Kanae slowly stood up, taking the hand of the young man before her. Seeing her rise, Kaito immediately withdrew his right hand and said:
"It seems your body is ready to move!"
Kanae Kocho brushed the dust off her clothes and bowed respectfully to Kaito:
"Thank you very much for saving me! My name is Kanae Kocho. Would you be so kind as to accompany me to my home so I may properly express my gratitude?"
"Uh! No need for formalities, my name is Kaito, and close friends call me Kai-chan!"
"Then may I address you as Kaito-sama? Would that be acceptable?"
"This… fine, whatever you like!"
"Yes, Kaito-sama!"
Kaito could only accept helplessly, watching Kanae Kocho speak with such unwavering respect.
Though he had to admit, having such a beautiful woman respectfully address him that way did give him a small, secret thrill.
"Nee-sama!!!"
Just as Kaito and Kanae were about to head off, a young girl came running over from a distance.
It wasn't until the girl reached them that Kaito got a clear look at her.
She was also wearing the black uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, with a butterfly-shaped hair tie at the back of her head, and her small, delicate face was tight with anxiety.
'Is this Shinobu Kocho? She really is a miniature Kanae Kocho!'
'At this point in time, she is probably still somewhat headstrong, not yet the Shinobu from the original story who had fully taken on her sister's gentle manner.'
"Nee-sama, are you alright?"
Seeing her sister covered in blood, Shinobu Kocho immediately rushed over, her hands searching Kanae anxiously for injuries.
"I'm fine, Shinobu. But why did you come all the way out here?"
"I was worried that you might be in danger, so I came on my own."
Looking at Shinobu hanging her head like a child who had done something wrong, Kanae didn't have the heart to scold her.
"Alright, don't do it again, okay!"
"Yes! Nee-sama is the best!"
"Cough, cough!"
'Good heavens! If you two keep chatting like this, the sun will rise!'
Seeing a faint glimmer of light slowly appearing over the distant mountaintops, Kaito, who had been entirely ignored, cleared his throat to interrupt the sisters.
Hearing the sound, the two sisters turned to look at him. Kanae Kocho quickly regained her composure and introduced him to Shinobu:
"This is Kaito-sama. He saved me. He is also an extraordinarily powerful person; he killed an Upper Rank Demon with ease!"
"What! He killed an Upper Rank Demon?!"
Shinobu Kocho looked Kaito over. His slouchy posture gave no impression of someone powerful, and she couldn't help herself:
"You really killed an Upper Rank Demon? Or did my nee-sama do all the hard work and you just took the credit?"
Seeing Shinobu openly doubt Kaito, Kanae quickly stepped in, fearing he would take offense:
"Shinobu, don't be rude! How can you speak like that? Apologize to Kaito-sama at once!"
"Oh ho, little girl, you've got quite some nerve, haven't you?"
The moment he finished speaking, Kaito vanished.
"Kaito-sama, please show mercy!"
Kanae said nervously, seeing Kaito disappear.
Kaito reappeared directly behind Shinobu Kocho and gave her a sharp rap on the head.
"Thud…"
"Ow… it hurts so much… ヽ(;´Д｀)ﾉ"
Shinobu felt the pain bloom at the top of her head and couldn't help but squat down, cradling it with both hands.
With that head-cradling squat defence, even Remilia would have to exclaim, "An expert!"
"Hahaha! Little girl, do you still dare to doubt me now?"
Kaito laughed heartily, looking at Shinobu in her head-cradling squat.
Watching Kaito laugh and Shinobu curl up clutching her head, Kanae couldn't help but let a gentle smile slip onto her lips.
"Kaito-sama, really!"
Shinobu rubbed the top of her head, her eyes slightly red. She looked up at Kaito's mischievous face and whimpered softly:
"I know I was wrong! Wuwuwu…"
"Pfft, hahahaha!"
"Heh heh heh!"
Kaito burst out laughing again, and Kanae Kocho covered her mouth with a soft laugh of her own.
