"Waaaaah!!!"
Mitsuri covered her cheeks with both hands, and two streams of hot air even sprayed from her nose.
She was dizzy from this sudden direct hit of public display of affection, and she was so excited that she stomped her feet on the spot.
"It's too sweet! This is really too sweet! It's a hundred times sweeter than the Sakura Mochi I made! Wuuuu, I want to fall in love too! I want such an overbearing boyfriend too!"
Mitsuri screamed while immersed in her own fantasies, even shedding tears of excitement.
Zenitsu, who had just climbed up in the courtyard, saw this scene and suffered another ton of critical damage. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted with foam at the mouth.
Tanjiro hurriedly stepped forward to press his philtrum. "Zenitsu! Pull yourself together, Zenitsu!"
Shinobu finally came back to her senses. She chewed the Sakura Mochi in her mouth, pushed Yamada's arm away in shame and anger, and stepped on his leather boot.
"You bastard who talks nonsense! Shut up!"
She turned and ran, not daring to look back, leaving only an exasperated threat. "Don't think about eating at noon today. I'm going to the kitchen to dump all your meals for the pigs."
Watching Shinobu's fleeing back, as well as Mitsuri still flashing starry eyes beside her, Yamada couldn't help but chuckle.
Occasionally teasing this bristling butterfly was much more interesting than killing those boring demons.
"Um, Yamada-san..."
Mitsuri wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, suddenly remembering the serious business, and her expression became a little more serious.
"Actually, besides delivering Sakura Mochi, I'm also here to bring a message from Master."
Yamada put away the smile on his face and turned to look at her.
"Master said that according to the latest intelligence summary from the Kakushi, traces of demons have been discovered in a secret mountain forest in the northeast direction."
Mitsuri gulped, her tone becoming heavy. "That is the location of the Swordsmith Village. Moreover, it seems that the Twelve Kizuki are gathering in that direction."
Hearing the words "Swordsmith Village," a deep glint flashed in the depths of Yamada's eyes.
That big fish Muzan, after all, couldn't hold back and started to take the bait.
"Understood."
Yamada patted the snack crumbs on his hands, his gaze crossing the courtyard wall, looking at the northeastern horizon.
"Tell Master to prepare the logistics and corpse collection team. This time, I guarantee that I will leave those Upper Ranks who dare to show their heads there, skinned and boned."
...
Mitsuri left the Butterfly Mansion skipping along, carrying a half-empty food box with a satisfied, gossipy smile on her face.
As a Hashira, she had her own jurisdiction to patrol. Being able to squeeze in time to deliver intelligence and incidentally get her fill of romance was already a win for her.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Yamada withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Zenitsu, who was still sprawled on the ground playing dead, as well as the confused Tanjiro and Inosuke beside him.
"Stop lying there. Get back and pack up your junk."
Yamada kicked the stone slab by his feet, producing a crisp sound. "You have half an hour. Bring a change of clothes and your weapons, and meet at the main gate."
Tanjiro froze for a moment, then subconsciously touched the nichirin blade at his waist. "Yamada-san, are we going to the Swordsmith Village too?"
During the battle at the Mugen Train, his nichirin blade had developed several chips in the edge from cutting through the hard carriage frame to save people. Although it could still be used, if they were to encounter the Twelve Kizuki, such a damaged weapon would definitely become a fatal liability.
"What? Do you want to take a poker to fight an Upper Rank to the death?"
Yamada mercilessly exposed him. "Your blades all need to be reforged, so you might as well take this opportunity to go. Besides, if you're lucky enough to run into the rats Muzan sent, you can use them for practice."
"Pr... practice? Use Upper Ranks for practice?!"
Zenitsu, who had been feigning unconsciousness, sprang up like a spring, clutching his head in terror.
"I'm not going! That so-called Swordsmith Village sounds like it's in the deep mountains and old forests. Being cornered in there by an Upper Rank would definitely leave not even my bone fragments behind! I want to stay at the Butterfly Mansion and help Aoi with the laundry!"
"You don't have a choice."
Yamada's gaze turned cold, and a trace of unquestionable pressure flashed in his pitch-black pupils.
"Either walk there yourself, or I'll break your legs and have the Kakushi carry you over. Take your pick."
Feeling that tangible killing intent, Zenitsu instantly shut his mouth, tearing up as he dragged Tanjiro toward the dormitory.
Inosuke, on the other hand, was so excited that white steam was puffing from his nostrils. He waved his two chipped swords, shouting that he wanted to go to the village to duel the strongest blacksmith.
After dismissing these three clowns, Yamada turned and walked through the corridor, heading straight for the private medical room deep within the Butterfly Mansion.
Pushing the door open, a rich, fresh scent of medicinal herbs greeted him.
Shinobu was standing in front of the workbench, carefully packing several vials of concentrated medicine in different colors into a small black leather leg pouch. Hearing the door open, she didn't turn around, but her movements quickened slightly.
"Leaving?" Her voice was calm, with no discernible emotional fluctuation.
"Yeah. Going to pull a few of Muzan's fangs."
Yamada walked over and leaned against the edge of the workbench, watching her neatly organize bandages, hemostatic powder, and antidotes into categories.
"The Swordsmith Village is the lifeblood of the Demon Slayer Corps. Its location is extremely secret, not even Hashira can easily know the specific coordinates. Since Muzan was able to find it, it means he definitely dispatched elites who possess special reconnaissance methods or spatial Blood Demon Arts."
Shinobu turned around and handed the stuffed medical bag to Yamada. She looked up, her deep purple eyes staring straight at him. "This is a broad-spectrum antidote I formulated using the latest wisteria flower extract, it suppresses the toxins of the vast majority of demons. There's also high-concentration coagulant. Although I know it's hard for you to get injured, it never hurts to carry it."
Yamada took the medical bag and weighed it in his hand. It was heavy. What was inside wasn't just medicine, but all the concerns of the woman before him.
He didn't respond to the polite instructions, but suddenly reached out, his fingertips gently stroking the faint dark circles under Shinobu's eyes, which had appeared from days of staying up late to prepare medicine.
"Don't keep staying up all night in the lab while I'm gone. If I see that you've lost weight when I get back, I'll tie you to the bed and force-feed you." Yamada's tone carried his usual casualness and domineering manner.
Shinobu's cheeks grew slightly warm. She subconsciously wanted to turn her head to avoid his hand, but in the end, she didn't move.
"Stop being so conceited. I'm in charge of the Butterfly Mansion. I don't know how many injured people I have to deal with every day, so where would I find the spare time to stay up late every day?" She bit her lip and retorted in a low voice, then, as if having made up her mind about something, grabbed Yamada's wrist.
"Yamada."
She called his name, her eyes becoming unprecedentedly serious.
"Although you possess the strength to instantly kill even Upper Ranks, I've read the ancient texts left behind by the Demon Slayer Corps. The monsters ranked in the top few of the Twelve Kizuki have survived for hundreds of years, and their Blood Demon Arts are strange and unpredictable. I won't allow you to underestimate the enemy."
Looking at her tense appearance, Yamada clasped her hand in his palm, a reassuring smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Don't worry. The demon capable of killing me hasn't been born yet in this world."
He lowered his head and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Watch the house. Wait for me to come back for dinner."
Without any unnecessary tearful farewells, Yamada hung the medical bag at his waist, turned, and strode out of the medical room.
Watching his receding figure, Shinobu took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her chest, feeling the steady and powerful heartbeat there.
"What a bastard that's impossible to refuse."