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Chapter 114: Kanzaki Aoi and Tsuyuri Kanao
"You brats! What kind of nonsense are you spouting in front of a guest?!"
After welcoming Shinobu back, Kanzaki Aoi had followed her instructions and come outside to greet Suyan.
Seeing that he was getting along surprisingly well with the Three Girls, she decided not to interrupt them.
She never expected their conversation to veer into such outrageous territory.
For the sake of eating candy every day, they were suggesting he marry Lady Shinobu, or even marry her.
But the most outrageous part was that they were actually gossiping about her... saying she wet the bed?!
Aoi lost her mind and immediately jumped out to stop them.
"Ah! It's the housekeeper!"
Despite their words, the Three Girls didn't look scared in the slightest.
In fact, upon seeing Aoi arrive, they even winked at Suyan and aggressively pitched her. "Mister, this is our Butterfly Mansion housekeeper, Kanzaki Aoi. She's got some pretty good looks, right?"
"Why don't you marry her and stay here at the Butterfly Mansion?"
"Nakahara Sumi!"
Aoi was frantic, immediately shouting the name of one of her primary tormentors.
"The housekeeper is mad! Run!"
The Three Girls exchanged a look, tugged on Suyan's shirt, and whispered, "Mister, we'll tell you more about her bed-wetting later when we escape her clutches!"
With that, they bolted like lightning.
"Sir, please don't listen to their nonsense, I absolutely do not—!"
Aoi didn't chase them. The three brats were too cunning.
Even if she chased them, she probably wouldn't catch them. It was better to clarify things with Suyan first so he wouldn't actually misunderstand.
"It's fine."
Suyan looked at the twin-tailed girl, smiled, and said, "Kids say the darndest things. I won't take it to heart."
If the Three Girls had been talking about anyone else, Suyan might not have believed it.
But since they were talking about Kanzaki Aoi, the credibility was surprisingly high.
As a supporting character in the Demon Slayer world, Suyan was fairly familiar with her background.
Like many members of the Demon Slayer Corps, Aoi had a tragic past of losing her family to demons.
She once harbored the desire to join the Corps and avenge her family.
She even learned Water Breathing—the most widely taught of the five foundational Breathing Styles—and survived the Final Selection to become an official Corps member.
However, her paralyzing fear of demons proved too much to overcome. The psychological barrier prevented her from even gripping her Nichirin Blade properly in combat.
Eventually, persuaded by the newly "gentle" Shinobu (following Kanae's death), she stayed behind at the Butterfly Mansion. She contributed to the Corps from the rearguard.
She was the only official Corps member residing at the estate aside from the Kocho sisters and the Three Girls, functioning as the head housekeeper and managing all its daily affairs.
Judging from what the Three Girls said, and Kanae's earlier muttering, the rumor about her wetting the bed was very likely true.
"I am so incredibly sorry."
Aoi gave a slight bow, lowering her head toward Suyan. Her voice carried a perfect blend of gratitude and utter embarrassment.
Attempting to change the subject, she said, "It's almost time for dinner. Please follow me, Sir."
"Or would you prefer to take a walk around the estate first?"
"My name is Suyan. You don't need to call me 'Sir,' just use my name."
Looking at the two blue butterfly hair clips adorning Aoi's twin-tails, Suyan couldn't help but think of Takagi Saya, who was still on Greed Island.
They both sported the exact same... twin-tails.
Their hair colors were different, of course, and Aoi's hair was cut much shorter, resting at her shoulders.
But the butterfly-shaped ornaments unique to the Butterfly Mansion certainly looked much nicer than the simple white ribbons Saya tied her hair with.
Aoi paused for a moment, then corrected herself, "Understood, Lord Suyan."
"Never mind," Suyan waved his hand dismissively. "You head back first. I'll just wander around on my own."
"Understood."
Aoi hesitated briefly before adding, "Then I will deliver your portion of dinner to your room later, Lord Suyan."
With that, she quickly hurried away.
On one hand, her secrets had just been aired out by the Three Girls, and facing Suyan was still mortifying.
On the other hand, she needed to go discipline those three little brats.
It was a good thing Suyan hadn't believed their words; otherwise, having her flaws exposed like that would have resulted in immediate social death.
"Suyan, how are my brothers doing? Are they okay?"
After Aoi left, Nezuko didn't follow her. Instead, she turned to Suyan to ask about her family.
It was a blessing in disguise that the Three Girls had shifted the spotlight to Aoi.
Otherwise, if her own thoughts had been fully exposed in front of Suyan, she would have probably died of embarrassment and fled his side too.
Suyan suggested, "Let's take a walk. We can talk as we go."
"Okay."
Nezuko nodded and followed closely behind him.
She listened quietly as he recounted Tanjiro and Shigeru's progress.
"Hmm?"
As they walked, Nezuko suddenly bumped right into Suyan's back.
She quickly looked up at him, a trace of confusion in her eyes.
She didn't know why he had stopped abruptly.
Following his gaze, she looked ahead.
Only then did she notice a young girl sitting quietly in the courtyard, her hair tied in a side ponytail.
The girl wore a pink kimono, her porcelain features as exquisite as a doll's. A butterfly hair clip, half pink and half green, adorned her ponytail.
She sat serenely as butterflies danced around her.
The girl extended her right index finger.
Surprisingly, one of the butterflies fluttered down and rested upon it.
Nezuko couldn't help but gasp in awe, "So beautiful!"
But her sudden exclamation startled the butterflies, scattering them into the air.
"S-Sorry!"
Realizing her mistake, Nezuko hastily bowed her head in apology.
However, the exquisite girl merely swept her gaze over Suyan and Nezuko.
She offered no response. Her eyes seemed completely devoid of emotion—let alone any hint of blame—as she turned around to leave.
"Wait."
Suyan immediately called out to stop her.
Such distinct characteristics.
He instantly deduced her identity: the youngest of the Butterfly sisters.
Tsuyuri Kanao!
She was also the one with the most tragic past among the three.
Subjected to severe domestic abuse by her parents as a child, she developed extreme autism, becoming completely withdrawn and non-verbal.
Later, she was sold to human traffickers by her parents, only to be forcefully bought and rescued by Kocho Kanae and Kocho Shinobu.
She received the most doting love from both sisters.
In the Demon Slayer Corps, where nearly everyone fought in wooden sandals, Kanao was the only one who wore expensive white lace-up boots.
Shinobu never even intended for her to join the Corps. She wanted Kanao to live the ordinary, happy life that Kanae always spoke of. In the anime, Kanao had entered the Final Selection entirely in secret.
Unfortunately, fate rarely showed mercy to the tragic.
After surviving Kanae's death, Kanao would later witness Shinobu die right in front of her during the final battle against Muzan.
Hearing Suyan, Kanao paused, turned back, and looked quietly at him. She still didn't speak, her eyes a placid void of emotion.
Suyan asked, "If you could see Kocho Kanae again, what would you say to her?"
Finally, upon hearing Kanae's name...
Kanao jolted. A ripple of emotion finally broke the surface of her pink eyes.
Her lips parted slightly, and she softly breathed out a single word, "Sister..."
Her voice was hoarse and faltering, like someone learning to speak for the very first time.
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