"Alright, Kaito-sama, Shinobu, let's go!"
"Okay!" x2
Infinity Castle
"How is this possible! Doma was actually killed!"
Kibutsuji Muzan, having just received word of Doma's death, couldn't help but exclaim in shock. He reviewed Doma's memories from before his death.
'Who is this man? A new Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps? How could he be so powerful?'
Kibutsuji Muzan grew more and more unsettled as he watched, feeling that the man in the vision was no weaker than the one who had haunted him for five hundred years, and perhaps even stronger. That single finger strike was simply not something a human being should be capable of.
"No, I must not be found. Nakime, send word to the Twelve Kizuki to return to the Infinity Castle at once and seal it off!"
"Yes, Muzan-sama."
Nakime responded respectfully, her biwa held in her hands.
It just goes to show that Kibutsuji Muzan has no real presence as a final boss. He hides at the slightest hint of danger.
Even Kaito, who wants nothing more than to play it safe, would probably give him a thumbs up. Truly worthy of the title "Scummy Boss".
"Worst case, I will wait another five hundred years. I refuse to believe you can live that long too!"
Kibutsuji Muzan narrowed his crimson eyes and muttered softly, watching Nakime's retreating figure.
Butterfly Estate — Morning
"We're back!"
Shinobu Kocho, stepping through the entrance of the Butterfly Estate, called out loudly.
"Oh, Kanae-nee-san, Shinobu-nee-san, you're back!"
Kanzaki Aoi, who had been sweeping the courtyard, looked up with delight as the Kocho sisters walked in.
Meanwhile, Kanao Tsuyuri, who had been feeding the fish by a small pond nearby, stopped what she was doing. She made no sound, simply watching quietly.
'Darn rich people!'
Kaito looked at the sprawling Butterfly Estate and the pond in the courtyard, and quietly thought of his small rented room and the Goblin Village's thatched huts back in the other world.
"Um, excuse me, sir. Who are you? What brings you to the Butterfly Estate?"
Kanzaki Aoi asked directly, noticing Kaito walking in behind the two sisters. Kanao Tsuyuri turned her head to look at him as well.
"Aoi, Kanao, let me introduce you. This is Kaito-sama. When I went out to slay a demon tonight, I encountered an Upper Rank Demon. Thanks to Kaito-sama, I was able to survive."
"Aoi, could you please prepare a meal so we may properly thank Kaito-sama?"
"Eh?! Kanae-nee-san, you actually encountered an Upper Rank Demon?! Are you alright?"
Kanzaki Aoi was greatly shocked. She had often heard Demon Slayer Corps members talk about how terrifying the Twelve Kizuki were. Upper Rank Demons required multiple Hashira-level swordsmen just to contend with them. The fact that she had encountered one and come home safe was nothing short of a miracle.
"Of course I'm fine. Let's go inside first. Kaito-sama, please come in!"
"Oh, um, yes! Kaito-sama, please, come in quickly!"
Hearing Kanae's words, Kanzaki Aoi nervously ushered Kaito inside.
'Haha, this little girl is really flustered.'
Looking at the nervous Kanzaki Aoi and Kanao Tsuyuri standing silently beside her, Kaito smiled warmly:
"Haha, don't be nervous, little one. I don't bite. Kanae, your home is really something!"
As everyone entered the house, the Kocho sisters went to the inner rooms to change into clean clothes, while Kanzaki Aoi hurried to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
For a moment, only Kaito and Kanao Tsuyuri remained in the room, staring blankly at each other.
Neither of them spoke. Kaito wasn't sure what to say, and Kanao, holding her coin, had no intention of speaking either. The silence stretched into something genuinely awkward.
'Is this Kanao when she was young? She really is dazed, but so cute!'
'I really want to pinch her little face. Would that be three years in prison? Oh wait, I just remembered, I can sign in today. System, sign in!'
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, on obtaining…]