night.
Butterfly Mansion.
Under the warm yellow light, the people of the Butterfly Mansion sat around the dining table, which was laden with all kinds of delicacies, filling the whole house with a homey atmosphere.
" Kanae, did Teiichi- nii say when he'll be back?" Kanon asked while chewing on her tempura.
Kanae gently put down her chopsticks, carefully chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth, and then softly replied, "The last time White Feather sent a message, he said he would probably return in about ten days before the New Year."
Shinobu Kocho snorted, "He's been out playing all year round, never doing any missions. I bet he's almost forgotten what a demon looks like!"
"Giggle..."
Upon hearing this, Kanae couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. "It's not that exaggerated. Besides, the team has issued missions with Teiichi before. It's just that there are fewer now, since the team has gained quite a few more members in recent years, both Hashira Rank and regular members..."
Upon hearing Kanon, Kanon nodded in agreement, "Yes, Kanae and Shinobu-nee, haven't you two not had any missions for many days either?"
Shinobu Kocho shook her head and explained, "That's different. We have fewer missions because we're also responsible for treating the wounded at the Butterfly Mansion, so missions aren't prioritized for us. Instead, they're given to other Pillars nearby who have time."
Kanae spoke up, "That's true, but we haven't had any missions for a while."
Kanon said, "After all, Shinobu-nee is a Pillar now! The Demon Slayer Corps now has nine Pillars, which is almost double the number when I first arrived at the Butterfly Mansion!"
Kanae nodded and sighed, "Yes! It's been countless years since our Demon Slayer Corps has had all nine Pillars."
"Yes, when there were only a few Pillars, everyone had some free time, let alone now that there are twice as many Pillars!" Kanon nodded and then looked at Shinobu Kocho.
"By the way, Shinobu-nee, Teiichi Teiichi-nii not know that you've become a Pillar yet?"
Shinobu Kocho shook her head. "I don't know yet!"
Kanon chuckled twice, "When Teiichi- nii finds out, he'll be so surprised!"
Upon hearing this, Shinobu Kocho raised her head and said, "I don't care if he's surprised or not!"
What's so surprising?
A familiar tone came from outside, and everyone turned to look.
"Hey! Teiichi- nii, you're back!" Kanon exclaimed happily upon seeing the visitor.
"Yes!"
Teiichi Kanon and smiled lightly at Hanon.
His gaze swept quickly across the room, lingering briefly on the three extra small figures before finally focusing on Kanae's face.
At this moment, Kanae couldn't help Ueya smile, her joy almost overflowing.
Her gaze lingered on the familiar face, and when she saw the scars on her forehead and around her eyebrows, Kanae's smile froze. She ran over, her face full of worry, and asked:
What happened to your forehead?
Upon hearing Kanae's question, Shinobu Kocho and Kanon also ran over, looking at Teiichi with concern.
Teiichi reached out and touched the scar on his forehead, near his eyebrow.
Although I got back late, it's still human, and wounds heal very slowly; the scars are still there.
"It's nothing, I ran into an Upper Rank, we fought, and this is just a scratch I got!"
" Upper Rank?" Kanae's expression instantly turned serious, her eyes filled with worry, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists. "Are you alright?"
As the only active Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps to have fought against Upper Rank demon, she deeply understands the significance of the title "Upper Rank."
Teiichi gently shook her head, a reassuring smile on her face. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Apart from this small injury on my forehead, everything else is perfect."
Upon hearing this, Kanae looked Teiichi up and down.
Although it doesn't look like there are any injuries on the outside, but...
I didn't see the haori I knitted myself...
Kanae's eyes flickered, a complex emotion flashing within them, before she spoke:
"It's good that you're alright! Which Upper Rank did you encounter?"
Teiichi: " Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Three!"
"Two Upper Rank?" Shinobu Kocho couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Teiichi chuckled and explained, "We didn't encounter them at the same time. I met Upper Rank Three first, and then Upper Rank One the next day!"
Shinobu Kocho said, "Even so, this is still outrageous, okay? What kind of luck do you have? Many Pillars might never encounter Upper Rank in their entire lives, but you've encountered one two days in a row!"
Teiichi, "Well... to be precise, it can only be considered as encountering one; the other one can't really be considered as encountering one!"
Kanon asked, "What do you mean by that, Teiichi- gege?"
Teiichi replied, "I encountered Upper Rank Three first, then he escaped. After Muzan received the news, he sent Upper Rank One to find me!"
Upon hearing Teiichi's words, Shinobu Kocho covered her mouth in surprise and asked, "So you defeated two Upper Rank in two days in a row?"
Teiichi replied, "Hmm... there seems to be a problem with the word 'retreat,' but that's roughly the idea!"
Shinobu Kocho seemed to suddenly realize something and asked, "The speed at which the demons deliver information and provide support is this fast? You only encountered Upper Rank Three the night before, and you've already encountered Upper Rank One the next day!"
"This involves some information about demons, and it's a long story, so let's talk about it later," Teiichi replied, then looked at Kanae, "Is there any food left?"
Hearing Teiichi's question, Kanae snapped out of her daze and replied, "Yes, I'll go get it for you right away!"
Just as they were about to act, Aoi Kanzaki raised her hand and said, " Kanae, I'll go get it!"
After saying that, she stood up and ran towards the kitchen.
While Aoi Kanzaki went to get her food, the others returned to their seats.
Soon, Aoi Kanzaki brought over a large portion of food.
"Brother Teiichi, this is all for now. I'll get you more when you're almost finished eating, otherwise it'll get cold easily."
This wasn't Teiichi's first time staying at the Butterfly Mansion, so she had a general idea of Teiichi's appetite.
Teiichi nodded slightly and smiled at Aoi Kanzaki, "Yes! Thank you, Aoi!"
Seeing Teiichi Shinobu Kocho had already started eating, she asked, "Well, can you tell me now?"
Teiichi, and while eating, he shared information about Kokushibo and Akaza with everyone in the room.
After hearing Teiichi recounting the information, Kanae said with a solemn expression, "A demon who knows Breathing Style, and a demon who has broken through the limits of demons and can no longer be killed with Nichirin Blade?"