"Uwaa!"
As they were speaking, the two were currently passing through a corner of a stairwell.
Akaza's words were only half spoken when a small figure, head lowered, was seen quickly running up the stairs.
Perhaps because this figure's height was truly somewhat short.
Or perhaps because this figure was so weak that Mitsuba subconsciously overlooked the fighting spirit on her body.
In any case, Mitsuba, who was concentrating on listening to Akaza speak, failed to detect this figure's appearance in the first moment.
Caught completely off guard, she let the other party crash into her embrace.
Of course, as the powerful Upper Rank One, even when completely unprepared, Mitsuba couldn't possibly be knocked down by an ordinary human.
Rather, this small figure who had crashed headfirst into Mitsuba's embrace, after falling into her arms, couldn't stand steady herself instead, screaming as she was about to fall backward down the stairs!
At this critical moment, the recovered Mitsuba quickly stepped forward, one hand grasping this small figure's wildly waving arm, while her other hand passed through from behind her back, steadily supporting her body.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly feeling her body seemingly embraced by someone, Shinobu, who had thought she would definitely fall hard, subconsciously opened her tightly closed eyes.
The first thing she saw was a beautiful woman.
The woman appeared to be about ten years older than her, with capable shoulder-length hair, black-rimmed glasses, light makeup, and wearing a pair of silver earrings.
Though a woman, there was not the slightest sense of weakness about her—only a dashing and heroic spirit.
At this very moment, the woman stood at the stair entrance steadily holding her, who had nearly fallen, her posture and bearing like those princes in European dramas who catch princesses—elegant and composed.
[Uwaa, she, she's so beautiful...]
Her heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat, her entire body leaning against Mitsuba's arm, being watched by those smiling eyes, Shinobu subconsciously turned her head away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Shinobu believed that her own appearance was also top-tier in this world.
From childhood until now, among her peers, not to mention those who surpassed her, even women who could match her were very rare.
Yet only this elder sister before her, who was somewhat older—merely seeing her at first glance—made her feel an urge to praise the other.
How strange, clearly she only looked a little bit more beautiful than herself, how could she...
"Little girl, how long do you plan to keep lying in my arms? My hands are already getting a bit sore."
Looking at Shinobu still lying in her arm with no intention of getting up, Mitsuba finally spoke, teasing with a smile.
As the powerful "Demon of Causality," with just one glance, she recognized this slightly reckless young girl before her.
The daughter of Butterfly Shizuka, Kanae's younger sister—Kocho Shinobu.
But what puzzled Mitsuba was, why was the fighting spirit on this girl's body so weak, with no traces of Breathing Technique cultivation?
But the next second, Mitsuba got her answer.
Because her eyes had already seen that mandala flower loaded in Shinobu's inner clothing pocket.
This was precisely the one she had given to Butterfly Sumire several hundred years ago.
In an instant, Mitsuba understood everything.
As God's likely final all-out counterattack, the causal power on this generation of Demon Slayers was extremely strong, their fates nearly impossible to shake.
Therefore, no matter what changes they encountered, they would ultimately step onto the path that God had set for them from the very beginning.
The mandala flower Mitsuba had left with the Butterfly clan back then, though unable to completely reverse this fixed fate, had still pried it open slightly.
Providing those with firm will the possibility to decide their own future.
Thus, Shinobu did not, as Mitsuba had seen in the past, create her own Breathing Technique and embark on the path to become the "Insect Hashira" of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Instead, following her own will, she seriously studied medicine, came to teach at Tokyo University, and walked toward a completely different fate trajectory.
[With just a small opportunity, one can lead their master to transcend that fixed causality and walk a completely different path...]
[Indeed, human thought and will are the most unique existence in this world...]
"V-very sorry!"
Completely unaware of Mitsuba's current thoughts, being teased like this, Shinobu's cheeks instantly turned completely red, even steam rising from the top of her head.
[Disgraceful! Too disgraceful! How could she have dazedly started daydreaming while leaning in someone else's arms!]
Feeling ashamed of her behavior just now in her heart, Shinobu hurriedly struggled, wanting to rise from Mitsuba's embrace.
"Thank you! I didn't mean to... uwaa!"
"Careful."
But just as she got up and hadn't walked two steps, Shinobu's entire body stumbled again, nearly falling to the ground.
Fortunately, Mitsuba acted in time, thus avoiding her face-planting ending.
Transparent World activated, Mitsuba looked down and very clearly saw the bruising and swelling at Shinobu's right ankle.
It seemed this girl had accidentally twisted her ankle when she crashed into her just now...
"Little girl, your foot..."
"I-it's fine! Don't worry about me! I can walk completely on my own!"
Finally also noticing the intense pain coming from her ankle, Shinobu replied with a forced smile.
She once again broke free from Mitsuba's hand, supported herself against the wall nearby, and hopped forward.
At this very moment, she only wanted to quickly leave this place, leave this place that made her embarrassed and lose her composure.
"But..."
Watching her swaying appearance, Mitsuba had just wanted to speak when she saw Shinobu turn back again, forcing a smile:
"Really don't worry! It's just a small sprain! I have in my office... uwaa!"
Perhaps the corridor floor tiles today were truly somewhat slippery.
Or perhaps, turning back to speak with Mitsuba caused her to be distracted.
In any case, Shinobu, who was hopping forward while supporting herself against the wall, hadn't finished speaking when her foot slipped again, her entire body once more falling toward the ground!
However, the expected cold and painful contact with the floor did not occur.
The instant the sensation of weightlessness struck, Shinobu only felt her face once again crash into a slightly soft embrace.
Her facial features felt slight pressure, her nose once again smelling that faint perfume scent she had smelled more than once already.
The instant she realized whose embrace she had fallen into again, this time, Shinobu's body completely went limp.
Steam rising from her head, she lay silently in Mitsuba's embrace, as if having lost all strength and means.
[Ah, supreme God, please kill me immediately...]
[I am already utterly disgraced, completely unable to live on...]