As usual, a very big thank you to euphoricimage who has helped me beta the chapter, as well as LittleDoot and Nobody(Super_NovaGrey) who have helped me proofread. Also, thank you for TungstenCat who has advised me with the romance aspect of the story!
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Shinobu woke up an hour before dinnertime.
Feeling refreshed, she stretched and let out a satisfied sigh. It had been awhile since she had had a good rest, which felt especially good after being freed from a significant burden on her shoulder. A couple of meters away, she could see Giyuu still fast asleep. Shinobu sighed softly, feeling guilty for dragging him all the way here, before standing up to look around.
The room was rather small but cozy. It had gone dark outside; the small lantern at one corner was now basking the room in a warm glow. There was a low table leaned on the wall, and handmade toys cluttered around the tatami mats. Futons were stacked on top of each other at one corner of the room, the total number surprisingly not that many considering the size of the family.
Shinobu could see the living room from here through the gap between the sliding doors. Children's voices as well as the clunking noises of utensils meshed together, creating a lively ambience. Occasionally, mature voices could be heard, though Shinobu was most surprised to hear Kanao's soft voice amongst them.
Shinobu kneeled in front of the gap and took a peek, watching silently.
The Kamado family was making dinner together, with Kie and the oldest daughter assigning tasks to each of the siblings and overseeing their progress. They chatted as they worked, making jokes here and there and telling each other about how their day had been. And Kanao was there, stirring the pot in the sunken hearth together with one of the youngest Kamado children, talking with a genuine smile.
It was mesmerising, to see Kanao being just a normal girl. Considering how she had been prior to her adoption, Kanao may have never experienced such an ordinary life before, making dinner and laughing together with a loving family without having to worry about the demons lurking outside. She and Kanae had tried to recreate that experience in the Butterfly Mansion, but as two orphaned girls with emotional baggage themselves, it was not easy to achieve that. Especially so after Kanae's passing.
Shinobu's gaze softened when she saw Kie pat Kanao's head affectionately. She committed the image to her memory as a reminder that she didn't have to drag Kanao along down the path of revenge. Kanao's life tragedy had nothing to do with demons, and it was bad enough that Kanao had followed her footsteps in becoming a Demon Slayer. The revenge for Kanae's death should be Kochou Shinobu's to bear alone.
"Not going out?"
Shinobu looked up at her companion. Giyuu was standing behind her, peering through the gap like she did while tying up his messy hair. His complexion looked much better than how it was a few hours ago.
"...Later," Shinobu sighed quietly before leaning her back on his legs. "My presence there will make things awkward."
"No point in worrying," Giyuu hummed. "The boy has noticed us."
"He has, hasn't he?" Shinobu giggled, before standing up. She knocked on the sliding door. "Can we come out now, Tanjirou-kun?"
The door slid open. They were greeted with a sheepish Tanjirou, who had been hiding behind the door. Before he could say anything, though, loud squeals rang through the house.
Immediately, four young children converged around them.
"Kanao-nee-chan's sister!"
"What's your name? You're pretty!"
"Where's your butterfly hair tie? I wanna see it!"
"That mister is suspicious."
"He kidnapped Tanjirou-nii-chan."
"Shush! He might hear us."
"A little too late for that," Shinobu chuckled at the children's antics. Laughed some more when she saw Giyuu's souring face. She crouched down on their eye level, before smiling brightly. "Nice to meet you. My name is Shinobu, and that grumpy man is Giyuu. We're sorry for kidnapping your older brother."
The children gave a chorus of "It's okay!" before introducing themselves. How cute.
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Apparently, the Kamado siblings were used to sharing a futon when they slept. Which explained why there were few futons available in the house.
Fortunately, the younger children were still small enough to share a futon with their mother or older siblings. Unfortunately, they now had three adult guests to cater to. The children were not accustomed to sleeping together with a stranger and Shinobu obviously didn't want to share a futon with the Water Hashira, so she decided to sleep together with Kanao.
Shinobu snuggled into the futon and sighed contentedly. Her skin brushed against Kanao, warm and very much alive, and her sister's presence provided her comfort. It reminded her of the old times, back when her parents were still alive, snuggling together under the blanket.
