Shinobu Kocho's fear

After Makomo left, Kanzaki Kumo returned to the Butterfly Mansion, ready to continue working on new sword techniques.

He had already decided on the direction for his next technique. All that remained was repeated testing and refinement.

But before he reached the little training courtyard, Shinobu Kocho poked her head furtively around the end of the corridor.

"Hey, um, Kanzaki Kumo, come here. Come here a second."

Seeing how Shinobu Kocho seemed anxious yet unwilling to speak loudly, Kanzaki Kumo was puzzled. This was the first time he had seen her being so cautious, looking so very much like she was up to something sneaky.

Still, Kanzaki Kumo walked over.

Once he came close, Shinobu Kocho grabbed his wrist and dragged him into a room. Wanting to see just what she was up to, Kanzaki Kumo let her pull him inside. It was a storage room originally intended for hospital bed sheets and similar supplies, but it had not been put to use yet and was completely empty.

When he saw Shinobu Kocho carefully check outside the door, then close it very gently and lock it after making sure no one was there, Kanzaki Kumo's heart skipped a beat.

Wait, this turn of events looks wrong no matter how you look at it. Shinobu Kocho isn't even thirteen yet. This is way too worthy of prison and handcuffs! Besides, I don't think I've raised her affection that high yet, have I? We're unlocking a special CG already?

Although Kanzaki Kumo often joked around with Shinobu Kocho, they had always interacted as friends, and neither had ever crossed any boundaries with physical contact. By comparison, he was considerably closer to Kanae Kocho.

"What are you spacing out for? I asked you a question!" Shinobu Kocho's hushed voice pulled Kanzaki Kumo back from his thoughts.

"Huh? What?" Seeing nothing but urgency and worry in the eyes of Shinobu Kocho, who had leaned close to him, Kanzaki Kumo shook those bizarre thoughts out of his head.

"I said, have you heard about it?" Shinobu Kocho repeated her earlier question, a trace of irritation entering her purple eyes.

"Heard about what?" The question was so completely out of nowhere that Kanzaki Kumo almost had nothing to say.

"My sister wants to learn a Breathing Style!"

"Oh... huh? You're saying Kanae wants to learn a Breathing Style? When did this happen? How do you know?" This time, Kanzaki Kumo was genuinely shocked.

He had originally thought that, since he had saved the entire Butterfly Family and Kanae Kocho and Shinobu Kocho had formed no deep, bitter grudge against Demons, these sisters who had met such tragic ends in the original story should not have any desire to become Swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps.

As things stood, the Butterfly Family were all doing well, working as doctors at the Butterfly Mansion and treating Demon Slayer Corps members. That counted as contributing to the demon-slaying cause, and it was safer, too.

The Zemu couple, Shinobu Kocho, and even Kanae Kocho herself had all expressed satisfaction with their current peaceful lives.

Yet now, this gentle girl, Kanae Kocho, actually wanted to learn a Breathing Style. Her goal, then, had to be to become a Swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"It was a few days ago. While you were training with Makomo, my sister suddenly brought it up with me. She said she seemed to have quite a talent for learning Breathing Styles."

"She even demonstrated in private for me. She worked out some techniques herself by watching you two train and observing Makomo's breathing rhythm. They really did look a lot like the techniques Makomo used."

"You know how I am. When my sister asks me for something, I just can't refuse... I thought Dad and Mom would stop her from putting herself in danger, but apparently she managed to convince them yesterday."

"She's definitely going to come to you next. Could you..." By this point, Shinobu Kocho looked ready to cry.

But she was also conflicted. If Kanae really was that talented, she would be a rare asset to the Demon Slayer Corps. Kanzaki Kumo was a Hashira of the Corps, after all. Whether he would be willing to discourage someone so gifted was uncertain.

Yet Kanzaki Kumo was the only person who could stop Kanae now.

"You want me to persuade her to give up?"

Kanzaki Kumo naturally understood what Shinobu Kocho was thinking and supplied the words she had left unsaid.

