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A bead of sweat drips down Kanao’s temple as she dutifully executes each Flower Breathing form, wooden bokken sword carving arcs into the afternoon air like a perfectly practiced ribbon dance. With each slash, she imagines slicing through a demon, gliding through the familiar motions with ease.
On this warm spring day, there’s a lull in activity in the Butterfly Estate. Just a few patients are left recovering from the Mt. Natagumo incident, and Shinobu is currently having tea at the Love Estate. Aoi and the others are cleaning up the mess left behind by the rehabilitation training.
With no direct instructions that morning, Kanao had reached into her pocket to pull out her coin for guidance—heads for training independently and tails for going to town to buy some sweets— only to pause as her recent conversation with Tanjirō resurfaced into her mind.
Kamado Tanjirō.
A peculiar slayer whom she vaguely remembers from her Final Selection. He fiercely protected his demon sister, Nezuko, on Mt. Natagumo and supposedly defended said demon in front of all the Hashira with “a fiery passion rivaling Rengoku-san himself”, according to Shinobu.
Rarely anyone here, besides her sisters, had ever regarded her with anything more than a detached sort of reverence. Yet despite her dismissals, Tanjirō remained persistent in talking to her, cherry-ripe eyes peering into her soul with a kindness that made her heart twist with painful nostalgia.
The way he so easily proclaimed his faith in her inner voice with a brilliant smile gave her the same warm feeling as when Shinobu brushes her hair or when Aoi kneads mochi with her in the kitchen: a flurry of gentle embers that flutters all the way from the depths of her heart to the tips of her fingers in a swarm of tiny butterflies.
It made her pulse race inexplicably, pumping heat rapidly through her veins, until she clutched her coin to her chest in an attempt to fan the flames.
“Kanao! Caw!” A voice interrupts her thoughts. “Letter for Tsuyuri Kanao from Kamado Tanjirō! Caw!”
Kanao halts in her stance, stopping mid-swing of Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo with the bokken raised above her head. She watches as a kasugai crow—likely Tanjirō’s—lands and perches right on top of the wooden sword as comfortably as it would an ordinary tree branch.
“Caw! Letter for Kanao!” the crow cries out.
Up close, Kanao can see a paper wrapped around one of its legs, and she reaches up to pluck it off. Right after, the bird takes off from the bokken and flies away into the clouds, cawing all the way.
Curiosity piqued, she sets the sword down and unwraps the paper. The letter appears to be short and concise, nothing like the dense Hashira reports that Shinobu has her sift through. The penmanship is crisp and neat, like the writer spent time drawing each kanji with utmost care.
“Hi Kanao-chan! I hope you’re doing well. How is everything at the Butterfly Estate?” reads the first line.
Kanao quickly makes note of her nichirin blade resting inside the estate. Did something happen? Does he need reinforcements?
First off, thank you all so much for helping us with the rehabilitation training! Without you, Shinobu-san, Aoi, Kiyo, Naho, and Sumi, I’m afraid that we never would’ve been able to achieve Total Concentration Breathing, Constant. Every day, I’m getting stronger from the exercises we did together, and I’m very grateful.
Speaking of, how is Shinobu-san? I miss talking with her at the estate. Please send my regards to her as well.
As I write this letter, Zenitsu is hovering over my shoulder, and Inosuke is running around our inn room. I hope that one day you could join us on a mission together. I think it’d be very nice!
We are currently halfway to Kumamoto, where we will meet with Rengoku-san, the Flame Hashira, for our next mission. Do you know him? He vehemently expressed his contempt towards Nezuko at the trial, so I’ll admit, I’m a bit apprehensive. Nevertheless, I’m eager to learn from a Hashira firsthand!
Lastly, I wanted to remind you to always trust in your heart! I hope you’re taking the time to listen to your inner feelings, like we discussed. You’re worth much more than you give yourself credit for!
Hopefully, we’ll meet again soon. Until then, let’s grow stronger together!
Yours truly,
Kamado Tanjirō ( ᐛ )و”
Kanao turns the letter over and inspects it from various angles to see if there’s a hidden message, but her exceptional eyesight detects nothing. Just normal ink and parchment.
How puzzling.
She has never received a letter from anyone besides her sisters, but even those were far and few between with how brief their missions usually lasted. Moreover, she doesn’t really know many people her age besides Aoi and the scarred boy from her Final Selection group who returns frequently for check-ups.
The meticulously drawn strokes on the paper stare back at her, jet-black and daunting.
She pockets the letter carefully before heading inside to find Aoi. Surely, she’ll know what to do.
“A letter? From Kamado-kun?”
