Butterfly Mansion.
This was the Butterfly Mansion of the Demon Slayer Corps.
It was originally the base of the Butterfly Girls — the group of kunoichi-style warriors who supported the Demon Slayer Corps from behind the scenes.
More than just a logistics center, it was a vital medical facility — overseen and managed by Shinobu Kocho herself — where countless injured Demon Slayers came to recover.
But now...
"…Sigh…"
Sitting alone at the threshold of the mansion, a girl with twin black ponytails and calm blue eyes exhaled heavily.
Her name was Aoi Kanzaki.
Dressed in her standard white nurse uniform, with a blue butterfly hair ornament clipped neatly to her hair, she stared at the ground with worry clouding her expression.
Shinobu-sama had vanished.
The Butterfly Mansion had been in chaos ever since.
And not just her… even Mitsuri Kanroji-sama, had disappeared too.
The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps had sent out multiple search teams — even Pillars had joined the effort.
But days had passed.
And still, no sign of them.
Whispers were spreading. Rumors.
Some had begun to believe they'd both been killed by demons.
And one by one… the search efforts began to dwindle.
But not Kanao.
Even if she never said much — even if her expression rarely changed — she refused to give up.
Every single day, despite being advised to rest, Kanao Tsuyuri would leave the mansion and search for Shinobu on her own.
And every time she came back… she'd be hurt.
More bruises. More bandages. More blood.
"…Shinobu-sama… where are you?" Aoi murmured quietly.
She looked up at the sky, her heart aching with helplessness.
What are we supposed to do without you?
What will happen to the Butterfly Mansion… to all of us?
Suddenly—
Bang!
A noise from inside the house snapped Aoi out of her thoughts.
She turned around quickly.
And there, standing in the doorway with her hand on the frame for support, was Kanao — fresh bandages wrapped around her legs, her kimono dirtied from her last outing.
"Kanao!" Aoi rushed over, eyes wide in alarm. "You're still injured! You need to rest!"
She tried to support her, voice thick with concern.
But Kanao didn't respond.
Her violet-pink eyes were as quiet and unyielding as ever.
Without a word, she turned and began limping toward the front gate again.
The ordinary Aoi Kanzaki had no way of stopping Kanao.
She could only watch helplessly as Kanao limped determinedly toward the mansion gate, refusing rest, refusing reason.
But just as Kanao reached the entrance—
Four figures emerged silently from the shadows beyond the gate.
Aoi froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"H-H-H-Huh?! D-Don't tell me—"
Her eyes widened in horror.
"D-Demons?!"
Before the word had even finished leaving her mouth—
Schlinnk!
The Nichirin Blade in Kanao Tsuyuri's hand was unsheathed in an instant.
She took a sharp breath, her muscles tensing, and launched forward in a blur of motion, ready to strike first.
But—
The one leading the group didn't move.
He didn't even flinch.
Instead, his voice rang out, calm and composed.
"Do you want to know where the Butterfly Hashira is?"
"!!"
Kanao's blade stopped mid-air.
The tip hovered inches from the boy's neck.
Her eyes, normally quiet and unreadable, now burned with urgency.
"Where?!"
Her voice trembled slightly — a rare crack in her emotionless tone.
Since losing Shinobu once… then again…
She hadn't been able to rest. Not for a single day.
The thought of losing her again was unbearable.
"Accept this," the silver-haired youth said, raising his hand. "And you'll find her."
With a flash of light, two glowing invitation scrolls materialized out of thin air.
System: Special World Invitation (Butterfly Hashira: Location – Unknown)
Accept: [Yes] → Teleportation in 3…2…1
Kanao didn't hesitate.
Not even for a second.
She snatched the invitation from his hand — and in the very next instant:
FLASH!!
Her body vanished, swallowed by a swirl of golden light.
"Kanao!!"
Aoi Kanzaki gasped, stumbling forward.
"W-What did you do to her?!" she demanded, voice shaking with fear and panic. "Where did you send her?!"
"As I said," the boy replied without emotion, brushing his coat sleeve aside. "Accept the invitation, and you'll find the Butterfly Hashira."
"…!"
Aoi stared at the still-glowing golden sphere of light hovering in the air.
The one that had swallowed Kanao whole.
Her fists clenched.
Shinobu-sama is gone…
Now Kanao's vanished too…
She couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
If she didn't go now — what kind of friend would she be?
Biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, Aoi stepped forward and snatched the second invitation from the boy's hand.
The moment her fingers touched it—
FLASH!!
She, too, disappeared into golden light.
"…Two left," the boy murmured softly.
Yami Tsukishiro smiled faintly to himself.
"Not a bad result. This trip was worth it after all."
"Master, are we heading to Asakusa now?"
Shion's voice was calm as ever, but there was a faint trace of curiosity in her tone.
After all, that had been the last location Yami had marked.
But Yami Tsukishiro shook his head slightly.
"Not just yet. There's still one place I need to visit."
Instead of heading to the bustling city of Tokyo, he turned toward the Demon Slayer Memorial Cemetery.
If he remembered correctly… Butterfly Kanae wasn't devoured after being slain by Kumo Genji. Her body was properly recovered. That should mean… her grave is here.
The skies had begun to drizzle, the soft patter of rain coating the world in a melancholic gray.
Walking slowly along the muddy path, a man and a woman approached the graves.
The man — tall, pale, and fragile-looking — leaned gently on the woman's shoulder, protected beneath a paper umbrella.
