Outside the Ubuyashiki Estate, on the forest path leading to the Butterfly Mansion.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patches of light across the gravel road.
Rin walked ahead at an extremely leisurely pace, his hands resting behind his head, a piece of foxtail grass he had casually plucked hanging from his mouth.
His relaxed demeanor made it look as if he had just taken a stroll in the park, rather than having just single-handedly crushed the Demon Slayer Corps' top combatants, the Hashira.
Walking half a step behind him, Shinobu Kocho moved silently.
Right now, this sharp-tongued butterfly was unusually quiet.
She kept her head lowered, her deep purple eyes glancing, intentionally or not, at Rin's broad, upright back.
Recalling the scene in the courtyard moments earlier, where this man had unleashed violent lightning capable of destroying everything and arrogantly trampled everyone beneath his feet, Shinobu Kocho felt her heartbeat racing uncontrollably.
He not only discovered my past and forcibly tore away my disguise, but now he's even asserting his authority in front of the Master and all the Hashira...
Shinobu Kocho bit her rosy lower lip. Two faint red blushes appeared on her fair cheeks as her thoughts began to spiral out of control.
Did he do all this just so I wouldn't have to bow my head to others in the Demon Slayer Corps anymore? This arrogant and conceited idiot, his way of showing affection is far too crude.
Just as Shinobu Kocho was completely immersed in her overflowing self-gaslighting fantasies, Rin suddenly stopped and turned his head.
"I say, if you keep staring at my back like that, you're going to burn two holes in my clothes."
Rin spat out the foxtail grass in his mouth and looked at her with a half-smile.
"What? Did you suddenly realize I'm handsome and can't take your eyes off me?"
"Who... who was staring at you!"
Shinobu Kocho reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jumping back abruptly as her cheeks flushed bright red.
But soon, she forced herself to calm down, recovering the tone that belonged to her true nature, a mix of tsundere sharpness.
"Stop flattering yourself! I was just thinking that you went too far with your attacks. Sanemi and Tengen Uzui were paralyzed by your lightning. They're still lying in the courtyard twitching. I'll have to send the Kakushi from the Butterfly Mansion to carry them back later. Just thinking about it is a hassle."
Although she was complaining, the corners of Shinobu Kocho's mouth could not help but curl upward.
Watching that group of hot-tempered colleagues who were usually so proud and unwilling to submit to anyone get taken down in a single move by Rin honestly felt quite satisfying.
"You can't blame me for that. I already held back," Rin said with a shrug. "Consider it electrotherapy to loosen their muscles."
The two of them bickered all the way back to the Butterfly Mansion.
Evening soon arrived, and the entire Butterfly Mansion was thrown into chaos.
"Hurry! We don't have enough hospital beds. Move the spare bedding into the main corridor!"
"Burn ointment! We need a large supply of burn ointment and muscle relaxants!"
"My goodness, what on earth happened? Why were Hashira-level masters all carried back with such severe injuries? Could they have encountered an Upper Rank?"
Kanao Tsuyuri, wearing twin tails, carried a large basin of warm water as she rushed through the corridor like an ant on a hot pan.
Inside the Butterfly Mansion's largest high-level ward, several figures wrapped like mummies were lying side by side.
"Aaa... it hurts! Bastard! My muscles are still spasming uncontrollably!" Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, covered in bandages with only a pair of bloodshot eyes visible, cursed through gritted teeth while twitching.
"This isn't flashy at all! That kind of large-scale lightning explosion left no room to dodge!" Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, now sporting an afro, stared at the ceiling with a look of despair.
Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku, although heavily shocked, remained extremely spirited.
"Umu! What astonishing destructive power! That ultimate technique called 'Chidori' is even more terrifying than a natural disaster. I admit defeat wholeheartedly!"
Lying in the corner, Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro snorted and turned his head away without speaking, but his slightly trembling fingers clearly revealed the terrifying aftereffects caused by the Lightning Release.
Just then, the door to the ward opened with a clatter.
Rin strolled in, leisurely holding a freshly brewed cup of tea.
"Yo, patients. How is the recovery going?"
Rin pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Sanemi's bed. He blew lightly on the tea leaves in his cup and took a slow, deliberate sip.
"Are the food and bedding at the Butterfly Mansion comfortable? Do you want me to ask Aoi to bring you some extra food?"
Seeing the culprit dare to come to the ward and mock them, Sanemi was so furious he nearly jumped out of bed. But the moment he exerted any strength, his muscles felt as if countless needles were stabbing into them, making him gasp in pain.
"You bastard brat... cough, cough! Don't get too smug! Next time... next time I'll definitely chop you into pieces with Wind Breathing!" Sanemi glared fiercely at Rin.
"Save it."
Rin did not even lift his eyelids.
"You couldn't even withstand one of my casual area-of-effect techniques, and you want to chop me into pieces? I suggest you lie in bed and recover properly, and take some time to reflect on your flawed sword forms. If you really encounter an Upper Rank of the Twelve Kizuki, they won't leave you alive the way I did."
If anyone else had said this, these proud Hashira would have drawn their swords and fought to the death.
But facing Rin, even the hot-tempered Sanemi could only clench his fists helplessly.
Because what Rin said was the truth.
In the face of that pure, overwhelming dimensional strike, they had not even been qualified to get close.
"I have learned my lesson!" Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku nodded very seriously.
"Rin's strength has indeed reached a realm we cannot attain. If there is a chance, I hope to ask you how to become stronger!"
Rin waved his hand.
"There's no need to ask for advice. You can't learn my power system. Just focus on recovering."
Under the complicated gazes of the others, filled with both awe and unwillingness, Rin strolled out of the ward with his teacup.
In this world where strength commands respect, a beating is always more effective than ten thousand words.
Now, he had firmly established his position as the "Special Executive Officer" of the Demon Slayer Corps, a role with absolute privileges.