DS Chapter 95: Lady Amane's Late-Night Visit
The one who shouted last was Hotaru Haganezuka.
He shot to his feet in fury and slammed his fist onto the workbench.
Bang!
The table trembled violently.
By sheer coincidence, his fist landed directly on the Nichirin Blade he had been polishing.
Crack!
The blade snapped cleanly in two.
Haganezuka stood there in silence for a long moment.
Then...
He quietly crouched down and pretended nothing had happened.
The diligent yet perpetually unlucky swordsmith calmly picked up another blade and resumed polishing.
---
Meanwhile, at the Butterfly Mansion...
The news had just arrived.
Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho immediately rushed to Ren's room.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"It's open?" came Ren's sleepy voice from inside.
The three girls excitedly called out together,
"Big Brother Ren! Come quickly!"
"You've become a Hashira!"
Creak—
The wooden door slowly opened.
Ren appeared, still looking half asleep.
"Let me see."
He took the letter from Naho and carefully read its contents.
A moment later, he let out a helpless sigh.
"That was fast..."
Only yesterday, he had returned to the Butterfly Mansion battered and exhausted.
After briefly greeting Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho, who had been on duty, he had fallen asleep almost immediately.
He hadn't expected the Ubuyashiki family to announce his promotion the very next day.
Their efficiency was remarkable.
Not bad.
From now on, the Butterfly Mansion had not one...
...but two Hashira.
The Insect Hashira.
And the Dragon Hashira.
Let's see who would dare underestimate the Butterfly Mansion now.
Just as Ren was thinking that—
A Kasugai Crow suddenly flew in through the window, flapping its wings wildly as it dove toward him.
"Caw! Caw!"
"Short-lived ghost! Short-lived ghost!"
"Caw! You're a short-lived ghost!"
The crow screeched nonstop as it pecked directly at Ren's head.
Fortunately, Ren reacted instantly.
His Invisible Hand shot forward and caught the bird in midair.
The crow immediately fell silent.
"Easy, Ren-sama!"
"Lady Amane sent this Kasugai Crow as a gift to congratulate you on becoming a Hashira."
"Lady Amane?"
Ren blinked.
"When did she come? You saw her?"
Sumi nodded.
"Yesterday, Ren-sama."
"You were completely exhausted after returning and fell asleep."
"Not long after, Lady Amane arrived."
"Lady Shinobu and Sister Kanao happened to be away at the time."
"Lady Amane brought this Kasugai Crow and said it was a congratulatory gift for becoming a Hashira."
Naho hurriedly added,
"Oh, right!"
"Lady Shinobu talked with Lady Amane for a long time yesterday."
"But we don't know what they discussed."
Ren smiled knowingly.
"They were probably talking about the relocation."
"The relocation?"
The three little girls blinked in confusion.
Clearly, Shinobu hadn't told them anything yet.
Which made sense.
There was no point frightening children with talk of demons.
Still...
Ren hadn't expected Lady Amane to move so quickly.
He had only suggested helping Shinobu change her outlook yesterday.
Yet Lady Amane had already visited that very night.
She had probably come to discuss his appointment as a Hashira and the future of the Butterfly Mansion.
That seemed the most likely explanation.
At that moment, Kiyo suddenly remembered something.
"Oh!"
"Ren-sama!"
"The Wind Hashira came yesterday too!"
"He did?"
Ren rubbed his chin.
"What was Sanemi doing here in the middle of the night?"
Kiyo explained,
"The Wind Hashira said he went a little too far during yesterday's match and hoped you wouldn't take it personally."
"He also congratulated you on becoming a Hashira."
Ren blinked.
"And?"
"There was definitely something else."
"Huh?"
Kiyo stared at him in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"He really did ask for something."
Ren answered calmly,
"He wanted me to remove the three blade rings still lodged near his waist, didn't he?"
"That's right!"
"Exactly!"
The three girls looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"Ren-sama, you're amazing!"
Ren stroked his chin.
Yesterday, Shinobu had been away from the mansion, so Sanemi hadn't been able to find his attending physician.
In a way...
That was rather pitiful.
Still, the match was already over.
There was no point making things difficult for Sanemi anymore.
Besides, if those poisoned blade rings remained inside his body, they would eventually begin affecting his spine.
Ren looked at the three girls.
"Kiyo."
"Sumi."
"Naho."
"If the Wind Hashira comes again, make sure he books an appointment first."
"Tell him to register for surgery."
"Without registration, the Butterfly Mansion can't officially accept him as a patient."
"Once he's registered, notify one of the doctors."
"Either Lady Shinobu or I can perform the operation."
"Understood?"
The three girls nodded obediently.
"Understood, Ren-sama!"
"Good."
"Back to work."
"Yes, Ren-sama!"
The three girls happily ran off.
---
Ren's attention returned to the Kasugai Crow in his hand.
"So..."
"You called me a 'short-lived ghost,' did you?"
"Fine."
"From today onward..."
"Your name is Short-Lived Ghost."
He flicked the crow lightly on the forehead.
Instead of protesting, the Kasugai Crow flapped its wings excitedly.
Ren nodded with satisfaction.
"It really likes the name."
"No wonder it's so energetic."
Over the next few minutes, Ren devoted himself to training his new Kasugai Crow.
After all, they would be partners from now on.
If the bird constantly caused trouble, life would become unbearable.
He remembered perfectly well that, in the original story, Tanjiro Kamado's Kasugai Crow had an outrageous personality.
It even liked relieving itself on Tanjiro's head.
Ren refused to let that happen.
To ensure absolute obedience...
He spent the next ten minutes engaging in what he affectionately called a "parent-child bonding session" with his new crow, Short-Lived Ghost.
Immediately afterward, he issued more than a dozen commands.
Every time the crow hesitated...
Ren plucked one of its feathers.
He even made sure to threaten its "kidney" for emphasis.
Not long afterward...
The feathers beneath the crow's wings had become noticeably sparse.
Its eyes were now filled with fear...
...and just a hint of resentment.
Still, the training proved astonishingly effective.
Now, if Ren ordered it east...
It wouldn't dare fly west.
---
After finishing the crow's training, Ren headed toward the basement.
Yesterday, he had asked Kanao to return home and inform Shinobu about Murata's situation.
If his guess was correct...
Shinobu must have spent last night discussing everything with Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
Which meant...
She was probably still asleep.
With that thought, Ren quickened his pace.
He walked through the basement corridor and stopped before the laboratory.
Creak—
Carefully pushing the door open, Ren slipped quietly through the narrow gap on tiptoe.