When Shinobu entered the room, Kamado Kie was still arranging the bedding.
A candle burned in the room, its light dim rather than bright, and beneath that wavering glow, Shinobu could see the gentle woman's busy silhouette moving softly in the shadows.
"I'm sorry," Kie said as she smoothed the blankets. "There have been many people staying here lately, and we're short on rooms, so I'll have to trouble you to share with me tonight. It gets cold here at night, so I added extra quilts."
"It's fine. I'm the one causing trouble for all of you."
Shinobu lowered her eyes slightly.
There was something in the woman's gentle manner that reminded her of her mother. When she had been little, before bed each night, her mother would always come and personally straighten her blankets for her.
And perhaps…
Perhaps because, as a child, she had seemed inferior to her sister in every way—less gentle, less talented, incapable of all the things Kanae could do so effortlessly. Kanae understood tea ceremony, flower arrangement, could play the thirteen-string koto… she seemed able to do everything.
And maybe that was why their father and mother had doted so much on foolish little her.
Maybe they had loved her most because she needed loving most.
"The bedding is ready," Kie said, turning back toward her. "You can come rest now, Shinobu."
Shinobu nodded, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and slowly removed her outer clothing.
Aside from her petite frame, nearly every part of Shinobu seemed exquisitely formed.
Kie helped remove the hairpin tied in her hair, and at once, black strands spilled loose around her shoulders.
"Your hair still isn't very long," Kie murmured as she gently combed through it with her fingers. "If it were just a little longer, it would be truly beautiful."
"If it gets longer, it would be troublesome to manage," Shinobu replied. "And for demon hunting, that would be inconvenient."
"I don't know much about demon hunting," Kie said thoughtfully, "but I think longer hair would suit you. Boys tend to prefer girls with long hair."
"I have no intention of making boys like me."
Shinobu's answer came stiffly, almost too quickly.
"I have no intention of liking boys either. I don't intend to marry. And I certainly don't plan to spend my future as a wife and mother."
For a moment, Kie didn't know how to respond.
Everything Shinobu had said ran contrary to everything she had always believed a woman was supposed to accept in life.
In the end, she simply blew out the candle, and the two lay down together.
For a long while, only silence remained.
Then at last, unable to hold it in, Kie asked softly into the darkness:
"Do you really intend… to hunt demons for the rest of your life? To live like this forever?"
"…Yes."
"Do you hate demons that much?"
"Yes."
"And you intend to keep living inside that hatred… to continue like this forever?"
"Yes."
Her voice was quiet.
But unwavering.
And in that moment, Kie could deeply feel just how profound Shinobu's hatred for demons truly was.
These past days, she had learned much about demons and the Demon Slayer Corps.
Most swordsmen had once possessed happiness of their own.
And then demons, drawn by the scent of blood, had destroyed it.
Nearly all demons were cruel.
They fed on humans and shattered human happiness without restraint.
Kie understood why Shinobu hated demons.
But at the same time, hearing such absolute hatred made her heart uneasy.
Because yes—
Almost every demon in this world was evil.
Almost every demon deserved death.
But… wasn't it possible there were exceptions?
There had to be.
After all—
Soma was different.
That demon was different.
And if Shinobu were ever to discover his true identity…
What would happen then?
The more Kie thought about it, the heavier her worry became.
"Lady Kie, you don't need to concern yourself over people like us," Shinobu said quietly, misunderstanding her silence. "The moment we joined the Demon Slayer Corps, we had already resolved ourselves to die on the path of hunting demons."
She thought the gentle woman was merely worried for her.
But Kie hesitated, then finally asked the question pressing against her heart.
"Shinobu… I was just thinking… there must be demons in this world who are different."
Her voice was soft, uncertain.
"Suppose there were a demon who was gentle. One who treated others well, who was polite… learned… kind."
She paused.
Then, almost afraid of the answer, she asked:
"If such a demon existed… would you still kill it too?"
Unable to help herself, Kie asked the question aloud.