Kanao nods and steps out of the way as Kiyo rushes past her, pushing a wet rag across the hardwood floor. Naho and Sumi whisper in hushed voices in the room next to them, laughter muffled by the paper-thin walls.
“There should be some ink and paper in Shinobu-sama’s study. Perhaps check there first?” Aoi says, wiping at a dirt stain on the floor feverishly.
Kanao nods again, but makes no move to leave.
After a minute of silence, Aoi looks up from her work and gives her an exasperated look.
It’s a face Kanao knows all too well, a slight furrow of her eyebrows that she recognizes instantly as a consequence of living like sisters for so long.
“You have no idea on what to write back to him, do you?” Aoi asks. She looks as if Kanao had dropped an entire plate of onigiri again, which—to be fair—had happened once before. Shinobu taught her how to apologize properly to someone right afterward, though.
Kanao remains quiet, the anxious gleam in her eyes giving her away.
Aoi sighs.
“Alright, I’ll help you,” she acquiesces, dunking the rag in a basin filled with soapy water. “In exchange, you’re helping with supper tonight. And I’ll be telling you what to do, so you can’t mess up. Got it?”
Kanao agrees with an almost child-like vigor, causing Aoi’s stoic and harsh visage to fracture with a subtle smile—a rare, but greatly cherished sight, like a streak of gold peeking out from fragmented kintsukuroi pottery.
After Aoi lets the children know that she’ll be helping Kanao write a letter (to which the trio lets out a slew of teasing giggles), they head down the hallway to Shinobu’s office, where a desk sits against the window, its surface covered in stacks of papers.
“Here we are,” Aoi huffs, placing her hands on her hips. “Let’s get started, then.”
The pair take a seat at the desk and begin brainstorming.
And by brainstorming, Aoi questions Kanao and waits for a nod or a head shake—a process that gradually frustrates her as the afternoon wanes, the sun descending toward the horizon.
“Well, how do you feel about him? Surely it isn’t hard to answer his questions and simply be nice to him.”
Kanao ponders the question for a moment, scratching out the greeting she’d written not even thirty seconds ago. “... I don’t know,” she answers softly.
Aoi sighs. “Let me rephrase: do you think of Kamado-kun as a friend? A colleague? Or maybe um… something else?”
Kanao perks up at the last few words. What else could he be?
She voices as such to Aoi, and the other girl flushes a deep scarlet and averts her gaze, much to her bewilderment.
“Well, you know what I mean,” Aoi stammers, crossing her arms with an uncharacteristic shyness that only seems to confuse Kanao even more. “Do you… l-like him? In that way?”
Does she like him? Well he is very nice, that’s for sure. Although his companions could use some work, he demonstrates an admirable work ethic, which she observed during his rehabilitation training.
When she thinks about it, she would compare Tanjirō to the sun. A source of warmth and joy, but at the same time, so far away and out of her reach. She wants to grab that ray of sunlight and hug it close, but something is stopping her.
He makes her feel things. Unfamiliar. Terrifying.
She doesn’t know what to do with them, juggling them with a fragility she’s unaccustomed to. No amount of sword drills can help her conquer such conflicting emotions.
All she knows is that she wants to see him again soon.
“My my, what are you two up to?” a lilted voice interrupts.
Startled, the two girls turn to look behind them and find Shinobu and Mitsuri standing in the doorway, the former covering her mouth in amusement and the latter waving frantically with an infectious enthusiasm that makes both of them jump up eagerly.
“Shinobu-sama! Kanroji-sama!” Aoi greets with a bow. Kanao follows her lead and bows deeply to the two Hashira.
“Kanao-chan! Aoi-chan! It’s so good to see you girls again!” Mitsuri gushes, forgoing all formalities and rushing toward them with wide open arms.
She picks both of them up in one large bear hug, Aoi letting out an indignant squeak of alarm, and twirls in place with laughter, clutching them tighter and tighter—
From afar, Shinobu lets out a chuckle, taking pity on her pupils. “Kanroji-san, I think you might be squeezing a bit too hard.”
Mitsuri gasps, letting them go immediately. “Oh no, I’m so sorry! I was just so excited to see you both, I didn’t even notice! Are you girls alright?”
“Fine,” Aoi wheezes. “No harm done, Kanroji-sama.”
Kanao just smiles and nods.
Composing herself, Aoi turns to Shinobu to answer her earlier question. “Shinobu-sama! Kamado-kun sent Kanao a letter today, and I was helping her draft a response. I was inquiring about her… erm, intentions towards him.”
The room is silent for a moment with a strange kind of tension.
Kanao examines the three other girls, all of whom bear varying reactions to the brief explanation. Aoi herself is as red as a strawberry.
