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Chapter 110: You Don't Have to Give the Sisters Back
Mt. Sagiri, the training ground.
A young man lay quietly on a massive boulder, the gentle breeze brushing against his cheeks. Hovering right above his head, a girl as graceful as a butterfly leaned in close.
It was a picture-perfect, beautiful scene.
Assuming, of course, one ignored the venomous words dripping from the girl's smiling lips.
Hearing the "vicious" whispers by his ear, Suyan opened his eyes. Shinobu's amethyst eyes instantly filled his vision. Completely unashamed, Suyan smiled warmly, speaking with the gentle cadence of an older brother. "You're here, Shinobu?"
"My, my, the corpse is actually talking?" Shinobu feigned dramatic shock, murmuring to herself. "It seems it's mutated into a demon. I'll have to burn it with fire immediately."
Suyan hurriedly sat up, sweating as he looked at the maliciously cheerful Hashira. "Hey, hey, Shinobu, isn't that taking it a bit far?"
"Didn't Mr. Scumbag say he was coming up here to see his friends?" Shinobu's smile didn't waver, but a few dark veins popped on her forehead. "So what exactly is Mr. Scumbag doing here? Playing dead for fun?"
"Alright, alright, my mistake. I'll head back to the Butterfly Mansion with you right now, okay?" Suyan placed his hands on her shoulders, speaking with utmost sincerity.
He really had promised to go to the Butterfly Mansion, but had constantly delayed it—first detouring to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, then coming up Mt. Sagiri. If Makomo hadn't removed the clause about the Hand Demon, he probably would have delayed further with a trip to Mt. Fujikasane.
He was definitely in the wrong here.
Suyan looked at the highly irritated Shinobu and asked curiously, "Did you run into Sabito and the others on your way up?"
"If you mean that group of people heading down the mountain, then yes, I saw them." Shinobu found the question oddly random but nodded anyway.
Hearing that, Suyan's entire demeanor shifted in the blink of an eye.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Suyan demanded, suddenly adopting a tone of righteous arrogance. "Hurry up and massage my back!"
The whole reason he hadn't gone down the mountain was because he didn't want to intrude on the deeply emotional, private reunion between master and students. But Shinobu had seen them! If she knew he could materialize the souls of the dead, she should be treating him like absolute royalty right now!
Logically, given how much she missed her sister Kanae, Shinobu should be even more desperate and eager than he was.
Suyan felt entirely confident that he held Shinobu's ultimate weakness in the palm of his hand.
What he didn't realize, however, was that while Shinobu had seen Sabito's group, she had passed them on the mountain path—not at the bottom with Tanjiro. She had absolutely no idea who they were.
Nor did she have any clue that Suyan possessed the miraculous ability to grant physical form to lingering souls.
So, in the face of Suyan's sudden, insufferable arrogance, Shinobu merely clenched her small fists. She offered a radiantly benevolent smile. "Would you like me to scrape your back with my Nichirin Sword instead?"
Suyan cast her a highly suspicious look.
Her tone was all wrong.
"Are you sure you actually saw Sabito and the others earlier?" he pressed.
"I saw them. And your point is?" Shinobu retorted smoothly.
For a moment, Suyan was completely baffled by her reaction.
Was she anxious? She definitely looked anxious. But it wasn't the kind of anxious Suyan was expecting. It was more like the impatient anxiety of someone trying to drag a stubborn mule back home just to cross a chore off her to-do list.
"Never mind. Let's just go. Back to the Butterfly Mansion."
Unable to figure it out, Suyan decided to drop it. He hopped off the boulder, dusted off his pants, and grabbed Shinobu by the shoulders, physically dragging the protesting Hashira down the mountain with him.
"Mr. Suyan, Miss Shinobu, are you leaving already?"
As they reached the bottom, Tanjiro hurried over to intercept them. "Won't you stay a little longer? Have a meal before you go! Mr. Urokodaki said he's going to make a huge feast to celebrate."
"It definitely is a time worth celebrating," Suyan nodded, glancing toward Sabito's group. But he looked at Shinobu and politely declined. "But we have pressing matters to attend to, so we'll be taking our leave. Tanjiro, you and your brother stay here and focus on mastering Water Breathing."
"Once I take care of Muzan, dealing with the rest of the demons he created is going to fall entirely on your shoulders," Suyan said, clapping Tanjiro heavily on the shoulder.
Unless the demons possessed unique Blood Demon Arts, Suyan wasn't going to waste his time hunting down random stragglers. Since Tanjiro had sworn to help destroy Muzan, Suyan was more than happy to delegate the clean-up duty to him.
Assuming, of course, the Demon Slayer Corps didn't eradicate them all before Tanjiro finished his training. He didn't want Tanjiro to graduate only to find himself unemployed after the Hand Demon was dead.
"I understand. We'll train hard under Mr. Urokodaki," Tanjiro nodded solemnly. He didn't press them to stay, but added earnestly, "However, while Shigeru and I are training here, please take good care of Nezuko and Hanako, Mr. Suyan."
"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll make sure they're perfectly taken care of. Nezuko and Hanako are too adorable to neglect, after all," Suyan promised with a warm smile. "By the time you finish your training with Mr. Urokodaki, I guarantee I'll return two beautiful young women to you."
Tanjiro lowered his head, murmuring in a voice so faint that only he could hear it. "Actually... you don't have to give them back..." If Suyan could take care of Nezuko for the rest of her life, that would be for the best. Suyan had done nothing but help them, and Tanjiro trusted him implicitly. He was a good man, worthy of entrusting his sister's future to.
"What was that?"
Suyan genuinely didn't catch it this time. Not only had Tanjiro spoken softly, but he had mumbled the words.
Seeing Suyan's confusion, Tanjiro frantically waved his hands, refusing to repeat himself. "Nothing! I just meant, please take care on your journey, Mr. Suyan!"
With that, he grabbed his younger brother Shigeru and sprinted back toward Urokodaki.
Under the bright sunlight, the line of fox-masked figures stood beside Urokodaki Sakonji in his red tengu mask, waving at Suyan as he departed.
Even though they were spirits of the dead, they didn't evoke an ounce of fear. In fact, they looked far more human than the man-eating demons ever could.
At that moment, Sabito nudged Makomo, who was still standing blankly beside him, waving goodbye.
Jolted out of her daze by the shove, Makomo suddenly remembered. She was Suyan's Nen Beast now! She was supposed to leave with him!
Picking up her skirt, she broke into a quick jog, hurriedly chasing after Suyan and Shinobu as they disappeared down the path away from Mt. Sagiri.
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