Especially with Tetsu no Sosuke asleep right beside them. Was he pretending? Was he eavesdropping? Should she just knock him out?
"What's wrong?" Kochou Kanae gave her younger sister a puzzled look. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Sister... you and him... ow! I bit my tongue... It hurts, it hurts..."
She was so nervous that her jaw trembled as she spoke. She accidentally bit her tongue, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
Despite her sister's blunder, Kochou Kanae understood what she meant. She froze. Before she could say a word, her face turned red.
But a moment later, a shadow passed through her eyes. She sighed softly and was about to speak when hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
"This should be the place, right?"
"Yes. This is the location the Flower Pillar's Kasugai Crow gave us."
The two women in the Large Mansion quickly composed themselves. Shinobu Kocho stood up, still stumbling a little over her words. "Come in."
Dressed in black with their faces covered, they wore the usual attire of the Demon Slayer Corps' logistics unit, the Hidden.
The group entered, paid their respects to the Flower Pillar, and got to work.
One of them carried Tetsu no Sosuke on his back, and Kochou Kanae and Shinobu Kocho returned with them to the Butterfly Estate.
There was no need to hurry on the way back, so they traveled much more slowly.
By the time they reached the Butterfly Estate, dawn was breaking in the east.
Tetsu no Sosuke slept until the sun was high before finally opening his eyes.
He sat bolt upright. Everything from the night before rushed back to him, and he looked around. Relief settled over him. I'm at the Butterfly Estate.
He tried to stand, but pain erupted throughout