“... I see,” Shinobu hums, tone inscrutable. She doesn’t appear angry nor delighted at the news. In fact, she seems eerily closed off, a stone wall erected in front of her usual smile.
Mitsuri, on the other hand—
“KYAA, NO WAY!” she exclaims, rushing forward into Kanao’s space and gripping her hands with unrestrained fervor. Sparkles glimmering in her lime eyes, she speaks with astonishingly rapid speed, even for an experienced Hashira.
“Kamado-kun is the boy with the demon sister, right? He’s a great choice, Kanao-chan! Very passionate and hardworking! I’m so happy for you! You both will be so cute together!”
She shakes her hands excitedly while Kanao blinks, overwhelmed and slightly confused, but—oddly enough—reassured by Mitsuri’s vivacity.
“Thank you, Kanroji-san,” she replies evenly.
Mitsuri brightens. “How did he phrase the confession? I bet it was a really sweet poem or love letter! He seems the type to do something like that,” she muses, sighing dreamily. “Ahh, young love!”
Aoi stiffens, realization dawning at the Hashira’s severe misinterpretation of the situation.
Kanao looks between them again, feeling even more lost amidst the commotion. Confession? Love? What is she talking about? Was this still about the letter?
Before Aoi can clarify, however, Shinobu shakes out of her stupor and steps forward.
“Kanao,” she begins. “As demon slayers, our duty is that of serving others—sacrificing yourself for the sake of humanity. But our lives are fleeting, ephemeral in the connections and memories we make with our loved ones, and for that, we must live without regrets.”
She clasps Kanao’s shoulder, a genuine smile blooming on her face.
It’s even rarer than Aoi’s, like a sweet flower that only blooms once during a specific time, day, and place throughout the whole year. Kanao can see that Shinobu’s eyes in her real smile are more relaxed, her lips less strained as they curl upward without their characteristic venom, and she feels like if she blinks just once, she’ll miss this precious moment—even with her enhanced vision.
Kanao feels her own mask crack as she returns the gesture, comforted by her sister’s warm, sincere touch.
“As your onee-san, I’m so proud of you. I often worry that you overwork yourself, especially as my tsuguko, but knowing that you’ve found someone to connect with fills me with relief,” she continues, patting Kanao’s shoulder. “Seize this opportunity to live to your heart’s content, and live the life that you desire.”
(“Kanao-chan is so cute! And such a fast learner. One day, I bet you’ll surpass me in flower breathing!)
(I’ve always wanted a sister. Kanzaki Kanao has a nice ring to it, right?)
(“Kanao, I won’t let you lose another big sister. Never again.”)
(“It was just by chance. If it was tails, I was going to keep tossing it over and over until it came up heads. Follow your heart, Kanao-chan!”)
It’s so warm.
She feels those same flutters again.
Oh, Kanao thinks. Is this feeling called love?
Mitsuri scrambles towards them, bawling uncontrollably.
“K-Kanao-chan, she’s right,” she sobs, wrapping her arms around their shoulders in a tight embrace. “Our lives are too short to wait. Tell him now! I’ll even help with the wedding; you won’t have to worry about anything!”
On the side, Aoi snaps out of it, wiping away her tears discreetly.
“W-Wedding?!” she shrieks, mortified. “Kanroji-sama, I must say that it was not a confession. They’ve only just met, after all!”
“Indeed. Please don’t make such assumptions.” Shinobu adds, her smile becoming a tad strained. “Regardless, I’ll need to have a more… serious talk with Kamado. Let’s hope he doesn’t find out what would happen if he were to hurt Kanao in some way, hm?”
The other three girls let out a collective shudder.
Aoi then gets pulled into the dogpile by someone, and they stay like that, Shinobu and Mitsuri giggling as she attempts to detach herself with a petulant frown, until Naho, Sumi, and Kiyo stumble upon them, still glued to one another.
Their laughter rings throughout the estate, smiles plastered on everyone’s faces.
Heart thawed with love and happiness, Kanao prays that these moments will last forever.
“Tanjirō,
It’s good to hear from you. No need for thanks, I was only doing what was necessary.
Continue practicing Total Concentration Breathing, Constant. Tell your comrades as well, especially the blonde one Zenitsu.
Shinobu-nee is doing well. She’s often busy with Hashira patrol, but she makes time when she can. I’ll send her your regards.
Rengoku-san is a strong Hashira, but also very loud. You two would get along.
Hope your mission goes well and that you have safe travels.
Let’s meet again soon.
Tsuyuri Kanao
(*^-^*) ← Aoi drew this.”