"Lady Kie, perhaps you think that way because you don't truly understand demons," Shinobu replied softly. "That is why you can still hold such expectations for them. But demons like the kind you describe do not exist. They are bloodthirsty, cruel, terrifying—the mortal enemies of humankind. Every single one of them deserves to die."
"All of them?" Kie's voice carried disbelief. "There must be exceptions. Surely there must be some demons who are good."
Shinobu was quiet for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Lady Kie… what you're saying is very much like my sister."
She turned her gaze toward the gentle woman beside her, her expression unreadable in the darkness.
"My sister once said that demons were once human too. She dreamed that one day humans and demons might coexist peacefully. She even held the absurdly gentle hope of saving demons."
As she spoke, Shinobu closed her eyes.
"And even when my sister killed demons, she never did so with the thought of simply killing them. When she severed a demon's head, she did it believing she was saving them."
Her voice softened, almost becoming a whisper.
"She always said demons were tragic creatures. Once human, yet forced to feed on humans. Creatures who even feared the warmth of sunlight."
"She said that destroying a demon not only saved the humans that demon might harm in the future, but also freed the demon itself from a sorrowful cycle of cause and consequence."
Then Shinobu opened her eyes again.
"But I have never agreed with my sister."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
"When I kill a demon… all I feel is my blood racing. I feel every cell in my body fill with pleasure."
The words were spoken so calmly that they felt even colder.
"In the Demon Slayer Corps, there are almost no people who hold thoughts as gentle as my sister's."
Hearing such deep hatred in Shinobu's voice, Kie only grew more worried for Soma.
What if one day Shinobu discovered his true identity?
What then?
The thought chilled her.
"Let's sleep," Kie finally said softly, carrying all that worry in her heart.
"…Mm."
Shinobu nodded.
Perhaps because it was the first time she had slept beside someone other than her sister, she felt awkward at first.
But gradually, as she sensed the gentle warmth and faint comforting scent clinging to Kie, it felt as though she had returned to the days when her mother was still alive, when she had once been held and cared for in that same tender embrace.
Little by little, she closed her eyes.
...
The night deepened.
But Kamado Kie tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Soma , a demon, was getting so close to more and more demon slayers. If his identity were discovered, it would be truly terrible.
Would these people, who harbored such deep hatred for demons, spare Soma? Even knowing that he was different from other demons?
As she lay there worrying, Shinobu suddenly let out a scream in her sleep.
"Ahhh!"
"Father! Mother—!"
"Don't, don't eat Mother. Please, no... don't."
"NOOOOOOO—!"
The terrified cries jolted Kie upright.
She hurriedly lit the candle, and in the flickering light, Shinobu's tightly shut eyes came into view, her long lashes trembling violently.
Her delicate face had gone deathly pale.
Drops of sweat rolled down her forehead.
"N-No… don't…!"
The girl's frightened voice kept spilling out as her small hands clenched tightly.
Kamado Kie quickly gathered Shinobu into her arms. Feeling the girl's fear even in sleep, she hurriedly comforted her, "It's all right, it's all right."
Shinobu's eyes flew open in panic.
Then, almost instinctively, she buried her face against Kie's warm chest, her voice breaking with tears.
"The demons…"
Her shoulders trembled.
"The demons ate my father… and my mother…"
The girl's voice broke with soft sobs, fragile and helpless, like a fledgling caught in a storm.
Kie's body stiffened.
Only then did she truly understand why this young girl harbored such deep hatred for demons.
But almost at once, her expression softened, and she pulled Shinobu more gently into her arms.
"It's alright now. It's alright. It's all in the past."
She raised a hand and lightly patted Shinobu's back, the same way she used to soothe Nezuko when she was small.
Gradually, the girl's breathing steadied.
And after a while, a faint voice came from against her chest.
"Thank you…"
…
Butterfly Mansion
As she sat receiving treatment, Kanroji Mitsuri looked curiously at the woman tending her wounds and couldn't help asking, "You're Shinobu's older sister… Kanae, right?"
