26 Demon Slayer: Floating Comment

After an exhausting descent from the mountain, Sabito and Giyu leaned on each other for support, only to find two unfamiliar girls outside the wooden cabin.

They were dressed in mourning clothes. One stood by Urokodaki, assisting with meal preparation, while the other sat by the door, washing clothes.

As always, Urokodaki said nothing. The brothers approached cautiously, hearing only Haruto's exasperated voice from inside the cabin.

"I told you I'd introduce you to trainers. You don't need to do all this," he muttered from his bed.

The girl doing the laundry raised her head, her pale pink eyes meeting theirs.

"You're injured. We're just trying to help however we can," she replied softly, holding out her hand for the haoris they carried.

"N-No need to trouble yourselves!" Sabito stammered, panicking as he elbowed Giyu for support.

Giyu hastily shrugged his sweaty haori back on and forced an awkward smile.

Who were these girls, and where had they come from?

Makomo had just left the mountain a few days ago. Had Urokodaki already taken on new apprentices? If Makomo found out, she'd never say "I like Urokodaki-sensei best" again!

After Haruto begrudgingly explained the situation, the meal was ready.

Sabito dragged a chair next to Haruto and, with two spoons in hand, alternated between feeding himself and stuffing bites into Haruto's mouth.

This had always been Makomo's job. Despite the Water Breathing swordsmen being known for their calm and composed natures, no one cared for the sick quite like Makomo.

Once the meal was done, Shinobu stepped outside and caught Sabito almost shoving rice into Haruto's nose. She stepped forward, took the spoon from him, and said, "Let me do it, Haruto-san. You should eat properly."

Sabito hesitated, glancing at Haruto, who gave a slight nod. He sighed and handed the spoon to Shinobu.

Haruto watched this exchange with a quiet sigh.

These sisters were hard to figure out.

Before Urokodaki agreed to write their letters of introduction to trainers, they'd been so earnest it was impossible to say no. And now that the arrangements were settled, they seemed determined to repay every ounce of kindness, as though burdened by guilt.

"You two lack muscle strength…" Urokodaki's voice drifted from inside as he spoke to Kanae. "Without enough muscle, even the sharpest sword won't sever a demon's neck. A Nichirin Blade is essential to kill a demon. Without it, demons won't die by nightfall—and it's the hunters who will."

Kanae listened intently, her expression calm. Shinobu, however, seemed lost in thought, her hands moving swiftly as she fed Haruto.

"Maybe…" Kanae's voice was soft but steady. "Maybe it doesn't have to be about severing necks or piercing hearts. Isn't there another way? A cure, perhaps? A way to save them and turn them back into humans?"

"Redemption… for demons?"

Urokodaki fell silent.

Haruto let out a faint snicker. "Urokodaki-sensei probably thinks your sister's lost her mind," he whispered.

To say such a thing after losing both parents to demons… It was idealistic, to say the least.

Shinobu paused for a moment, then quietly excused herself.

It wasn't long before she returned with more food. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "The demon in our village… The one with horns…"

Her words caught in her throat. She sniffled, took a deep breath, and continued, "His name was Nyūmura Kazuichi. He used to live in the first house at the entrance to the village. He was Father's closest friend."

Haruto tilted his head, studying her.

Her nose and eyes were red, and tears shimmered in her amethyst eyes, threatening to spill over. She bit her lip as if trying to hold them back.

"Nyūmura-san was a warm, cheerful man. He watched over us as we grew up. Our whole family loved him.

A few years ago, he disappeared while gathering herbs in the mountains. Everyone said wolves got him. But… who could have imagined he'd return as a demon?"

A single tear fell, leaving a small mark on the dusty floor.

"I didn't recognize him," she whispered, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "But my sister did. Our parents… they never knew that their dear friend… really did come back."

She looked up, her voice steadier now. "Kanae isn't overly kind. She just believes Nyūmura-san had no choice. The ones who should die aren't the people turned into demons—it's the demons who create them."

Haruto sighed, his expression softening.

"Loss is painful, isn't it?" he murmured. "But if you join the Demon Slayer Corps, loss will become part of your daily life."

"Isn't preventing loss better?" Shinobu countered, her voice firm. "Killing more demons means fewer families shattered. Isn't that worth it?"

"Your sister is still talking about redemption."

Shinobu turned away, avoiding the topic. "Would you like more to eat?"

"Of course. I'm nowhere near full," Haruto replied.

Urokodaki didn't send the sisters away. Instead, he cleaned up the empty room next to Makomo's and let them stay a few more days.

Haruto could tell Urokodaki wanted to dissuade Kanae from her "redemption" fantasy but didn't know how to broach the topic.

"If a demon could resist eating humans, they might be worth saving," Urokodaki said one evening. "But once they've eaten… what's the point of redemption?"

"Demons who don't eat humans?" Haruto shook his head. "Do they even exist?"

By the time winter set in, Haruto was able to hobble around with some help. Though his muscles had weakened, the slow but steady recovery promised better days ahead.

"The Demon Slayer Corps doesn't have a department for this?" Kanae mused one day. "A unified medical team that helps injured slayers recover? There should be one."

"Medical specialists are hard to come by. But if you two join the Corps, maybe you could suggest it to Oyakata-sama," Haruto said, catching himself before calling him "the young master."

"Maybe we will," Kanae replied, a faint smile on her face.

A day later, the Butterfly sisters left with Urokodaki's letters of recommendation in hand.

That same evening, a messenger crow brought news that Makomo had passed the Final Selection and become a full-fledged Demon Slayer.