"Ohayo, Miyasha," the soft, breezy voice of Oyakata-sama greeted me in the morning as soon as I entered the Ubuyashiki Mansion, "Thank you for visiting me this early in the morning."

"Ohayo, Oyakata-sama, Amane-sama," I bowed to the couple in courtesy, "I am glad to see you both relatively doing well. Now, if I may ask, How is your pain today, Oyakata-sama?"

I swiftly entered the room and sat down as soon as I was allowed to; my mind only half-focusing on Oyakata-sama's reply as I started unpacking things from my trusty ol' white satchel that I brought in with me.

"Quite better," I could hear the smile in his voice as I felt a pair of eyes on me, "It's much lesser than normal, actually."

I paused to properly register his words before softly replying, "...Normal amount of pain is usually none, Oyakata-sama. I hope I can help you reach that point one day."

The surprised smile he gave me felt like a stab in my chest as both Amane and I exchanged an unexpected glance in mutual pain and pity.

"Ah, um, Oyakata-sama," I started somewhat hesitantly as I looked away from the couple, "May I have your permission to conduct a general check-up on your health before letting you know about my test results?"

"Yes, of course."

"Ah, then would you like me to check up on you in your current sitting position or would you like to lay down like the last time, instead?"

It has been about two days since I returned from Kamikochi after celebrating New Year's with them; the time I spent there almost felt like a joyful dream as I finally took a break to somewhat relax.

Staying there in nature, away from all the 'plot points' and 'characters' gave me some peace of mind — something that I seemed to desperately need but didn't realise until I was forced to take a break like that.

"Amane-sama," I couldn't help but smile at the white-haired female as she blinked at me blankly with her lavender eyes, "Would you mind helping me with the check-up, please? I think Oyakata-sama would be more comfortable with your touch than he would be with mine."

"Oh..." it was strange listening to her voice, which sounded much sweeter and softer than her strict expression may make one think, "What do you need me to do?"

"Please brush aside some of Oyakata-sama's hair and show me the progress of the... uh, the disorder, if you may?"

"The curse hasn't progressed much beyond what you saw a week prior," Oyakata-sama suddenly pipped up, surprising me as I did not expect that to happen, "In fact, I think I'm doing much better than before too, since the new prescription you gave me."

Before going on my last mission with Sanemi, I had a brief discussion with Oyakata-sama as he allotted me my mission; his health seemingly looked much better at that time than when I came in to give my report with Uzui.

Working on that observation, I suggested they incorporate some wisteria into his diet, along with lots of exposure to sunlight if they could.
And with how better he looked right now, I would like to believe that worked miracles as well.

"I haven't prescribed you anything beyond new painkillers and some anti-inflammatory medication, I'm afraid," I replied swiftly, "The most they may do is relieve you from the immense pain your disorder may cause while decreasing the physical discomfort and itchiness around your affected skin."

"Even so, thank you."

I decided to stay silent as I didn't quite believe I deserved the thanks for the bare minimum I did as a doctor; I turned my focus to the medications I had unpacked from my satchel instead.

"If you may allow me to," I laid down the vials and boxes in between us, "Then shall I prescribe you some more of the medications I have personally curated for you?"

Amane looked down at the medications in fascination while Oyakata-sama readily agreed, making me feel a bit strange as I felt they agreed to it a bit too quickly.

"The painkiller that I had previously prescribed you," I started explaining as I took out a vial and started preparing the injection, "And which is now used in the Butterfly Estate, is made from the dosage of the usual anaesthetic drugs found in other painkillers along with a bit of wisteria essence and my blood."

"Your blood?"

"Hai, Amane-sama, my blood, since I suspect it to facilitate faster regeneration. However, I'm not quite sure how true it may be to humans but it sure is to plants."

Amane looked at me blankly before nodding suddenly, maybe after realizing I was expecting some kind of reply.

"And the anti-inflammatory ointment I had prescribed was made up of a mix of wisteria essence, sunflower oil, some turmeric as well as milk byproducts, which helps softens and moisturise the skin while also preventing any further drying up and damage."

Amane nodded diligently as I held up the injection in my hand, already filled with a brownish liquid.

"And this here is the new medicine I've recently developed," I showed it to her tentatively before explaining to Oyakata-sama, "It is a dark brownish liquid in an injection, which I would have to inject in your body for better absorption."

