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Kanae Kocho lifted her head, cheeks still flushed, and stole a quick glance at Shuya.
The heat on her face hadn't faded yet, and that teasing smile on Shuya's lips was still firmly in place.
Without a single word, Kanae chose to vanish right in front of him.
Only after she disappeared did Makomo—now Shuya's Nen Beast and quietly trailing behind him—finally react with a slightly dazed expression.
She gently tugged on the corner of Shuya's clothes and asked, "Sir, is she the same kind of existence as me?"
"I've told you how many times already— even though you're my Nen Beast, you don't have to call me 'sir.' Just say my name."
Shuya turned around with a slight headache and looked at the somewhat slow-witted girl behind him. "Or you can call me 'brother' if you want. That works too."
"Okay, big brother sir. I understand, big brother sir."
Makomo nodded obediently.
But only a few seconds later, she slipped right back into her original way of addressing him.
In her light, airy voice, she asked again, "So that big sister is the same kind of existence as me… sir?"
Shuya couldn't help but sigh.
Maybe Shizuka Marikawa and Makomo would actually have a lot in common.
They were both a little spacey.
Though Shizuka's brand of airheadedness and Makomo's were completely different.
If Shizuka's slowness was just a lazy attitude toward everyday things— a deliberate way of hiding her natural intelligence behind a ditzy mask so people would lower their guard around her—then Makomo was genuinely slow.
She even gave off the impression of being a bit clumsy, always half a beat behind everyone else.
Shuya explained patiently, "That girl is Shinobu's older sister. She was also the former Flower Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. She was killed by Upper Rank Two two years ago."
"Ohhh."
Makomo's eyes lit up, her small mouth forming a tiny circle as she exclaimed in awe, "That's amazing! Not only is the little sister a Hashira, but the big sister was one too?"
"So you came here to make that big sister your Nen Beast, just like me, right?"
Makomo tilted her head up and looked straight into Shuya's eyes, her little brain working overtime as she pieced it together.
"Pretty much."
Shuya didn't deny it.
"But she ran away just now————"
Makomo said weakly, "Should I go catch her and bring her back for you, sir?"
"Huh?"
Shuya couldn't help but find the idea funny.
Sending Makomo to fight Kanae Kocho, then capturing her afterward to turn her into a Nen Beast?
What was this, some kind of Pokémon collection game?
Putting aside the fact that he didn't need to fight Kanae at all—he had plenty of other ways to handle her— even if they were playing by those rules, Kanae was still a former Flower Hashira.
And the girl standing in front of him right now?
Makomo was just a rookie swordsman who couldn't even beat the Hand Demon during the Final Selection.
Where did she get the confidence to say something like that?
Were you even awake when you said that?
"You really are a clever little thing."
Shuya reached out and flicked Makomo's pale forehead with his thumb and middle finger.
"Oww————"
Makomo covered the spot with both small hands, her voice drifting like a feather.
Shuya was about to say something else when Shinobu, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned around.
She noticed Shuya had fallen quite a distance behind and was standing there muttering to himself. She couldn't help but call out, "Mr. Scumbag, what are you mumbling about all by yourself back there? Hurry up and catch up!"
Maybe it was because she had returned to the Butterfly Mansion.
Even Shinobu herself didn't realize her tone had become noticeably gentler than usual.
"Coming."
Shuya answered right away.
He temporarily gave up on teasing the slow little Makomo and quickly caught up to Shinobu walking in front.
As for Shinobu saying he was "all by himself"?
That was because she couldn't see Makomo————
Maybe it was because Makomo had only just become his Nen Beast, or maybe it was because of the special nature of souls and lingering regrets in this world.
Unlike the Snowball Beasts, Makomo was still in a state closer to a spirit form.
If he wanted other people to see her, Shuya would have to keep feeding her aura.
Probably because Makomo was a little socially anxious?
After parting ways with Tanjiro and the others, she had decided that only Shuya being able to see her was just fine. So she hadn't asked him to share any aura with her.
In other words, from Shinobu's perspective, Shuya had suddenly stopped in place and started talking to himself for no reason.
Maybe he was thinking about his own sister after seeing the Butterfly Mansion?
Shinobu thought to herself. A ripple spread through her eyes, and her small fist unconsciously tightened.
I miss you too, big sister.
Just wait for me————
I will definitely find the Upper Rank demon that killed you and avenge you.
Soon! Very soon!
As if sensing the thoughts swirling inside Shinobu, Shuya caught up and gently placed his hand on her head, softly ruffling her smooth, gradient-purple short hair.
Thinking of Kanae Kocho, who had just vanished right in front of him, a faint, meaningful smile unconsciously appeared on Shuya's lips.
He looked at Shinobu and said softly, "Shinobu, you're going to be happy."
"Happy?"
But Shuya's gentle words did nothing to soothe the sadness in Shinobu's heart.
She reached up and slapped his hand away from her head.
That kind of thing had stopped having anything to do with her the day her sister died.
Still, Shinobu didn't share any of those thoughts with Shuya.
Instead, she plastered her usual fake smile back on her face and changed the subject with a teasing tone.
"What? Mr. Scumbag finally can't hold himself back anymore and is going to make a move on his ex-girlfriend's little sister?"
"You really are something else, Mr. Scumbag—keeping ambiguous relationships with so many women at once!"
"What if I said yes?"
Shuya met Shinobu's gaze directly and honestly.
Shinobu's usually calm purple eyes wavered for the first time, filled with uncertainty.
As the only female Hashira in the Demon Slayer Corps—and because she deliberately imitated her sister Kanae—she had actually received quite a few confessions from men.
But never once had her heart felt this complicated.
Still, she was still the strong-willed Shinobu at her core.
"Fine."
Shinobu dropped the smile and looked at Shuya seriously.
"As long as you can kill Muzan and Upper Rank Two to avenge my sister… I don't mind if you use me as a substitute for her."