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Chapter 111: The Invisible Girl, Kocho Kanae
The Butterfly Mansion.
Looking at the place she had once built hand-in-hand with her older sister, Kocho Kanae, the home where they had lived together for quite some time...
Shinobu's expression grew complicated. "I'm home," she murmured softly.
Everyone has a sanctuary within their heart.
For Shinobu, the Butterfly Mansion standing before her was exactly that.
Perhaps because she had finally returned, a glimmer of light returned to the young girl's eyes—eyes that had long lost their color after the death of her family.
Even the fake smile she constantly wore as a disguise seemed to carry a fraction more authenticity here.
At that moment, a young woman with long, straight black hair floated up to greet Shinobu. Her voice was gentle, yet she fluttered around Shinobu, chattering endlessly like a nagging mother.
"Oh my, little Shinobu is back?"
"Why were you out for so long this time?"
"Did the Demon Slayer Corps assign you another complicated mission?"
"I've told you before that I don't want to see you work so hard, but you insist on pushing yourself. Honestly."
"But that's okay. Whenever you need to, you can always rely on your big sister and act spoiled."
"Oh, right! You must be hungry, aren't you?"
"I just checked the kitchen. Aoi prepared your favorite side dishes in advance, so dinner should be ready soon."
"And Kanao, let me tell you, that child is getting cuter and cuter lately."
"Naho and the other girls have been getting rowdier too. Last time you were away, they almost accidentally burned down the kitchen."
"You really need to discipline them properly, Shinobu."
"Also, also..."
The black-haired girl circled Shinobu tirelessly, enthusiastically recounting the trivial events that had happened at the Butterfly Mansion during her absence.
Yet, Shinobu turned a deaf ear to it all. She didn't even glance in the girl's direction.
Seeing this, the black-haired girl couldn't help but feel a little deflated.
But she quickly noticed Suyan standing behind Shinobu.
Her interest was instantly renewed. She scanned Suyan, then turned back to Shinobu with a teasing expression. "Oh my, it's quite rare for little Shinobu to bring a man home."
The result, however, remained the same. Shinobu ignored her completely, treating her as if she didn't exist.
So, the black-haired girl turned her attention directly to Suyan. "Hey, hey, mister, what's your relationship with my little Shinobu?"
"You're quite handsome, actually. You look like a pretty good match for her."
"How many people are in your family? Do you own a house? Any land?"
"No, that's not important. As long as you marry my little Shinobu, this entire Butterfly Mansion can be considered her dowry! Aren't you looking forward to it?"
"So hurry up and tell your big sister, how far along are you two? Have you kissed yet?"
"Let me tell you a secret. Even though my Shinobu acts tough all the time, she's actually very sensitive inside."
"I remember when we were little, whenever it thundered at night, Shinobu would run crying to my room, saying she was scared and wanted to sleep with me."
"Well? Isn't she just adorable?"
"Hey, hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
As she rambled on without receiving any response, the black-haired girl slowly drooped her head.
Right. She had actually been dead for two years.
It was only because she couldn't let go of her younger sister that her departed soul lingered around the Butterfly Mansion.
No one could see her, and no one could hear her speak.
She was already used to it.
She was used to watching Kanzaki Aoi manage the mansion's affairs like a strict head housekeeper every day.
She was used to watching Kanao sit quietly in the courtyard, staring blankly into space.
She was used to watching the three little girls playing around.
It was as if everything was still exactly the same.
Except for the sister she simply couldn't stop worrying about.
Since her death, Shinobu had been imitating her, wearing a mask of fake smiles.
She had clearly urged Shinobu to leave the Demon Slayer Corps before she died, to go live a normal life.
To give up killing demons, get married, have children, and grasp the happiness of an ordinary girl.
But instead, Shinobu drifted further and further away from her wishes, right under her nose.
"You're right. Shinobu is indeed very cute," Suyan nodded, responding to her.
"Right, right? My Shinobu is the cutest in the world!"
The black-haired girl instinctively replied.
Then, she froze in place as if struck by lightning.
Her body began to tremble involuntarily. She raised her head to look at Suyan, her face written with sheer disbelief as she asked cautiously, "You can see me?"
Suyan gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.
"Can you really see me?"
Still unable to believe it, she probed again, even shifting her position slightly.
But Suyan's gaze remained fixed squarely on her.
The black-haired girl asked weakly, "So... you heard everything I just said?"
"I heard it." Suyan nodded at her, then deliberately emphasized, "I heard everything."
A faint pleading tone crept into the girl's voice. "Can you forget what I just said?"
"No." Suyan shook his head, a playful smile curving his lips as he teased, "It's not just the younger sister, Shinobu, who is cute."
"The older sister, Kanae, looks incredibly cute too when she's fluttering around her sister talking to herself."
Yes, the black-haired girl standing before him was Kocho Kanae—Shinobu's biological older sister and the former Flower Hashira who was killed by Upper Rank Two two years ago.
Even Suyan himself hadn't expected this.
He had originally planned to search the Butterfly Mansion's surroundings after arriving to see if he could locate Kanae's soul.
He hadn't expected that right after he coated his eyes with Aura and used the technique of Gyo, she would deliver herself to his doorstep before he even had to look.
What was this?
Walking right into the net?
Faced with this, Suyan could only stand by and quietly watch the touching sisterly bond as Kanae babbled affectionately at Shinobu.
He could understand why Kanae's personality seemed slightly different from the original story.
Unlike Makomo and the others on Mt. Sagiri, she was completely alone at the Butterfly Mansion.
No one could see her, and no one could talk to her.
If she didn't talk to herself like this, she probably would have gone insane from the isolation.
"Ah?!"
A flush of red spread rapidly across Kocho Kanae's pale cheeks, making the air around her feel scorching hot.
Her toes, wrapped in white tabi socks, curled awkwardly against the soles of her wooden sandals.
This man had actually witnessed her secret, uncharacteristic behavior and overheard her spilling embarrassing secrets about Shinobu!
And she had been the one to say it all out loud!
Utter mortification! At this moment, Kocho Kanae felt completely and utterly mortified—she wished the ground would just swallow her whole!
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