"Yoizumi-nii, I'm going to Mr. Uzui's place for training!" Tanjirou said, shouldering his pack and reluctantly stroking Nezuko's head. He knew it would be a while before he could see his brother and sister again.
"Mm, good luck with your training," Yoizumi said, holding Nezuko and seeing Tanjirou to the door. Nezuko waved her small hand, bidding her brother farewell.
After watching Tanjirou leave, Yoizumi took Nezuko back to the room, waiting for the Demon Slayer Corps members he was to train to arrive.
"Your brothers might not be able to stay with Nezuko all the time recently. Can Nezuko manage by herself?" Yoizumi asked softly, sitting on a cushion and watching his sister roll around on the floor.
"Mmm~" Nezuko mumbled in response, her mouth full of bamboo. She was already somewhat used to it.
One brother loved to sleep, and the other was always out and about.
But she understood her brothers.
Besides, she wasn't lonely, because she knew her brothers would always be there no matter what, and there were many kind people here who played with her.
"Is that so..." Yoizumi beckoned to his sister, and Nezuko obediently snuggled up to him. Yoizumi looked down at his sister's messy hair from rolling around and smiled helplessly.
Finding a wooden comb, he carefully styled his sister's hair. Yoizumi was becoming increasingly skilled at this.
"Mmm!" Nezuko raised her small fists, her pink eyes seemingly holding a barely perceptible... contentment?
Holding a small mirror, she looked at herself and happily nodded. Yoizumi could tell his sister was very satisfied with the pigtails he had braided.
Yoizumi felt relieved and calmly braided the other pigtail for his sister.
Now he wouldn't get hit on the head by his sister.
"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a knock at the door, and Kanzaki Aoi pushed it open. The siblings looked over together.
"Mr. Yoizumi, all the swordsmen who came for training have arrived."
Kanzaki Aoi entered and saw Yoizumi sitting cross-legged, slightly bent over helping Nezuko braid her hair. She clearly hadn't expected Mr. Yoizumi to have such a side to him.
Yoizumi stared at the almost-finished hairstyle in his hands, thought for a moment, and then said, "Please tell Kanzaki to let them rest for a bit. I'll be there shortly."
"Understood," Kanzaki Aoi nodded respectfully and left the room. As she headed to where the members were gathered, she couldn't help but wonder.
Could it be that Lady Shinobu's not-so-neat hairstyle from before was done by Mr. Yoizumi?
Kanzaki Aoi felt like she had discovered the truth.
Dozens of Demon Slayer Corps members had gathered in the hall, most of them looking somewhat anxious.
Initially, they were quite happy to come to Butterfly Mansion. They heard there were many girls at Butterfly Mansion, and being at the prime of their youth, they were naturally most interested in that aspect.
But they had never met this Snow Pillar, though they were well aware that this Snow Pillar was a demon.
Moreover, he was a being who had continuously participated in slaying four Upper Moons.
Some even began to consider backing out, as a Pillar with such a record was a first.
They didn't know what awaited them ahead.
In the crowd, someone suddenly spoke up.
"Since Snow Pillar is a demon, he wouldn't be terribly scary, would he?"
"Gulp." A distinct swallowing sound reached everyone's ears, all nervously awaiting the arrival of the Snow Pillar.
Kanzaki Aoi entered and saw the nervous expressions on the faces of the members. Having witnessed how Mr. Yoizumi trained, she silently mourned for everyone present for three seconds.
"Snow Pillar is currently helping his sister comb her hair. He will be here shortly, so please wait a moment."
After leaving this message, Kanzaki Aoi left. She had to prepare food.
With so many people, she felt a little sorry for herself.
Snow Pillar, helping his sister comb her hair?
That one sentence contained a lot of information.
But, how bad could a man who helps his sister comb her hair be?
Could it be that Snow Pillar is a very gentle demon?
Everyone speculated, until... "Swish!" The door opened, and a man with blonde hair and blue eyes walked in. All eyes immediately focused on Yoizumi.
But none of them thought of Yoizumi as the Snow Pillar. In their minds, Snow Pillar was an ugly demon.
This idea had become ingrained in most people's minds.
And the handsome person before them didn't fit that description at all.
Someone mistook him for a latecomer. A communicative member named Komi Kata approached Yoizumi and reminded him.
"Why are you so late? It's a good thing Snow Pillar hasn't arrived yet, otherwise, this would definitely be disrespectful to a Pillar!"
Komi Kata noticed Yoizumi wasn't wearing his uniform and frowned, "You're not even wearing your uniform. You're probably going to get scolded."
Yoizumi silently stared at the person who kept chattering in front of him. Komi Kata felt inexplicable at being stared at, but he didn't take it seriously. There were many people with strange personalities in the Demon Slayer Corps, and he clearly categorized Yoizumi among them.
"Your nichirin blade needs to be left outside. You don't seem to know, so I'll help you put it away."
Oh, it had to be left outside. Yoizumi truly didn't know this.
He handed over the nichirin blade. Komi Kata reached out with both hands to take Yoizumi's nichirin blade, but in an unguarded moment, the nichirin blade slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground. He awkwardly scratched his head, not realizing the blade was heavier than he expected, and he hadn't held it steady.
"Sorry, sorry!" He crouched down, intending to pick up the nichirin blade from the ground, but suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on the half of the nichirin blade that had slipped out of its sheath, unable to recover for a long time.
Hmm...!?
Cold sweat instantly streamed down his forehead. Komi Kata nervously swallowed. Had he seen wrong...? How could there be the characters "Demon Slayer" engraved on this person's blade, a mark only Pillars had...? He rubbed his eyes, blinking in disbelief, confirming whether he had misread it.
Is it heavy?
This nichirin blade, newly forged by Haganezuka Hotaru, was indeed a bit heavier than the previous one, but it wasn't so heavy that it couldn't be picked up.
Yoizumi himself bent down and picked up the nichirin blade. Komi Kata shakily stood up, trembling as he tentatively called out.
"Snow... Pillar?"
"Mm," Yoizumi nodded in affirmation.
"..."
Komi Kata's vision went black. He seemed to be finished...
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