Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
"What is this guy talking about?" Obanai glanced sideways, pointing at him, his tone icy.
"Seems like he's still full of energy."
The three interrogators who had been conversing suddenly looked displeased, turning their heads to glare at him.
The bald cultist was startled and quickly scrambled backward.
"It's true!"
As the bald cultist's words fell, the entire Butterfly Mansion fell into dead silence.
The cultist weakly propped himself up, his gaze darting away as he looked at the people before him.
"So…"
His eyes swept over the few individuals present, finally coming to rest on the only women there.
Shinobu and Aoi.
Initially, he had intended to sacrifice these young women to the leader as well.
Now, he just needed to persuade these seemingly unintelligent, yet physically strong, individuals to do as he said.
And if his plan succeeded…
A glimmer of hope for escape flickered in the bald cultist's eyes.
Once they reached the Paradise Faith's headquarters, dealing with these few people would be nothing; the leader could slaughter them at will.
Having witnessed a fraction of Doma's power, he already considered himself saved.
"The women here are only these few—"
Shwoosh!
A white blur kicked up a sudden gust of wind.
"Hah?!"
Sanemi suddenly lunged forward with a quick step, appearing abruptly in the cultist's field of vision. His scarred, fierce face pressed close,
His eyes wide with fury, blocking out everything else in the cultist's sight as he crouched down.
"What are you thinking, you bastard?"
Smack!
He reached out and forcefully grabbed the cultist's bald head, veins bulging on his face.
"Wanna die?"
"Agh… I…!" The cultist was terrified by the sudden intrusion, his face instantly turning pale. The spark of hope that had just ignited was immediately extinguished. "I-I'm sorry…!"
His voice and body began trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't get any ideas."
"You're not important, you piece of shit." Sanemi crouched in front of him, lightly patted his head twice, and deliberately lowered his voice.
"You understand?"
"Y-yes! Yes!" The cultist was so scared he shook like a sieve, nodding frantically, cold sweat pouring down his ashen face.
"Hmph!" Seeing the cultist so terrified, Sanemi glared at him viciously, then slowly stood up, raising his voice again.
"Only accept female followers?"
Sanemi glanced around.
Then he suddenly reached out, pointing his thumb at himself, his tone fierce and his eyes fixed on the cowering cultist.
"I will do it!"
—???!
Not only Aoi, but even Obanai beside him turned back in surprise.
The bald cultist paused mid-motion. He glanced hesitantly at Sanemi.
'In what sense, are you doing it?' He blinked, a flicker of confusion rising in his mind.
---
Outside the Butterfly Mansion.
"Hmm, hmm hmm~"
Tengen was in high spirits today.
After the battle in the Entertainment District, he had gained considerable inspiration and attempted to replicate Tanjuro's ninjutsu himself.
Although all attempts ended in failure, he still gained unprecedented, flamboyant experience.
He felt he had discovered a flamboyant new world.
"The Kamado family stays at the Butterfly Mansion permanently, helping manage its affairs."
Tengen hummed a tune as he walked casually, as usual.
He closed his small notebook with a snap and tucked it into his waistband.
"That's what the Kakushi says."
Tengen had come this time, taking advantage of a break from his missions, specifically to ask Tanjuro about the details of ninjutsu.
After all, trying to replicate the entire repertoire of an unheard-of ninja school by himself was impossible.
He glanced at the wall lining the path.
With a swift motion, he vaulted onto the wall, supporting himself with one hand and crouching on its top.
Palm shading his brow, Tengen squinted and peered into the courtyard.
"Let's see…"
His gaze swept from left to right, then back again, not a single trace of Tanjuro.
He couldn't even spot anyone else from the Kamado family.
Frowning helplessly, he turned his head.
"Hey! You over there."
Tengen called out, waving his hand until a Kakushi member cleaning nearby noticed him.
"Is Kamado currently at the Butterfly Mansion?"