Both keenly listened to me as I explained the mechanisms and ingredients behind every medication I prescribed them, avoiding keeping them in the dark about what I was doing. I also gave them a brief about my observations from the test I had conducted on his blood and tissues, most of which was not much beyond what they already most likely knew.

After all, the worst thing a doctor could do was hide what was going on inside your body and why.

"I've developed it as a possible solution to deter the progress of your disorder. Though, I am not quite sure how far it may work or even if it will work at all. However, it will not cause any side effects, that I can assure you." I admitted honestly, "I am relaying all this to both of you since I do not wish for you to stay in the dark while I attempt my hand at treating you, I hope you understand."

"It's quite admirable," Oyakata-sama praised me as his lips spread onto a small smile, "Your dedication for helping me. Thank you."

I shook my head before realizing my mistake, "Please do not thank me for something that should be my duty as a medical practitioner. Now, if you may allow me to, shall I inject this medication into your vein?"

It was surprising how much trust Oyakata-sama and his wife were showing me; one could almost say it was blind trust, as they allowed me to essentially experiment on him with whatever the hell I wanted.

Not that I wanted to do any dangerous ones.

"Please clench your fist tightly in your right hand," I instructed Oyakata-sama before gently tracing his prominent vein, "Now, I'll be inserting the medicine right here, slowly and steadily. Please avoid moving too much, alright? And please do not hesitate to let me know if you are uncomfortable anywhere."

The whole process of injecting the medication didn't take much time or effort as I softly finished my job and wrapped the used injection in my spare cloth before tossing it into my satchel.

"Since your disorder hasn't spread any more than it already has," I started as I pushed the box towards the older female, "I'll suggest you keep taking the painkillers I had prescribed last time since they can help you numb the pain for this amount. This is another ointment I have made, which I'll like you to use instead of the anti-inflammatory paste I suggested last time. Please use it for a few days and let me know which one suits you better and we'll switch permanently to that, alright?"

"Hai."

"Also," I looked at Amane directly, "Please keep incorporating a bit of wisteria in his diet as much as possible, let it be as syrup, candies or any other form. If needed, I'll share the recipe or such 'forms' directly, if you would like me to."

Amane nodded as she helped Oyakata-sama sit up, his smile soon widening as he directed it towards me silently.

"I will love to have some made by you, Miyasha."

"Ah, why not," I don't know why but his words made me feel embarrassed for some reason even when I was the person who suggested that in the first place, "I'll drop some off as often as I can. I hope you won't mind me visiting for some checkups too, while I am at it?"

"Absolutely."

I smiled at his straightforward answer, not quite realizing the hole I had dug up for myself until a few days later.


"Ohayo, Miyasha, how are you faring today?"

My lips stretched into a gentle smile at the now familiar greeting as I bowed before entering the room, "I'm doing quite well, Oyakata-sama. What about you? How is your pain today?"

"Very low, almost none."

"That's one of the best things I've heard this week," I admitted honestly as I sat down in front of Oyakata-sama, "Though, I must say, you eating up all the wisteria candies and mochi I sent you sure has me worried."

I couldn't help but chuckle as Oyakata-sama's expression turned a bit sheepish, making him look his age for the first time.

"I apologise for worrying you and asking you to come here again and again," he stated swiftly, "However, I thought those were prescribed to me as alternate medicines, those wisteria candies and mochi?"

"Yes, but not for such rapid consumption that I have to come in almost every day to refill your stock," the amusement in my voice was as evident as ever, "After all, when I said 'often', I meant once in every week or so, not once in every two days, Oyakata-sama."

I smiled in satisfaction when he started laughing, his laughs coming out as soft, airy chuckles that made him look quite relaxed and worry-free.

"On a serious note, Oyakata-sama," I started before turning towards the door as Amane slowly slid open the door and came in with the tea set, "That much sweetness is not good for daily consumption. Please avoid jumping from one extreme to the other."

"Hai, Miyasha."

"Thank you, Amane-sama," I smiled and bowed towards the white-haired female as she nodded to me in reply, "Would you like to have tea with us? I've brought a new type of tea with me today to try."

"Ah," I found her absolutely adorable, with how sweetly yet blankly she acted, "If it is alright with Oyakata-sama?"

