Hearing Kagaya Ubuyashiki's suggestion, Lin Yoriichi readily nodded.
But after standing up, he suddenly stopped.
It was the same old problem: he did not know how to get to the Butterfly Mansion.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled. "Wait here a moment. I'll have a Kakushi take you there."
Lin Yoriichi could only laugh awkwardly and sit back down.
To hide his embarrassment, he looked around the room.
Suddenly, something in the corner caught his attention.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki followed Lin Yoriichi's gaze and found that he was looking at a fox mask carved from wood.
He rose with some difficulty, brought the mask over, and explained to Lin Yoriichi:
"This is a Disaster-Averting Mask handmade by Sakonji Urokodaki, the former Water Hashira and current Water Breathing trainer."
"Every child who trains under him and earns his approval receives a mask like this when they attend the selection on Mount Fujikasane."
"As for this one, he carved it and gave it to me many years ago, saying it was a blessing for my health."
Taking the mask from Kagaya Ubuyashiki, Lin Yoriichi fell silent.
It was called a "Disaster-Averting Mask," but judging by the original story, it was practically a "Disaster-Inviting Mask."
Almost none of the children who wore these masks to the selection on Mount Fujikasane met a good end.
Sabito, Makomo...
Only when Tanjiro appeared and killed that Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane was this tragedy finally brought to an end.
At that thought, Lin Yoriichi said to Kagaya Ubuyashiki:
"May I take this mask?"
Kagaya Ubuyashiki looked a little surprised, clearly not having expected Lin Yoriichi to be interested in the mask.
But he still said:
"Of course."
Hearing that, Lin Yoriichi tucked the mask into his robes.
He had another use for it.
Before long, a Kakushi arrived at Kagaya Ubuyashiki's door.
Lin Yoriichi turned to look, only to find that it was Momoki Haruko, whom he had already met twice.
Those beautiful eyes also showed delighted surprise at the sight of Lin Yoriichi.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled warmly.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please take Mr. Yoriichi to the Butterfly Mansion. Perhaps you could tell him about the Kamado family's situation along the way."
Momoki Haruko nodded in agreement and led Lin Yoriichi toward the Butterfly Mansion.
As soon as they left Headquarters, Momoki Haruko bowed gratefully.
"Mr. Yoriichi, thank you for saving me last time in Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture."
Lin Yoriichi waved a hand, indicating that she did not need to stand on ceremony with him.
But when Momoki Haruko straightened from her bow, Lin Yoriichi kept feeling that something about her had changed subtly.
The curves of her clothes seemed less exaggerated than before...
Ahem!
Noticing Lin Yoriichi's gaze on her, Momoki Haruko did not find it offensive; she simply thought he was looking at her clothes.
Then Momoki Haruko realized that Lin Yoriichi was still wearing an ordinary yellow garment beneath his haori, rather than a Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
She immediately said apologetically:
"I'm sorry. That was an oversight on my part."
"As the Kakushi assigned to accompany you, I only just noticed that you still don't have a Demon Slayer Corps uniform."
Lin Yoriichi did not particularly mind.
In fact, if he changed into different clothes, the effect of his Yoriichi Tsugikuni cosplay might be somewhat diminished when he faced Muzan Kibutsuji and Kokushibo.
Still, Momoki Haruko's words reminded Lin Yoriichi of something.
Since crossing over into this world, he had received quite a bit of money from the Ubuyashiki family, but he had yet to buy himself any clothes.
As for how he had managed these past few days...
Lin Yoriichi could only say that, out of sight, he washed every piece of clothing he wore each night.
The weather was still cold, so what could he do if his clothes would not dry immediately after washing?
No problem. Lin Yoriichi used Sun Breathing to manually "blow-dry" them.
It had to be said that Sun Breathing really did have a unique advantage when it came to drying clothes!
At that thought, something stirred in Lin Yoriichi's mind again.
He checked his Restoration Level System, only to discover another 1% increase.
At the sight, Lin Yoriichi's eyes immediately widened.
Holy shit, so you did it too, Yoriichi Tsugikuni...
Turns out this was a proper use of Sun Breathing too!
Momoki Haruko clearly misunderstood Lin Yoriichi's surprise.
She immediately said:
"Don't worry. I'll prepare all your clothes right away."
"And in light of my oversight, I'll wash everything you change out of!"
Her solemn attitude made Lin Yoriichi, who was used to handling his own chores, feel a little awkward.
He was just about to refuse when Momoki Haruko bowed again.
"Please! You must leave this to me!"
Her attitude left no room for refusal, so Lin Yoriichi could only agree.
As they chatted, Lin Yoriichi reached the Butterfly Mansion under Momoki Haruko's guidance.
Just as he arrived, he heard several voices:
"Tanjiro! We need help here!"
"Damn it! You got to Tanjiro first! I need a hand here too!"
"I'll help you. Let Tanjiro get some rest once he's finished!"
Immediately afterward, a strong, full voice rang out:
"It's fine! I don't need any rest. Leave it to me!"
Lin Yoriichi saw with his own eyes how the baskets of coal piled in a corner of the room were properly put away by Tanjiro in the blink of an eye.
After bustling about, Tanjiro looked up and happened to spot Lin Yoriichi standing in the doorway.
Lin Yoriichi could tell that Tanjiro's gaze had landed on the matching Sun-patterned hanafuda earrings hanging from his ears.
Tanjiro said in surprise:
"The hanafuda earrings you're wearing are exactly like mine."
"Oh?! You're Mr. Yoriichi!"
Lin Yoriichi smiled and nodded, instinctively reaching out to pat Tanjiro's head.
This feel...
It really was incredibly hard!
Tanjiro had no idea what Lin Yoriichi was thinking and simply grabbed his hand excitedly.
Then he introduced him to the others:
"Everyone, this is Mr. Yoriichi, the man who saved our family!"
"I'm very sorry, but I need to step away for a little while."
He then said to Lin Yoriichi:
"Please come with me. My mother has been wanting to thank you in person!"
At the words "thank you in person," Lin Yoriichi's expression immediately grew somewhat awkward.
In fact, if Tanjiro had not been holding on to him, Lin Yoriichi really would have wanted to cover his face and flee.
He genuinely could not understand what state of mind he had been in back then to say, "Ma'am, you wouldn't want..."
After following Tanjiro a little farther, Lin Yoriichi reached the interior of the Butterfly Mansion.
Before he could see Mrs. Kamado, he saw a girl wearing a pink kimono.
Nezuko Kamado!
When she saw her older brother pulling an unfamiliar man along, Nezuko Kamado also seemed a little surprised.
But before Tanjiro could introduce him, she had already spotted the identical Sun-patterned hanafuda earrings.
She broke into a radiant smile and said with great sincerity:
"Thank you so much, Mr. Yoriichi!"
Before you continue