The Butterfly Mansion Sisters were all here

"It wasn't Kanae's fault. I threatened her by saying I wouldn't cooperate with treatment, and that's why..." Seeing Kanae looking rather at a loss, Makomo hurriedly told the truth.

Ever since she had been brought to the Butterfly Mansion, Kanae had been caring for her. Makomo hadn't intended to drag her into this at first, but Kanzaki Kumo had returned at just the wrong moment. Kanae had only just finished changing her dressings and hadn't had time to leave.

"You... have you been plotting this ever since you woke up from your injuries? ...Just you wait. I'll personally take over your rehabilitation training." Only after tapping Makomo on the head twice more did Kanzaki Kumo let the matter drop.

But he hadn't entirely let it drop. Once her injuries had mostly healed, Kanzaki Kumo planned to put her through special training, both to teach her a lesson and to improve her strength.

Although this had only been a rather nasty joke on Makomo's part, her injuries were real, and severe. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been placed in the observation room.

Besides, this time it had been a joke. What if it came true next time?

Kanzaki Kumo couldn't stop Makomo from continuing to slay demons, because that was precisely why she had joined the Demon Slayer Corps. What he could do was help Makomo grow stronger, so she could better handle the dangers she might face in the future.

After chatting a little longer and learning how Makomo had been injured, Kanzaki Kumo left. It had already grown dark, and he needed to go on patrol. That was his responsibility as a Hashira.

Only after watching Kanzaki Kumo leave did Makomo turn to Kanae.

"I'm sorry, Kanae. I dragged you into this for no reason."

"It's all right, Makomo. Still, that sort of joke really isn't appropriate. I can tell Kanzaki-kun cares about you a great deal, and with a joke like that, the more someone cares, the angrier they'll be." Kanae gently shook her head.

"I know... but ever since I heard he'd become a Hashira, I've been afraid. Afraid that the boy who used to play around with me would become all high and mighty. I knew perfectly well that he would never become like that, but I just couldn't stop thinking about it..."

"But now you can stop worrying, right?" As she spoke, Kanae had come over to the head of the bed and sat on a small stool. Although they had spent less than a day together, the two girls seemed very close.

"Yes, Kumo is still Kumo. It's just... I'm probably going to suffer during rehabilitation training. Ugh..." Makomo's face fell. She knew Kanzaki Kumo had only held back his anger because she was seriously injured. Her real punishment would come once her injuries had mostly healed.

"There's nothing for it. People have to take responsibility for their choices. I'm afraid I can't help you with this, either." Kanae could only gently stroke Makomo's head. Perhaps because she usually looked after her younger sister, she had unconsciously done the same while comforting Makomo. Seeing that Makomo didn't resist, she left her hand there.

"Mm... huh? Those words... Kumo said that to me before, too." Makomo remembered those days during the Final Selection when she and Kanzaki Kumo had teamed up. When she asked why he wouldn't rescue the same person twice, that had been his answer.

"People have to take responsibility for their choices. If they still refuse to leave after being saved once, they need to be prepared to die here."

Those had been Kanzaki Kumo's exact words, and now Makomo had heard them from Kanae as well.

"Oh? Speaking of which, how did you and Kanzaki-kun meet, Makomo? And why do you call him 'Kumo'? How old is he?"

Makomo's words had also piqued Kanae's curiosity. Kanae had always felt some curiosity and a little fondness toward Kanzaki Kumo, who had saved her life. Otherwise, a single reproachful question from him wouldn't have left her at a loss.

They had simply spent too little time together, leaving her knowing nothing about the boy who had suddenly appeared in her life. Now that Makomo was here, Kanae naturally didn't want to miss this chance.

Kanae's curious questions made Makomo's heart skip a beat.

But when she looked into Kanae's gentle eyes, she found no emotion other than curiosity. Slightly relieved, she began recounting everything that had happened since she met Kanzaki Kumo, her voice cheerful yet tinged with nostalgia.

These stories thoroughly satisfied Kanae's curiosity. As Makomo spoke, the image in her heart of the boy who had saved her life beneath the night sky gradually became more fully formed.

"Kanzaki-kun is actually that young?"

"Really? It wasn't just Kanzaki-kun—you were amazing too, Makomo."

"So he has such a childish side, too. Somehow, that's rather cute..."

Before they knew it, twenty days had flown by.

During that time, Kanzaki Kumo mainly practiced swordsmanship during the day. During his breaks, he would chat with Makomo and check on her recovery. Occasionally, he would also visit the other swordsmen recuperating at the Butterfly Mansion, offering his regards as the Rumble Hashira.

Aside from that, he spent time with the Butterfly Family. Most of his time with the Zemu couple was spent asking them about first aid, while his time with Kanae consisted of everyday conversation.

As for her calling him "Kanzaki," he had already told Kanae that she could simply call him "Kumo." For some reason, however, this gentle girl was unexpectedly firm on the matter. After several fruitless attempts to discuss it, he could only let her be.

As for the youngest, Shinobu Kocho, Kanzaki Kumo always found himself teasing the little girl, who had retained her innocence with both her parents still alive.

Each time, he would provoke the little girl into "hunting him down," her arms flailing, only to cheer her right up again with the various little things Kanzaki Kumo brought back from his outings.

Kanae was delighted that her younger sister had another playmate, while the Zemu couple were also happy to see Kanzaki Kumo, their family's greatest source of support at present, grow close to their daughters.

At night, naturally, he patrolled the area he was responsible for, occasionally dealing with a few unlucky demons and responding promptly to other members' calls for help.

Of course, most patrols passed without incident. In those cases, he could finish work early and return to the Butterfly Mansion to rest.

However, Kanzaki Kumo didn't only go out at night. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to buy all those little things he used to cheer Shinobu Kocho up.

When he went out during the day, besides patrolling abandoned buildings to see whether any demons were hiding inside, Kanzaki Kumo was also searching for a pitiful girl from the original story-Kanao Tsuyuri.

Of course, she didn't have that name yet. Or rather, her parents, those creatures that passed for humans, had very likely never named her at all.

That made Kanzaki Kumo's search somewhat troublesome.

It wasn't until this day, when Makomo's injuries had essentially healed and she could begin training, that Kanzaki Kumo finally returned to the Butterfly Mansion carrying a little girl with a blank expression.

At last, the Butterfly Mansion Sisters from the original story were all gathered together.