"Yes," Kocho Kanae replied, lifting her head and looking at the girl before her with warm, gentle eyes. "You're Kanroji Mitsuri, aren't you?"
"Ah, you know me?"
Mitsuri blinked in surprise.
"Shinobu has mentioned you to me," Kanae said with a smile. "She said you're a very good girl."
"R-Really?"
Mitsuri's face brightened at once, her heart pounding in her chest. She had always hoped she could become close friends with Shinobu.
"Yes." Kanae lowered her head again and continued treating Mitsuri's injuries.
"This was a close call. If the wound had been any deeper, it could have been dangerous."
"It's okay," Mitsuri said quickly. "I got hurt, but I saved a married couple. They cared about each other so much."
"But you still have to value your own safety," Kanae said softly. "Because if something happens to you, then not only are you in danger—the people you wanted to save may not escape danger either."
"I understand."
Mitsuri nodded obediently, then studied Kanae for a moment.
"You really do feel a lot like Shinobu," she said. "Though… your height and your aura feel very different."
Kanae laughed lightly.
"Everyone says that."
After bandaging the last wound, she added in a lower voice, "Though compared to my little sister, my medical skills are far inferior."
"I think you're already very good." Mitsuri said, unconcerned.
Then, unable to resist, she asked with curiosity, "Where did Shinobu go?"
"She's out on a mission."
"A demon-hunting mission? Isn't that dangerous?"
Concern immediately showed on Mitsuri's face.
"No, not demon hunting," Kanae said, shaking her head. "There's no danger."
Since Mitsuri wasn't a Hashira yet, the news regarding the training of Initial Swordsmen could not be shared with her.
"As long as she's safe, then." Mitsuri sighed in relief.
While they were talking, Kanzaki Aoi soon arrived carrying an enormous bowl of tempura and a huge basin of rice.
"Mitsuri, you must be hungry. Please, eat."
"This... this is too much!"
Mitsuri swallowed hard.
Her stomach was screaming with hunger, and she desperately wanted to eat, but she was terrified her enormous appetite would shock everyone.
"Shinobu told me about you," Kanae said. "She said your build may look similar to an ordinary person's, but your muscle mass is over eight times greater."
Mitsuri froze.
Kanae continued calmly, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"And with that much muscle, your basal metabolism is extremely high. Which means you must eat properly. At the very least, you should be eating enough for eight people."
She smiled.
"Shinobu specifically reminded me of that."
"Ah! Shinobu said that?" Mitsuri lowered her head, flustered, her voice turning small.
"B-But… I'm a girl…
Eating this much…
Wouldn't you think it's disgusting? Wouldn't you dislike me?"
She looked so uneasy it almost hurt.
"I… I can just eat a little."
Kanae gently took Mitsuri's hand. "If someone tries to stop you from taking in the nutrition your body needs, then you don't have to force yourself to stay with someone like that."
Then Kanae's smile remained as gentle as spring sunlight—
But she suddenly clenched a fist and threw a heavy punch into empty air.
"For people like that…"
"You simply beat them up properly."
Mitsuri stared. "T-That… that doesn't seem very good. I mean… we're girls…"
Kanae looked at her with complete sincerity.
"Though it may not seem ideal for girls to be a little violent…"
"When dealing with people who talk maliciously…"
"A little violence is perfectly fine."
"Th-That's allowed?"
"Of course." Kanae's expression remained serene as ever.
"If anyone spoke badly about my little sister, I'd…"
Her fist tightened.
"I'd beat them up too."
"Someone once mocked my sister for being short."
"I beat him up quite thoroughly."
She even gave her fist another little squeeze, as if reliving the memory.
Mitsuri stared at her in stunned disbelief.
"Gentle Sister Kanae…"
Her eyes widened.
"Even you have violent moments?"
It was hard to imagine.
This girl, whose every word felt like warm spring sunlight—
Could actually throw punches too?