"Ahem…"
He coughed softly, his breathing labored.
Surrounding them were countless small mounds of earth, marked with wooden tablets and broken swords — the resting place of those who gave their lives fighting demons.
The two finally stopped before a grave marked by a vertical Nichirin Blade with a purple tinge.
"…Kanae."
The man's voice was gentle, sorrowful.
"I'm sorry… Shinobu has gone missing."
He lowered his head.
"As the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps… this is my failure. I should have done more… I should have—"
The words caught in his throat.
The young woman beside him remained silent, eyes lowered. Her expression was unreadable, but heavy with grief.
Though her presence was faint, almost transparent — the resemblance to Shinobu Kocho was undeniable.
This was Butterfly Kanae.
She stood, trapped between worlds — a lingering soul unable to move on.
She wanted to leave.
She wanted to search for Shinobu, her dear little sister.
But she couldn't.
She was nothing more than a ghost bound to this resting place, watching the world go on without her.
Suddenly—
"Who's there?"
The woman holding the umbrella — Amane Ubuyashiki, wife of the Demon Slayer Corps leader — turned, her voice sharp.
Her gaze landed on the group standing just a short distance away, untouched by the rain.
A man with silver hair and striking golden eyes.
Two women by his side — Shion and Ella.
None of them were wet.
None of them left even the slightest imprint on the muddy ground.
The sickly man beside her, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, followed her line of sight.
His eyes, clouded by illness but still sharp, took in the scene at once.
"…You're not ordinary travelers."
There was no panic in his voice. Only calm observation.
"You stand beneath falling rain… and not a single drop touches you."
"You tread upon mud… but leave no trace."
"…Are you demons?"
His words were soft, but unwavering.
Even if they were evil spirits, he didn't flinch.
Yami, watching the man's thin form and clear gaze, couldn't help but feel a trace of respect.
Even in the face of the unknown… he remains composed.
"Unfortunately," Yami Tsukishiro said, his voice gentle and almost amused, "we are not demons."
"We are something far more troublesome."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya had a faint smile on his lips.
"Are you here to pay respects to a relative?"
There was no suspicion in his voice. No hostility.
Just warmth — a soft kindness that gently wrapped around every word.
Even though the three before him stood as incomprehensible beings, with no footprints, no rain on their bodies — the man known as the Demon Slayer Corps' commander simply chose to ask kindly.
Yami Tsukishiro could feel it clearly.
This man…
He looked at Kagaya for a long moment and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder he's so respected by the Demon Slayers.
"Not a relative," Yami replied at last. "I came to see her."
He lifted a hand and pointed calmly — just beyond the two standing under the umbrella.
Ubuyashiki and Amane turned their gazes.
There was… nothing.
Only empty air.
But Yami didn't flinch.
"Butterfly Kanae."
"You're still here, aren't you?"
"Still worried about your sister — Shinobu Kocho."
"...Kanae?"
For the first time in a long while, even the ever-composed Ubuyashiki Kagaya faltered.
His brows furrowed slightly, as if something cracked through the calm mask he always wore.
Kanae…? But she passed away long ago…
Amane's grip on his arm tightened slightly.
Not far behind them, a girl froze.
Her long hair fluttered slightly in the gentle rain, though the drops never seemed to touch her.
Her transparent body trembled.
She brought a hand slowly to her lips.
"…You can… see me?"
Her voice was quiet — almost disbelieving.
Yami was looking straight at her.
And for the first time since her death, someone did more than sense her presence — they acknowledged her.
Kanae Kocho drifted closer, eyes wide, heart heavy with hope.
"Please… do you know where Shinobu is?"
Yami didn't answer her question directly.
He only held up his hand.
A golden glow shimmered into existence — the familiar light of the System's Special Invitation.
"This will take you to the answer."
That was all he said.
But that was enough.
Kanae didn't hesitate.
She reached for the invitation with trembling hands — and the moment her fingers touched the light, her form began to dissolve into golden motes.
A soft, peaceful expression bloomed across her face.
Wait for me, Shinobu…
And then — she was gone.
From the perspective of Kagaya and Amane, all they saw was a flicker of strange light in the air.
They couldn't see Kanae.
Only Yami's outstretched hand… and the remnants of something that vanished.
Yami lowered his hand.
With Kanae gone, his purpose here was finished.
He turned to leave — but paused.
He glanced back at Kagaya.
"Ubuyashiki Kagaya… as the head of the Demon Slayer Corps, I leave you with one piece of good news—"
"—and one piece of bad news."
Kagaya bowed his head slightly.
"Please… I'm listening."
"The good news: your long-time enemy… Kibutsuji Muzan… is dead. Killed by my hand."
Kagaya's breath caught.
Amane gasped beside him.
But before they could speak, Yami continued.
"The bad news: a new enemy is coming. One far more terrifying than Muzan ever was."
"And unfortunately…"
His golden eyes narrowed.
"That enemy… is me."
And with that—
FLASH!
The four figures — Yami, Shion, Ella, and the system guide — vanished into the shadows without a trace.
Kagaya stood still.
Rain fell gently across the cemetery, the only sound that remained.
"...Muzan is dead?" he murmured, almost to himself.
"Yaozai…" Amane whispered, clutching his sleeve. "What should we do?"
He closed his eyes.
"…Whether his words are truth or not… we must confirm it ourselves."
He opened them again, voice low but resolute.
"Summon the Hashira."
"We head to Mount Fujikasane… immediately."
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