With Oyakata-sama's expressed and eager permission, Amane sat beside him; her eyes focusing on my movements as I prepared to brew the tea I brought with me.

"The tea I making you today is known as 'Hojicha', which is mostly acquired by roasting bancha, sencha or kukicha green tea leaves," I explained as I poured hot water over the tea leaves in the teapot and let it steam.

"I thought you didn't like green tea, Miyasha-san?"

"That indeed is true, Amane-sama," I smiled as I admitted, thinking how sweet it was of her to remember that detail about me, "But Hojicha technically tastes much bet— I mean, a bit different from the green tea, so I hope you won't mind trying it for me once? If you don't like it, I'll brew you my regular herbal teas next time."

For the past week or so, I have been visiting Oyakata-sama almost regularly to the point where we are comfortable enough to share tea and have chats about everything and nothing.

While sometimes I do manage to give him a checkup and discuss something about the Demon Slayer Corps, there's hardly been much of it once I start brewing tea.

'Can't say I like how he sometimes gives me that meaningful smile of his when I talk about demons and my observations about them.'

"I love the tea you brought a few days ago," Oyakata-sama started, "I think it was Tulsi, as you called it?"

"I liked that tea too," Amane added almost eagerly, making me smile at their sweet synergy.

"Ah yes," my smile widened as I thought about that tea and my memories around it, "I'm glad you liked it. It's one of my own favourites and is extremely good for daily consumption — it goes quite well with the wisteria syrup as well, so that's a bonus."

Not to mention, its taste reminded me a lot about my past life when I used to drink herbal tea religiously during my college days — its sweet yet mild taste used to help me a lot in memorising those long-ass scientific names.

"The tea is almost done brewing," I announced before arranging the cups, "Would you like me to add milk to yours, Oyakata-sama, Amane-sama?"

"Milk?" Amane blinked blankly at me, making me smile as I absent-mindedly compared her to a white cat.

"Hai, Amane-sama," I showed her the flask of milk I had brought with me in my trusty satchel, "Milk in tea not only increases its taste but also its nutritional value. It goes quite well with Hojicha, that's why I brought it with me. If you would like, then I can make some for you to taste test first?"

Amane looked a bit hesitant while Oyakata-sama's agreed readily.

I gently poured Oyakata-sama half a cup of milk tea while making Amane's tea without milk. The deep colour of the tea looked absolutely beautiful as I added a bit of the wisteria syrup I made just this morning.

I waited for them to taste their tea as I rearranged my own cup and stirred the teapot gently.

"It tastes quite mild and creamy," Oyakata-sama looked almost surprised as he went for another sip, "It's really good, Miyasha. Thank you for introducing me to this."

I felt happy as Amane readily agreed to him as well; the couple enjoying their tea made me feel quite fulfilled.
I then proceeded to pour Oyakata-sama a full cup of milk tea before making my own.

"I must say, you are quite knowledgeable about tea," Oyakata-sama stated as he took another sip of his tea, "From where did you learn about it?"

"Ah," I contemplated if I should continue or not before doing so anyway, "My mother... she was an Oiran and quite enjoyed a specific type of oolong tea. She was the first one who taught me about the art of tea and how to brew and present it."

I mean, it's kinda the secondary reason for my interest in teas but I can't say I enjoyed tea in my past life, too and that's where I learned the majority of my stuff about tea from.

"Oh, your mother was an Oiran?" Amane seemed to be more surprised than her husband as she asked with a surprised yet stiff expression.

"She was," I took another sip before continuing, "She was very talented in tea ceremonies, dancing and music — most of which she taught me before... well, before our Brothel was annihilated by the demons."

I watched silently as Amane frowned and quietened down while Oyakata-sama took a sip from his cup.

"It must have been hard," his voice came out softer than I expected it to be, "Leaving everything behind and starting completely anew. It must have been daunting to accept it still, without prejudice."

I felt goosebumps on my neck as his words rang completely different for me.

"Not quite," I decided to lie as I looked down at the teacup in my hand, "I... I was quite young when it happened, anyway. Shigeno-sensei also took care of me like no one else. So, it's fine, I guess. Thank you for your kind words, Oyakata-sama."

"I see," he gently placed his empty tea cup down in front of him, "You have quite a habit of downplaying things when it comes to yourself, Miyasha. I hope there will come a day when you'll have a clear vision of your own sufferings and worth, without undermining them."

