"Sister?!!"
Shinobu's eyes went wide with disbelief as she stared at the face she had seen countless times in her memories.
The next second, the girl threw herself straight into her sister's arms.
She buried her face against Kanae's chest, completely losing control of her usual calm expression. "I missed you so much!"
There was no pinching or testing to see if this was real.
Even if it was just a dream, Shinobu was willing to stay in it for as long as possible.
"Yeah… it's really your big sister~"
Kanae wrapped her arms around Shinobu's small frame. One hand gently stroked her little sister's hair while the other patted her back softly. "I'm back, Shinobu~"
Shinobu looked up from her sister's embrace, staring at the familiar face she had longed for every single day. Her voice came out shaky. "Sister… I have so many things I want to tell you—"
"It's okay. Whatever you want to say, I'll listen to every single word."
Kanae smiled gently, her voice full of warmth.
And so, with Kanae's gentle encouragement, Shinobu began pouring everything out—messy, emotional, and sometimes jumbled. She talked about the past two years, the weight she had been carrying, and all the things she had never been able to say.
Kanae simply listened patiently, nodding softly and responding when needed. The scene was pure sisterly love.
After nearly half an hour, Shinobu suddenly stopped. She pulled back slightly and whispered, "That's enough… Thank you, sister. I feel a lot better now. It's time for me to wake up."
Even now, deep down, she still believed this was a dream.
After all, she knew her sister had died two years ago. There was no way she could be standing here unless this was all in her head.
But instead of breaking the illusion, Shinobu chose to enjoy it while it lasted.
"Wake up?"
Kanae tilted her head, confused. "But this isn't a dream."
She reached out and gently pinched Shinobu's cheek.
"Ow—!"
Shinobu clearly felt the sting on her face and the warmth of her sister's fingers.
She stammered, "B-But… you…"
Her sister had died two years ago. Yet the pain and the warmth were undeniably real.
Shinobu looked at Kanae with a lost expression, silently begging for an explanation.
Kanae didn't know what to say either. She turned her eyes toward Shuya, who had been sitting quietly on the side the whole time, watching their reunion.
After all, it was Shuya who had used some kind of power last night to make her body solid and let her touch her sister again.
Shuya first gave Kanae a reassuring smile, then turned to Shinobu.
"So? Was that a good enough surprise, Shinobu?"
Maybe it was because Kanae was right there beside her, or maybe because she was facing someone she actually had feelings for, but in that moment Shinobu felt like her old impulsive, hot-tempered self again—the version of her that existed before Kanae died.
She grabbed Kanae's arm tightly and glared at Shuya. "You better explain right now, or I swear I'll bite you!"
"Huh?"
Shuya couldn't help but laugh at her fierce expression. He decided not to drag it out any longer.
"Shinobu, did you know? This world is actually pretty strange. Besides the man-eating demons Muzan creates, there are also real ghosts in this world."
"For example… your sister, Kanae Kocho."
Shuya paused and gave Kanae a gentle smile before continuing.
"It's true that your sister was killed by an Upper Rank demon two years ago. But because she couldn't let go of her worry for you, her soul stayed behind as a lingering spirit. She's been wandering around the Butterfly Mansion this whole time… silently watching over her reckless little sister."
"Sister… I'm sorry—"
Shinobu lowered her head, guilt flooding her voice.
She never imagined her sister had been unable to move on, even after death. Yet Shinobu had completely failed to live up to Kanae's final wish. Instead of leaving the Demon Slayer Corps and living a normal life like her sister had wanted, she had thrown herself even deeper into the fight. She became the Insect Hashira and even started copying Kanae's gentle smile, wearing it like a mask while carrying both their burdens.
"No… I'm the one who's sorry."
Kanae hugged her tightly. "From now on, sister will always—"
"Ahem."
Shuya coughed twice, interrupting the emotional moment.
"I really hate to break up this touching reunion, but I need to remind you of something. Miss Kanae, the power I gave you last night is limited. It won't last forever—"
"Eh?"
Kanae's face froze for a second.
But she quickly accepted it.
Lingering in the world of the living after death probably wasn't something that should happen anyway. Being able to see and touch her sister one last time to settle her final regret was already more than enough.
Maybe it really was time for her to move on.
"Shinobu… do you want your sister to stay with you forever?"
Shuya looked directly at Shinobu as he asked the question he had been planning since last night.
"I do!"
Shinobu answered without a second of hesitation. "Please help me!"
"Perfect."
Shuya nodded and manifested two different scrolls.
One was the contract scroll from his main ability. The other was the Equivalent Exchange scroll he had once used on Makomo to turn her into his Nen Beast.
He handed one to each sister.
"As long as you sign your name on this, you'll gain the ability to see ghosts… and the power to make them solid, just like I can."
"And Miss Kanae, if you agree to the terms on this scroll and trade your ownership to me, you'll be able to stay by Shinobu's side permanently."
"Shinobu… you don't actually want your sister to disappear forever, do you?"