Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

"Ah, Sanemi, you're here again? Honestly, even though you're a Hashira now, you shouldn't be visiting me every day. You should focus on your missions instead. Don't worry about me—The Forest Hashira has already agreed to let me stay and help at the Butterfly Mansion."

Inside the Butterfly Mansion, despite having lost an arm, Kumeno remained as cheerful and optimistic as ever.

It was precisely because of his resilient personality that Shinichi had granted his request to stay at the mansion after he woke up.

Though he could no longer wield a Nichirin Blade to slay demons, his exceptional physical abilities still allowed him to contribute greatly to the logistical support at the Butterfly Mansion.

When he learned that Sanemi had become the Wind Hashira, Kumeno felt no regret—only genuine happiness for his friend.

Their master's expectations had not been betrayed by the two of them.

However, whenever Sanemi saw the empty sleeve where Kumeno arm used to be, he couldn't help but feel deep shame.

No matter how many times Kumeno assured him it was fine, Sanemi still blamed himself for it.

"You're recovering well, but... this is the last day I'll be visiting you. Oyakata-sama has assigned me my jurisdiction and I'll soon be leaving to patrol it" Sanemi said, placing down a package.

Kumeno sniffed the air, his eyes lighting up.

"Ah, the smell of ohagi! Wonderful—thank you, Sanemi. Oh, I should say, Wind Hashira-sama now, shouldn't I?"

Sanemi gave a resigned smile.

"You idiot."

Kumeno happily unwrapped the package, using his one hand to pick up the sweet ohagi and eat it.

Between bites, he mumbled something indistinct to Sanemi.

"Sanemi, I heard from The Forest Hashira and Shinobu that you openly defied Oyakata-sama during the Hashira meeting. How could you? Our master taught us time and again to always show Oyakata-sama the utmost respect."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Sanemi face.

If possible, he would rather not recall that particular blunder.

In fact, if there was anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps who revered the Master the most now, it was Sanemi.

The depth of his past misunderstanding only made his current respect all the greater.

"But speaking of that... I also heard the other Hashira confronted you afterward, didn't they?" Kumeno asked cautiously.

Whoosh!

The moment those words left his mouth, Sanemi expression darkened.

True, the other Hashira had been furious at his disrespect toward the Master, but the Demon Slayer Corps strictly forbade infighting among its members.

However, while harming fellow slayers was prohibited, sparring was not.

Thus, Sanemi had voluntarily (cough forcibly) engaged in "sparring" sessions with each of the Hashira.

Remembering that, Sanemi sighed inwardly.

It had to be said—those who attained the rank of Hashira were anything but weak.

Even though they were only sparring, the dazzling and eerie Sound Breathing of Uzui Tengen, the flawless Water Breathing of Giyu and Sabito, had all put immense pressure on him.

And then there was Shinichi, The Forest Hashira, who had only exchanged two moves with him.

Yet those two simple sword forms had already proven exceptionally troublesome for Sanemi—let alone the towering Stone Hashira, Gyomei.

Sanemi Shinazugawa hadn't fought against the Stone Hashira, but he could clearly tell that this seemingly compassionate man was undoubtedly the strongest in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Just standing there, he exuded a mountain-like pressure that weighed heavily on Sanemi.

"Hey hey! Enough about that, Sanemi, tell me how things are going between you and the Flower Hashira?" Kumeno suddenly asked with a mischievous tone.

Sanemi was caught off guard by the abrupt question.

"What? What do you mean? Kanae? What about her?"

Kumeno gave him a teasing look. "Still playing dumb? It's all over the Corps—the newly promoted Wind Hashira has a thing for the Flower Hashira~ I heard she's been speaking up for you during Hashira meetings too~"

Sanemi face flushed with a barely noticeable redness as he shot up from his seat, his voice rough and flustered.

"Who's spreading these lies!? How could I—! Kanae—! No! That's not—! It's nonsense!"

Watching his best friend agitated reaction, Kumeno chuckled knowingly.

Sanemi reaction alone was answer enough.

After all, the old Sanemi would never get this worked up over someone.

Besides, Sanemi had one obvious flaw—whenever he lied, his ears turned red.

Right now, Sanemi ears were as red as radishes.

But it made sense.

Due to his combat habits, Sanemi had become a regular at the Butterfly Mansion.

And who wouldn't be smitten by the gentle, kind and beautiful Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho? Over time, it was only natural for Sanemi to develop feelings for her.

However, having lost his mother and loved ones to various tragedies since childhood, coupled with the rough personality forged through survival and demon-slaying, Sanemi found it incredibly hard to express his feelings.

After muttering to himself for a while, Sanemi slumped back onto Kumeno bedside, deliberately feigning nonchalance as he asked.

"By the way, where's Kanae? As the Flower Hashira, shouldn't her main duty be staying at the Butterfly Mansion? Why haven't I seen her today?"

Heh, gotcha.

"The Flower Hashira must be on a mission. I heard there's a cult in Osaka where many girls who joined have gone missing, so Oyakata-sama sent her to investigate. Oh, and the Forest Hashira took little Shinobu on another mission too. So, technically, I'm the boss of the Butterfly Mansion now. Hehehe."

Sanemi gazed out the window, recalling his brief encounter with Kanae yesterday.

"So she's on a mission, huh?"

***

Meanwhile.

"It looks great on you, doesn't it? My taste is good—I knew this haori would suit you perfectly, Shinobu." On a rural path, Shinichi smiled at the girl beside him.

Shinobu Kocho was indeed wearing the butterfly-patterned haori Shinichi had bought for her in Tokyo.

Though she didn't say anything, the slight lift of her eyebrows betrayed her inner delight.

"Stupid Shinichi, do you think Sister will be alright investigating that Cult of Eternal Paradise alone?" Shinobu asked, thinking of her sister.

Shinichi froze for a moment, then rubbed his chin.

"The Cult of Eternal Paradise? Sounds pretty chuunibyou to me. Though I don't know the specifics, if it's just some cult, it probably can't threaten Kanae. But Shinobu, if you're worried, we can always come back after completing our mission to help Kanae investigate together."

"Mhm!"

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