He did not really know what he had let go of. But when he saw Kanae, something inside him suddenly felt so much lighter.
Kanae smiled softly. "I heard."
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "I didn't embarrass myself, did I?"
"Of course not." Kanae shook her head. "Master couldn't praise you enough. He said you were a treasure to the Demon Slayer Corps, and letting you choose for yourself back then was the right decision."
Tetsu no Sosuke thought back to the day he had first met Ubuyashiki Kagaya.
He remembered what Master had said, word for word, and gave a quiet laugh. "Did Master talk me into it? He said I had good instincts in a fight and all that, and before I knew it, I'd chosen to join the Demon Slayer Corps."
Kanae's eyes never left Tetsu no Sosuke's face.
She said softly, "That day, I was waiting outside the door. I knew what Master was going to say to you, because he'd already spoken to me about it."
"He'd spoken to you?" Tetsu no Sosuke fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Of course he had. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had me learn Swordsmanship from you."
"Do you know what I was thinking then?" Kanae asked.
Tetsu no Sosuke shook his head. "How would I have dared guess what was on your mind back then?"
"Wouldn't have dared?" Kanae wrinkled her nose. "You were plenty bold."
"Me? How was I bold?" Tetsu no Sosuke blinked.
"You'd only known me a few days, and you asked whether I liked you. Wasn't that bold enough?" Kanae pursed her lips. "Who does that? You startled me."
"Were you scared?" Tetsu no Sosuke asked.
"Not really," Kanae said. "But I never forgot it."
Then she asked, "Why did you say that to