Shinobu Kocho didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She reached out and pushed him back. "Who would dare bully me?"
"Fair point. You're so fierce."
"...You're the fierce one." Shinobu Kocho bristled. That bastard always seemed to know exactly how to get under her skin.
But when she saw the sorry state he was in, all she could do was sigh softly. "Once your injuries have mostly healed, I'll return to the Butterfly Estate."
"Mm." Tetsu no Sosuke nodded. "Your sister and I will come visit you. You'll be stationed there on your own, so be careful. If anything seems uncertain, send me a message anytime. Don't forget, our family has three Pillars."
Shinobu Kocho paused, then broke into a smile. "That's right."
Neither of them said anything more. Tetsu no Sosuke had woken up, but he was still exhausted. Before she had even finished changing his dressings, he fell into a deep sleep.
Shinobu Kocho sat quietly beside him and watched him for a long while. Then she smiled to herself. "Get some rest."
She stood, gathered the used bandages and medicine onto a tray, and quietly went out.
The night passed peacefully. By the next morning, Tetsu no Sosuke could just about move his body.
He went out to see the other Pillars.
Everyone seemed relieved to see he was all right.
Gyomei Himejima said to him, "You fought well. Truly admirable!"
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "We achieved this together."
"It feels like the bonds between all of us grew stronger after that battle."
Kyojuro Rengoku laughed heartily. He was injured too. In fact, who had come through that battle unscathed?
Nearly everyone had been wounded, though Tetsu no Sosuke had suffered the worst of it.
He had faced Kokushibo alone for a long time. The others