The Butterfly Estate was the logistical and medical division of the Demon Slayer Corps, a treatment and rehabilitation facility managed by the Kocho sisters that primarily served injured Demon Slayer swordsmen.
Outside the Butterfly Mansion, Yuko sat quietly along the veranda, gazing into the courtyard.
Footsteps approached from one side of the corridor.
"Sorry to keep you waiting,"
Accompanied by a gentle voice, Shinobu set down the tea set and sat beside Yuko.
"My elder sister is out on a mission and couldn't return," Shinobu explained. "So I'll be hosting you in her place, Miss Yuko."
"That's fine," Yuko replied. When Shinobu mentioned her sister, Yuko subconsciously glanced at her haori.
Noticing her gaze, Shinobu smiled and explained, "This was a gift my sister gave me when I became a Hashira."
"It's beautiful."
"Thank you." Shinobu let out a soft laugh, then remembered the tea and lifted it to offer Yuko a cup. "Here—this floral tea tastes quite nice."
Floral tea?
Hopefully not wisteria.
Yuko accepted the teacup and couldn't help but take another look.
Although she had already overcome sunlight, the toxin of wisteria still affected her.
Of course, its effect was minimal—once inside her body, it would quickly break down. Unless the dosage was absurdly high, it would be difficult to truly harm her.
Fortunately, it wasn't. At Shinobu's gesture, Yuko lifted the cup and took a light sip.
"Tha—" Before she could finish offering a polite compliment, Shinobu suddenly spoke.
"Miss Yuko… are you forcing yourself?"
"Hm?" Yuko turned to her and met Shinobu's complicated expression.
"Miss Yuko… are you a demon?"
Yuko paused for a moment. Her expression relaxed, and she set down the teacup she had barely sipped from.
With a gentle smile, she answered, "Yes."
After receiving confirmation, Shinobu said nothing more. She turned her head back toward the setting sun in silence.
Only the slight tightening of her grip on the cup betrayed the unrest in her heart.
After a moment, she finally spoke:
"A demon who has overcome sunlight… it's truly unimaginable."
"Just a coincidence," Yuko said softly, sunset reflected in her eyes.
She had never intended to become a demon—because within a certain range, Muzan possessed the ability to read the thoughts of demons.
If she had not been completely certain she had escaped Muzan's control, she would never have used the spider lily to overcome sunlight in the first place.
Shinobu did not pursue that line of thought, simply gazing quietly at the sunset.
"What kind of relationship do you have with Kibutsuji Muzan, Miss Yuko?"
Her voice carried no particular emotion, as calm and gentle as ever.
Yuko gave the matter little thought and answered simply, "Enemies."
Anyone with a proper moral compass could not tolerate what Muzan had done.
Everything she had seen along the way was nothing but misery.
"..."
Shinobu showed no outward reaction, yet Yuko could tell that she had relaxed quite a bit.
Yuko only maintained the Transparent World when handling serious matters—she did not keep it active at all times.
The Transparent World only allowed her to see through the human body, not other objects. She had no interest in spending every moment looking at a mass of skeletal forms.
Shinobu's fingers loosened slightly around her cup, and even her previously tense shoulders relaxed faintly.
"My sister was a very gentle person—so gentle that she would even show compassion to demons," she said, as if speaking to herself, yet also confiding in Yuko. "She hoped that humans and demons might one day coexist peacefully."
Yuko lowered her gaze slightly. That was not exactly an idea worth praising.
No—
Even Kocho Kanae, when showing compassion to demons, would still firmly cut off their heads—just like Tanjiro.
Only she…
She truly hesitated, truly wavered.
Otherwise, she would not have stopped the two of them just because of a brief flicker of Yaehachi's father's sanity.
Shinobu spoke quietly, "I never truly agreed with my sister's ideals, and because of that, we often argued."
"Until two years ago, when you saved her from a demon."
"So…" Shinobu suddenly turned her head to look at Yuko. "So I want to try—like my sister did—to try believing."
Yuko smiled faintly. "Thank you."
…
After speaking openly, the weight in Shinobu's heart finally lifted.
She asked curiously, "Are there other demons in this world like you, Miss Yuko?"
"If you mean overcoming sunlight, then at the moment, probably none."
In her heart, Yuko added quietly: Nezuko might be able to—but she hadn't tested it under the sun herself.
"If you mean breaking free from Muzan's control, then aside from myself, there are three others that I know of."
Shinobu's eyes widened slightly. "Three others?"
"One is the physician I mentioned earlier—her name is Tamayo. She is my close friend."
Shinobu couldn't help blurting out, "A demon doctor?"
"Yes."
Shinobu was deeply surprised. "That's truly unbelievable."
If she was a demon doctor, then Shinobu could understand how her research on demons might surpass her own.
"There is also one named Yushiro, Tamayo's companion."
"The last one is called Nezuko. She's a very adorable little sister. You may be able to meet her in a couple of years."
Whenever the topic touched upon unknown territory, Shinobu became like a curious child and eagerly pressed on.
"Then how did all of you break free from Muzan's control?"
Yuko: "..."
Just moments ago the topic had been so heavy that speaking felt difficult—now why did she suddenly sound like she had ten thousand questions?
Still, Yuko patiently answered Shinobu's doubts. By evening, the astonishment on Shinobu's face had yet to fade.
After staying temporarily at the Butterfly Estate for two days, Yuko bade farewell to Shinobu and the Ubuyashiki family.
Before leaving, she handed over the information she had gathered about the Upper Ranks to Kagaya.
Although it was called intelligence, it only covered the top three.
Even so, Kagaya was extremely pleased. Their knowledge of the Twelve Kizuki was pitifully scarce—even information on the Lower Ranks was limited, not to mention the Upper Ranks.
The last recorded Upper Rank kill had been over a hundred years ago.
As for matters such as the Transparent World and the Crimson Blade, Yuko chose not to inform them for the time being.
Those were not techniques that could be mastered simply by being told about them.
Before parting, Kagaya gifted her a kasugai crow named Snow Sparrow to serve as their means of communication.
Yaehachi was temporarily arranged to stay with the Demon Slayer Corps. Every day, she visited her father through the iron chains, trying to awaken his consciousness.
Before heading to Mount Sagiri to visit Tanjiro, Yuko went alone to Asakusa in search of Tamayo.
But after searching for three days and three nights, she still did not find any trace of her.
By then, Asakusa had already taken on much of the appearance of a modern city—it was no longer a small town that could be searched at a glance. Coupled with the concealment of Tamayo and Yushiro's Blood Demon Arts, without luck like Tanjiro's, finding them was genuinely difficult.
She relayed the news to Yaehachi through her kasugai crow and told her not to give up hope.
As long as he did not continue eating humans, she believed the condition could be effectively controlled.
With no success in finding Tamayo, Yuko had no choice but to leave Asakusa and head for Mount Sagiri.
By this time, several months had already passed since Yuko had parted ways with Tanjiro and his group.
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Currently at chapter 348 for advance chapters
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