"Ah, Lord Sound Hashira." The Kakushi member, gripping a broom, paused his work upon hearing Tengen's voice and silently shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it seems Kamado-san is on a mission."
"He is not at the Butterfly Mansion."
"What?"
Tengen was taken aback. "He's not?"
He crouched on the wall, lamenting the wasted travel time.
"Hey!!"
A rough shout came from the other side of the courtyard.
Tengen instinctively turned his head towards the sound.
Sanemi was standing under a tree, raising his arm high, apparently calling out to him.
"Uzui!! Perfect timing!!"
"Get over here!"
As he shouted, Sanemi also glanced back slightly, jerking his chin towards Obanai behind him.
Tengen glanced expressionlessly at Sanemi.
His mood unchanged, he looked away, unconcerned.
He raised his hand, adorned with colorful nail polish, and gently touched his chin, pondering.
"Well, since Kamado isn't here, there's no reason for me to stay."
He muttered to himself, then turned to jump down from the wall and leave.
"Can't waste my time unflamboyantly here."
"..."
"Huh?"
Sanemi stood frozen, arm still raised in a waving gesture, watching Tengen's retreating back as he jumped off the wall.
Shinobu glanced at Sanemi's back and slowly looked away.
'It seems Tomioka-san has had quite an influence on the other Hashira after all.'
Thump, thump, thump!!
"That bastard!"
Sanemi, his face dark, had already sprinted out the main gate of the Butterfly Mansion, heading in the direction Tengen had gone.
...
The departing Tengen was forcibly dragged back by Sanemi.
The group formed a circle in the courtyard, explaining the entire situation to Tengen in detail.
After hearing everyone out,
"An upper-rank demon that only eats women, I see." Tengen nodded in understanding.
"So, you want me to dress you all up as ordinary female followers so you can infiltrate their headquarters."
"Exactly." Obanai pointed at Tengen. "You wear flashy makeup every day. You're the best person for this job."
Tengen's lip twitched.
Why does a statement that sounds like a compliment come across so irritatingly from this guy's mouth?
His gaze swept over Shinobu before him.
And does this really require him to do the dressing up?
Tengen shrugged indifferently, glancing left and right at Shinobu and Aoi.
"Alright, who's first?"
Step.
"Me!" Sanemi declared loudly, standing before Tengen.
Sanemi, clad in his white haori, stepped forward from the side, forcibly dragging a stiff-faced Obanai along.
???
"You?" Tengen's gaze slowly shifted to Sanemi.
His eyes unconsciously swept over Sanemi's form.
An irrepressible smile tugged at his lips.
"Hahahaha!!"
Tengen seemed to hear the biggest joke ever. He pointed at Sanemi and laughed mercilessly.
"Shut up! What's so funny!?"
Sanemi's face darkened, an angry vein bulging on his forehead. He clenched his fists tightly.
The ruckus echoed through the courtyard, while a Kasugai crow on a branch preened its feathers.
...
On the other side of the courtyard,
"Everyone's having so much fun."
Zenitsu, shaking his fluffy blond hair, walked by with a dejected look. He cast an envious glance towards the Hashira group and sighed worriedly.
"…That's nice."
Grrrr—
His weak voice was quickly drowned out by the growling of his stomach.
"Damn it!"
Zenitsu clutched his stomach in anguish, tears of frustration welling up in his eyes.
"Whoever keeps stealing my foods!"
He gritted his teeth, pressed his lips together tightly, and clenched his fists. A faint flicker of lightning seemed to flash in his tear-filled eyes.
"Don't you dare let me catch you!"
"I'll tear you to pieces!"
In a distant bush behind Zenitsu,
"Hehehe hahaha!"
Inosuke was voraciously devouring two portions of food with his hands.
...
After the laughter subsided,
"No, are you serious?"
Tengen's expression suddenly became extremely serious. He tilted his head, looking at the shorter Sanemi as if he were an idiot.
"You understand, right?"
"Upper Moon One is a serious mission."
"Of course I know!"