I nervously chuckled as I replied, "You are too kind, Oyakata-sama."

He only smiled as I changed the subject, making me feel very odd as I felt there was something more he wished to say and yet didn't.
Then again, I wasn't sure if that truly was the case either.

The chat slowly moved to a different topic from there, mostly towards Tanjiro and Inosuke's condition as I relayed how they were recovering nicely; though, both of them were yet to regain any consciousness.

"Zenitsu-kun has been on missions lately though and comes back with little to no injures, so I am quite glad," I off-handedly remarked as Amane got up after finishing her tea, "Oh, and I've started studying the book you sent to the Butterfly Estate for me, thank you for that."

"I hope you found it useful."

"I did," I smiled and nodded to Amane in a silent thanks as she took the tea set with her while leaving the room, "The accounts of Dokuchi, as well as the previous generation of Demon Slayers, are quite intriguing, if not informative."

The book Oyakata-sama gave me was an account of the Demon Slayers noted by the previous Leaders for generations. And from what I could decipher from it, the book also worked with the purpose of noting down all the special cases of humans who had different compositions than the rest.

'Seeing my name there as a Dokuchi was more than just a surprise,' I thought absent-mindedly as I listened to Oyakata-sama talk about the previous generations of Demon Slayers, 'Then again, this man also noted Sanemi's and Mitsuri's names in that notebook as well.'

It was quite meticulous, honestly.

That notebook gave me a list of people who had extraordinary body composition and how those were beneficial for their fight against the demons. It made the whole process of spotting such humans easier if nothing more.

It also covered the boundaries of human limits passed by the Hashiras in each generation, continuing with the data of any Demon Moons slayed or known by the current Leader that could help the next one.

All in all, it was a very informative book that gave me a good overview of many things, including my blood type. Unfortunately, it didn't go as much into detail as I would have liked.

"Ah, so this book is passed down since Sengoku era?" I couldn't help the surprise in my voice as I delicately placed the book down; in my defence, this notebook looked too well-maintained to be that old.

Then again, it did mention the years in some places, if not the eras — I have no idea how I didn't realize it might be that old. If I had realized it sooner, I wouldn't have been caring for it as carelessly as I was in my satchel.

"It is," one could hear the smile in his voice even if they couldn't see it on his face, "It was done to preserve the knowledge we have in case the Oyakata-sama or the Corps itself was annihilated again."

"Ah, that would make sense," I gently opened the book again, observing the changing handwriting of the owners with almost every new page, "It is almost like a historical treasure of the Corporation, huh?" I mumbled to myself.

"I would like to think of it as a guiding tool," I blushed as I realised he heard me, "So, do not hesitate to keep it with yourself for as long as you may need it."

"Thank you for entrusting me with such an important book," I bowed while continuing, "I will maintain it with care, Oyakata-sama."

The brown notebook felt heavier in my hands when I removed it from my satchel, back in my room in the Butterfly Estate — its essence feeling much more prominent than before now that I realised its legacy.

'Maybe I should have returned it?'

While the book didn't cover much about Dokuchi that I already didn't already know, I was done reading all of it which I needed to. After all, there were hardly three of them appearing in the past thousand or so years and none of them had blood as severe as mine either.

What surprised me more was that this book was quite detailed on the topic for only three dokuchis and even those being in the lower ranks of the Demon Slayer Corps rather than a Hashira or anything.

'Two of them died before reaching anywhere near too,' I mused as I removed my hair from its tight bun, 'The only one who survived longer was a Kakushi. And even then he was apparently hunted down.'

That made the previous Leaders mark dokuchi as people who needed extra protection from the hands of the demons.

'Maybe that's why Oyakata-sama started sending me with babysitters?' The thought popped into my mind suddenly, 'After all, the notes he made seem quite recent too.'

Now, that was food for thought that I wasn't sure I wanted to confirm.

I chuckled to myself at my behaviour before laying down on my bed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep tonight — a dilemma, which I apparently shared with the previous three dokuchis as well. Just more severe.

If only my life was a little simpler.


The week that followed after was mostly uneventful as I kept up my visitation at the Headquarters while also taking some time to visit the Rengoku Estate.

