Chapter 185: Meeting Lady Amane
They had truly taken the art of "waiting by the tree stump for rabbits to come" to an entirely new level...
Meanwhile, in a familiar little forest—
"Kanao, it's fine. We've already gotten away from them."
Ren's voice suddenly rang out.
Kanao, who had been running desperately ahead of him, finally stopped in confusion.
You...?
Only then did Ren notice that, for some reason, Kanao's face was bright red and she was breathing heavily.
She looked as though she had just completed some strenuous physical labor and was completely exhausted.
Are you too tired? Ren asked with concern.
Hearing that, Kanao's face turned even redder.
"I... I'm not..."
The words had already reached her lips, but Kanao couldn't bring herself to say them.
Her face was as red as a ripe apple, as though it might fall off at any moment.
The girl lowered her head, burying her face against her chest as her cheeks burned.
Ren gently patted Kanao on the shoulder.
"It's all right. I'm back now, aren't I? You don't have to worry."
Those words reached Kanao's ears, and tears immediately streamed down the girl's face.
Everything had happened so suddenly, but Kanao had genuinely felt that she had been treated terribly unfairly.
Ren had been captured because of her.
And she had been powerless to save him.
During that time, Kanao had felt an emptiness in her heart every single day.
There had also always been an overwhelming sense of guilt.
But now—
Ren was standing right in front of her.
Why couldn't she speak?
There were so many things she wanted to say.
Yet in the end, she couldn't get a single word out.
Kanao suddenly felt completely useless.
The sun slowly climbed toward the mountaintop, its rays filtering through the trees and casting dappled patterns of light across the forest.
Ren raised his hand, and a strand of golden sunlight seemed to rest perfectly in his palm.
He brought it before the girl.
His voice was gentle.
"Kanao, thank you for waiting for me."
The next moment, Ren took both of Kanao's hands and spread them open before him.
Looking into the girl's eyes, he said, "Your hands have become much rougher lately. You must have been training hard for my sake during this time, haven't you?"
"Ren, I..."
For some reason, Kanao's eyes instantly grew wet.
A powerful emotion surged up from the depths of her heart.
Because from the look in his eyes, Kanao realized that Ren wasn't blaming her.
Forgetting all restraint and shyness, Kanao's head grew hot.
She suddenly threw her arms around Ren.
Then she began to cry.
"Uuu... Ren, you're finally back! I've missed you every day. Why did you only come back now?!"
Kanao's sobs grew louder and louder.
At that moment, she finally let down the facade she had been maintaining.
It was also the first time Ren had ever seen Kanao like this.
Ren couldn't help smiling.
He gently patted Kanao's back as though soothing a baby.
"All right, all right~ I'm back now, aren't I? I'm fine. I'm sorry for making all of you worry. It's all my fault."
The wind was gentle in the forest.
The girl's feelings for him ran deep.
It was a long time before Kanao finally stopped sobbing.
Ren could tell that the past few days had caused Kanao a great deal of anxiety.
After calming down, Kanao released Ren and looked at him.
Then she froze again.
She didn't know what to say.
Instead, a faint blush quietly spread across her face, making her feel terribly embarrassed.
Ren was the first to break the silence.
"So... Kanao, is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"
Kanao was startled.
Ren's reminder suddenly made her remember that she still had another task to complete.
That's right!
Kanao nodded.
After hesitating for a moment, she took Ren's hand.
"My master told me to take you to her once you returned."
Two days before Ren's return, the Kasugai Crow belonging to Shinobu had already arrived.
The message the crow brought was for Kanao to take Ren to her master.
Apparently, her master had something she needed to explain to Ren.
However, that wasn't the only message.
Shinobu had also instructed Kanao to notify her immediately if Ren returned.
Because Shinobu was anxious as well!
But even in her wildest dreams, Shinobu hadn't expected Kanao to become so excited that she would completely forget about it.
The moment her small hand had been held, Kanao's thoughts had become a complete mess.
How could she possibly remember what Shinobu had told her...?
Perhaps even Shinobu herself had never expected that Kanao would deliberately go to the Entertainment District alone because she wanted to see Ren first.
Only to return home and discover that her house had been "stolen"...
"Your master?" Ren repeated after hearing Kanao's words.
"Then, Kanao, take me there first. If it's something urgent, we shouldn't delay."
Kanao nodded.
Then, holding Ren's hand, she began walking toward the Ubuyashiki estate.
Along the way, she frequently glanced back.
Whenever she saw that Ren didn't seem to mind her holding his hand, Kanao secretly curled her lips into a tiny smile.
Naturally, this didn't escape Ren's eyes.
Ren couldn't help finding it amusing.
He never would have imagined that this little girl, who had once barely dared to say more than a few words, would now have the courage to secretly hold a boy's hand!
Her expression made her look like a little thief.
Not only was she cute, but she was also incredibly innocent.
Ren was kindhearted, and the girl had just finished crying.
Holding hands was perfectly acceptable.
He could consider it a form of comfort for Kanao.
A little sacrifice on his part was no big deal!
Protecting the girls of the Butterfly Mansion and providing them with emotional support was Ren's unquestionable responsibility!
The two of them walked one after the other along the road toward the Ubuyashiki residence...
The sky was a brilliant blue, with several white clouds drifting across it.
Ren soon arrived at the Ubuyashiki estate.
However, the person who came out to receive him wasn't Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
It was his wife, Amane Ubuyashiki.
"Kagaya's health is not good at the moment, so he is unable to participate in any of the Demon Slayer Corps' activities. Please accept my apologies."
Lady Amane looked at Ren, her eyes filled with apology.
It's all right.
Ren waved his hand.
But he could already guess what had happened.
Most likely, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's health had deteriorated further.
Otherwise, considering everything that had happened recently, Kagaya would at least have come out to see him.
Ren expressed his understanding, while Kanao naturally remained silent beside him.
Lady Amane continued.
"Ren, you performed exceptionally well this time. In the hundreds of years of the Demon Slayer Corps' history, we have never achieved such a glorious victory."
Lady Amane's tone became excited.
"You could say that you have created history for the Demon Slayer Corps."
"You're too kind, Lady Amane."
Ren answered modestly.
After all, he had merely been forced to kill several Upper Rank demons in order to protect the Butterfly Mansion.
Calling that history seemed a little exaggerated.
Lady Amane briefly explained a few more matters before falling silent.
In essence, there would be a special Hashira meeting in a few days.
The meeting would specifically discuss the current situation of the Demon Slayer Corps, its future development plans, and various other matters.
Of course, Lady Amane gave Ren special permission.
Ren had just participated in a major battle and needed to rest, so if he couldn't attend the meeting, that was perfectly fine.
Hearing this, Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
He hated meetings more than anything.
He would much rather return to the Butterfly Mansion, spend time playing with the girls, and then practice swordsmanship with Kanao.