Chapter 60: Spectators |
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Sword Hashira Residence.
As she approached the entrance, Kanao heard a calm, relaxed voice before she even had a chance to knock. "Come on, step inside..."
She bowed politely and scampered into the room.
Her mouth hung open in slight surprise at the scene before her. Yeruashi sat in a lounge chair with a book in his hands, while Kanae, still wearing her fox mask, gently massaged his shoulders. Nearby, Mitsuri was savoring a slice of cake.
"You did exactly what I hoped for. Truthfully, I sent you to that town to see if you would try to help on your own initiative, but even if you hadn't, I would have eventually asked you to," Yeruashi said casually, looking up as he closed his book and set it aside. With a smile, he added, "We have some cake here. Join us."
After a series of interventions, Kanao had completely shed her shell of withdrawal and apathy, states that had once been accompanied by an absence of emotion or any personal connection to the world around her.
This was clearly demonstrated by her spontaneous decision to save Nezuko, confirming that the loss of emotion was reversible—but only if the subject truly desired to remain human.
Yeruashi was quite satisfied with the results of his experiment.
"You must be little Kanao, right? Come here, you simply must try this divine cake!" Mitsuri greeted her with a warm smile, continuing to relish her slice of cherry cake.
Kanao sat down on the floor somewhat blankly, not reacting to the offer, but Mitsuri stood up and unceremoniously pulled her toward the table.
"I'm so glad she's returned to a normal life," Kanae said with a soft smile from behind the chair. She had instantly recognized Kanao as the same girl Yeruashi had taken from her and Shinobu a few years ago.
Back then, Kanao had viewed the world with a completely indifferent, hollow gaze. She still looked a bit detached now, but that was only because she was overwhelmed by Mitsuri's sheer energy.
"I decided not to change the name you would have given her without my interference," Yeruashi commented with a gentle smile.
Kanae stepped forward and tenderly patted the girl's head.
"Sister Kanae?" Kanao asked tentatively, recognizing her despite the fox mask and the change in hair color.
On her way here, she had felt a twinge of sadness upon hearing of the tragic death of the woman who had first saved her from the slave trader. Despite her complete withdrawal back then, she still remembered that act of kindness.
"Yes, it's me," Kanae said, lifting her mask slightly. "I must ask you to keep this a secret."
"But why?" Kanao asked, her joy mixed with confusion.
Kanae remained silent and glanced toward Yeruashi.
"...To temper Shinobu. How could she truly grow if she were still under her sister's protective wing? There's a reason Shinobu is now the strongest Hashira—excluding Makomo, of course," he explained with a casual shrug.
After those words.
With a slight wave of his hand, a thin water screen condensed in the center of the room. It displayed an image of a boy with a scar on his forehead, frantically dodging traps in the middle of a forest.
"Let's see how soon he passes the Final Selection."
"In... a couple of years?" Kanae suggested after watching Tanjiro's training for a moment.
As the former Flower Hashira, she was well aware of the difficulty of the Final Selection. Typically, candidates required at least three years of intensive training before attempting it. However, Tanjiro seemed like a talented child to her, so she shortened the estimate to two years.
"Ah... watch out!" Mitsuri squealed in fright, noticing a massive log flying toward the boy on the screen.
But shouting was useless. A moment later, the log slammed directly into the forehead of the momentarily distracted Tanjiro.
The sight was so painful to watch that a startled Mitsuri even dropped her piece of cake.
To her surprise, the boy simply rubbed his bruised forehead and scrambled back to his feet as if nothing had happened.
"Good grief, what a thick skull! He'll turn into a stone statue before he ever becomes a Hashira at this rate..." Mitsuri grumbled, annoyed.
Chuckling at her remark, Yeruashi split the water screen in two with a simple flick of his wrist. The second screen displayed Nezuko.
The girl sat in the middle of a room with a vacant expression until her eyelids began to droop. As soon as her eyes closed, she tumbled over onto her side in a comical fashion and fell into a deep sleep.
"She's so cute," Mitsuri said, blinking her eyelashes.
She wasn't worried about Nezuko's condition in the slightest. Turning a demon back into a human was a simple task for Yeruashi; the only question was when Nezuko would be given that opportunity.
"But what is Tanjiro planning to do? From what I know, a demon gradually loses its sanity if it goes too long without consuming human flesh..." Kanae murmured thoughtfully.
Having heard the history of the Kamado lineage from Yeruashi, she no longer doubted that Tanjiro would eventually become a Hashira and bring Nezuko here. However, everything would be ruined if she succumbed to her hunger and started eating people before then.
"Nezuko is no ordinary demon. The amount of the Progenitor of Demons' blood currently flowing through her veins would kill any normal person. However, her unique body is not only capable of withstanding that burden but can also sustain itself for long periods without human flesh. I believe she can hold out in this state for a year or maybe two," Yeruashi explained briefly, before offering a wry smirk. "In any case, I wouldn't allow such a sweetheart to devour human flesh."
At those words, Kanao, Kanae, and Mitsuri all relaxed at once.
Kanao had grown close to Nezuko, Kanae was naturally kind-hearted, and Mitsuri simply had a weakness for anything adorable. None of them wanted to see Nezuko come to harm; she and Tanjiro had already endured enough suffering.