The war council ended.
To prepare for the upcoming battle, Tomioka Giyu and the others bid their farewells and left.
"Cain, I should return to rest."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya coughed twice and looked toward the black haired youth who had not yet left the courtyard.
"Regarding your residence..."
"Master, let Cain stay at the Butterfly Mansion."
Kochō Kanae, who had also remained behind, stepped forward and made a suggestion.
"Cain, are you willing?"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked toward Cain.
"Anywhere is fine."
Cain nodded.
After living deep in the mountains and forests for several months, his expectations for living conditions had become extremely low.
"As long as I can sleep normally, it will be fine."
After bidding farewell to Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Cain and Kochō Kanae headed toward the Butterfly Mansion.
Although Kochō Kanae looked ninety percent similar to Kochō Shinobu, their temperaments were completely different.
Compared to the impulsive and easily angered Kochō Shinobu, Kochō Kanae resembled a refined young lady from a noble household.
She wore a colorful butterfly patterned haori. Her long black hair flowed behind her, and a gentle smile frequently appeared on her face.
"Cain, did you and Shinobu argue?"
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because Shinobu rarely makes bets, so I wondered if the two of you had a disagreement."
"Oh, that."
Realizing what she meant, Cain waved his hand and chuckled softly.
"We did not argue. The bet happened because she did not believe that I could defeat a Lower Rank demon with a single strike."
"A single strike against a Lower Rank demon?"
Kochō Kanae blinked.
Thinking back to Kochō Shinobu's maid outfit earlier, she roughly understood the result of the bet.
"Cain, you are amazing. The Master mentioned earlier that you have only practiced Breathing Techniques for a few months, yet you can already instantly defeat a Lower Rank demon."
"It is not that impressive. I only fought Lower Rank Five, and that guy is not particularly strong among the Lower Rank demons. If it were you, you could probably defeat him with one strike as well."
"No. My strength is not as great as yours, Cain. I cannot reach that level."
Kochō Kanae shook her head.
As a woman, her physical strength was weaker compared to the other Hashira.
Combined with the characteristics of her Breathing Technique, her combat style leaned more toward stability and precision.
Although she could defeat a Lower Rank demon, achieving an instant one strike victory like Cain was almost impossible.
"By the way, Cain, may I ask you a somewhat sensitive question?"
"You want to ask if there is a trick to me being this strong?"
"I am indeed curious about that, but that is not the question I wanted to ask."
Kochō Kanae's expression gradually became serious.
"Cain, do you think humans and demons can live together peacefully?"
"No."
"Eh? That was very decisive."
"It would be strange if I hesitated."
Cain glanced at her.
"If you had been hungry for a week and a delicious pig suddenly appeared in front of you, and you happened to be holding a hunting rifle and kitchen utensils, would you choose to live peacefully with it?"
"...No."
"Then the answer is obvious."
Cain raised a finger.
"As long as demons still need to eat humans in order to survive, peaceful coexistence between humans and demons is impossible."
"But that weakness can be overcome, right? For example, the Miss Tamayo you mentioned earlier. She has lived for many years without being discovered by the Demon Slayer Corps because she does not eat humans."
"Have you considered what the prerequisite was for her overcoming the weakness of needing to eat humans?"
"...Breaking free from Kibutsuji Muzan?"
"Exactly. Only after she escaped Kibutsuji Muzan's control did she gain the opportunity to modify herself."
"In this regard, Tamayo is an extremely special case. You cannot use a special example to represent the entire population."
As he spoke, Cain pointed at himself.
"I will give you another example. I learned Breathing Techniques for only a few months and was already able to defeat Lower Rank Five with a single strike. Do you think my situation can serve as a reference for others?"
"Obviously not."
Without waiting for Kochō Kanae to respond, Cain answered his own question.
"I am special. My growth experience cannot be replicated by ordinary people."
"Likewise, Tamayo is also special. Her experience cannot be replicated by ordinary demons."
"I see... that is unfortunate."
Kochō Kanae sighed softly.
There was naturally a reason why she had asked Cain that question at this moment.
As a kind hearted person, Kochō Kanae had discovered during her demon slaying missions that many demons were not originally evil.
