Wisteria petals drifted through the air, carried gently by the wind.
Kanae Kocho sat by the window, holding a needle and thread as she carefully mended her younger sister's uniform. Not far from her, Shinobu Kocho lay sprawled over her desk, staring at several sheets of paper filled with notes about the Bright Red Nichirin Sword and the Transparent World.
As for the Demon Slayer Mark, those notes had already been put away by Kanae, who did not allow Shinobu to read them.
Even so, what remained was already far too difficult for Shinobu. Setting aside the mysterious Transparent World, even achieving a Bright Red Nichirin Sword was nearly impossible for her. Her physical strength was simply too weak, and creating a Bright Red Nichirin Sword required tremendous grip strength—something she lacked the most.
Thinking about it, Shinobu let out a soft sigh. Why couldn't she have the same strength as her sister? Kanae was practically a natural-born swordswoman, becoming a Hashira at such a young age, while she herself lagged far behind.
As for the Demon Slayer Mark, even if her sister refused to show her, she already knew about it.
"Sighing again?"
Kanae finished the last stitch, set the uniform aside, and turned her gentle purple gaze toward her sister. Her voice was warm, like sunlight in early spring.
"I just hate how weak I am," Shinobu muttered, lowering her head in frustration. "If only I had strength like yours, Sister…"
Kanae picked up the freshly mended uniform and walked over, helping Shinobu put it on.
Shinobu glanced down at the spot where it had been torn before. It looked completely new, as if it had never been damaged at all.
"Your sewing is amazing, Sister. Not just that—everything about you is amazing. Even your strength… I wish I could be as strong as you…"
Kanae had long since grown used to her sister's complaints. She simply smiled and gently combed through Shinobu's hair with her fingers, her voice soft and soothing. "But your medical skills are incredible too. I envy you for that. So many swordsmen have survived because of you, and you even managed to extract a poison from wisteria that can harm demons. No one has ever done that before."
"You always say that…"
Shinobu pouted, though her mood had already improved under her sister's gentle reassurance.
After finishing her hair, Kanae took the papers from Shinobu's hands. "The Bright Red Nichirin Sword, the Demon Slayer Mark, the Transparent World—none of these existed in the Corps before. Soma was the first to bring them up. You've been staying on Mount Sagiri these past few days, so you must have met him. What do you think of him?"
"He's... alright, I guess," Shinobu muttered quietly.
"Oh! Is that so?"
Kanae nodded, then said softly, "In your last letter, you mentioned that he gave you a nickname. That's not very nice. I should go and have a word with him."
As she spoke, Kanae made as if to stand up.
Shinobu immediately grabbed her. "It's nothing, Sister. He was just joking."
"Even joking like that isn't good. Don't worry about it—I'll just give him a small warning."
"No, no…"
Shinobu hurriedly held her back, but then she realized Kanae had no intention of leaving at all. Instead, those gentle purple eyes were quietly watching her.
A faint blush crept onto Shinobu's cheeks, and she turned her head away to avoid her sister's gaze.
Kanae reached out and softly rubbed her head. "If you've met someone you like, you should be a little braver."
"I—I don't like anyone!"
Shinobu immediately protested.
Kanae simply smiled at her reaction, her eyes filled with a quiet hope. "I really want to see my little sister find someone she loves, get married, and live happily together… maybe even have a child."
"Why are you saying this again, Sister? Haven't I already told you? As long as demons still exist, I won't think about things like that… not ever."
"I know, I know. I won't bring it up again."
Seeing her sister's tense expression, Kanae gently pulled her into an embrace. "In a few days, I'll be leaving to investigate the Eternal Paradise Cult. I'll be gone for quite a while, so you'll have to take care of yourself."
"I can go too. Take me with you, Sister."
"There are still many injured at the Butterfly Mansion. They need you."
Kanae shook her head, looking at her sister with soft eyes. "Shinobu, you've already grown up. You're a capable swordswoman now, so don't always be discouraged. And don't keep such a stiff expression on your face. You should smile more—try to be happy every day."
As she spoke, Kanae reached out and gently tugged at Shinobu's cheeks, pulling her serious little face into a forced smile.
"See? That looks much better."
"I don't want to smile."
Shinobu muttered, though there was no real resistance in her voice.
…
Unlike the gentle warmth shared between the Kocho sisters, the atmosphere was far more tense when the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, met his younger brother, Genya Shinazugawa, on Mount Sagiri.
For a brief moment, the tightness in Sanemi's expression eased when he saw Genya, but it quickly hardened again into something even colder.
"Big brother!"
Genya looked at him with pure excitement and admiration.
"What are you doing here?"
Sanemi suppressed the joy he felt at seeing his brother and asked in a cold voice.
"I want to hunt demons with you, Brother. I'm here to learn how to fight. I can't let you carry everything on your own."
The moment he heard the words hunt demons, the warmth in Sanemi's heart was instantly replaced by anger. No matter what, he refused to let his brother walk down this path. Unlike Kanae Kocho, who could accept her sister taking on such danger, Sanemi would never allow it. This bloodstained road was one he would walk alone.
"A useless weakling like you thinks you can hunt demons?"
His voice was filled with scorn.
"Brother, I know I'm not as strong as you, but I'll work hard. I'll catch up to you…"
"Heh."
Before Genya could finish, Sanemi let out a cold laugh. "Trash like you won't ever be worthy of hunting demons, no matter how hard you try."
"Brother… I can do it."
Genya's expression was firm and sincere. "I'll stand beside you. We'll fight together—"
"Stand beside me?"
Sanemi's voice turned even harsher. "Just looking at you makes me sick, and you think you can stand next to me?"
"Brother."
Genya simply looked up at him, his expression calm and gentle.
If he hadn't heard those words from Soma before, he might have truly been hurt by this, might have believed that his brother really despised him.
But now, Genya understood. The disgust Sanemi showed wasn't born from hatred—it was his way of trying to protect him.
Seeing his younger brother still looking at him with such warmth despite all his harsh words made Sanemi feel strangely irritated. Genya should have been hurt. He should have been discouraged, maybe even come to resent him.
But none of that mattered. As long as he could stop him from walking this path, it would be enough.
Yet Genya didn't seem hurt at all. If anything, his gaze had grown even softer.
"No matter what you say, Brother, I know you care about me."
Genya looked at him, his eyes filled with admiration. No matter what, he would stand by his brother's side.
"So you really want to hunt demons that badly?"
Sanemi lowered his head slightly, unable to meet that gentle, admiring gaze. It reminded him too much of the time before everything had fallen apart.
But no matter what, he couldn't let Genya walk this path.
Even if it meant breaking his legs or beating him half to death, he would never allow it.
"Yes, Brother. I want to fight alongside you." Genya's voice was unwavering.
"Only the strong deserve to walk this road. And you… you're nothing but a weakling."
The Wind Hashira's voice dropped low and cold.
"Now, I'll show you exactly how worthless you really are."