Shinobu had already rested enough, but she wouldn't mind dozing off like this.
Within the warm embrace of an ordinary family.
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"A Kasugai crow?"
"Yes," Tanjirou nodded as he sniffed the air before turning right. "May I know how much is one? I'm just curious."
Giyuu frowned at the boy in confusion. "They are not for sale."
"Oh. I see," Tanjirou laughed awkwardly. "It's just that, they are rather convenient. I heard they can send messages very quickly. I guess, they're exclusive for Demon Slayers."
Krrrkkkrkk—
"They are," Giyuu replied curtly, ears perking at the familiar sounds. Tsuyuri Kanao had informed him of the nature of the Kamado talismans, so he suppressed the urge to unsheath his Nichirin blade as he followed the boy deeper into the forest.
"That must be nice. Oh, here's the talisman," Tanjirou said, pointing at a large tree.
Kkkkrrrrkkkkk—
Sure enough, the high-pitched scraping sound became louder the closer they got to the tree, where the talisman was hung. It was very small, but it still sent warning bells to his head. Giyuu watched Tanjirou warily as he replaced the wisteria flowers with new ones, half-expecting a demon to emerge from the talisman.
"You okay, Tomioka-san?" asked Tanjirou worriedly. Giyuu thought the civilian boy was rather amazing, to be able to recognise the change in Giyuu's mood easily where others couldn't.
Kkkkkkkrrrrrrrrkkkkkkk—
"... I've seen enough," he decided to say, because he was here only to check if the talisman was really made of demon's blood. If Giyuu were to be honest, they should just bring a weak demon here and see if the talisman truly worked. After all, he knew literally nothing about shamanic art, let alone one able to hide objects from the demons. Moreover, he didn't want to make Shinobu separate from her sister so soon, especially for something trivial like this. "Another agent more well-versed in shamanic art will come here in a month. He'll be able to determine how the talismans work."
"I understand," Tanjirou nodded before gesturing to the South. "Shall we go to the next one?"
They inspected four more talismans in the area. There were five talismans in total, their locations forming a pentagon with the Kamado house as its centre. Perhaps the demon blood acted as a territorial marking to ward off other demons. Or maybe the mixture of wisteria and demon blood served as a warning for them.
The tiny, suspicious part of him wondered if it was the power of a Blood Demon Art.
Giyuu exhaled loudly. The Kamados were normal civilians. Human beings. What demon would willingly offer their power without being tempted to just eat?
The scratching sound continued ringing in his ears until they were back at the Kamado house.
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The kakushis arrived in the afternoon, all five of them covered in black from head to toe with the exception of their eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of Miss Tsuyuri Kanao," one of them bowed to Kie while the rest began maneuvering Kanao onto a stretcher. They even brought a special cage to carry the injured Tenma. "We will take over from now on."
"Please take care of her," Kie smiled and nodded while patting a bawling Hanako.
"Where are they taking Kanao-nee-chan?" Rokuta began to sob as well. "I-I thought she's going to marry—"
"Shh…," Tanjirou comforted his youngest brother and stopped him from blurting out embarrassing nonsense at the same time. "It's okay. They're taking Kanao to a medic in a big town. They will make her feel better."
"Don't worry, children," Shinobu chimed in. "I'm a doctor, and our house serves as a hospital as well. Kanao will be in good hands."
"...We know," Takeo grumbled. "Butterfly Mansion, right? But Mum is a good healer too."
"Why can't Kanao-nee-chan stay here longer?" Shigeru pouted as well.
Rokuta nodded in agreement. "She has to stay here if she wants to marry—"
"Sshh," Tanjirou shushed his cute little brother, eyebrows twitching.
"Will you come back here, Kanao-san?" Nezuko asked Kanao, who was now settled on the stretcher. "I know you might get busy in the future, but…"
Kanao glanced at Shinobu, who nodded with a smile. Then, she turned to pat Rokuta in the head.
"I'll visit you when I have gotten better," Kanao smiled, much more genuinely than how she smiled the first time.
"You still owe me the gourds," Tanjirou grinned and waved at her. "If you're busy with missions, at least write to us, yeah?"
Kanao's eye crinkled.
"I will."
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