The training grounds were still chilly in the morning. Wisteria flowers from the medicinal herb garden swayed in the breeze, their sweet scent drifting through the air. Tanjirou was replaying last night in his mind. That low laugh he'd heard in the northwest forest. The demon was still moving. Shinobu's words—"completion sometime between noon and evening tomorrow"—kept catching in the corner of his thoughts. Today, he could only wait. Trying to shake off that impatience, Tanjirou took up his sword. A new stance he'd discovered yesterday—lowering his center of gravity, rotating with his whole body. Let me check it once more. The moment he stepped forward. BOOM!! The gate of the Butterfly Mansion was kicked open from the inside. Tanjirou's blade stopped reflexively. Zenitsu came flying off the veranda. "[scared]Wh-what was that sound!?" Heavy, rough footsteps approached from beyond the gate. And then— A girl wearing a boar mask strode boldly into the training grounds. Reddish-purple tangled hair spilled out from under the boar face. Her body was definitely female now, but her gait hadn't changed one bit. Powerful, wild footsteps—like a beast. Hashibira Inosuke. "[excited]Oraaaaah!! I'm here, you weaklings!!" "[angry]Who're you calling weak?! And why'd you kick the gate!!" Inosuke glanced at Zenitsu and snorted. "[sarcastic]Shut up. I just needed to get in" "That's not how this works!!" Inosuke walked toward the center of the training grounds and kicked a wooden pillar with her bare hand. The pillar shook violently, wood creaking from above. "[excited]Even if my body changed! My strength didn't! That's what matters—being strong!!" She kicked another pillar. This time it snapped clean at the base. "[angry]Nooo, the training grounds!!" Then. Footsteps. Calm, slow footsteps. Shinobu emerged from the research room. Even with a male body and increased height, even with her lustrous black hair cut short, those eyes remained unchanged—smiling yet not smiling. "[cold]Inosuke" The voice was low. Speaking with a man's voice gave it twice the impact. Inosuke—stopped moving for just a moment. Inosuke, who never flinched before anyone, hesitated. The pressure from Shinobu's quiet laugh in that male body was apparently unexpected. "[cold]I'd appreciate it if you stopped destroying my mansion's pillars" "…Yeah, okay" Zenitsu's mouth fell open. Tanjirou was a little shocked too. He'd never seen Inosuke agree to something so obediently. Shinobu returned to the research room. Watching her go, Inosuke quickly recovered. You could tell from her movements that she was thinking something inside that boar mask. Then Inosuke looked at Tanjirou. "[surprised]…Gonpachi, you've gotten weak" "[angry]You got my name wrong!! And say I'm cute!!" "Strength is everything. Cute doesn't matter" "It does matter!!!" Tanjirou smiled wryly. Inosuke being so typical was actually reassuring. Even with her body changed, Inosuke was still Inosuke. (But… cute, huh.) Only now did Tanjirou realize what Zenitsu had said, and for some reason his cheeks felt warm. He didn't quite understand why. "[serious]Inosuke, fight me" Inosuke turned to face Tanjirou. Golden eyes glinted behind the boar mask. "[gentle]Um… that is…" "[cold]Running away?" "I'm not running—" "[cold]You don't want to admit defeat, so you're running" Something clicked inside Tanjirou. "[serious]…I'll do it" "Tanjirou!! Don't do it!!" Too late. The two faced each other in the center of the training grounds. Tanjirou with his sword drawn, Inosuke crouched low like a beast, both hands open. The next instant, Inosuke flew forward. "[excited]Beast Breathing!!" Fast. Even with her changed body, Inosuke's movements were incredibly fast. Tanjirou jumped sideways reflexively—but his center of gravity wasn't used to the female body yet, and his landing was unsteady. Inosuke's slash went wide. CRASH!! A loud sound echoed against the main building's wall. A crack spread across it. A moment of silence. Then from beyond the wall came the sound of things crashing down—many things. Everyone froze. "…That was the research room, right?" No one could say anything. From the crack in the wall, wisteria extract seeped out. A strong smell. Liquid spreading slowly across the floor. The research room door opened slowly. Shinobu came out. Her hands, wearing thin gloves, trembled slightly. She hid them behind her back. She looked at the floor. At the wreckage beyond the wall—broken bottles, powder, liquid residue. For several seconds, no one spoke. "[sad]…We'll start over from the beginning" The voice was quiet. Not angry. But that quietness was heavier than any shout. "Completion will be tomorrow at noon" Tanjirou sheathed his sword and knelt before Shinobu. He bowed his head deeply. "[serious]I'm sorry" "[surprised]Wait, wait, hold