Northern Post Station.
Inside a pharmacy.
"A man-eating bear?" A mature yet sweet voice sounded.
The pharmacy owner explained, "We also call it a cavern beast here. Many mountain hunters have been eaten."
"No wonder the air around the post station feels so tense."
"Miss, I'm saying this for your own good—could you please leave immediately?"
"Mm, but it's rare for me to have free time, and it's rather inconvenient to ask someone else to buy raw medicine for me. Besides…" The girl holding a pastry, wearing a butterfly hairpin, a floral-patterned kimono, and a butterfly haori over her shoulders let out a light laugh. "For work-related reasons, I'm also very interested."
"If new stock arrives, please be sure to inform me."
The calm and detached aura radiating from Kocho Shinobu left the shop owner at a loss for words.
Just then—
"You ran into the mountains alone again, didn't you?!"
Shinobu turned at the sound and saw a group of hunters arguing in the street.
"I wasn't alone—Taro was with me!" the girl retorted while holding onto her hunting dog.
"Isn't Taro just a dog?!"
As the argument grew more intense, Shinobu asked the shop owner in confusion, "Who is that?"
"Yaehachi? She's the daughter of a hunter-craftsman. They were attacked by a bear—her father and his companions were killed right before her eyes…"
"Ever since then, aside from coming down to the village to buy supplies, she's been searching for her enemy in the snowy mountains. I really can't bear to watch…"
Shinobu's eyes darkened slightly, sorrow welling up for the girl's experience.
Then suddenly, the corner of her mouth twitched.
"That idiot…" Shinobu sighed softly.
Seeing the exchange between Tomioka Giyu and the hunters becoming increasingly dangerous, she finally couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward.
Just as she was about to exit the shop, a figure wearing a bamboo hat with long wine-red hair flowing down the back entered her field of vision—and instantly drew her attention.
Shinobu's violet eyes slowly widened, faint light shimmering within them, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
...
Because there was no malice, Yuko hadn't paid any attention at first—but she hadn't expected the other party to grab her clothes.
Yuko turned around to see the girl in the butterfly haori clutching the corner of her sleeve with one hand, the other pressed to her chest, her gaze flickering slightly as she looked at her.
Kocho Shinobu?
Yuko paused briefly. She still remembered this Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps quite well.
One of the very few figures from the past several hundred years who still had a clear image in her mind.
Coupled with the battle between Doma and Shinobu's sister two years ago, the two of them could be considered to have crossed paths before.
"You…" Shinobu's violet eyes shimmered as she softly spoke, "…I've been looking for you."
Hm?
Because of the matter of saving her sister, probably.
Yuko understood after giving it a little thought.
"Take him away! Hand him over to the police!"
"I am of the Demon Slayer Corp—" The background noise gradually faded away.
Shinobu's purple eyes shone like a galaxy of stars, faint light flickering within them. "I wanted to thank you for saving my sister."
"It's nothing." It had simply been a coincidence—right after she had decided to change something, and just happened to meet someone who used her breathing technique.
It could be called luck.
Shinobu: "..."
This woman is so cold.
The hunter girl who had just been ignored couldn't help but speak up, "Hey, you two, what exactly—"
Before she could finish her sentence, her vision went black and she collapsed. Fortunately, Yuko was right beside her and caught her swiftly.
The sudden incident dispelled the strange atmosphere from earlier. As Shinobu snapped out of her daze, she hurried forward to examine the girl.
Cold sweat covered the girl's forehead, and her cheeks were burning red.
"She has a fever. We need to find a place for her to rest," Shinobu said after checking her, then looked up at Yuko. "Could I trouble you to help?"
"Mm." Yuko stepped forward and lifted the girl into her arms.
A trace of envy flashed through Shinobu's eyes as she pointed toward the other side of the street. "To that pharmacy."
They moved the girl into a room at the pharmacy owner's home on the side of the street.
After laying her down on the tatami…
Shinobu wiped the girl's forehead while saying to Yuko, "Could I trouble you to boil some hot water for me?"
For a fleeting moment, Yuko felt as though she had returned to the days hundreds of years ago when she and Tamayo would go out to treat patients together.
"Just call me Yuko." She nodded slightly and turned to leave.
"Yuko…" Shinobu murmured the name softly.
What a pleasant name…
Yuko stepped outside. "Mr. Giyu, could you—"
Silence.
Where is he?!
Wasn't he following us this whole time?!
Yuko's pupils trembled in shock.
After entrusting the task of boiling water to the pharmacy owner, Yuko rushed out and ran along the street. She finally intercepted the group at the government station entrance, exerting quite a bit of effort to rescue Tomioka Giyu from the crowd.
Yuko's eyelid twitched. "Are you an idiot?"
Tomioka Giyu replied, "They wouldn't listen to explanations."
"..."
Too lazy to argue with him further, Yuko brought him back to Shinobu.
"Oh my, Mr. Tomioka, I was just wondering if you had wandered off," Shinobu remarked lightly while carrying a bowl of medicine as she sat down next to Yuko in the hallway.
Giyu: "..."
Shinobu offered a serving of the medicine to Yuko. "Would you like to drink some?"
"It helps prevent colds."
"N—no…" Yuko refused instinctively, only to see the girl leaning closer with her hands on the floor, looking at her with mild anticipation.
?
What exactly are you expecting?
And you're way too close.
Yuko could even clearly see each delicate eyelash on her eyes.
After a brief silence, Yuko removed the white cloth covering her face, lifted the bowl, and drank the medicine in one go.
To her, human food all tasted more or less the same—there was no real distinction of good or bad.
As for preventing colds—she had long since nearly forgotten even the lung illness that once tormented her the most.
Shinobu stared in slight daze.
She actually took off the white cloth that easily.
Given how completely covered up she was, Shinobu had thought it wouldn't be so simple.
But…
As expected, she was beautiful.
A refined nose, fair skin, and the unusual markings on her cheeks were an added plus.
She looked a little more mature than expected—about twenty or so.
Shinobu asked proactively, "How did you come to know Mr. Tomioka, Miss Yuko?"
"By chance," Yuko replied as she removed the Nichirin Blade from her waist and placed it in the hallway.
She had never expected him to follow Tanjiro home.
Shinobu's gaze swept over the blade beside her.
Even the sword was wrapped in white cloth—she was being far too cautious…
"I want him to introduce me to the head of the Ubuyashiki family."
Introduce?
"Miss Yuko is…?"
"I am the successor of Snow Breathing."
People of this era still weren't very accepting of anomalies. It would be better to inform the Ubuyashiki family first before explaining to others.
If they rejected her, it would be awkward.
After all, the Ubuyashiki family frequently changed residences to evade Muzan's pursuit—it wasn't easy to locate them.
Naturally, Shinobu had no idea what Yuko was thinking. She almost reflexively exclaimed:
"You mean that chaotic, messy breathing style?!"
Yuko's expression stiffened as her mood instantly plunged.
Messy… chaotic…
Well… it was… maybe a little like that…
But it was still a breathing technique passed down from the Warring States era!
Could you show it a little respect, please?!
---
Currently at chapter 348 for advance chapters
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