The sea was quiet that morning.
Waves lapped against the hull of the steamship as Haruto Hinode slowly opened his eyes to the soft rocking beneath him. The air tasted like salt and cold iron, and the faint vibration of the engines told him they were nearing the end of their long journey.
"Japan… finally," he whispered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
For six months he had traveled through the western provinces of the Korean region—Taisho calendars still marked the area as "foreign," but disease didn't care about borders. Haruto certainly didn't. When word reached him of a strange plague spreading through isolated mountain villages, he boarded the ship without hesitation.
The illness had been terrifying at first glance—blackened skin, fever, coughing blood. A lesser man might have fled.Haruto didn't. He laughed in the face of fear, rolled up his sleeves, and dragged every trembling elder and screaming child into proper treatment.
In the end, the "black plague" turned out to be a fungal infection spread through contaminated wells. Dangerous, yes… but thankfully curable. Twenty days of treatment, hydration, antifungal tinctures—and the village was breathing again.
When he left, the villagers lined up, crying and bowing so deeply their heads touched the soil.
But now, as the ship curved toward the Japanese shoreline, Haruto's heart was beating for something else.
Or rather—someone else.
Shinobu Kocho.
He remembered their last evening together at the Butterfly Estate. The perfume of wisteria trees drifting through the gates. The way she tilted her head at him, pretending she wasn't smiling even though the corners of her eyes curved softly. The promise she made in that quiet voice of hers:
"When your tour ends… let's meet again, Haruto. Properly."
He had replayed that line a hundred times during lonely nights on foreign soil. He had been approached by countless women—noble ladies, foreign researchers, even a bold widow who insisted "smart men are the most attractive."
Haruto declined them all with an easy laugh.
After all, his heart already belonged to a single petite girl with violet eyes sharper than needles.
And she had no idea he was coming back early.
Japan — The Butterfly Estate
The estate was unusually loud that morning.
Crashes, yelling, and whining echoed through the halls as three boys lay sprawled across futons, bruised, bitten, and very much regretting their life choices.
"OW—OW—OW—SHINOBU-SAN PLEASE BE GENTLE!"Zenitsu shrieked so hard his voice cracked.
"You told me yesterday to 'just kill you' if you ever saw another snake," Shinobu replied calmly, tightening a bandage on his arm. "I'm considering it."
"I DIDN'T MEAN IT LITERALLY!"
Tanjiro winced quietly as the little girls applied ointment to his shoulders."It's our fault… The mist demon's venom was messing with our coordination…"
"You were headbutting Inosuke," Shinobu replied.
"I THOUGHT HE WAS A TREE!" Tanjiro cried.
"HOW DO YOU CONFUSE ME WITH A TREE!?"Inosuke roared from the next bed, kicking wildly as Kanao tried to hold him still.
Amid the chaos, Aoi was hanging freshly washed cloth outside the yard, enjoying the brief moment of silence before another scream inevitably burst from inside.
That was when she heard it.
A deep, unfamiliar vroom.
A car—one of those fancy imported models used by wealthy city nobles—rolled to a stop at the inner gate of the estate. Aoi blinked in confusion.
Who would drive something like that here?
The door opened with a soft click.
A man stepped out—tall, nearly six feet, wearing a crisp city suit that absolutely did not belong in countryside Japan. His shoes were polished, his coat neatly pressed despite the journey, and his smile was bright enough to make Aoi freeze for a moment.
He looked… harmless. Cheerful, even.
And completely out of place.
Aoi stepped forward cautiously."Um… e-excuse me, sir? This estate isn't open to visitors. Are you lost? We don't usually get… um… business nobles here."
The man smiled, bowing politely.
"Haruto Hinode. My apologies for the sudden arrival."
Aoi's confusion deepened.Hinode? She had never heard Shinobu mention anyone by that name.
"What… business do you have with Lady Shinobu?" Aoi asked carefully.
Haruto's smile softened—warm, gentle, almost nostalgic.
"No business," he said. "Just a promise to fulfill."
He stepped forward, suitcase in hand, as the wind carried the faint scent of wisteria around him.
And somewhere inside the estate…Shinobu froze, sensing something familiar in the air.
The past she had hoped to protect—had finally arrived at her door.