At the same time, Kanzaki Kumo was inwardly surprised himself. According to his memories from his previous life, Kanae's talent for swordsmanship really was excellent. Not long after Gyomei saved her, she had created Flower Breathing herself and rapidly grown into the Flower Hashira.

But he had not expected Kanae to be able to imitate Makomo's Breathing Style simply by watching him and Makomo train, along with observing Makomo's breathing at night.

"Yes, yes! Ever since you saved my sister that night, she's acted a little differently whenever she mentions you. If it's you, you can definitely convince her to give up that dangerous idea."

Shinobu Kocho was getting anxious enough that she had completely given her sister away.

Originally, when she noticed that her sister seemed to harbor some special feelings for Kanzaki Kumo, Shinobu Kocho had felt a little uncomfortable. But now she could no longer worry about that. Even if she ended up playing matchmaker, at least that was better than her sister joining the dangerous Demon Slayer Corps.

Over these past days, she had personally seen and even treated one wounded Demon Slayer Corps member after another. What was more, their conversations made it clear that those who made it here for treatment were already the lucky ones. Many people died outright in battle against demons.

Of course, Shinobu Kocho admired and felt grateful to these people who risked their lives fighting Demons. Their existence allowed her family to live in peace, so she did everything she could to treat them. But she absolutely could not accept her own sister becoming a Swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps.

She was terrified that one day she would see her sister among the wounded being carried back, and even more terrified that her sister would never even have the chance to be brought back for treatment.

Her sister was kind. Seeing those people risk their lives fighting demons to uphold the peace behind the lines would weigh on her conscience. She would want to join them, want to do her part.

But she was selfish. She only wanted to keep living happily with her sister and her family.

Saving people at the Butterfly Mansion was already contributing to the Demon Slayer Corps, wasn't it?

"Even so, you should at least tell me what she's thinking, shouldn't you? Wanting to become a Swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps just because she discovered she had talent doesn't sound like something Kanae would do. There must be another reason."

Kanzaki Kumo spoke softly, his tone gentle and steady, settling Shinobu Kocho's heart a little. He was not particularly surprised by the special feelings that seemed to be budding in Kanae's heart. During their time together these past days, he had been able to sense, to some degree, that thoughtful girl's care in the little things.

It was just that, for now, he was not yet able to respond.

"That day, she told me, 'It was one thing when I didn't know, but now that I know our peaceful lives are paid for by the Swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps risking their lives, and I have the talent to learn a Breathing Style, my conscience won't let me do nothing.' She said you'd said something similar, too."

Kanzaki Kumo was a little surprised as well. He had only mentioned to Makomo before the argument he had used to persuade Jigoro Kuwajima. He had not expected Makomo to pass it on to Kanae.

Still, with Kanae's personality, even without my "shining example," she would probably have come to a similar conclusion.

That was what Kanzaki Kumo thought.

"I'll give it a try."

Kanzaki Kumo agreed to try persuading Kanae for Shinobu Kocho, but he also knew that, gentle as Kanae was, she had convictions of her own. He had not even managed to persuade her to stop calling him "Kanzaki-kun." This attempt would probably be a long shot, too.

With Kanzaki Kumo's current position, he could certainly force Kanae to remain at the Butterfly Mansion, but that would not necessarily be a good thing for her.

"Shinobu, the final decision on this still rests with Kanae. It's her own life, after all, and she has the right to choose. Neither you nor I, nor Uncle Zemu and the others, should deprive her of the right to choose her own life in the name of 'concern' or 'love,' should we?"

"But..."

Hearing Kanzaki Kumo's words, Shinobu Kocho could more or less guess the outcome. As her younger sister, she knew all too well how her sister's determination on certain matters could border on stubbornness.

Just as Shinobu Kocho was about to say something more, someone knocked on the door of this empty room that ordinarily went ignored.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Kanzaki-kun, are you in there?"