Haruto paused for a moment at the entrance of the Butterfly Mansion, then pushed the door open and walked in, much to Genya's puzzled gaze.
The room was filled with people, making it a bit boisterous.
Murata, with his middle-parted hair, was standing to one side, chatting with one of the girls from the Butterfly Mansion; he looked energetic, without a single bandage on him.
Further inside, he saw Shinobu bandaging Tanjirou.
The girl had her face turned, her expression deeply focused. The pristine white gauze wove through her slender fingertips, round and round, round and round and round and round...
"Miss Shinobu..." Tanjirou weakly began.
"Shinobu-neechan..." Yuri weakly began.
"You're about to wrap his entire head!"
Tanjirou, whose forehead was merely injured but whose entire head was wrapped in bandages, offered a docile smile.
Kochou Shinobu's movements faltered for a moment, then she silently began to unwrap the bandage.
What am I doing... A man's soft chuckle came from behind her, and Kochou Shinobu pursed her lips, a flush creeping up to her ears.
Haruto sat down beside Tanjirou. Genya wanted to take over bandaging his junior, but Kochou Shinobu refused him.
"Don't worry, I'll take you home later," Haruto reassured Tanjirou. "The Hidden have already been to your house and explained the situation to Kie and Nezuko."
Shinobu perked up her ears. She knew Nezuko, but who was Kie?
She cut the gauze, bandaged the wound, and left with the tray.
Haruto turned his face to watch her enter the inner room, said nothing more, and patted Tanjirou's shoulder: "Did you see Giyuu?"
"Mr. Tomioka? It was he who arrived just in time during the night and slayed the demon, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"He's sort of my junior disciple; although we're not strictly from the same master, it's pretty close."
Tanjirou was silent for a moment, then looked up and took a deep breath: "Teacher, after my mourning period is over, can I follow you and learn swordsmanship?"
Genya looked at him in surprise: "Iron-headed kid..."
"Demons will never disappear out of thin air; they always lurk in the darkness, they are truly real."
Tanjirou lowered his head: "For ordinary people, facing such a world-destroying disaster, all they can do is pray it doesn't fall upon them. But how can one rely solely on prayer to avoid disaster?
I want to protect my family. After knowing the secret of Hinokami Kagura, how can I be a coward?"
He clenched his fist, then looked up, revealing a brilliant smile.
"Teacher, you'll agree, won't you?"
"...Don't worry, Tanjirou, by then I will properly settle your family."
He truly was a docile and intelligent child.
The demonic clutches of Kibutsuji Muzan would leave no secret hidden in the world. Since the former cat demon could reach Mt. Kumotori, then other demons could discover Yoriichi's descendant hidden in the mountains.
Haruto would do his best to protect them, but in a world where one couldn't even protect oneself, how could he promise to keep others safe?
With the wound bandaged, Haruto fulfilled his promise to take Tanjirou home. Genya temporarily stayed at the Butterfly Mansion; he slipped into the Butterfly Sisters' study to pore over those obscure medical texts.
Before he even left the Butterfly Mansion, Haruto was called back by hurried footsteps from behind.
Shinobu stopped, her hands behind her back, an expression of hesitation on her face.
Haruto looked at Tanjirou beside him, and waved at the girl who drifted past like a ghost: "Kanao, could I trouble you to take Tanjirou to the restroom?"
Kanao stopped, her gaze slowly moving between the few people: "Please... follow me."
Tanjirou was not a child without discernment; although he was inexplicably sent to the restroom, he still wore a smile.
He politely said to the girl in front of him: "Thank you for leading the way! My name is Tanjiro Kamado!"
"...Kanao."
"And your surname!"
"...Not yet taken."
"Eh?"
As the two walked a little further away, Shinobu took her hands from behind her back and handed Haruto a somewhat familiar jacket.
"This..."
Haruto took the green haori in surprise: "Is this the torn one?"
He still remembered that last year, also standing in the Butterfly Mansion's courtyard, Shinobu had torn this haori with a single slash while demonstrating Insect Breathing.
Later, this garment was left at the Butterfly Mansion, and Kanae promised to mend it properly.
More than a year had passed in a flash, and Haruto had bought a new haori of the same style, almost forgetting about this one.
"I mended it for you... After all, I was the one who tore it; having Older sister mend it would have been too insincere."
Haruto shook it out to unfurl the haori, his gaze lingering on the torn spot on the chest.
It wasn't a simple mend; the nimble-fingered girl had embroidered a butterfly with outstretched wings using silver thread on the damaged area.
Haruto was silent. He looked at Kochou Shinobu, and the girl stubbornly met his eyes, even as her ears and cheeks were flushed crimson, almost to the point of bleeding.
He was looking at Kochou Shinobu, and Kochou Shinobu was looking at him.
Looking at the silent white-haired swordsman, the girl's heart gradually sank.
Did I bring... trouble for you?
Would the direct confession, made with such courage, just brush past his ears?
As Kochou Shinobu was lost in these wild thoughts, she suddenly noticed that the young man's complexion in front of her was a bit off.
That face, fairer than an average girl's, turned bright red within a few seconds.
So Kochou Shinobu thought again: ...Against the backdrop of that white hair, his face was as red as a monkey's bottom.
The two red-faced individuals stared at each other for a long while, then, as if waking from a dream, turned their heads away and burst out laughing.
Kanae, who had been secretly observing for quite some time, let out a sigh of relief and went about her business with a smile on her lips.
Mr. Haruto actually blushes... that's truly rare.
Genya, standing at the door, held up the book in his hand, blocking his face which was about to give way to laughter.
Haruto pursed his lips, clutching the haori awkwardly to his chest.
"How's the mending? Are you satisfied?"
"Satisfied, satisfied."
He turned and took two steps towards the door, then turned back and asked with difficulty: "Are you... are you sure?"
The question was nonsensical, but Kochou Shinobu understood and nodded heavily.
"I'm very sure."
Phew... Haruto then turned and walked out the door.
Tanjirou at the door was holding Kanao's shoulders: "Walk a little slower, don't be in such a hurry to go back..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw his teacher walk out of the house holding a piece of clothing.
All done?
Tanjirou was about to wave when he suddenly saw his teacher inexplicably stumble forward, as if his foot had caught on something.
Then he quickly rubbed his hand on his haori, and a tear ripped open between his fingers.
"Ouch, what the heck..."
The white-haired swordsman mumbled as he stood up, then turned back and yelled into the house: "Kanae, the floor tiles in the Butterfly Mansion are too uneven, my clothes got torn..."
The house was silent for a few seconds, then erupted in laughter.
Amidst the good-natured roar of laughter, Haruto took off the haori he was wearing and shoved it into Kochou Shinobu's hands, his face as red as the lanterns hanging from the eaves.
"I don't care... you have to mend it for me!"
Kochou Shinobu, who had taken the clothes, froze for a few seconds, then a smile bloomed in her eyes, softening her entire face.
"Alright, I'll mend it for you."