"Shinobu?"
Hearing the faint worry in that voice, Shinobu quickly adjusted herself, wiped away her tears, and her tone returned to its usual cheerful lightness.
"You're hopeless."
"Yoizumi, you're unexpectedly clingy~"
"How cute~"
Carrying the wooden box, it was time for them to return to Butterfly Mansion.
"..."
Cute?
What did that mean?
Not long after, the person and the demon returned to Butterfly Mansion, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Tanjirou and the other two training enthusiastically.
Even though Kyojuro Rengoku was not present, they were following his instructions obediently.
Tanjirou stopped swinging his sword and greeted them with a smile.
"Miss Shinobu! Good afternoon! You're back!"
"Yes, I have some good news to tell you~"
"Eh?"
After wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, he curiously followed Shinobu into the room.
Inosuke and Zenitsu also followed suit.
Yoizumi emerged from the wooden box, and Shinobu had a mysterious expression, keeping everyone in suspense.
"Yoizumi has become a Pillar! From today onwards, he is the tenth Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, the Snow Pillar."
Tanjirou's mouth dropped open in surprise, his crimson eyes wide and round.
Yoizumi-nii became a Pillar?!
Despite his surprise, he didn't forget to be happy for Yoizumi.
"That's amazing! Congratulations, Yoizumi-nii!"
"Yoizumi is so strong!"
Zenitsu exclaimed.
"Damn it! Yosuke has become a Pillar! I won't lose! Come and compete with me now! If I win, I'll be the Beast Pillar!"
"Compete!"
Inosuke waved his fists and shouted.
"You can't possibly win." Zenitsu looked at Inosuke speechlessly, complaining.
"Huh?!"
After becoming a Pillar, Yoizumi didn't feel much real change.
It seemed like nothing had changed except for an additional title.
What did being a Pillar mean?
Seeing the lively group, Shinobu poked Yoizumi's arm, and when he looked over, she said, "I'll be going first; I have some research I want to complete."
"Okay, please make sure to rest."
She smiled faintly in response and left the room.
Shinobu... seems a bit off lately?
Yoizumi had more or less noticed something.
Meanwhile, the rivalry between Zenitsu and Inosuke escalated, turning into... "Then Wen Yi, come and compete with me!"
"Why should I compete with you?" Zenitsu asked, bewildered.
"Hmph! You must be scared, scared of my power!" Even through the boar's head mask, Agatsuma Zenitsu could imagine his smug face, and he gnashed his teeth in anger, clenching his fists.
"Who's scared of who?! Let's compete!"
Tanjirou helplessly tried to calm their emotions, reminding them.
"Be careful, don't get hurt."
"Tanjirou."
"Hmm? What is it, Yoizumi-nii?"
"Cute... what does it mean?" Yoizumi asked with a serious expression.
"Uh... hiss..." Yoizumi-nii's questions always seemed so tricky, so tricky that Tanjirou sometimes couldn't answer them.
But!
Yoizumi-nii is troubled! Tanjirou!
Use your brain!
He circled his temples with both index fingers, pondering gravely what 'cute' truly meant.
He got it!
Tanjirou clenched his right fist and struck his left palm, nodding profoundly and saying with great earnestness.
"Cute means wanting to offer all the beautiful things in the world to the other person... probably!"
After saying that, Tanjirou even admired himself; he could even answer such a question for Yoizumi-nii!
"I understand." Yoizumi was thoughtful; was that what Shinobu thought?
After leaving the room, Shinobu found Kanzaki Aoi and informed her about Yoizumi becoming a Pillar.
"Mr. Yoizumi has become a Pillar? Then we should celebrate!" Kanzaki Aoi said happily after hearing Lady Shinobu's words.
"Yes, then I'll trouble Miss Aoi."
"Kiyo, Sumi, Saho, come help! Dinner tonight will be very lavish!" Rolling up her sleeves excitedly, the three little girls also raised their small hands.
"Let's make delicious food for Mr. Yoizumi!"
"Make delicious food!"
"Food!"
"You've worked hard~"
She walked towards her room, and once inside, she mixed reagents among a pile of bottles and jars, holding the dark purple syringe.
For the first time, Shinobu felt hesitation.
She clenched her hands, her light pink lips pressed so tightly they turned white.
Not like this!
Cannot give up halfway!
Having come this far, how could she stop?
Injecting the cold liquid into her body, she forcibly endured the dizzying sensation, propping herself up, a cold sweat beading on her forehead, breathing slightly.
Only these.
It's not enough... Her blurry vision fell on the box on the desk.
She slowly raised her hand and opened it; inside was the letter that had filled her with immense joy.
Her fingertips caressed the words on the letter, lingering on that special person.
A pale smile appeared on her face.
Help me.
Please help me... if you can.
Yoizumi.
Please, just as you saved Mr. Rengoku.
Come and save me too.
Because I found... I seem to be a little reluctant to die... "Mmm! I arrived at a good time!" Kyojuro Rengoku, who had returned to Butterfly Mansion, sat by the lavish dining table, his eyes shining and his tone cheerful.
"Miss Aoi's cooking is truly delicious!"
"Thank you for the compliment." Kanzaki Aoi set out the bowls and chopsticks, smiling shyly, and casually tapped Inosuke's head for trying to sneak a bite.
"Mr. Yoizumi isn't here yet! No sneaking bites! If I catch you again, I won't make you any more snacks!"
"Hmph, I know!" He crossed his arms and sat cross-legged in dissatisfaction, staring intently at the food on the table, while also complaining about how slow Yosuke was.
"So slow~" Agatsuma Zenitsu slumped on the table, bored, until that small figure appeared, and he excitedly stood up.
"Nezuko-chan~!"
"Come sit next to me! Nezuko-chan!" He patted the empty seat beside him, and under Zenitsu's hopeful gaze, Nezuko chose to ignore him, pulling her brother to sit down, and she sat in the middle between her two brothers.
Zenitsu slumped back onto the table in despair, drawing circles with his finger.
"How mean..."
"Lady Shinobu isn't here yet, is she? I'll go call her." Kanzaki Aoi waited and waited but didn't see Shinobu, so she prepared to go look for her, and the next second, she saw Shinobu appear at the restaurant entrance.
Her gentle face held an apologetic expression, "Sorry, I'm late."
"Shinobu, sit here." Yoizumi pointed to the empty seat beside him.
She didn't refuse, gracefully sitting down. She still felt a faint headache; this time, the side effects were stronger than before.
"Shinobu, are you not feeling well?" Seeing her pale face, Yoizumi asked with concern.
Shinobu gently shook her head, "I didn't rest well; I'm fine."
"If you need anything, please tell me." Still worried, Yoizumi said, then poured her a cup of warm water and placed it in front of her.
"Thank you." She lowered her eyelashes, bowing her head, and took small sips of water, feeling a little relieved.
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