Chapter 41: The Three Sisters of the Butterfly Mansion are All Here
"It wasn't Kanae's fault. I threatened her with 'non-cooperation with treatment,' that's why..." Seeing the flustered look on Kanae's face, Makomo quickly confessed the truth.
From the moment she had been brought to the Butterfly Mansion, Kanae had been the one tending to her wounds. Makomo had never intended to drag the gentle girl into her scheme, but Akira's return had been too perfectly timed—Kanae had just finished changing her bandages and hadn't had a chance to leave the room.
"You... you've been planning this ever since you woke up, haven't you?" Akira's voice was low, but it held no real heat. He gently tapped Makomo's forehead twice. "Just you wait. I'll be personally taking over your rehabilitation training."
With that, he let the matter drop, but it wasn't truly over. Once her injuries were mostly healed, Akira fully intended to put her through some "special training"—both as a lesson for her reckless prank and, more, to drastically improve her strength.
Though Makomo's little performance had been a joke, her injuries were terrifyingly real. She wouldn't have been placed in a private observation room otherwise. This time it was a prank, but what if next time it was real?
Akira knew he couldn't stop Makomo from her path of slaying demons; it was the very reason she had joined the Demon Slayer Corps. The only thing he could do was help her become strong enough to face the dangers that lay ahead and return to him safely.
After chatting a little longer and learning the details of how Makomo had been injured, Akira prepared to leave. Darkness had already fallen, and his patrol duties as a Hashira awaited.
As she watched Akira's figure disappear down the hall, Makomo turned her head to look at Kanae, her expression apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Kanae, for dragging you into this."
"It's alright, Makomo." Kanae shook her head, her smile gentle and reassuring. "But a joke like that really isn't appropriate. I can see that Kanzaki-kun cares for you a great deal. With pranks like these, the more someone cares, the more it will hurt them."
"I know... but ever since I heard he became a Hashira, I've been scared," Makomo admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "Scared that the boy I used to play with would become someone high and mighty, someone far away. Even though I know it's him, that he would never be like that, I just... I couldn't help it."
"But now, you should be able to relax, right?" As she spoke, Kanae had already moved to the bedside, settling onto a small stool. Though they had known each other for less than a day, a natural closeness had already formed between the two girls.
"Yeah. Xiao Yun is still Xiao Yun," Makomo said, a relieved smile gracing her lips before it immediately soured. "It's just... that rehabilitation training is going to be hellish, ugh..." Her expression crumpled. She knew Akira was only holding back his anger because of her severe injuries; the real punishment would begin the moment she was back on her feet.
"There's no helping it. Everyone has to be responsible for their own choices." Kanae could only stroke Makomo's head, the gesture soft and comforting. It was an unconscious habit, born from years of looking after her younger sister. Seeing that Makomo didn't resist, she let her hand rest there. "I'm afraid I can't help you with this one."
"Yeah... Huh?" Makomo's eyes widened slightly. "That phrase... Xiao Yun said the exact same thing to me before." She was suddenly transported back to the Final Selection, to those days she had spent fighting alongside Akira. She had asked him why he wouldn't rescue the same person twice, and his response had been chillingly pragmatic.
"Everyone has to be responsible for their own choices. Since they were unwilling to leave after being saved once, they must be prepared to die here."
Those were Akira's original words, and now, hearing them echoed by Kanae, a strange sense of connection bloomed in the room.
"Eh?" The parallel piqued Kanae's interest. "Speaking of which, how did you and Kanzaki-kun meet? And why do you call him 'Xiao Yun'? Just how old is he?"
A barrage of questions tumbled from Kanae's lips, her curiosity now fully ignited. She had always felt a certain fondness for Akira, the boy who had saved her life, but their time together had been so brief. He was a mystery, a figure who had appeared in her life like a phantom in the night. Now, with Makomo here, she couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
Kanae's eager questioning made Makomo's heart give a little flutter. But as she looked into Kanae's gentle, crystalline eyes, she saw nothing but pure, innocent curiosity. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she began to recount her story, her tone cheerful and tinged with a fond nostalgia as she spoke of her first meeting with Akira and all that had followed.
The stories satisfied the deep curiosity in Kanae's heart. With every tale Makomo told, the image of the boy who had saved her began to sharpen, gaining depth and color.
"Kanzaki-kun is really that young?"
"Amazing... Not just Kanzaki-kun, you're incredible too, Makomo."
"So he has such a childish side to him... That's strangely cute..."
...
Before they knew it, twenty days had passed in a flash.
During that time, Akira's days fell into a comfortable rhythm. He primarily practiced his swordsmanship, and during his breaks, he would visit Makomo to chat and check on her recovery. As the new Sound Hashira, he also made it a point to visit the other swordsmen recuperating at the Butterfly Mansion, offering what comfort and encouragement he could.
Beyond that, he spent time with the Kocho family. He would often consult with Mr. and Mrs. Kocho, seeking their knowledge on battlefield first aid. His time with Kanae was filled with light, daily conversation. He had once suggested she could just call him "Xiao Yun," but for some reason, the gentle girl was unexpectedly stubborn on this point. After a few failed attempts, he simply let nature take its course.
As for the youngest, Shinobu, Akira couldn't help but enjoy teasing the little girl, who still retained a bright-eyed innocence, her world not yet shattered by tragedy. He would playfully provoke her until she chased him with flailing arms, only to appease her moments later with some small trinket he'd brought back from his outings.
Kanae was simply happy that her sister had found another playmate, and Mr. and Mrs. Kocho were glad to see their family's greatest protector growing close to their daughters.
At night, he would patrol his assigned territory, occasionally dispatching a few unfortunate demons who crossed his path and responding swiftly to distress calls from other Corps members. Of course, most nights were quiet, allowing him to finish his duties early and return to the Butterfly Mansion for a peaceful rest.
But Akira's excursions weren't limited to the night; otherwise, he never would have been able to buy those trinkets for Shinobu. When he went out during the day, besides patrolling abandoned buildings for any hiding demons, Akira was also searching for someone—a poor, lost girl from the story he knew so well: Kanao Tsuyuri.
Of course, she didn't bear that name yet. In fact, her inhumane parents had likely never bothered to give her a name at all. This made finding her a troublesome task.
It wasn't until this day, when Makomo's injuries had finally healed enough for her to begin her rehabilitation, that Akira returned to the Butterfly Mansion. With him was a small, silent girl with a completely blank face.
At that moment, the three girls who would one day be known as the sisters of the Butterfly Mansion were finally gathered together.
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