The Flower and the Butterfly

Conversations

Once again... I lost the one I loved the most... And in a much worse way than the last time... Why? It was supposed to be... It was supposed to be me in her place... That attack... It was meant to hit me... Rengoku... I'm sorry... The promise... I couldn't keep it...

– "What's your problem?! You let her become a demon for what?!" Hayashi was yelling at me... We had returned to the mansion after that attack... Now that the boy woke up, it hit him, everything that happened... Aoi and Kanao were holding him back because he was truly angry about it... I don't blame him, what I did... It was an act of desperation... Fear of seeing her die... Because of that, I let her become a demon...

– "You think she would have wanted this?!" Hayashi began to cry and stopped trying to come at me...

– "She... Kanroji-sensei... If I had arrived sooner... If I were stronger..."

– "None of this would've happened... None of this..." Hayashi knelt in the room while Aoi tried to console him... I didn't look at them, I turned and walked out of that room... But as I did, a hand grabbed my shoulder...

– "Kocho-sensei..." Kanao tried to keep me there, but when I turned my face to look at her... Tears... All that was flowing from my eyes... Were tears... I was trembling... I didn't know what to do... I... I destroy everything I touch...

Without even realizing it... I walked to the mansion's entrance... "Right... Oyakata-sama wanted to have a meeting with the Hashiras..." I had no will to go... "Here... Yes... This was where we had our first kiss..." Shinobu reflected while looking at the entrance... It was never the most romantic setting... But it was here where her heart raced, and her only reaction was to do one thing... To this day, Shinobu remembers that feeling... The thought that she might never feel it again... Made her want to just... Give up...

With little else to do, I began walking to the meeting that was about to take place... She had left something behind... Something she only took off during baths... Her headpiece, she didn't wear it... She didn't deserve to wear it anymore, the gift from her sister... Perhaps she never truly deserved it...

After a few slow steps, Shinobu finally arrived at the "meeting hall", so to speak... For the first time, I was the last one to arrive... Everyone found it strange, but the ones who noticed my sadness the most were Giyuu and Obanai... Even with my smile, I couldn't hide my sorrow...

– "Sorry everyone... I was a little late this time." I said with a smile... One that wouldn't fool even a blind person... Everyone was in their places, so the meeting began... Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to it; most of what I heard were scattered words...

– "For today's Pillar meeting, I, Ubuyashiki Amane, will be present... Thank you to all the pillars, I'm sure you've all heard, but now we have a demon that has conquered the sun... The time for war is approaching... Strange marks appearing on Hayashi-sama, Tokito-sama, Kocho-sama, and Kanroji-sama... Asking how they got the marks and under what conditions... Marks that never appeared before... We've asked all those who received the mark, but Tanjiro-sama couldn't explain it, and due to a recent loss that will soon be discussed, Hayashi-sama also couldn't explain it... Please, Tokito-sama, Kocho-sama, share with us..." How could I explain? It was simply an explosion that happened to me... It was a feeling that made me lose my fear... A feeling that made me think I could do anything... A feeling... That made me lower my guard... A feeling... That made me lose...

In the end, I couldn't explain how it worked, but Tokito explained how it felt and how other hunters could activate it... Then the meeting continued, and the 'pillar training plan' began, with each hunter having to undergo a test given by all the pillars... At the end, Amane asked me to stay while the others left...