The one thing Yohan was worst at… was saying no to girls.
Especially girls like Nezuko—adorable, sincere, and determined.
Besides, having her train under him wouldn't be dangerous at all. With his current strength, he could easily protect those around him.
In fact, sending her to train under the Demon Slayer Corps directly might even be riskier. Who knew what kind of harsh conditions or unexpected dangers she could face there?
It would be much safer to have her follow him—just like Mitsuri did.
That was it. Yohan had made up his mind about Nezuko's training path.
"Brother Yohan! Thank you so much!" Nezuko cried as she ran straight into his arms, hugging him tightly.
The moment she realized Yohan had agreed to teach her, a pure, overwhelming joy burst forth from her chest.
"Nezuko, you…"
Yohan froze, unsure of how to react to the unexpected embrace.
Then—
"Yohan! Yohan! Yohan!!"
From who-knows-where, Kanroji Mitsuri suddenly sprang into view like a pink and green whirlwind, charging at Yohan like a missile.
"I want a hug too!"
Smack!
Mitsuri wrapped her arms tightly around Yohan from behind.
And just like that, Yohan found himself hugged from both front and back. A soft, warm kind of "captivity."
He felt like he'd been tied down by happiness itself.
"What a pervert."
The icy, judgmental voice of Shinobu Kocho came from the side. She stood there, arms crossed, eyes full of contempt.
"Yohan-kun is… really popular, huh,"
Tamayo added from beside Shinobu. Her voice was calm, but her eyes didn't look especially cheerful.
"It's not what it looks like, alright?" Yohan groaned, holding his forehead in defeat.
He knew there was no way he could explain this cleanly.
Oh well. Let it all blow away with the wind.
He gave up. Just like that, Yohan chose to surrender to fate.
"I-I was just… really thankful to Brother Yohan," Nezuko stammered.
Realizing everyone was staring, she quickly let go and backed off, her face instantly turning bright red.
….
"Nezuko!"
"Since Yohan hasn't learned any of the breathing techniques himself, I'll be the one to teach you the basics," said Mitsuri brightly.
"Okay! Thank you, Sister Mitsuri!" Nezuko responded eagerly.
Inside the Butterfly Estate, Nezuko had already begun her serious training under Kanroji Mitsuri.
Though she had said she would train under Yohan, much of his own power came from the system—something he couldn't exactly teach others. At best, he could show her some iron-body techniques and basic grappling moves.
So for now, he arranged for Nezuko to begin her foundation with Mitsuri's help.
Mitsuri's power had been soaring lately—she was inching closer and closer to the level of a Hashira.
And no, that wasn't an exaggeration. In the previous timeline, Mitsuri had joined the Demon Slayer Corps and quickly rose through the ranks after becoming Rengoku Kyojuro's Tsuguko. It hadn't taken her long to become a Hashira.
While she wasn't the most powerful among the Hashira, she was one.
This time around, even though her path had changed, training under Yohan had allowed her to tap into her full physical potential.
"System, is it possible to arrange some kind of rewards that would benefit Mitsuri and the others later on?" Yohan asked in his mind.
He wanted to explore whether the system could be leveraged to support those around him too.
[This system can adjust rewards for the host within the permitted range.]
[However, all rewards will still focus primarily on defensive enhancements.]
So that was it. Yohan understood now.
The system's core remained defense-oriented—but at least there was some flexibility within that realm. That was good enough. In the future, he could look for ways to reward Mitsuri and the others through the system's mechanisms.
For now though…
Yohan flopped back down, sinking into a lazy sprawl once more.
He knew he should be out there pushing himself harder. Becoming stronger.
But even a flopping salted fish is still a salted fish, right?
Just five more minutes…
Just a little longer to lie down.
//
Within the Eternal Paradise Cult,
Dōma—the one seated at its divine peak—was listening to a follower's report.
"Lord Dōma, it seems someone has been probing into our affairs lately."
"Oh? Tell me more."
"They say it's a woman. She's been asking around, but very discreetly. Doesn't seem like she's trying to join the sect."
"A woman, hmm? Then she must still be lost—wandering through the illusions of this world, unaware of how to truly transcend into bliss."
"Yes, my lord." The follower's eyes shimmered with reverence. Clearly, he yearned for the salvation Dōma so often spoke of—the so-called paradise.
"Lure her out. Since I'm already here…"
A smile curled on Dōma's lips.
"…I'll personally give her a proper 'salvation.'"
"What an honor for her!" The follower beamed with envy.
And just like that, the room fell quiet again. Dōma sat alone, and the warmth he had just shown his follower faded as if it had never existed.
Gone was the charm, the politeness. What remained now was a face utterly devoid of emotion, of desire—of any semblance of humanity.
Born with multicolored eyes like fractured glass and hair as pale and clean as white oak, he had been seen as a "child of the gods" by his superstitious parents.
They believed he could hear the voice of heaven itself.
For all these years, Dōma had played along with their beliefs, donning the perfect mask of this so-called divine messenger—just to appease the fools around him.
