"The Mugen Train… I see."
Faced with the information about the Upper Rank demon provided by Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Rin's reaction was surprisingly calm.
He didn't ask a single question about the demon's specific abilities. Instead, he merely waved his hand with complete indifference.
"Have your Kasugai Crow keep a close watch on that train's movements. Inform me once the exact schedule and route are confirmed. Going now would just be a wasted trip."
Rin yawned and turned to leave the courtyard. "I'm heading back to the Butterfly Mansion for dinner. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
Watching Rin walk away so brazenly, the several Hashira still in the courtyard exchanged helpless looks, yet none of them dared to speak up and stop him.
Within the Demon Slayer Corps, where strength ruled everything, Rin—who had instantly defeated several Hashira and was now the top hope of finally defeating Kibutsuji Muzan—already had an authority that matched, or even exceeded, that of the Master.
…
Evening, Butterfly Mansion.
The setting sun resembled spilled blood, casting a soft orange glow over the wisteria flowers in the courtyard.
Rin lifted the curtain of the private treatment room in the backyard and immediately saw Shinobu Kocho sitting at a table, carefully sorting medicinal herbs.
Ever since she had completely destroyed the wisteria poison meant for a mutual death strike the previous night, Shinobu seemed to have undergone a complete transformation.
She was no longer wearing the oversized butterfly-patterned haori. Instead, she wore only a fitted black Demon Slayer Corps uniform, its collar slightly open to reveal her fair, slender swan-like neck.
Without the gentle older-sister mask she used to wear, her current sharp and capable demeanor as she frowned slightly while reviewing prescriptions carried a different kind of striking beauty.
"Yo, our Insect Hashira seems to be in quite a good mood today. Even the medicinal herbs are sorted so neatly," Rin said as he leaned lazily against the doorframe, teasing her casually.
Hearing the familiar voice, Shinobu Kocho's hands paused. She turned and shot him a glare.
"And you still have the nerve to say that? I heard you shut Sanemi and the others up in front of the Master today so thoroughly that none of them dared make a sound. Aren't you afraid of being ostracized by all the Hashira?"
Although her tone carried a mix of reproach and teasing, a faint smile was clearly hidden in Shinobu's purple eyes.
"Ostracize me? They'd need the courage first."
Rin strode over, pulled out a chair without ceremony, and sat down beside Shinobu as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Then he stretched his legs out, slid down in the chair, and very skillfully rested his head on Shinobu's thick, rounded thighs.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"
Shinobu stiffened as if struck by lightning. Her hands, which had been sorting herbs, suddenly froze, unsure where to go.
A flush spread across her fair cheeks at a visible speed, creeping all the way to the tips of her ears.
"Borrowing a lap to rest on," Rin muttered casually as he closed his eyes in comfort. "Didn't sleep well last night, and I had to put on a big show with those guys today. I'm exhausted. Your legs are much softer than a tatami pillow."
"You… you rogue! Get up right now! What if Aoi or Kanao sees this?" Shinobu reached out in embarrassment and annoyance, trying to push Rin's head away.
But the moment her fingers touched his soft black hair, her movement halted as if she had been frozen in place.
She looked down at the handsome face resting so close to her.
With his eyes closed, Rin had lost the arrogant and oppressive aura he carried during the day. The high bridge of his nose and his long eyelashes made him look unexpectedly defenseless and calm.
"Truly a domineering and self-centered idiot…"
Shinobu bit her rosy lower lip, yet in the end, she didn't push him away.
Instead, she gently ran her fingertips through his hair, her movements light and careful.
"The Master already told you about the Mugen Train, didn't he?" Shinobu asked quietly while gently massaging Rin's temples, a trace of concern in her voice. "That might be an Upper Rank…"
"Yeah. Once there's definite information, I'll go twist its head off and kick it around like a ball." Rin didn't even open his eyes, speaking in an extremely casual tone, as if he were discussing what to eat for dinner.
Hearing those arrogant words and feeling the warmth of his body resting on her thighs, Shinobu Kocho didn't think he was boasting. Instead, a sense of unprecedented security quietly rose in her heart.
"If you really run into an Upper Rank…" Shinobu's fingers paused slightly. Her usually cool voice carried a trace of spoiled concern she hadn't even noticed herself. "You are absolutely not allowed to get hurt. Come back here in one piece. Do you understand?"
The corner of Rin's mouth curved into a handsome smile. He suddenly opened his eyes and caught the small hand that had been massaging his hair.
Looking directly into Shinobu's purple eyes, which had grown slightly flustered from the close distance, he chuckled softly.
"What's this? You haven't even married me yet, and you're already worrying about whether I live or die?"
"W-Who would want to marry a violent maniac like you! Don't flatter yourself!"
Shinobu quickly pulled her hand back and covered her burning cheeks in embarrassment. Yet she didn't move Rin's head from her lap. Instead, she turned her face away and stared stubbornly at the herbs on the table, as if trying to force them to bloom under her gaze.
Seeing the sharp-tongued butterfly completely turn into a ripe red tomato, Rin closed his eyes again with satisfaction, quietly enjoying this rare moment of peace.
…
Time passed like a white horse flashing through a crack, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.
During those two weeks, aside from occasionally stopping by the headquarters, Rin had practically treated the Butterfly Mansion as his own backyard.
Meanwhile, Kamado Tanjiro, Agatsuma Zenitsu, and Hashibira Inosuke—the trio of lively troublemakers—gradually recovered from their severe injuries from Natagumo Mountain under the Butterfly Mansion's extremely strict medical care.
After that came the so-called "Rehabilitation Training," which could only be described as hellish.
In the backyard of the Butterfly Mansion—
"AAAAAH! Just kill me already! This kind of stretching isn't something a human body can endure!"
Zenitsu, dressed in white hospital pajamas, was being brutally forced into a split on the floor by Kanzaki Aoi. Tears and snot covered his face as he screamed louder than a pig being slaughtered.
Nearby, Inosuke, still wearing his wild boar mask, sat in a corner, radiating an extremely gloomy aura as he kept muttering to himself.
"I'm too weak… I'm trash… I'm sorry, everyone…"
His throat had been crushed by the Father Spider Demon on Natagumo Mountain. Although it had healed, his voice remained hoarse, and his confidence had been shattered completely.
Only Tanjiro, though drenched in sweat and grimacing in pain, continued to cooperate with the stretching exercises led by Terauchi Kiyo and the other little girls with unwavering determination.
"Next is reflex training!" Aoi clapped her hands and pointed toward a row of wooden cups filled with a cloudy, extremely pungent medicinal liquid placed on the porch. "The rules are simple: use these cups to splash your opponent. If someone presses down on a cup, you can't take it. Your opponent is Kanao!"
The moment Zenitsu heard he would be interacting with a cute girl, he shot up as if injected with adrenaline.
However, ten minutes later..
"Pfft—cough, cough! It stinks! My eyes are burning!"
____
12 Advance chapters:Patreon/slept01