"You've been working hard these past couple of days. How's it going?"
Tetsu no Sosuke asked.
The Serpent Pillar scratched his head. His cold demeanor fell away as he said, troubled, "I feel like... I don't stand a chance."
"As long as you're alive, there's always hope." Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "Want me to help?"
"How?" the Serpent Pillar asked.
Tetsu no Sosuke thought for a moment. "I'll talk to the Love Pillar. First, I need to make sure she believes there's nothing going on between us. Then I'll sound her out for you and see how she feels. Whether she likes someone or can't stand him can come down to a single thought. I won't be that direct, of course. I'll start by asking whether she likes anyone, what she wants for her future, when she thinks she might get married... If she seems open to it, I'll ask what she thinks of you. I won't ask about you alone, though. That would make it too obvious what we're after... You see what I mean?"
The Serpent Pillar's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes. This plan makes more sense than the others!"
Tetsu no Sosuke sighed. "I've really worried myself sick over this for you."
"Thank you," the Serpent Pillar said sincerely.
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "We're friends, aren't we? I couldn't leave a friend in need hanging. Besides, you're both single. If you got together, it would be a lovely story for the Demon Slayer Corps, wouldn't it? Anyway, I wanted to tell you first so you wouldn't get the wrong idea..."
"Why would I get the wrong idea?"
The Serpent Pillar glared at him. "You don't trust me to trust you!"
"I still remember how you threatened me the first time we met."
Tetsu no