The reason they became demons was simply misfortune. They encountered Kibutsuji Muzan, were selected by him, and had the Demon King's blood injected into them.
If possible, Kochō Kanae had hoped to save those demons who had no choice and eventually create a world where humans and demons could coexist peacefully.
However, after hearing Cain's explanation and examples, she deeply realized how difficult that dream truly was.
Rather than searching for a way to free demons from Kibutsuji Muzan's control and then creating medicine to remove their need to eat humans...
It would be far simpler to follow Cain's plan and eliminate Kibutsuji Muzan himself.
Once those lingering thoughts were resolved, the world suddenly seemed much wider.
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, the aura surrounding Kanae quietly changed.
A gentle smile still rested on her face, but a trace of determination appeared within her purple eyes.
"Thank you for your answer, Cain."
Looking at the black haired youth beside her, Kochō Kanae expressed her sincere gratitude.
"Now I should be able to devote all of my energy to the operation without hesitation."
"Oh. In that case, good luck."
Cain nodded, feeling slightly impressed without clearly understanding why.
Although he did not know what exactly had changed, his social experience from his previous life told him that at moments like this, simply responding with simple acknowledgments was the correct choice.
While chatting with Kochō Kanae along the way, the two soon arrived at the Butterfly Mansion.
As the central logistics facility of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Butterfly Mansion served three primary functions: treating the wounded, researching poisons and antidotes, and helping injured swordsmen undergo rehabilitation training. Because of this, it occupied a very large area.
After entering the Butterfly Mansion, Cain walked for another ten minutes before finally arriving at Kochō Kanae's residence, a traditional Japanese courtyard.
"Kanao, I am back!"
Just as they entered the courtyard, Kochō Kanae's eyes brightened and she waved toward a corner not far away.
Cain looked in that direction and saw a small girl standing quietly in the corner of the courtyard.
She wore children's clothing, and her black hair was tied into a side ponytail, giving her a very cute appearance.
"Cain, let me introduce her to you."
Kochō Kanae led Cain closer.
"Her name is Kanao Tsuyuri. I rescued her from a human trafficker."
"Kanao, this is Cain. He is the Demon Slayer Corps' new Thunder Hashira, and he is very powerful."
"Come, say hello to Cain."
"...Hello."
Kanao Tsuyuri nodded slightly. Her expression remained completely unchanged throughout the entire exchange.
Seeing this, Kochō Kanae sighed quietly and explained to Cain.
"This child seems to have developed some emotional difficulties because of her childhood experiences."
"It is fine. Being emotionless can also be considered a unique charm."
Cain reached out and gently patted Kanao Tsuyuri's head, a smile appearing on his face.
"Hello there, little sister Kanao."
"Would you like to go look at the goldfish with big brother?"
"..."
Kanao Tsuyuri silently stepped back a few steps.
"Eh?"
Kochō Kanae let out a small sound of surprise.
She had adopted Kanao Tsuyuri for quite some time and understood her condition very well.
Her emotional issue was essentially caused by shutting herself off from the world.
Because of this, Kanao Tsuyuri usually spent most of her time standing blankly.
Unless she received a clear instruction, she would rarely react to anything.
Like today, where she clearly showed resistance and moved away voluntarily, was something that had never happened before.
"Could it be... that the way to help Kanao escape her predicament is by communicating like a strange pervert?"
"Hey! I can hear you!"
Cain rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean by 'communicating like a pervert'? Be careful or I will report you for making personal attacks."
"Ahem. Cain, try saying a few more things to Kanao and see how she reacts."
"Fine, fine."
Looking at the expressionless little girl standing before him, Cain thought for a moment before extending his right hand.
"Shake hands."
Kanao silently extended her left hand.
"Give me a hug."
Kanao silently stepped forward.
"Give me a kis..."
"That is enough!"
Before anything awkward could happen, Kochō Kanae quickly covered Cain's mouth.
"We will continue this testing next time. I will take responsibility for preparing the dialogue content."
"Eh? That will make it boring."
"Treating a patient does not need to be entertaining."
A helpless expression appeared on Kochō Kanae's face.
She now somewhat understood why Kochō Shinobu had become so angry earlier that she made a bet with Cain.
At certain moments, the things this man said were truly infuriating.
...
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