Sanemi fumed, steam practically rising from his head. He raised his clenched fist and waved it.
"You're the only one who's never serious!"
Tengen glanced at the evasive looks of the others.
He said no more.
Shwoosh!
Producing several brush-like objects from seemingly nowhere, he held them between his fingers, striking an incredibly flamboyant pose and expression.
"Then let's begin."
Soon after,
White haori lay discarded on the ground.
The group watched intently as Tengen worked on Sanemi.
"Done."
Tengen wiped the sweat from his forehead and slowly straightened up, surveying Sanemi's full appearance.
His shock of spiky white hair refused to be tamed, only held back by a few hair clips borrowed from Shinobu.
The scars crisscrossing his face were impossible to conceal, still giving him a menacing look.
The loose, ill-fitting pink kimono hung awkwardly on him, his muscular build clearly visible.
"So this is it?" Sanemi asked curiously, lifting his arm to examine his attire. "Not bad."
Tengen fell silent.
He parted his lips slightly, as if wanting to say something.
But seeing the other's confident expression, he hesitated for a moment.
Finally, he slowly closed his mouth.
His dark red eyes shifted away, hands on his mouth as he tried very hard to contain his laughter.
'No way.'
'It's not a lack of skill on my part, but…'
'This guy absolutely won't work.'
Everyone present had the exact same thought flash through their minds at that moment.
"That…"
The bald cultist suddenly shifted his gaze.
His unfocused eyes slowly looked past Sanemi towards a spot not far behind him.
He sat up straight, pointed in that direction, and quickly shouted to the group.
"Hey! That guy will work!"
Startled, the group followed the direction the cultist was pointing.
"You bastard!! It was you, you wild boar, who stole my food!!"
Zenitsu was screaming in anguish, grappling with Inosuke.
"Hah?!" Inosuke scoffed arrogantly. "That was my prey! Stop screaming just because you're too weak to guard your own food!"
"What did you say?!" Zenitsu's eyes widened with fury, his hands outstretched as if he could breathe fire.
Crackle! Zap!
Faint sparks of electricity danced on his arms, his yellow short-sleeved shirt fluttering against gravity.
Zenitsu swung his arm forward forcefully.
Thump!
"Pfft—!" Caught off guard, Inosuke took a solid hit to his boar mask, staggering backward.
The upward blow sent his mask flying high into the air.
Thud.
The boar head traced a graceful arc through the sky before landing perfectly on the grass.
"…Damn it!" Inosuke's gruff voice came out as he clutched his head, shaking it, trying to steady himself.
"To think you, of all people…"
The lingering effects from Tanjiro's headbutt days prior were still present.
With the boar mask off, Inosuke revealed his face for the first time at the Butterfly Mansion.
Under the clear sunlight, his dark lashes trembled slightly from the pain.
He managed to open his eyes with difficulty, light shimmering in his green pupils.
His features were defined, his handsome face flushed.
"You…!"
Zenitsu, still frozen mid-swing, stared intently at Inosuke's face.
He blinked, his cheeks rapidly turning red.
He slowly lowered his outstretched hand, covering his mouth in disbelief, his tone now tinged with apology.
"So you're a girl?"
"What?!"
Inosuke's handsome face instantly contorted with rage. He raised his fist angrily, yelling as he prepared to strike Zenitsu.
"I'm a bona fide guy!!"
Creak—
The main gate of the Butterfly Mansion suddenly slid open.
Tanjuro, having finally returned from Giyu's territory, smiled and waved goodbye to Kyojuro.
He turned, stepping into the mansion with a smile.
His gaze instinctively drifted towards the courtyard, which had fallen into sudden, strange silence.
—Sanemi, wearing a pink kimono and a hair ribbon on his head.
His eyes moved slightly.
—Obanai, holding makeup sticks, his face half done.
—Tengen, grappling with Inosuke.
Tanjuro fell silent.
He took two steps back and slid the door of the mansion closed.