Both Rengoku and Rengoku-sensei looked relieved at my visit, making me feel bad that I didn't do it as soon as possible.

Though, that feeling soon went out of the window when Rengoku-sensei almost dragged me to resume my training again.
Thankfully enough, Rengoku-senpai saved me — at least for that day.

This added another thing to my plate since now I had to resume the training I had left in the middle to assist Uzui with the Red District mission, which was a pain I had conveniently forgotten about.

Fortunately enough, I could at least bargain the frequency of the training down to two to three days per week, making it easier on my schedule as I had to do missions as well as visit Oyakata-sama in between, too.

Another thing that I had unknowingly introduced to my schedule was visiting Tanjiro and Inosuke every morning. Both were still unconscious, but recovering quite well from the damage caused by the demonic poison in their system.

It was quite amusing to listen to Shinobu explain how she and the doctors discovered that Inosuke was resistant to mostly all poisons while comparing him to a honeybadger — the imagery of which made me and Zenitsu laugh for a good few minutes when we discussed it later amongst ourselves.

"Zenitsu left again for a mission today," I talked out loud as I sat beside the comatose Tanjiro the next morning, "I literally had to bribe him with food to get him out. And no, not in the way we do to Inosuke — I mean, maybe? I kinda promised him I'll cook him homecooked meals whenever he asks me and he sorta got excited? At least it did work out well as a bargaining chip."

I leaned back on the chair when I felt Kanao approach at the edge of my consciousness, "Not to mention, Shinobu was more than happy to let me cook on the condition that she would get to taste some, too. Now, that started a whole another wave of people hovering around the kitchen when I am supposed to cook."

"Now," I gently caressed Tanjiro's head, moving away the hair from his bandaged face, "Get up soon so that I can cook something for you, too. You and your sister have been sleeping for far too long, I swear."

It's been more than three weeks since the Red District mission and Tanjiro as well as Inosuke were yet to wake up.

While Zenitsu had woken up two weeks ago and even Nezuko peeked in once last week before going back to her long naps, Tanjiro and Inosuke were yet to even move or open their eyes.

'I know this was supposed to happen as per the plot,' I looked up as the door opened; a surprised Kanao looking back at me with wide eyes before glancing at Tanjiro's figure on the bed, 'But I still can't help worrying.'

"Ohayo, Kanao-chan," I greeted the girl sweetly, "Come in, come in. No need to be shy, I'll be leaving soon anyways."

I watched as the younger girl looked at me in panic but seemed to be unable to say anything against my teasing words.

I smiled at her in return, letting her know I was joking and that I wasn't going because she came in but rather since I had to leave anyways.
That made her calm down a bit before she shook her head again.

"Hm? What happened Kanao-chan?" Kanao looked at me before turning to Tanjrio, "He'll be fine, don't worry." I reassured her as I patted her without giving it a thought, "Jiro-kun is very resilient."

"...I know," her voice sounded much sweeter and higher than I remembered hearing last time, "Um, I, I am sorry for not listening to you last time."

I couldn't help the smile that spread on my lips as I reassured her it was fine; that she did nothing wrong and I was so glad that she came to talk to me as she did.

She looked adorable beyond words as shyly listened to me, her diligent expression making me smile even more as I finally got up and offered her my seat instead.

"Oh, I don't need—"

"I don't, either," I smiled as I looked towards the window beside the bed, "After all, I should be going now. You can sit down and take your time to talk with him, yes?"

I caressed Tanjiro's head one last time, silently praying that he gets well soon and gains consciousness — and when he does so, I am there with him to support him and monitor him before he runs off to the next mission.

"Take care of him for me, Kanao-chan," I opened the door to leave before turning to her again, "And please call others if he gains consciousness, yes? See you later, dearie~"


"If you are no longer sad now, can I get that curry recipe you didn't leave us last time even after I asked you to?"

"Were you always this annoying?" I glared at Uzui as we sprinted through the forest to leave for our next destination, "Or is this a special occasion? I don't remember you being this big of a menace when we were working together last time."

"Well," he gave me a cheeky smile, "You are special to me now, so I have to treat you specially!"

"Please just kill me instead."

That just made Uzui laugh his ass off while I increased my speed to somewhat distract myself from the urge of smacking him — no matter how much of an idiot this guy was, he was still my senior and smacking him would definitely get me a lecture from Oyakata-sama.

