The medicine hall was filled with the strong smell of blood and a deathly silence.
In the corner, the elder sister, Kanae, was the first to somewhat recover from her terror.
Her purple eyes were brimming with tears, and immense sorrow surged within her.
But she bit back her cries, only holding her younger sister in her arms even tighter.
A moment later,
Kanae looked up, gazing at Ryosuke who stood silently before her parents' remains.
"It...it's not your fault. Thank you for saving us."
Ryosuke paused slightly, then squatted a few steps away from them.
"Do you have any other family members or relatives you can go to?"
Kanae shook her head, then, as if remembering something, whispered,
"There's no one else in the family, but Father once said we have a few distant cousins we don't keep in touch with..."
Distant relatives... Ryosuke shook his head inwardly.
In these times, even close relatives are hard to protect; how much sincerity could distant relatives possibly have?
It would be merciful enough if they didn't kick them when they were down and seize their property.
For these two girls, who had just lost their parents, to be dependent on others, their future situation was unimaginable.
In this man-eating world, the law of survival is cruel and direct.
The weak can only passively endure; only by becoming strong can one take the initiative.
This was also why Ryosuke, even with the System, dared not slack off in the slightest and trained desperately.
Demons weren't like chives in a field; you didn't just encounter them anywhere.
Especially the slightly stronger, prime 'little buns' were even more cunning.
Most of them had mysterious whereabouts and could even perfectly hide among humans.
Diligently cultivating to improve oneself was indeed painful, but it was a tangible strength that could be held in one's hands.
The most crucial point was that this could save the most life points.
This was Ryosuke's trump card and reliance.
The sky gradually turned a fish-belly white, and the morning light streamed through the window lattice.
The hummingbird appeared silently, expertly handling the scene.
Ryosuke helped Kanae and Kochou Shinobu erect a simple joint grave for their parents on the small hillside behind the house.
The two sisters knelt before the grave, their shoulders trembling as they bowed their heads.
After a long time, Kanae pulled Kochou Shinobu to her feet and turned to Ryosuke, who stood nearby.
"Sir."
Kanae's voice was still tearful: "Please, teach us how to slay demons!"
Ryosuke paused slightly.
He had been wondering how to bring it up, but he hadn't expected them to suggest it first.
"I understand."
Ryosuke nodded, speaking solemnly.
"My name is Yasui Ryosuke, and I am a Squad Member of the Demon Slayer Corps. If this is your choice, I will introduce you."
He didn't hesitate, immediately summoning the hummingbird to begin writing a letter to Urokodaki Sakonji.
There was no other way; Mount Sagiri was still too authoritative!
Moreover, the Flower Breathing that Kanae would later use was a derivative of Water Breathing, and the Insect Breathing that Kochou Shinobu would use was a derivative of Flower Breathing.
Having Urokodaki lay the foundation and guide the direction for these two was perfectly suitable.
Afterward, Ryosuke set off with Kanae and Kochou Shinobu.
It had to be said, the Butterfly Sisters were indeed popular female characters in the original story.
The elder sister, Kanae, had a gentle and serene demeanor, with purple eyes like water.
Though the younger sister, Shinobu, was still young, her features were already delicate and exquisite, like a fragile porcelain doll.
With such a pair of sisters by his side, they naturally attracted countless gazes along the way.
Ryosuke couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
As a shut-in in his previous life, he was very afraid of being watched by others.
At the same time, the two sisters were physically weak and had just experienced a major upheaval, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted, so their pace wasn't fast.
Ryosuke also deliberately slowed down their travel speed.
By the time they finally arrived at Mount Sagiri, it was several days later.
Standing in front of the small house on Mount Sagiri again, Ryosuke rubbed his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.
After all, he had just brought Iguro Obanai over a while ago, and now he had brought the Butterfly Sisters.
He felt like he was becoming Mount Sagiri's exclusive talent conveyor belt.
Urokodaki Sakonji stood silently in front of the house, his expression unreadable beneath his Tengu mask, his voice as gentle as ever.
"Ryosuke, have you brought new children again?"
"Urokodaki-sensei."
Ryosuke bowed respectfully, gently guiding the two sisters behind him slightly forward.
"The situation is mostly explained in the letter. They are Kochou Kanae and Kochou Shinobu. Please, I ask you..."
Before Ryosuke could finish speaking, Urokodaki slightly raised his hand.
"Since you have chosen this path, then stay."
"Mount Sagiri will give you the opportunity to become strong, but how far you can go depends on yourselves."
Kanae quickly pulled her sister into a deep bow.
"Thank you! We will definitely work hard!"
Phew—
Done!
Just as Ryosuke was about to slip away, Sakonji spoke again.
"Sabito and the others are still out on a mission and haven't returned. Ryosuke, please show them around and help them get familiar with the environment first."
"..."
Alright.
He was moonlighting as a tour guide again... Ryosuke sighed helplessly and waved at the two.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Kanae smiled, pursing her lips, and followed behind, pulling Kochou Shinobu.
Mount Sagiri was perpetually shrouded in mist, but today the visibility was decent.
Many young boys and girls were training in the forest, a somewhat dazzling sight.
Mountain streams gurgled, the training ground was ancient, and there were many huge rocks... Ryosuke led the two girls, introducing things as they walked.
Kanae listened intently, nodding occasionally.
Kochou Shinobu, meanwhile, pursed her lips, carefully observing everything around her.
"This is..."
"Mr. Ryosuke!!!"
Before Ryosuke could finish speaking, an excited shout came from afar.
Moriyama Akira, snot and tears streaming down his face, practically scrambled on all fours like a deformed creature, lunging towards him.
The Butterfly Sisters were startled and quickly retreated a few steps.
Why was there a demon in broad daylight?!
Ryosuke's face darkened, and he pressed a hand to Moriyama Akira's face, preventing him from getting too close.
Moriyama Akira didn't care about that, trying to hug Ryosuke with both hands and feet.
"Mr. Ryosuke! You don't know! The demon I encountered this time..."
"Stop! Hold it!"
Ryosuke pinched his mouth shut, forcing him to be silent.
He had worked hard on missions, slaying demons with real weapons, and really didn't want to hear about Moriyama Akira's lucky encounters.
"Wuwu... Mm mm mm!"
Moriyama Akira couldn't make a sound, so he just waved his hands, gesturing wildly.
Ryosuke sighed, glancing backward.
Moriyama Akira noticed the strangely staring Butterfly Sisters behind him and finally quieted down a bit.
"Don't act crazy!"
Ryosuke warned him fiercely.
Moriyama Akira nodded repeatedly.
Ryosuke then released him.
Moriyama Akira adjusted his clothes, trying to make himself seem more approachable.
There was no helping it; men subconsciously paid attention to their appearance in front of beautiful women.
"Mr. Ryosuke, these two are..."
"New disciples, Kochou Kanae and Kochou Shinobu."
Ryosuke introduced them, then turned: "This is your senior disciple, Moriyama Akira."
Due to the shock they had just experienced, Kanae and Kochou Shinobu merely gave a dry laugh, which served as a greeting.
Moriyama Akira scratched his head and gave a silly grin.
Ryosuke patted his shoulder and whispered, "It's not your first time being a senior disciple. Be more steady in the future."
"Got it, got it!"
Moriyama Akira gave a few perfunctory replies and went to strike up a conversation.
Ryosuke didn't bother with him, looking into the distance.
In the forest, a small, slender figure was nimbly dodging traps.
However, when a wooden stake came from the right, Obanai couldn't dodge it due to the defect in his right eye and was violently knocked away.