To these ignorant worshippers, he offered salvation—beautiful lies veiled as divine grace.
"I've stayed here long enough," he murmured, standing up slowly. "Once I deal with that woman, I'll head back out and continue spreading my 'salvation.'"
He narrowed his eyes, his voice now low and eerie.
"And while I'm at it, I'd better look into that other matter too… or Lord Muzan might get upset."
His words carried an odd tremor of fear—yet his face didn't change at all.
That emotionless expression made Dōma seem all the more uncanny.
….
Elsewhere…
Kanae kocho had parted ways with Yohan and the others after their mission at the Swordsmith Village. She now worked solo, carrying out various assignments.
"The demon in the report has been eliminated. Time to return to the Butterfly Estate."
Kanae walked calmly through the streets of a nameless town.
"Maybe I should bring a gift back for Shinobu and the others," she thought to herself.
"Now that I think about it, the Butterfly Estate has so many new girls lately…"
Just then, she remembered a piece of intelligence she had seen recently.
It mentioned that a number of young women had mysteriously disappeared.
Normally, the Demon Slayer Corps would send members of the Kakushi—the hidden support squad—to investigate. Their main duty was to gather intel on potential demonic activity.
If only one or two people went missing, the Corps wouldn't send a Hashira right away.
But this case was different. The report indicated that the number of missing young women was no longer small. And according to initial investigations, all signs pointed to a mysterious organization.
And as fate would have it, the town Kanae currently stood in was one of the places where girls had gone missing.
"The Eternal Bliss Sect, huh…"
She narrowed her eyes.
"Well, since I'm already here… I might as well take care of this too."
Kanae decided to investigate the cult herself. She had a strong hunch—where disappearances of this nature occurred, there was usually a demon lurking behind the scenes.
"If it is a demon… then let me be the one to grant your 'release.'"
….
Back at the Butterfly Estate—
"Miss Tamayo, I'll leave the rest of the research to you for now."
"I'm going out for a walk."
"Leave it to me, Miss Shinobu."
Tamayo watched as Shinobu Kocho left. Over the past few days, she'd noticed that Shinobu had become unusually distracted—her usual composure shaken.
During research sessions, she was constantly agitated and restless.
"Something must have happened," Tamayo thought. But she didn't ask.
She knew Shinobu wouldn't tell her.
Out in the courtyard…
"Why… why am I so irritable?"
Shinobu muttered as she kicked a stone across the yard, frustration flashing in her eyes.
She knew she'd been off these last few days—unable to concentrate, unable to calm down.
It felt like something unresolved was screaming at the back of her mind.
Like some internal alarm she couldn't ignore.
"What is it? If only my sister were here…"
Shinobu's thoughts drifted to her beloved elder sister, Kanae.
If Kanae were by her side right now, maybe she wouldn't feel so helpless.
Her sister had always been her anchor.
"Big sister…"
Suddenly, it hit her.
Her sister Kanae had been away on a mission for quite some time now.
Usually, after completing her tasks, Kanae would return immediately.
But now… now Shinobu realized she hadn't sensed her sister's presence at all.
Could something have happened to her?
Shinobu's heart raced. A cold dread flooded her chest.
Was her sister in danger?
The possibility struck like lightning.
She turned on her heel and rushed back into the estate.
"Shinobu! Where are you going?"
Kanroji Mitsuri blinked in surprise as she saw Shinobu grabbing her Nichirin Blade and dashing out.
After all, Shinobu almost never walked around the estate with her sword in hand.
"I don't have time, Mitsuri—I'm going to save my sister!" Shinobu snapped, not slowing down for even a second.
She bolted from the Butterfly Estate.
….
"Yohan! Yohan! Yohan!! Something terrible's happened!"
Mitsuri burst into Yohan's room, nearly shouting.
"Mitsuri, calm down. I can hear you just fine," Yohan replied, startled.
"What is it? Did your kitchen explode again?"
"My kitchen wouldn't explode! You're underestimating me!"
"Wait, no—this isn't about my kitchen!" Mitsuri's face turned serious.
"It's Shinobu! She said her sister is in danger!"
"You mean Kanae…"
Yohan's expression changed instantly.
"Damn it!" He shot up from his seat.
He had been relaxing too long—slacking off. He'd completely forgotten that Kanae had a fatal encounter looming over her.
In the previous life, she had died during a mission… because she crossed paths with Dōma.
Yohan knew. If he didn't act now, he might be too late.
Too late to save her.
"Mitsuri, stay here at the Butterfly Estate. I'm going to save them."
He left the words behind and dashed out at full speed.
"I'll protect the estate, Yohan. But you must come back safely!" Mitsuri shouted after him.
Only when Yohan's figure had completely vanished from view did Mitsuri finally turn and head back inside.
"Kanroji… Do you think Kanae and Shinobu will be okay?"
Kanzaki Aoi looked up with worry in her eyes.
"Don't worry," Mitsuri replied softly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Yohan will bring them both back safely."
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