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( — SIX ; FAST-APPROACHING TROUBLES )
TSUBAKI HAD BEEN WATCHING. She had read enough books and saw her parents' interactions to know what was going on between Mila and the Mist Hashira she and Hiro met. Of course, she wasn't going to be a snitch, since she couldn't actually confirm anything yet.
Tsubaki grabbed the hem of her kimono and ruffled it slightly, shaking the dandelion puff that had managed to cling to the fabric. She continued to observe from the corner of her eye, her keen sight mimicking Kanao's self.
"I didn't realize that. Thank you, Mui." Her mother spoke softly, but she could hear it clearly. Tsubaki was like Zenitsu, in a sense—she had his acute hearing skills. And she could hear enough to tell the emotion in her mother's voice was love. Not the friendship love, the romantic love.
Tsubaki also saw how Muichiro would smile at Mila. She could see how the world reflected in his teal eyes whenever his gaze landed on her mother.
"Why can't he understand that she already has us?" Tsubaki mumbled, scowling. She usually didn't hate people that quickly, but she had to admit, Tokitou Muichiro was raising her suspicions.
"Tsubaki! Hiro! We have to go to Aunt Kanao's now!" Mila suddenly called, and Tsubaki perfected her adorable smile as she ran up to the three, even going as far as to hug Muichiro's legs.
"Thank you, Muichiro-san, for teaching me how to make paper planes!" Tsubaki lied smoothly, beautiful jade eyes looking up, eyes that could easily capture someone's heart. "Can we play again tomorrow?"
Ew. Tsubaki was cringing on the inside, but she couldn't let him know that she knew what was going on. She couldn't let him know that she knew he was in love with her mother, a married woman.
"Sure, if I'm free," Muichiro answered, and Tsubaki fought the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she closed them and smiled brightly, then trailing behind Hiro who was waiting patiently by the estate's gates.
MILA LED HER KIDS TO THE FORMER LOVE HASHIRA'S ESTATE, where Mitsuri and Iguro were said to be at. Iguro finally managed to track the kid down with Inosuke, and now Mizunotos—like Nezuko—and Tsuchinotos were sent as spies to her location. They were expected to report the half-blood's situation in due time.
A young girl with sakura-pink hair that ended in apple-green tips came running out, followed by a man with onyx hair and heterochromatic eyes. The child was giggling furiously, an albino snake curled around her neck. Mila swore she saw the animal smile.
"Rena! Give Kaburamaru back!" Iguro called out, panting. Mila decided it was teasing time.
"You can fight a demon king from midnight to sunrise but can't handle chasing a twelve-year-old, nii-chan?" Mila slid next to him, raised eyebrows and a teasing smirk.
"Shut up, Mila," Iguro groaned, managing to grab Rena's arm and wrangle the snake from her neck. He wrapped Kaburamaru around his own neck and turned to Mila. Somehow, it surprised her that he still covered up his face, even though Mitsuri had frequently told him he already looked beautiful. Then again, not everyone was as kind as Mitsuri.
"Aunt Mila! Tsubaki-chan and Hiro-kun too! But where's Uncle Akito?" Rena asked, disappointment laced in her last question.
Mila smiled. "He's still doing some work, Rena-chan. Do you know where your mom is?"
Rena didn't even get a chance to answer, because Mitsuri came bursting outside, full panic mode on. There was a pan lathered in soap in her left hand, and the other had a spoon with the sticky soap sitting on top of it.
"Iguro-kun, Iguro-kun! The soap's not coming off of the spoon!" Mitsuri was shrieking as if it was the end of the world. She panicked even more when she saw that Mila and her kids were gaping at her. "W-What?! It's a big deal, you know! This is my favorite dish soap!"
Mila suppressed her giggle. She could only imagine how much Iguro had to deal with, with Rena and Mitsuri being alike in every way, except for Rena's eyes. They were heterochromatic, with the colors yellow and blue. All in all, Mila was sure Rena would grow up to be a stunning lady.
"I'll help with the soap, nii-chan. Can you watch Hiro and Tsubaki for me, please?"
Iguro agreed immediately and looped his arms under Rena's armpits, carrying her and hurling past Mila, with Tsubaki and Hiro laughing as they ran after the father-daughter duo. Mitsuri kept panicking, and Mila stepped up to remove the soap.
A few minutes later, after Mila and Mitsuri had finished washing the dishes, a crow landed by the window. Again, Mila noticed it as Kanao's. She quickly read the words and looked up at Mitsuri in alarm.
"Nee-san, get Iguro nii-chan, quickly!"
DEMONS WERE POPPING UP LEFT AND RIGHT. The most infested area was Tokyo, since it was the center of all commercial interactions between humans. And all of this was occurring when the Corps didn't have enough manpower.
"We can't just go after these demons! Not when there's a possibility that the kid will be there, because we'll end up hurting innocent civilians!" Tanjiro protested, a look of worry creasing his face.
Kanao had a butterfly perched on her finger, but she was listening intently. Shinobu was right beside her, clad in her butterfly haori. "If I may suggest, Kiriya-sama, how about we form teams of Mizunotos and the ranks next to it? We could have a commander for them as well."
Mila thought this was a good idea. Many of the new lower-ranked slayers had a high survival rate, and were decently skilled in swordsmanship.
"That would sound good, and it would be a very efficient way indeed. Still, we need to guarantee the teamwork of the slayers." Kiriya nodded, and he looked at the others.
Muichiro meekly raised his hand, and Kiriya called on him.
"How about we apply Shinobu-san's idea, but the slayers only fight in the low-risk areas? We can't allow our manpower to go lower when we haven't even reached the proper amount of slayers," the Mist Hashira suggested, and Shinobu was nodding along with him. "As for teamwork, if you'd like, we can have a repeat of the Hashira training. We haven't received a report that the demons have fully taken over and are eating people. We can have at least a two or three week training session before that happens."
With Mitsuri fan-girling at how smart Muichiro was, Mila agreed with the idea. The navigation crows, Nezuko, and Zenitsu hadn't reported any casualties. If they did encounter one, Mila believed that they managed to handle it.
