Hearing the voice, Yuko turned her head. A girl wearing a butterfly-patterned haori was sitting on the veranda, sipping flower tea and smiling warmly at her.
Warm sunlight bathed Shinobu, and her colorful haori seemed to emit a faint, wondrous glow.
Yuko's eyes lit up slightly as she walked over.
"Did you see the demon that ran in here, Shinobu?"
Since this was a figure from her dream, she reasoned that Shinobu should have noticed something.
Shinobu replied with a gentle smile, "Nope. I'm the only one here."
Yuko frowned slightly.
Not here?
Could it still be outside?
That didn't seem right. She had been delayed by Muzan for at least several minutes. With the abilities of that sleep demon, it shouldn't have failed to find this place.
At that moment, Shinobu patted the floor beside her.
"Yuko, come sit here."
Yuko declined apologetically.
"No, I still have something to do."
"Are you worried about that demon?" Shinobu smiled. "It's probably over on Mr. Yoriichi's side."
"Yoriichi?" Yuko froze for a moment. "How do you know Yoriichi?"
She was sure she had never mentioned her brother's name to Shinobu, and the way she spoke made it sound as if she knew him well…
What was she thinking? This was her dream. Forget knowing Yoriichi— even Muzan and Yoriichi sitting face-to-face drinking wisteria tea wouldn't be impossible here.
But still…
Were these people throwing a party inside her dream?
What started as an offhand remark unexpectedly received a proper response from Shinobu.
Smiling, Shinobu said, "Because Yuko wanted me to know Mr. Yoriichi, that's why I know him."
"…Huh?"
Why would she want Shinobu to know Yoriichi?
Her brother had been dead for centuries—what use was there in them knowing each other?
Was she supposed to introduce them at a grave?
Yuko felt utterly powerless to complain. She simply followed Shinobu's words and asked,
"Then where is Yoriichi?"
Shinobu smiled.
"If you're looking for Mr. Yoriichi, then you went the wrong way the moment you entered."
"…What?"
Yuko's mouth twitched slightly. Wasn't this supposed to be her dream?
She couldn't even have everything go her way—following her instincts could still lead her astray.
Shinobu patted the floor again.
"Come sit."
Unable to refuse her, and thinking she had already gone the wrong way anyway, Yuko sat down beside Shinobu.
"There's no need to worry. Nothing will happen on Mr. Yoriichi's side."
"…Yeah."
Yuko truly wasn't worried. Not because Yoriichi existed in her dream.
In fact, the sleep demon had the ability to control dreams. Even if the King of Heaven himself appeared, the sleep demon would still reign supreme inside a dream.
Hadn't even Muzan been manipulated earlier?
But Yuko herself was nearly immortal. No matter what schemes the sleep demon had, they were ineffective against her.
To truly deal with her, there was only one option—devour her.
What Yuko didn't know was that the unconscious boundary of a dreamer was a manifestation of the dreamer's subconscious. Even the sleep demon couldn't freely control it.
Shinobu poured her a cup of tea and smiled.
"Have some flower tea."
Yuko paused briefly, then instinctively accepted the cup.
After learning Yuko's true identity, Shinobu had never actively invited her to consume human food.
Seeming to understand her confusion, Shinobu explained with a smile,
"Here, it's fine. Yuko can try it."
Here?
Yuko felt as though she understood something. She lifted the cup and took a small sip. A fresh fragrance burst across her palate—an entirely unfamiliar taste.
Shinobu asked curiously,
"How does it taste?"
"…It's very good."
As the saying goes, after being hungry long enough, anything tastes wonderful.
Yuko had completely forgotten what human food tasted like.
Her sense of smell was perfectly intact—she could still perceive the aromas of food—but what smelled good to humans didn't necessarily mean the same to demons.
In short, regaining her sense of taste felt wonderful.
Shinobu poured her another cup, gazing up at the sun.
"The weather is really nice today."
It was as if Shinobu had truly only invited her to bask in the sunlight. The atmosphere was exceptionally peaceful.
Yuko couldn't help but glance sideways, catching sight of Shinobu's refined profile. Golden sunlight filtered through her eyelashes, making them shimmer.
She remembered now.
The reason she had stayed at the Butterfly Estate was because she felt calm and at ease here.
After Yoriichi's death, a massive weight had pressed upon her heart, leaving her constantly gloomy, even making it difficult to breathe.
Was it loneliness? Or the burden of responsibility?
She wasn't sure.
Later, after meeting Tamayo, perhaps because she had found a companion striving toward the same goal, her heart had eased somewhat.
Then, after parting ways with Tamayo, that oppressive feeling returned—until now…
Somehow, without her realizing it, the knot in her heart had already unraveled.
Yuko didn't think too deeply about it. She assumed it was because she had arrived in the Taishō era, because Tanjiro and the Nine Pillars were here, and because Muzan would surely be ended in this era—so her burden had finally lifted.
But maybe that wasn't the case.
Come to think of it, why was Shinobu here?
Why not someone else?
Tamayo, Tanjiro, Nezuko—why Shinobu, of all people?
Was Shinobu special to her?
As she looked at Shinobu's profile, a strange sensation rose in Yuko's heart, making her feel faintly unsettled.
She opened her mouth.
"Shinobu, could it be that I—"
Before Yuko could finish her sentence, the surrounding space suddenly twisted. Buildings began to crumble like grains of sand.
Looking up, even the sun dimmed and started to collapse.
Yuko stood up in surprise.
"This is—?"
Shinobu smiled at her.
"It seems Mr. Yoriichi has already dealt with the intruder."
"Yuko, you're about to wake up."
The sudden change disrupted Yuko's thoughts. She hadn't expected the people in her dream to truly possess the ability to resist demons.
As the surroundings rapidly fell apart, Yuko finally remembered what she had wanted to ask earlier. She looked urgently at Shinobu.
"Shinobu, could it be that I—"
Suddenly, her vision was engulfed in white light. Before her consciousness fully returned, she only saw Shinobu smile and move her lips—yet Yuko couldn't hear what she said.
…
The clattering sound of the train echoed into her ears, and the dim lights gradually brightened.
Yuko tightened her grip on her Nichirin blade and instinctively scanned her surroundings.
The severed hand on the table had been split cleanly in two, as if struck by Sun Breathing, and was crumbling apart along the cut.
Yuko fell silent for a moment. She hadn't expected that even a brief lapse in focus could drag her into a dream.
That demon had indeed found her weakness.
Without lingering, once her awareness fully returned, Yuko continued toward the front of the train.
…
At the same time, atop the train's engine, Enmu—
"Well then, I've finally fused with this train. As long as I devour the two hundred people inside, I'll gain the power to reach the Upper Ranks." Enmu spread his arms, reveling in the night wind. "Then I'll challenge those guys and become the new—"
His exhilaration abruptly froze.
Just before Yuko returned to consciousness, Enmu finally received the will transmitted from his clone.
That woman… is not normal…
---
Currently at chapter 519 for advance chapters
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