All the information and plans you will go through is housed safely in a locked chest in the Insect Pillar's private laboratory. Each notebook Shinobu brings out gradually combines to form an awe inspiring tower jutting toward the lamp dangling from the ceiling.

The notebooks are thicker than any you've seen before. They are roughly the size of an engorged bicep, their page count treading the territory of ancient texts. You are excited by the prospect of reading them. You suspect their written contents will be anything but outdated and boorish.

You pick up a random book and flip through the meticulously collated information. Your head grows dizzy the further along you read. The written script inside is unerringly neat. It is almost as if the words were printed onto the parchment using wooden stamps.

You are pulled out of an particularly engaging block of text, explaining how the decline of herbs in an area can be used to identify if the surrounding populations have become a demon's hunting ground, by a pat on your shoulder. You look up, dazed, and see Shinobu peering at you.

"I hope you don't find the organization's efforts lacking," she says, amusement plain on her face.

"Surely you must be jesting, Shinobu-san." Every possible thing that can go wrong seems accounted for with an uncanny level of foresight and cunning. You feel a niggle of self-doubt sprout in your chest. "Actually, I'm not sure how I can be of aid. I'm well versed in trade, but I wouldn't consider myself an expert."

"Oh, you don't have to worry. These notebooks are just primers to let you understand what we've completed so far. I have a specific task to assign you, which is hopefully, attuned to your strengths."

She searches through the unlocked chest and takes out a sheath of paper bundled together with a fraying string. She spreads out one moth-bitten document out on the knee-high table, granting you a look at its contents.

It's a map. You wrack your brains for a minute, and come to an understanding. "You want me to ascertain if the routes used to transport the goods are reliable."

Shinobu nods. "Yes, and if you know of other routes that would be more efficient, marking it on down for us will be extremely helpful."

You can do that. You can do more than that, having uncovered and used non-traditional ways of travel to every city and village over the years you've travelled across the land.

"I should be able to help greatly in that regard," you tell her.

"That's reassuring! You can start on it first thing tomorrow."

Your brows slant into a frown. "Why not immediately?"

It takes a second of Shinobu scrutinizing you to realize your mistake. Oh. No. You want to curl up and die. The rules of the Demon Slayer Corps may be scant, but they are indomitable. You've witnessed what can happen to Slayers who defy the orders of those above them.

Shinobu lifts a hand to her mouth and titters. "I wouldn't want to work you to the bone on your first day. As it is, we've already missed dinner, and making you lose sleep over this seems absurd. I don't wish for people to think I lack common sense."

You glance out of the window in surprise. How did you not notice the sky had already gone dark? "Please pardon my rudeness. I hadn't noticed it was already this late. I even made you miss your meal."

"It's barely a matter worth fussing over." Shinobu waves your apology away. "As long as we're working towards the same goals, no one can fault you for speaking your mind. Transparency and honesty are extremely important to me. Don't forget what I told you this morning, dear."

You try not to react to the term of endearment. Over the course of the day, watching her mingle with occupants of the Butterfly Estate, you've come to learn Shinobu breaks down the boundaries of people around her using affectionate language. It's a splendid method, and combined with her charisma, it's hard not to be charmed. You now understand why her legion of admirers is the biggest among the Pillars.

"Thanks for the reminder." You carefully begin to fold the map. "I will do as you suggest."

Once the documents and notebooks are put away, safely stored into the chest and locked away with a beetle-shaped padlock, Shinobu ushers you into the adequately sized dining room down the hallway from her laboratory.

The rest of the occupants are there, awaiting her arrival. The faces of hungry children are comical, but you feel a pang of guilt at being responsible for placing them there. You drop into a kneel the moment you pass through the threshold.

"T-There's no need for that!" The girl who introduced herself as Aoi this afternoon sounds mortified by your deference. "We're the ones who wanted to wait to eat with Nee-san."

Shinobu gently pulls you to stand. "Tsuchinoto-san, have you already forgotten what I told you?"

You flush in embarrassment and get up. "My apologies."

As you stand around, looking for an appropriate place to sit, you are suddenly aware of three pairs of eyes gazing wondrously at you. The three girls, Sumi, Kiyo and Naho, seem to take your presence quite well. Young children aren't usually receptive to strangers, but you suppose working at the butterfly estate has tempered that trait.

"You can sit beside us!" The three girls call out in unison.

You take the offered seat beside Kiyo, the girl with two pink butterfly clips. "Thank you for letting me sit here," you tell her. Kiyo beams happily, then goes back to chatting with her friends.

Shinobu takes her seat at the head of the table. She claps her hands together and smiles indulgently at her charges. The emotion behind this smile is more genuine than the ones you've seen so far.

"I'm grateful everyone waited on us. All of you must be starving. Now, don't hold back and eat your fill."

Excluding Shinobu, there are five occupants in this estate seated at the table. The insect pillar's Tsugoko, Kanao Kocho, is the only one who hasn't spoken with you. You're not the sort of person to force someone to acknowledge your presence, so you leave it be.

You pass dinner without speaking, merely soaking up the chatter between Shinobu and Aoi. Occasionally, Kanao will flip a coin and chime in with words of her own. The three younger girls giggle among themselves, exchanging bits and pieces of their meal.

The company is pleasant. It's been a long time since you've eaten a meal under a roof, or in safety. The food is a hundred times better than the roadside far you're used to, and you scarf down everything on your tray before the others have finished theirs.

Chicken fried with breadcrumbs, fresh vegetables, a bowl of lukewarm oden and rice. This isn't a meal. It's a feast.

You put down your chopsticks, utterly content. You're about to pick up your teacup when you notice something brown hovering in your periphery. You turn to see Sumi, the girl with blue butterfly hairbands, leaning over Kiyo with a fishcake between her chopsticks.

"Tsuchinoto-san!" She puffs her chest. "Take this. Thank you for helping Shinobu nee-san!"

…if anything happens to these children, you will kill everything that dares hurt them, and then yourself.

You thank her and take the offered treat. You swallow the fishcake just as a spoonful of carrots are deposited in your bowl. Kiyo whispers, "Tsuchinoto-san, tsuchinoto-san. Naho can't finish her veggies. Can you help her?"

You have no problems with acting like a dumping ground for their hard-to-like foods. "Of course."

By the end of dinner, all three girls have suspiciously empty trays. Aoi squints at their innocent expressions as she gets up to clear the table. "You three finished everything? Even the vegetables?"

She receives a chorus of "Yes, Aoi!" and turns to direct her suspicious stare onto you.

"The food was delicious, Kanzaki-san." Her forehead creases at your praise. You continue, "The meat was exceptionally tender. What did you use to marinate them?"

"Nothing special that can't be bought at the market," Aoi says, expression turning thoughtful. Good, you've distracted her. "I can tell you the recipe next time, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate it."

When Aoi turns to leave, you catch the eyes of your fellow conspirators and grin. When the three girls run off, following on the heels of Kanao, you decide it's time to retire to your temporary room.

"You shouldn't spoil them too much," Shinobu says.

You freeze in mid-step.

"I shall overlook it tonight, but keep in mind how your actions might affect their future. I won't be happy if I'm forced to teach you a lesson, hm?" Shinobu might be smiling, but her eyes are absolutely glacial. If you didn't know she'd mastered the breath of the insect, you'd assume she'd control over the ice element.

"…I understand."

Her expression grows teasing. "That is all I ask. Have a good rest, I look forward to seeing you at breakfast."

You flee the mess hall with your tail tucked between your legs. That warning shaved at least five years off your life. Facing bloodthirsty demons seems like a far better prospect than going against Shinobu, and you make note to be more careful in the future.