"So," it was irritating how he could easily keep up with my speed which even Giyuu had found a bit challenging to follow, "What have you been up to for the past few weeks?"

"Missions and training," I answered simply as we finally entered a town, "Mostly training though, since my apparent babysitters weren't free."

That made Uzui almost stumble as he snorted loudly and started laughing, "That term, I love that term! With all the shit that you do, you definitely need a babysitter! Maybe I should adopt you instead of making you my maid — what do you think?"

...Maybe smacking him would be worth that lecture.

I gave him a sour look as we continued bantering all through our mission, his teasings amusing me beyond anything as I fired some back of my own while we each collected our intel.

With the Red District mission being over almost a month ago, a lot of the loose ends were left from my side as I was unable to pay much attention to them.
And this mission was exactly for that as I tied those loose ends while also gathering intel and giving information to Yamagata.

Thankfully enough, when I talked about this with Oyakata-sama, he not only agreed without any persuasion but immediately allotted me a bab— a Hashira to protect and follow me as well.

Against my expectations though, it was Uzui who was partnered up with me for this mission — and by his own volunteering too, if what he said was to be trusted. It not only surprised me but also gave me a headache as I thought he was going to retire after killing Daki.

I mean, wasn't that how it was in the manga — that he kills an Upper Demon Moon and then retires? That was his plan with his wives or was I just remembering wrong?

"So, where is this?" Uzui hovered behind me in a more casual disguise as we walked through the busy streets of the town, "I thought we were going to the Police?"

"Of course not," I looked around before taking a sharp turn to the left, "Going to the police station directly would be suicidal. The government may be aware of demons and our organisation handling them but not the general public — that also includes the lower-level police officers."

"So, you don't deal with the police directly at all?"

"I mean, I do but not for information exchange. I only do that when I have to deliver any document or letter or something."

"That's smart," he nonchalantly replied as we finally reached a familiar-looking house, "But then, where are we going?"

"Moshi, Moshi, Yamagata-san!" I ignored Uzui as I gently tapped my knuckles on the wooden doors of the traditional Japanese House, "I hope you are home since I still have work to do~"

"If you have work to do," My grin widened as my favourite policeman opened the door of his house with an exasperated look, "Then go do it. Why are you disturbing me, here?"

"Aw, you are breaking my heart, Yamagata-san~" I dramatically pressed my hand against my heart, "And here I bought a New Year's gift for you and your family! How mean!"

"Still shameless as ever, I see." His eyes turned to look behind me before turning back to me, "Here with a new guest, huh? You sure are making me feel like I'm popular, kid. Come inside."

.

.

...

"So, you know him for quite a few years, huh?" Uzui looked back at Yamagata's residence as we walked down the street, "He seems to care a lot about you."

"That he does," an involuntary smile spread on my lips as I talked about Yamagata, "He's an old man who lost his dear ones to demons. I was kinda around when that happened — helped him out before the demon got to him and his wife too, so that's how it started, I guess. The disbelief he had about demons, in the beginning, was actually harder to deal with."

"How long ago was that?"

"Mm, I guess five-ish?"

"Five?!" Uzui stopped walking, "Aren't you like sixteen now?"

"Eighteen," I corrected him, "And will turn nineteen this year, Ten-senpai."

"You are too short for that."

"Shinobu-san would love to hear about that since she is even shorter than me," I teased back, watching in satisfaction when he panicked and tried to change the topic, "Don't worry, I'll let her know what you think about her height."

"I was talking about yours!"

"Everything is relative, I assure you."

"What the fuck does that even mean?!"

I kept teasing him about it till we left the town and went in for our next destination; his confused answers amused me a lot until he reversed it on me and started to pretend to be confused about everything.

That was when it got irritating really fast and I started sprinting again before he caught up to me easily and laughed his ass off at his victory in successfully annoying me.

It wasn't until we were at our next destination that I could shut him up.

"Miyasha?" I hummed in reply before raising an eyebrow at Uzui, who was staring at the journal in my hand, "Aren't you worried that the demons would attack that Yamagata guy since you visit him often?"

"I don't visit him that often," I corrected him as I shut off my journal and focused on the report I collected from the courtesans in Red District instead, "And no, I'm not that worried since demons don't usually realise that I am a dokuchi until I hunt them down or at least until I am bleeding."

