The Butterfly's Dance, Hearts of Comrades — The Light Shinobu Saw - Cracks and Flames — The Night Smiles Fade

The needle entered Tomioka Giyuu's right shoulder, and with each insertion, Kochou Shinobu steadied her breathing. Morning light filtered into the treatment room, casting a soft glow across the white walls. It was right next to the recovery ward where the survivors of Hiiragi Village slept. The traces of last night's battle remained on Giyuu's right shoulder—a deep wound where an ice blade had cut through. The sutures had taken time. Giyuu sat facing forward in silence. His brow twitched slightly each time the needle went in, but he made no sound. "Please don't be reckless, Giyuu-san," "You're one to talk," The same words as last night. Shinobu smiled a little. ——He really is a man of few words. She cut the thread. The moment she switched scissors, her fingertips stopped. Still touching Giyuu's shoulder, for just one second. Last night, this man had stood in front of her. He'd taken the ice blade meant for her. The weight of that realization pressed against her chest anew. Shinobu said nothing. She simply wrapped the bandage with more care than usual. Whether Giyuu noticed or not, he kept his gaze on the window outside. Even after the treatment finished, Giyuu didn't stand up immediately. "Aren't you going home?" "I'm concerned about the survivors' condition," With only that, he walked toward the veranda. It seemed he intended to stay there after getting a cup of tea. Shinobu moved on to the next patient, slightly exasperated. ——An odd person. But not a bad one. --- Around midday, an energetic voice called out from the gate. "Excuse me, I'm Kamado Tanjirou! I've come to help with the Pillar training!" Kamado Tanjirou—a sixteen-year-old swordsman participating in Pillar training under the Water Pillar, Tomioka Giyuu. Black hair with red streaks mixed in, a small mark on his forehead. A young man with straightforward brown eyes, and Shinobu had seen his face several times before. Before Aoi could even guide him, Tanjirou had already opened the recovery ward's door. The moment he entered, there was no hesitation. He went straight to the bedside of the patient who looked most distressed—an elderly man with a fever that had persisted since last night—and knelt without reservation. "Are you alright? Is there anywhere that hurts?" Aoi tried to stop him, saying "Wait, Kamado-san, you can't just—" But the old man slowly reached out and grasped Tanjirou's hand. With a trembling, bony hand. Tears welled up in his eyes. Shinobu watched the scene from the hallway. Something stirred deep in her chest. ——This boy... he's like nee-san. The image of Kanae overlapped with his figure—someone who could face anyone with the same expression. Whether demon or human, she extended her hand equally to those who suffered. Tanjirou was doing exactly that now. Without calculation, without hesitation, simply facing the old man before him. Shinobu stood in the hallway, watching for a moment longer than necessary. Tanjirou noticed her and stood up. In doing so, he stepped on a bundle of bandages that had been left on the floor. It slid. "Whoa—" He barely managed to grab Aoi's shoulder and steady himself. Aoi gave Tanjirou a cold look. "I told you just now not to leave bandages in the hallway," "I-I'm sorry!" Shinobu approached with a smile. "Thank you for coming, Tanjirou-kun," Tanjirou bowed slightly. Then he lifted his face and looked directly at Shinobu. His eyes were serious. "Shinobu-san... you've been angry this whole time, haven't you?" She froze, smile still in place. Tanjirou tilted his head. There was no malice in it. He spoke as if simply stating a fact. "But... I also smell sadness. A lot of it," ——This boy can tell by scent. Shinobu knew that Kamado Tanjirou possessed extraordinary olfactory senses. But being pointed out like this, she had no words to refute him. Her smile remained fixed. But something flickered deep in her eyes, just for an instant. "That's not true at all," She managed to say it naturally. She changed the subject and explained today's tasks to Tanjirou. Her footsteps were just slightly faster. After closing the door to the compounding room, Shinobu closed her eyes once. --- Night fell. The survivors fell asleep, and Aoi and the others rested. When the Butterfly Mansion grew quiet, Shinobu shut herself away in the compounding room alone. Lamplight illuminated the shelves lined with medicine bottles. The dry scent of wisteria flowers drifted through the air. Tonight's purpose was to analyze the traces of the demon's blood demon art from last night's subjugation. The ice crystallization marks left on the ground just before the demon's destruction—she had collected samples of them. The shape of the crystals, their spread, the direction of freezing. She held them up to the lamplight, confirming the details. Shinobu's hands stopped. (This shape...) She pulled out an old bundle from the file shelf. A field report from four years ago. ——The night Kochou Kanae lost her life. The ice crystallization diagram that the hidden had recorded. The marks left at the place where Kanae, who had fought until dawn and exhausted her strength, had faced her final opponent. Shinobu had read that report dozens of times. So she knew immediately. The crystal pattern of the sample in her hand bore a striking resemblance to the traces in the report. Upper Moon Two, Douma—the demon who had killed her sister Kanae—a demon that had inherited the characteristics of his blood demon art was nearby. A demon given Douma's blood. Behind the casualties of these past few days. Her mind went white for an instant. She gripped the edge of the desk. Her fingers turned white from the force. Her breathing became shallow. The hand holding the sample trembled. Kanae's face surfaced in her mind. That morning, covered in blood, still smiling. Shinobu stood up from her chair. Before she knew it, she had driven her fist into the wall of the compounding room. A dull sound echoed through the quiet space. The skin on her fingers split. The medicine shelf rattled. Shinobu pressed her forehead against the wall and closed her eyes. ——Nee-san. A demon carrying his blood is still out there. Right nearby. There was no room for a smile now. Not anymore. --- Before dawn. Shinobu was preparing in the compounding room. She packed all her spare poison needles into her pouch. She checked the mechanism of her sword's scabbard. She gently picked up her butterfly hair ornament and fastened it in her hair. On the desk of the compounding room lay the analysis results from last night. She had written no message for Giyuu. No parting words for Tanjirou. She walked down the hallway. As she passed the recovery ward, the door opened quietly. Tanjirou, an early riser, came out. He seemed to have come to check on the survivors' condition. Their eyes met in the dark hallway. "Shinobu-san... where are you going?" Shinobu turned around. She crafted a perfect smile. "Just a little reconnaissance. I'll be back soon," Tanjirou's expression clouded for just a moment. His nose was sensing something. She could tell from that expression. He was picking up on something through scent. But no words came to stop her. Shinobu's smile was far too perfect, leaving no room for hesitation to show. "...Be careful," Shinobu nodded. She turned on her heel. She passed through the Butterfly Mansion's gate. The edge of the mountain was beginning to turn faintly white. Shinobu's pace was swift. Much faster than during the solo reconnaissance in the first arc. Anger and sorrow burned within her body. Her feet moved before reason could catch up. ——I'll do this alone. This is my way of fighting. Tanjirou, left in the hallway, watched the gate where Shinobu had disappeared for a long time. That scent wouldn't leave his mind. Sadness and anger—and something else. A strong sense of resolve to face this alone. (I should tell Giyuu-san.) Tanjirou walked toward the veranda. Into the early morning chill, toward the person who should still be there.

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Episode 4

Name: The Butterfly's Dance, Hearts of Comrades — The Light Shinobu Saw
Author: Novelia

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