Upon hearing Kagaya's suggestion, Yuki nodded eagerly.
But as he stood up, he suddenly froze.
The same old problem: he didn't know how to get to Butterfly Mansion.
Kagaya chuckled. "Wait here a moment. I'll have a Kakushi escort you."
Yuki could only offer an awkward smile and sit back down.
To mask his embarrassment, he scanned the room.
Suddenly, something in the corner caught his eye.
Kagaya followed Yuki's gaze and realized he was looking at a wooden fox mask.
He rose with some difficulty, picked up the mask, and introduced it to Yuki:
"This is a disaster-averting mask, personally crafted by Urokodaki Sakonji, the former Water Pillar and current Water Breathing instructor."
"Every child who completes his training and earns his approval receives such a mask when they participate in the selection at Mount Fujikasane."
"As for this particular one, he carved it for me many years ago, saying it was to pray for my good health."
Yuki accepted the mask from Kagaya's hand and fell silent.
Though called a "disaster-averting mask," based on the original story, it was practically a "disaster-attracting mask."
Nearly every child who wore this mask during the Mount Fujikasane selection met a tragic end.
Sabito, Makomo...
Only Tanjiro's arrival and his slaying of the Hand Demon on Mount Fujikasane finally broke this cycle of tragedy.
With this in mind, Yuki asked Kagaya:
"May I take this mask?"
Kagaya was slightly surprised, clearly not expecting Yuki to be interested in the mask.
Still, he replied:
"Of course."
Yuki tucked the mask into his robes.
He had other uses for it.
Before long, a Kakushi arrived at Kagaya's door.
Yuki turned his head and saw Haruko, whom he had met twice before.
Her beautiful eyes lit up with surprise upon seeing him.
Kagaya smiled warmly. "Please escort Yuki to the Butterfly Mansion. You might tell him about the Kamado family along the way."
Haruko nodded and led Yuki toward the Butterfly Mansion.
As soon as they left Headquarters, Haruko bowed deeply in gratitude. "Yuki, thank you for saving me in Asakusa, Tokyo Prefecture, last time."
Yuki waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be so formal.
But as Haruko straightened up from her bow, Yuki couldn't help but notice a subtle change in her appearance.
It seemed the curve of her clothing was no longer quite as exaggerated as before...
Ahem!
Noticing Yuki's gaze, Haruko didn't take offense. She simply assumed he was looking at her clothes.
Then she realized that Yuki was still wearing an ordinary yellow garment beneath his haori, not the Demon Slayer Corps uniform.
She immediately apologized. "I'm so sorry! This was my oversight. As your Kakushi, I should have realized you didn't have a uniform sooner."
Yuki didn't mind at all.
In fact, if he were to change his clothes, his cosplay of Yoriichi might lose some of its effectiveness when facing Muzan and Kokushibo.
However, Haruko's words reminded Yuki that since transmigrating to this world, despite receiving considerable funds from Ubuyashiki, he hadn't yet acquired any proper clothing for himself.
As for how he'd managed these past few days...
Yuki could only say that he washed his entire outfit every night in private.
But what about the cold weather? How could he dry his clothes quickly?
No problem. Yuki would use Sun Breathing to artificially "blow-dry" them.
It had to be said, Sun Breathing truly possessed a unique advantage when it came to drying clothes!
With this thought, Yuki's mind stirred again.
He checked his Restoration System and discovered it had increased by another 1%.
His eyes widened in astonishment.
Turns out this is also a proper use of Sun Breathing!
Haruko clearly misinterpreted Yuki's surprise.
She immediately said:
"Please rest assured, I'll prepare all your clothes immediately."
"And given my oversight, I'll personally wash all your worn garments!"
Haruko's earnestness made Yuki, who was accustomed to handling his own affairs, feel somewhat awkward.
Just as he was about to decline, Haruko bowed deeply again, saying:
"Please! Let me take care of this for you!"
Her unwavering insistence left Yuki no choice but to agree.
As they chatted, Haruko led Yuki to the Butterfly Mansion.
The moment they arrived, voices rang out:
"Tanjiro! We need help here!"
"Damn it! You snatched Tanjiro first! I need him too!"
"I'll help you out. Let Tanjiro finish up quickly and get some rest!"
Then, a robust voice boomed:
"It's fine! I don't need rest. Just leave it to me!"
Yuki watched as several baskets of coal, originally stacked in a corner of the room, were swiftly organized by Tanjiro.
After finishing his task, Tanjiro looked up and noticed Yuki standing at the entrance.
Yuki could sense Tanjiro's gaze lingering on his ear, specifically on the matching sun-patterned Hanafuda earrings.
Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise:
"Your Hanafuda earrings are exactly the same as mine!"
"Eh?! You're Mr. Yuki!"
Yuki nodded with a smile, instinctively reaching out to pat Tanjiro's head.
This feels... incredibly hard!
Tanjiro, oblivious to Yuki's thoughts, excitedly grabbed his hand.
He then introduced Yuki to the others:
"Everyone, this is Mr. Yuki, the one who saved our family!"
"Please excuse me, I need to step away for a moment."
He turned to Yuki and said, "Please come with me. My mother has been wanting to thank you in person!"
Upon hearing the words "thank you in person," Yuki's expression turned slightly awkward.
In truth, if Tanjiro hadn't been holding his hand, Yuki would have covered his face and fled.
He still couldn't fathom what state of mind he had been in when he uttered those words: "Madam, you wouldn't want..."
After walking a short distance with Tanjiro, Yuki entered the Butterfly Mansion.
Before he could meet Mrs. Kamado, he spotted a girl in a pink kimono.
Nezuko Kamado!
Nezuko seemed surprised to see her brother leading a strange man toward her.
Before Tanjiro could introduce him, she had already noticed the identical sun-patterned Hanafuda earrings.
A radiant smile lit up her face as she said with utmost sincerity, "Thank you so much, Mr. Yuki!"