"Do you think it's because your aura is very... not present?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," Uzui paused as we looked down at the sudden loud ruckus happening in the street from our place on the rooftop, "Anyway, what I mean was that your aura is very... low. Almost ignorable. Like, I won't even notice you here if I didn't see you directly or paid enough attention to you."

"That's a very nice way to say I feel as good as—" I interrupted myself as I gave his question a serious thought, "Y'know what, senpai? Maybe it is because of my aura being as nonexistent as it is. Yes, maybe that's why it is easy for me to go undetectable as I do."

"Don't start with your 'I shouldn't exist' shit again, though," Maroon eyes glared at me in warning, making me laugh while he continued in a grave tone, "I don't wanna hear you thinking about that shit again."

"Yes, yes, I get it, Ten-senpai," I laughed again; "I didn't mean nonexistent in that way though, so don't worry. But yes, you are right; maybe that's why demons don't target me much. I mean, unless I target them first, that is. And unfortunately, that is currently my job description so it's not like I can avoid it."

I could see his shoulder quivering in laughter at my words before he calmed down and silently stared at the people walking down the street.

"Ten-senpai," I called him hesitantly, debating how to even ask the question, "Why did you volunteer for this mission?"

"Why shouldn't I?" He questioned me back with a grin before answering seriously when he noticed my expression, "Eh, I just didn't want to miss the action."

"You were injured pretty seriously on your last mission, though."

"And so were you, but you went through with Shinazugawa without any complaints."

"That's—" I gave him a look, "That's different! Also, how do you know about that mission? Anyway, you were quite harshly poisoned during that mission and I thought you would rest for a month or two. I didn't expect you to, well, join back this early. Or join me for such a strenuous mission too."

"It's not strenuous," Uzui argued, "All I have to do is walk from here to there and sometimes feed that little owl of yours — I don't even have to fight any demons or shit. This is the most low-key mission I've been on for years."

"...you'll continue going on mission after this, then?" I asked carefully as I avoided looking at him directly, "Or maybe, take some time off?"

"I have completely recovered so no," Uzui answered honestly as I felt him staring at me, "Why, would you like to go on missions with me again?"

"Absolutely," I smiled as he unintentionally gave me an excuse to latch on to, "I need a somewhat of a consistent babysitter to accompany me, after all. And why not have that as you, a Hashira who I have worked well with for our two missions together."

"I'll let Oyakata-sama know about it then," Uzui nodded while grinning his iconic smile before he changed the topic, "So, now what we are doing?"

"Waiting for my other informants," I replied as I looked down at the streets of Asakusa again, "Can't meet them before the evening gets darker since most of them are part of the beggars' group. Don't want to blow their covers."

"Having beggars as your informants is really flamboyant!" Uzui complimented as he leaned back at the rooftop, "They are the best network you can get for local news."

"Yes," I agreed, "Beggars and the servers — the best combination to gather local intel from while courtesans and servants in case you are looking for more specialised intel."

"And what about the police?"

"Well," I turned to him, "They are for more official report and clean-up than anything. After all, the Corporation alone can't handle the pressure of making excuses to the public for some of the large-scale incidents like that Infinity Train incident."

Uzui chuckled as he agreed before closing his eyes and telling me he was taking a short nap and to disturb him only when I desperately needed him.

I almost had half a mind to kick him off the roof but let it be since his sleeping face looked absolutely gorgeous. It looked almost as if sculpted on marble, with how smooth and beautiful it was.

These fangirling thoughts plagued my mind till I shook my head to disperse them and look up at the darkening evening sky instead.

I and Uzui have been out on this mission since early morning today and watching the sky darken after all the travelling and talking we had done made me feel extremely tired. Mentally, if not physically.

'We did travel from Red District to Yamagata'sresidence and then came here to Asakusa in less than twelve hours,' I mused silently as I caught the sight of one of my beggar buddies, 'Hopefully, we can finish it off soon and leave for the Butterfly Estate.'

No matter how much I liked Uzui, I genuinely preferred going back to my own bed to staying at motels or Wisteria Houses as Slayers usually do during their missions. And since I had that option, I would rather take it.

Not to mention, I was exhausted enough to fall right asleep even with this cold body of mine.

