Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

He quickly looked up, his eyes meeting Kochou Kanae's.

Her gaze still held a hint of confusion, as if asking, "What are you looking for?"

Tetsu no Sosuke was dumbfounded, his face flushing slightly. "Mornin'..."

Kochou Kanae tilted her head to study him, then suddenly smiled. "It's almost dark."

That only made Tetsu no Sosuke more flustered. He let out a dry chuckle. "How did I... well... uh..."

He didn't know how to explain it. A subconscious bodily reaction after falling asleep? Or some other reason?

Before he'd dozed off, she'd been sitting right beside him, and he'd been lying there perfectly proper. So how had they ended up like this when he woke up?

There was no way he could ask that out loud. So he stealthily, carefully, began to lift his head from Kochou Kanae's lap.

"Take it slow." Kochou Kanae helped him, making sure he didn't move too abruptly and aggravate his wounds.

The door suddenly slid open. Shinobu Kochou was about to step in when she saw the two of them. Her eyes went wide as saucers.

"Y-you... you two..."

Her face was bright red, her jaw hanging open. The tray in her hands trembled, making the medicine bottles clink against each other.

Kochou Kanae seemed a bit flustered too. She scrambled to her feet. "I-I'll step out for a moment. Is the meal I made for him in the kitchen ready?"

Shinobu Kochou couldn't even answer.

She could only watch her older sister flee in panic, leaving behind Tetsu no Sosuke—who wanted to run but couldn't.

Shinobu Kochou's smile turned exceptionally cruel.

"Tetsu no Sosuke, I'm here to change your bandages!!!"

Tetsu no Sosuke was on the verge of tears. Sure, a lap pillow was a blissful experience, but the murderous tone of the girl before him made it clear that everything you gained in this world came at a price.

A scream rang out from the room. Kochou Kanae stood at the doorway, gently patting her chest.

With her other hand, she touched her flushed, burning cheek, then cast a pitying look toward the room before heading for the kitchen...

Author's Note:

Alright, I've thought it over~ Completely separating or completely concentrating the updates does have its issues.

So, I'm taking a reader's suggestion~

The midnight update stays unchanged, and the noon update moves to 9 PM~~~

That way, the total number of updates remains three~~~

The schedule becomes: one chapter at midnight, two chapters at 9 PM~~~

Starting tomorrow, I'll follow this update schedule~

Thanks for your support~~~~~

Chapter 26: Out-of-Syllabus Question

Tetsu no Sosuke was feeling gloomy.

Ever since that day Shinobu Kochou had caught them, she'd been keeping a strict watch on him.

Now, every time he spent time with Kochou Kanae, a glaring lightbulb was always tagging along!

Under that radiant illumination, no demon or evil could hide.

Tetsu no Sosuke was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

In this situation, forget asking Kochou Kanae about that answer—even getting two extra words in would immediately invite a storm of interruptions.

It even made Tetsu no Sosuke wonder if Shinobu Kochou had inherited the true essence of Gale Sun.

And even the rice balls he made for Kochou Kanae would have an extra person helping to consume them.

Sure, she'd praise the rice balls' deliciousness without reservation, but she never let her guard down. In a way, she was surprisingly principled.

Another thing making Tetsu no Sosuke gloomy was... his wounds were almost healed.

Originally, he'd been told he wouldn't be able to get out of bed for seven days to half a month.

But in just three days, Tetsu no Sosuke's injuries had healed up pretty well.

Not only could he walk without issue, but he'd also gotten adept at outsmarting Shinobu Kochou.

Recovering so quickly should have been a happy thing, but the problem was... if this kept up, what excuse would he have to keep loafing around the Butterfly Estate?

Once the swordsmith from the Swordsmith Village delivered the Nichirin Blade, he was supposed to head back immediately.

Especially now that he was qualified to forge Nichirin Blades independently—he should return and throw himself into forging them to supply the Demon Slayer Corps.

He had no reason to shirk his responsibility.

He just didn't want to leave.

The breeze in the courtyard was gentle. Tetsu no Sosuke sat on the veranda, paper and pen in hand, staring blankly at the clouds on the horizon.

A girl sat beside him, holding a rice ball, nibbling at it in small bites. She'd eat a little, zone out for a while, then eat some more.

She didn't even look at Tetsu no Sosuke. She sat there so quietly it was as if she wasn't there at all.

Kanao Tsuyuri... she's part of the main cast in the original story, right?

Though she looks a bit younger than I remember.

She's a very, very quiet girl—so quiet that even if you speak to her, she won't respond.

But that stillness isn't because she's cold or aloof.

It's a form of self-protection.

When Tetsu no Sosuke made rice balls for the first time, he noticed the girl watching from the doorway.

When he invited her in, she didn't move. When he turned away and ignored her, she didn't seem bothered by the neglect.

After flipping a coin, as if reaching some conclusion, she walked over to Tetsu no Sosuke and carefully observed every move he made—yet never said a single word to him.