17 Vol. II Demon Slayer: Floating Comment

The blade pierced through flesh, the resistance of the neck bone briefly slowing her down before she managed to sever it cleanly.

Shinobu straightened, the fire of her anger extinguished, and glanced awkwardly at the others around her.

The demon's remains began to burn, and its expression returned to one of eerie calm as it muttered incoherently. Shinobu didn't bother to listen. That was one way she differed from Kanae—Kanae would always take the time to hear a demon's last words, even if most were curses and spiteful ramblings.

Shinobu was not the same. After everything she'd been through, her convictions were unshakable: only demons beheaded by a Nichirin Blade deserved redemption. Whether they ascended to heaven or descended into hell, whether they were good or evil in life, that was for the gods to decide.

Compared to her, Genya's attitude was even more detached.

He casually kicked the demon's head far away and pulled a syringe from his pouch, extracting blood from the creature's remains.

"For Lady Tamayo's research," he explained. "It's for developing medicine to defeat demons."

"You all did great," Haruto said, checking over the girls for injuries. Fortunately, none were severe. 

"Shinobu, you killed a Lower Moon…"

The girls stared at her in disbelief. "You're going to become a Hashira!"

"What nonsense!" Shinobu practically jumped out of her skin, her reaction akin to a startled cat. Her face flushed with embarrassment. "That was Haruto… Haruto… Haruto-sama's doing! Besides, without all of you, I would've been dead already!"

Haruto raised an eyebrow, bewildered.

In the span of one sentence, Shinobu had changed how she addressed him three times, ending with the oddly formal "Haruto-sama." How peculiar!

He glanced around to gauge the others' reactions, finding Genya the only one meeting his gaze head-on.

Hmm. Genya nodded solemnly.

...What was that supposed to mean?

"Honestly, if it weren't for everyone's efforts, I wouldn't have had a chance of severing her head… I might've died at her hands instead!" Shinobu forced an awkward smile. "So, let's stop joking about me being a Hashira, okay?"

"You're wrong," Haruto said, snapping out of his thoughts. "Even if I hadn't been here, the poison in her body had already built up to lethal levels. Even if she'd escaped, there was a high chance she'd have melted away on the road."

"Haruto!" Shinobu finally called him by name, though her tone carried a hint of indignation. "That's just a probability!"

"Shinobu…" Genya, wide-eyed and hesitant, interjected. "Are you afraid of living alone if you become a Hashira, separated from your sisters?"

"What are you saying?"

"Well, you always call me a 'brother complex,' right?" Genya pointed to himself and then to Shinobu.

"Sister complex?"

…

Haruto glanced at Shinobu, whose face was now redder than the setting sun, and barely managed to stifle his laughter.

"Genya, next time, share these insights with me in private." Haruto gave Shinobu's shoulder a reassuring pat and added, "Whether or not someone becomes a Hashira isn't for us to decide. That's up to Headquarters and Oyakata-sama."

As Haruto spoke, Shinobu snapped out of her embarrassment and turned toward Yurika. "Her hand needs proper treatment back at the Butterfly Mansion. The rest of the group should head on toward Suzuki, but as for…"

Before she could finish, figures wearing black cloth hoods emerged from the surrounding bushes.

"Haruto-sama," a cheerful voice called. It was Masachika Kumeno, waving enthusiastically. "I didn't expect you to be here!"

"Oh, Masachika! You're stationed near the Butterfly Mansion now?" Haruto nodded knowingly. "Makes sense. That place is like a second home to Sanemi."

Masachika chuckled, neither confirming nor denying it.

"That lunatic Sanemi is lucky to have a person like you as his mentor," Haruto teased, before noticing an intense stare from his side.

Genya: ⊙_⊙ … staring…

"Ah, of course! Sanemi's also lucky to have a brother like you! Stop glaring at me!"

The group, having taken down a Lower Moon, felt a newfound lightness in their steps. Haruto and Genya escorted the injured Yurika back to the Butterfly Mansion.

(T/N: The other part of the group continued their journey.)

As they walked, Haruto's curiosity got the better of him. "So, what exactly happened before I arrived? Why did Shinobu start calling me 'Haruto-sama'?"

Genya scratched his head and replied bluntly, "The Lower Moon had mind-reading abilities. She… said something about youthful longing and first love while looking at Shinobu."

"Huh?" Haruto's heart skipped a beat. "Shinobu has someone she likes? Who? Masachika? Your brother? That can't be right—Sanemi likes…"

Genya blinked innocently, his large, clear eyes reflecting confusion. "It seems to be you, Sensei."

Yurika, unable to stop Genya's honesty, sighed and muttered under her breath, 'Shinobu, forgive me for failing to protect your secret…'

Shinobu lagged behind the group, her usual composure replaced with palpable discomfort. She kept glancing at the other girls' faces, looking for any signs of ridicule, though none appeared.

How mortifying… In front of so many people, no less!

And Genya! He's still so young—surely he doesn't understand what the Lower Moon was implying…

But Yurika, Saori, Kumiko—they must've heard every word loud and clear.

Damn that demon! Why did it have to be her of all demons?!

The embarrassment swelled within Shinobu, making her want to bury her face in her chest.

"Shinobu," Saori interrupted her self-conscious spiral, smiling wryly. "It's fine."

Shinobu's head snapped up. "You all…"

"Liking Haruto-sama isn't unusual, is it?" Saori teased. "At the Butterfly Mansion, that's as normal as breathing."

She jabbed Kumiko in the side. "Kumiko likes Haruto-sama too, don't you?"

"Saori!" Kumiko, a girl with striking features, huffed in embarrassment. "The Star Hashira is brave, skilled, and so charming—who wouldn't like him?"

"Exactly! Even among the support staff, there are plenty of girls who admire Haruto-sama," Masachika added with a grin. "So, Shinobu, don't let it bother you too much."

"Right! Haruto-sama might be brilliant in many ways, but when it comes to love, he's as dense as a boulder," Kumiko chimed in.

From the sidelines, Yurika mentally apologized to every name she'd just thrown under the bus in a desperate attempt to shield Shinobu's dignity.

Later, Haruto sat in the mansion, still reeling.

"All these things… about me?" He muttered, utterly baffled. How could everyone else know… and I had no idea?