I sighed as I packed my journal and papers in the trusty white satchel of mine before stretching my arms and jumping down towards the back alley of the building, which was the fastest way to get down without being noticed.

I brushed my haori and kimono lightly before turning to the sound of the footsteps behind me, greeting the beggar boys as I started gathering the last batch of intel for the day.


"The Kinomiya twins left this for you when they visited in the afternoon, Miyasha-san. They said they wanted to talk with you..."

I was standing in my room, staring at the cloth-wrapped box almost apprehensively.

I knew that it didn't have anything bad or harmful, considering how they must have gifted me this for New Year's but I couldn't help but feel anxious looking at it.

Or maybe it was because of the thought of meeting them to thank for this, I just didn't know anymore.

'What's the worse that could happen?' I thought to myself as I sat down, willing myself to open it while half-cussing Shinobu for even taking this in, in the first place.
Then again, it's not like she had any reason not to do so.

I sighed and shook my head before unwrapping the red cloth off the box, showing off the dark wooden surface underneath. I took out the box completely off its wrapping, noticing its glistening smooth surface as it shone in the lit room.

The wooden box seemed to be made of really high-quality wood and the box itself seemed like one that you could see the doctors of this era keeping their medicines and injections in.

I couldn't help the smile that spread on my lips as I opened the box, noticing the small but intricate compartments it had. Its craftmanship was simple yet beautiful — just the way I loved it.

I gasped when I noticed something golden in its last-level compartment; the fountain pen taking me by surprise as I caressed its slick metal surface in awe.

This pen was yet to be popularised in Japan in this era, making it fucking pricey — so much so that even I didn't buy one since I hated the idea of spending so much money on myself. And yet, the twins didn't hesitate to give me this pen on top of this doctor's box for a New Year's gift.

'I should have given something better for their gifts.' I silently mused, feeling guilty all of a sudden as I gently caressed the box.

Another sigh escaped my lips when I noticed the note tucked inside the compartment the pen was in — a message written in the clear and big handwriting of Hitoshi asking me to please accept their gifts and meet them tomorrow.

The guilt sitting on my chest doubled as I read the note once again, feeling like absolute garbage for hiding everything from them.

"What am I even doing..." I mumbled to myself as I leaned back on the bed, closing my eyes as the day's exhaustion suddenly washed over me, "Why am I even doing this? What for, even?"

The dread that I felt at the thought of saying everything to them paralysed me; almost making me want to run away or worse, just kill myself.

I can't take the burden of such a secret and yet, couldn't tell anyone about it either.

After all, who would believe me anyway?

I would just be ostracised for being ridiculous or hated for not doing anything. Tanjiro, Shinobu, Sanemi — everyone will hate me for not saving their family and loved ones even when I could do that easily by just confessing everything early on.

'Giyuu wouldn't have lost Sabito if I had just stepped up.'

I couldn't help but laugh at how true my thought rang; its truth amplifying my guilt as I felt my eyes moisten.
How hypocritical of me to help him while being the cause of his misery at the same time.

Seconds, minutes, hours passed as I lay on the bed, my arm over my eyes while I drowned in the negative flow of my thoughts — listening to them as they tore me apart while I just lay there in silence.

By the time I did get up, I was both mentally and physically drained.

I caressed the gifts the twins gave me one last time before setting them on the side table and getting myself to bed.
I wasn't hungry enough to eat nor did I have enough energy to change — I'll leave both of those to the future me.

For now, I simply wanted to rest.
I hope I could do that one day, without any guilt.


Heya!

Finally a short chapter! A relatively short one, but short nonetheless. I thought I almost forgot how to write anything under 10k words, I swear.

And yes, I know — kinda a filler chapter and at the same time, not. The next chapter would be one of importance as we see the twins and confront them! Or they confront her, considering it'll be their POV? Let's see!

》Taishou Secrets《

Miyasha is one of the fastest in the Demon Slayer Corps, with only Himejima, Sanemi and Uzui being faster than her — making her the fourth fastest in the whole Corporation. The twins are slower than Shinobu, Miyasha and the aforesaid three!

And that's it for this chapter, folks! Please leave a review if you liked it or even if you didn't — your reviews are what keeps me going! And trust me when I say I desperately need them nowadays, lol.

Stay safe and stay healthy!