章 31: 31. Butterfly Mansion
"Umm…"
Kotaro tossed and turned, trying to find a more comfortable position to sleep. However, due to a certain weight pressing down on him, he couldn't manage it.
Eventually, his inability to sleep well forced him to wake up. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where am I?"
Kotaro pressed his head, feeling a sudden headache. He endured it, then slowly lifted himself up and sat down.
The weight that had kept him from sleeping was, of course, Mitsuri. She was sitting beside the bed, tending to Kotaro, but had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
"This room… I'm not in my house. Where am I?"
Sensing movement, Mitsuri also opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, rubbed them, then widened them upon seeing Kotaro awake.
"Kotaro-sama!"
"W-Wait! Don't jum— Ack!"
Mitsuri jumped onto him with joy, making Kotaro feel a long-forgotten pain in his waist. It ached, but how could he complain?
"Kotaro-sama, I was so worried."
Mitsuri shed tears and hugged him tightly. Sighing, Kotaro gently rubbed her head, realizing he had caused her too much worry. First, going after the demon alone, and now this…
"I'm sorry, Mitsuri. It's my fault for making you worry so much."
"Umm. It's alright. I know Kotaro-sama didn't do it intentionally."
"Oh? It seems Mitsuri has started to mature."
"I was always mature!"
Kotaro grabbed her cheeks and pulled them with a smile.
"Not in front of me."
After teasing Mitsuri and calming her down, Kotaro asked where they were. That's when Mitsuri explained.
"A hospital?"
And not just any hospital—this was the Butterfly Mansion, where demon slayers receive treatment.
Just one meeting with Kyojuro Rengoku, and now he was at the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps. Quite the surprise!
But unlike a typical room with multiple beds, he seemed to be in a private one. Was it the power of connections?
Kotaro noticed a basket of fruit beside him and didn't hesitate to grab an apple. But Mitsuri quickly snatched it from him and began peeling it.
She cut the apple into cute, rabbit-shaped slices, just like in anime. Despite their cuteness, Kotaro grabbed them and chomped down without mercy. As he ate, he asked about the events of yesterday.
"So, I fainted."
"Yes. After Kotaro-sama showed that sparking thing—"
"Hamon."
"Yes, after Kotaro-sama showed Hamon, your injuries relapsed, and you fainted."
Considering how injured he had been, it was a miracle he hadn't fainted earlier. Remembering his injuries, Kotaro looked at his hand, specifically the spot that had been nearly ripped off by the demon's sharp claws.
It was bandaged, preventing him from seeing the full extent of the injury, but from his movement, it seemed there wasn't too much damage.
His broken hand also seemed to be healing well. The Hamon must have accelerated his body's natural healing process.
After hearing all this, Kotaro asked the most important question.
"Aiko… Where is Mom's body?"
Mitsuri's hand paused for a moment, but then she continued.
"Rengoku-san retrieved it and has kept it in a coffin. He told me to inform Kotaro-sama about it."
"Is that so?"
Kotaro looked out the window at the trees swaying under the sun and wind. It had only been a night, yet it felt so long. Relativity… Why did Einstein have to invent that concept?
A tear slid down his cheek, and Mitsuri, seeing this, hugged him.
"Kotaro-sama."
"It's nothing, Mitsuri. I'm alright. These are just leftover tears that got stuck in my eyes."
…
"Kotaro-san! It seems you're awake."
Kyojuro entered the room with a thud, his energetic presence filling the space. As expected of the future Flame Hashira.
"Kotaro is fine. I also call you Kyojuro, so it wouldn't be fair if you used honorifics."
"I understand. Then, Kotaro!"
So fast? Kotaro thought he'd at least hesitate. But look at him… Sigh! And here Kotaro was, trying to get Mitsuri to call him by name, but she's too shy to do that.
"By the way, thanks for bringing me to the hospital, Kyojuro."
"It's nothing. It's our duty to help and protect humans from demons."
If someone else had said that, Kotaro might have scoffed, but Kyojuro truly meant it. Unlike some other Hashira, this man became a demon slayer not out of personal interest but because he saw it as his duty.
That's why everyone respects him, and Kotaro is no exception.
"Kyojuro, why did you come here? Is there some issue?"
"Oh! Kotaro, Oyakata-sama has requested to meet you."
Kotaro's eyes widened at his words. Oyakata-sama… Kyojuro was referring to the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, right?
"He's your leader, isn't he?"
"Yes!"
"Then why does he want to meet me?"
He is an ordinary man. The demon he encountered isn't some high-ranked one either. Why does he want to meet him?
"I reported to Oyakata-sama about your 'Hamon' and your feat of using it to kill a demon with your bare hands, so Oyakata-sama wants to see it."
So, it's your fault!
Kotaro sighed and pressed his eyebrows together. After a moment of thought, he nodded.
"Alright. I'll meet him."
===
A/N:
How is the chapter? Give some feedback to my exhausted brain.
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