Horitake returned to the Butterfly Mansion, heading straight for his room.
Opening the door, he found everything untouched, the space freshly cleaned—a thoughtful touch.
Horitake nodded in approval. Not bad, not bad. He'd keep crashing here for a few days. If only his neighbor wasn't Sanemi Shinazugawa, it'd be perfect.
Oh well. Ignore him. That guy got what he deserved after their sparring session.
The five girls of the Butterfly Mansion welcomed Horitake's continued stay with open arms.
During the Hashira Meeting, they'd seen the purple lightning crackling over the Ubuyashiki estate. They'd also heard how Horitake had trounced Sanemi, the Wind Hashira himself.
After witnessing that lightning and hearing of his exploits, the five girls held Horitake in even higher esteem. The triplet sisters with their round, bean-like eyes had practically become his fan club.
Horitake was delighted. He genuinely adored the triplet sisters, finding their obedience and sweetness endearing.
No, not that kind of adoration—just a protective fondness for the little ones.
Poor Sanemi, though, took another unintentional blow. Horitake's rising fame among the five girls came at the expense of the Wind Hashira's reputation.
As an aside, when Sanemi learned Horitake was staying in the room next door, he was livid.
Livid enough to demand a room change, insisting on being as far from Horitake as possible.
Naturally, no one agreed or paid him any mind.
At the time, the triplet sisters were tending to Sanemi's recovery.
When he requested a room switch, the triplets—now Horitake's devoted fans—responded like this:
"Huh? Why does Lord Wind Hashira want to change rooms? Just because Lord Horitake's next door?"
"Oh, I get it! Lord Shinazugawa's scared of Lord Horitake! That scared!"
"Makes sense. Lord Shinazugawa got beaten so badly he can barely get out of bed."
Sanemi choked on their innocent yet brutal words, scrambling to retort:
"No way! Me, scared of that jerk? I just can't stand him, that's why I want a new room!"
The triplets' response?
"Eh? Just because you don't like Lord Horitake?"
"That's the reason for switching rooms?"
"Lord Shinazugawa's so petty…"
"Yeah, no backbone at all. It's just a loss, right?"
"So Lord Shinazugawa is intimidated by Lord Horitake."
"Lord Horitake's so awesome!"
Sanemi nearly spat blood, collapsing back onto his bed, utterly defeated.
He wanted to explode, to lash out!
But he couldn't—not at innocent little girls. That'd be too low, too unmanly.
So, Sanemi endured, battered by the triplets' merciless candor.
Life at the Butterfly Mansion rolled on peacefully.
The five girls carried on as usual.
Sanemi continued recovering, despite his sour mood.
Horitake kept up his daily training regimen.
Shinobu, meanwhile, paid Horitake more attention, occasionally observing him. Noticing he seemed less fixated on her, she felt a twinge of irritation.
Of course, Shinobu-nee would never let her inner thoughts show. She maintained her usual smile, acting as if nothing had changed.
But even Shinobu hadn't realized she was growing gentler, more approachable, around Horitake.
Horitake, however, picked up on it. He could sense the distance between him and Shinobu-nee shrinking, bit by bit.
By now, their relationship could be called friendly.
During this time, Horitake's Kasugai Crow returned, bearing a message from Mitsuri.
The message was simple: Mitsuri was on her way to Corps headquarters and thrilled at the prospect of going on a mission with Horitake.
It was his fifth day at the Butterfly Mansion.
Horitake figured Mitsuri would arrive soon.
Once she did, his brief vacation would end.
Even if the Corps had no urgent missions for him, Horitake wasn't about to sit idle. It was time to get out there, let the demons taste the new Sky Hashira's blade.
With that in mind, he grabbed his sword, Vigorous Light, and headed to the courtyard for his daily training.
To his surprise, all six girls of the Butterfly Mansion were there.
The triplet sisters lounged on the veranda, chatting and giggling.
Aoi sat nearby, stitching something with needle and thread.
Shinobu was guiding Kanao through training while practicing herself.
Seeing this lively scene, Horitake grinned.
"Yo, Shinobu-nee, ladies! Everyone's out in the courtyard today? That's rare!"
Except for Shinobu and Kanao, the triplets and Aoi quickly greeted him, calling out "Lord Horitake" in unison.
Aoi's greeting was crisp and spirited, almost boyish.
The triplets' voices were sweet and soft, their chorus of "Lord Horitake" warming his heart. He strolled over, playfully ruffling each of their heads to show his affection.
Kanao, as expected, didn't speak but offered a gentle smile to welcome him.
Shinobu's reaction caught his attention most.
She seemed aloof, but Horitake knew she now saw him as a friend. Her usual smile graced her lips as she spoke:
"So, Horitake-san, you've been training in the courtyard all along?
No wonder I never saw you practice. I was starting to think someone as lazy as you couldn't possibly be that strong.
Turns out you've been working hard where no one can see. Quite the schemer, aren't you?"
Horitake fired back at her sly jab:
"Schemer? Me?
Come on, Shinobu-nee, the courtyard's huge—perfect for training, right?
I'm the one surprised. I never saw you or Kanao training out here. I thought you were all about medicine and slacking on combat.
But now I see you and Kanao have been sneaking in practice elsewhere. If anyone's scheming, it's you!"
Shinobu covered her mouth, feigning shock.
"Eh? You didn't know where we train, Horitake-san?"
Now it was Horitake's turn to be stumped.
"Uh… was I supposed to?"
Aoi, watching the two bicker like an old married couple, stifled a laugh and pointed in a direction.
"Lord Horitake, there's an indoor training hall that way. Lately, Lady Shinobu and Lady Kanao have been training there.
It's not private—anyone can use it."
Horitake's jaw dropped.
"There's an indoor training hall? Why didn't anyone tell me?!"
Then it clicked. That must be the place from the original story where Tanjirō and Kanao played their tea-splashing game.
Shinobu's smile turned wickedly smug, a classic Shinobu-nee look.
But Horitake wasn't about to let a woman—even one he liked—get the last word.
With a grin, he drew Vigorous Light and invited Shinobu to spar.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
If you guys wanna check it out.