on! I was trying to stop it!!" Inosuke looked confused. She still hadn't grasped the situation. "[angry]You're the one who caused this!!" "[surprised]Me?" "Yeah!!" Tanjirou raised his head and looked at Shinobu's face. She wore her usual smile. But her eyes were distant. The subjugation would be delayed another day. That reality pressed down on him, heavy and slow. --- The sun set. The sunset painted the medicinal herb garden red, turning the wisteria flowers orange. On the Butterfly Mansion's veranda, Nezuko sat hugging her knees, staring out. Even in a male body, her profile was still that of his little sister. Aoi had gone out for night watch beyond the grounds. Footsteps returned a few minutes later. Too soon. "[scared]Tanjirou! There's smoke outside…!" Tanjirou jumped from the veranda. He smelled it. Sweet. That scent. The one from the northwest forest—that drowsy-making smell. It was drifting toward the Butterfly Mansion from outside. "[serious]Close the windows! Cover your mouths with cloth! Everyone, now!!" Giyu moved silently into action. Zenitsu ran down the hallway. But. A sneeze sounded in the recovery ward hallway. It was Sumi's voice—one of the girls who worked at the mansion. The cloth hadn't made it in time. A hallway window was still slightly open. "[scared]Huh, I'm getting sleepy…" She collapsed. Kiyo and Naho lost consciousness the same way minutes later. After laying the three down and checking on them, when Sumi woke up, she stared at her own hands and froze. "[crying]Waaahhh!! Why are my hands so big!!" "[crying]Mine too!! My body changed!!" "[crying]No!!" The three girls' cries echoed through the mansion. Tanjirou tried to calm them down. That's when— A voice came from outside the building. A low voice. Muffled, yet strangely clear. "You don't need to run" Everyone went still. "The more you panic, the thicker the smoke becomes. Confusion, fear, despair—that's my food" The voice's owner didn't appear. A disembodied voice seeped into the night-shrouded mansion. Giyu's hand went to his sword. But they didn't know where the enemy was. "[serious]Don't be swayed. Everyone stay calm" He said it while telling himself the same thing. But the smoke grew thicker, slowly. --- Everyone gathered in the great hall. Zenitsu stood with his back against the wall, arms crossed. He kept glancing at Tanjirou, then looking away. Over and over. Giyu stood by the window, quietly watching outside. Nezuko sat beside Tanjirou, silent. The sweet smell began drifting slowly into the room. Tanjirou noticed something growing inside him. Impatience, maybe. Anxiety, maybe. Something he couldn't quite name was swelling, bit by bit. "[crying]Tanjirou doesn't care about me at all!!" Zenitsu suddenly shouted. Tanjirou turned. Tears were streaming down Zenitsu's face. "[crying]During training too! When Giyu held your hand! You looked so happy!!" "[cold]…That's not true" Giyu said it curtly. "[angry]What do you mean it's not true!! That cool face of yours pisses me off!!" Tension stretched between Zenitsu and Giyu. Tanjirou opened his mouth to say "both of you." That's when— "[sad]Big brother" Nezuko's voice trembled, small. "[sad]You're not forgetting about me, are you?" "I'm not forgetting, I would never—" "[sad]Kiyo, Zenitsu, Giyu… you're always thinking about everyone else. What about me?" The voice was shaking. Even in a male body, it was Nezuko's voice—on the verge of tears. Something inside Tanjirou reached its limit. The smoke's scent was thicker now. He could feel his emotions swaying far larger than usual. He knew he should stop it. But he couldn't. "[crying]I'm scared too!!" The words came out. "I don't know if I can fight properly in this body!! I don't have the confidence to protect everyone—I don't have it!!" The great hall fell silent. Tanjirou himself was most shocked. He hadn't meant to say any of this. But it came out. He couldn't stop it. Zenitsu's crying stopped. Nezuko closed her mouth. Giyu turned to face Tanjirou. Even Inosuke said nothing inside her boar mask. No one could say anything. Tanjirou's "I'm scared"—words they'd always relied on him not to say—changed the air completely. "[serious]It's okay!! The flame in your heart won't go out!!" Inosuke suddenly shouted. But her voice trembled slightly. The power was there, but it wavered—desperate. No one laughed. The sweet scent of smoke still drifted. Everyone was in the Butterfly Mansion's great hall. But in this moment, invisible cracks had formed between them all. Shinobu removed her gloves, then put them back on. Her hands trembled again, just slightly. In the darkness outside, the demon's presence waited, still. Tanjirou clenched his fists. Even if the smoke's influence faded, the words he'd just spoken would never disappear. The night would grow darker still.