.
Today is February 8th!
February 8th?
A hint of confusion flashed in Giyu's deep blue eyes.
He thought about it carefully for a full ten seconds before finally giving a rigorous guess.
Is it the half-price day at that radish and salmon restaurant in Asai District?
The moment those words, uttered with no will to live, were uttered, the air in the hall became eerily quiet.
Several female team members who were hanging up the ribbons almost fell off their chairs.
Kanae's smile completely crumbled.
She took a deep breath, desperately suppressing the urge to kill someone, and rubbed her aching temples with her fingers.
"Never mind."
Kanae gritted her teeth and forced out two words.
She knew that expecting this clueless straight man to remember any romantic dates was harder than getting Muzan to come out and sunbathe.
She glared at Giyu with annoyance, then her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the tray he was holding.
"What's this?"
Kanae looked at the green pastries on the plate, somewhat puzzled.
"These are rice cakes and matcha prepared for Shinazugawa."
Giyu immediately straightened his attitude, his tone even carrying a hint of pride.
"I plan to deliver it to his yard myself. This will definitely greatly enhance the relationship between us colleagues."
Upon hearing this, Kanae's expression was a mix of emotions.
The initial frustration and anger vanished instantly, replaced by an excitement to watch the show unfold.
Everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps knows that the Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, keeps his love for eating hagi mochi a top secret!
Anyone who dares to bring this up in person will be met with Sanemi drawing his sword and fighting to the death on the spot!
And now, the Giyu Tomioka, is actually going to personally offer him a plate of hagi mochi as a gesture of goodwill?
This is practically like an old man eating poison—they're tired of living!
"Then go ahead."
Kanae was holding back her laughter so hard she was almost internally injured. She patted Giyu on the shoulder, her tone becoming incredibly gentle.
"I wish you safety, Mr. Giyu. Remember to come back tonight with your breath ready; the streamers in the lobby are waiting for you."
Giyu looked completely bewildered.
He didn't understand why he needed to wish the deliveryman a safe journey, but he nodded anyway and continued walking towards the Wind Hashira's yard with the tray in his hand.
The closer you get to the courtyard where Sanemi Shinazugawa lives, the stronger the smell of gunpowder becomes.
Before he even reached the door, Giyu heard a deafening roar coming from the courtyard.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
The sound was mixed with wild roars, shaking the courtyard walls so much that dust was falling off.
Giyu pushed open the courtyard gate expressionlessly.
In the center of the spacious courtyard, two figures were engaged in a frenzied battle at a speed so fast that only their shadows could be seen.
Sanemi Shinazugawa was shirtless, revealing his body covered in hideous scars.
He gripped a wooden sword with both hands, veins bulging on his forehead, each strike carrying a force that tore through the air.
Opposite him stood the current Water Hashira — Sabito.
Sabito, also wielding a wooden sword, moved with agility and flexibility, using the suppleness of Water Breathing to relentlessly thwart Sanemi's ferocious attacks.
"You pink-haired bastard! All Water Breathing users are the same—annoying!!"
Sanemi roared, his wooden sword unleashing a visible gust of wind that slammed into Sabito's shoulder.
"Wind Breathing, First Form, Dust Whirlwind, Slash!!"
"Don't take your anger out on me! What kind of skill is it to take out your frustration on me just because you can't beat Giyu!"
The Sabito retorted without backing down, its wooden sword rising from below, creating a ripple of blue water.
"Water Breathing, Third Form, Flowing Dance!!"
The gale and the rushing water collided violently in the center of the courtyard.
The powerful impact ripped the soil off the ground.
And on a large tree in the corner of the yard.
Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, sat cross-legged on a thick tree trunk, the white snake Kaburamaru around his neck flicking its tongue.
Obanai coldly watched the battle below with his one gold and one green eye, an undisguised sneer playing on his lips.
"Two rude barbarians."
Obanai gave a cold snort, not loud, but just loud enough for the people below to hear.
"Sweating it out here in broad daylight is just polluting the air."
"... With this energy, you should study how to improve the precision of your breathing."
Just as Obanai was relentlessly criticizing,
The two combatants below simultaneously unleashed a furious roar.
"Break it for me!!"
"Break it off!!"
As the two terrifying forces reached their limits...
"Snap!!"
A crisp snapping sound echoed through the courtyard.
The wooden swords in Sanemi's and Sabito's hands could not withstand this unreasonable and violent brawl, and shattered into countless wood chips.
Both men took several steps back, panting heavily, their eyes still fixed fiercely on each other.
Just as this intense competition came to a close...
A series of unhurried footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate.
Giyu Tomioka walked in carrying a wooden tray filled with hagi mochi and matcha, his perpetually expressionless, icy face...
His deep blue eyes swept over the messy courtyard, finally settling precisely on Sanemi Shinazugawa's face, which was etched with displeasure.
"The Shinazugawa."
Giyu completely ignored the tense atmosphere in the air and instead raised the tray in his hand.