Demon Slayer: After raising Shinobu, I died in front of her.

Kanae stood up straighter, but her eyes were still red.

They've been here for three days now, and the two sisters are no longer as sad as they were at the beginning.

Ling Chuanche asked gently, "Have you had breakfast?"

Kanae paused for a moment, then gently shook her head. "...No."

Looking at their timid faces, Ling Chuanche thought for a moment before speaking, "I decided where you were going without asking for your consent. If you don't want to come back with me, I'll have someone look for you and see if you have any other relatives."

Shinobu Kocho's body trembled slightly.

Kanae held her younger sister's hand: "We'll go with you."

Shinobu and Kanae, who once had a happy family, are now left to rely on each other for survival.

Their minds were still reeling; the grief in their hearts almost completely overwhelmed them.

But at this moment, Ling Chuanche, the one who saved them, became almost the only ray of light in their lives.

For them, staying or leaving is not a choice.

Even if a drowning person desperately grasps at a straw, they dare not let go.

Because once they let go, that suffocating feeling of despair will engulf them again.

Only when they were by Ling Chuanche's side could they feel that pitiful sense of security.

Ling Chuanche saw the pleading and trembling in their eyes.

Like two homeless little animals, his heart tightened instantly.

"Take a rest, eat well, and we'll set off tomorrow."

He said, "It will take two more days to get back. If I don't eat properly, I won't be able to hold on when I get back."

He stood up, walked over to Shinobu Kocho, and took out a piece of candy from his pocket.

“Sweet,”

Shinobu's eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes reddened, and she looked up at him.

Ling Chuanche said softly, "It's sweet, so it won't taste bitter after you eat it."

The butterfly carefully reached out and grasped the candy in its palm.

......

The loss of their parents and the double exhaustion of their bodies and minds caused Shinobu and Kanae to fall into a deep sleep before they could even reach the Demon Slayer Corps.

They slept for a whole day and night.

After an unknown amount of time, Shinobu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

A bright light greets the eye. Sunlight streams through the paper window onto the tatami mats, and a faint herbal scent wafts in the air. On a low table beside the tatami, there is a half-bowl of still-warm barley tea.

Shinobu struggled to get up, but found herself weak and sore all over.

"Shinobu, you're awake!"

My sister's voice came from beside me.

Kanae Butterfly had red eyes and tear stains on her face, her hair disheveled and clinging to her cheeks, clearly indicating that she had been staying by her side the whole time.

Shinobu Kocho weakly forced a smile: "Sister...where am I...?"

Kanae Kocho wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling slightly with relief: "This is the Demon Slayer Corps."

She woke up only a few hours earlier than Shinobu Kocho, and stayed by her sister's side ever since.

They've arrived.

"Where is Mr. Tetsu?" Shinobu Kocho asked curiously.

Kanae looked out the window, and then Shinobu heard some noises outside. She got up and peered out the window.

Outside the window is a spacious courtyard, where several figures are practicing martial arts on a training ground paved with bluestone.

In the far distance, a tall figure stood with his hands behind his back, his black feather robe fluttering in the wind—it was Ling Chuanche.

His gaze was calm as he watched the training session unfold, occasionally offering a few words of guidance in a flat voice.

As Butterfly Shinobu watched that retreating figure, a weight lifted from her heart.

For some reason, seeing that straight, familiar figure made her feel inexplicably at ease.

Five days have passed since their parents were killed by evil spirits until they woke up.

For the past five days, Ling Chuan Che has been taking care of them, looking after their emotions, helping them bury their parents, and leading them all the way to the Demon Slayer Corps.

He gave them almost all his tenderness.

Over five days, they too quietly developed a dependence on the man who was not good with words and was taciturn.

They had no romantic feelings for each other, nor did they understand such emotions. Ling Chuanche was like warm lake water, silently warming and nourishing their fragile hearts.

"You're awake!"

A female doctor walked in and, upon seeing them, quickly said, "You've just woken up, so you should rest. Lie down and don't move. I'll go tell Lord Cangzhu."

The Azure Pillar mentioned by the doctor is none other than Toru Ryukawa, the strongest swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Over the past few days, they spent time with Ling Chuanche and asked him many questions, including about the Demon Slayer Corps and the monster that killed their parents, the demon.

Evil spirits, appearing at night, enjoy eating people.

The Demon Slayer Corps is a group of people who fight against evil spirits. They use human bodies to fight against evil spirits, and most of the people who join the Demon Slayer Corps are like them, whose families have been killed by evil spirits and who have lost their loved ones.

"Shinobu, let's become swordsmen!"

Kanae, her eyes red, grabbed Shinobu's hand: "Mr. Tetsu is very strong. Let's learn from him to become swordsmen, join the Demon Slayer Corps like everyone else, and protect others."

That way, what happened that day will never happen again...

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she gripped Shinobu's hand tightly: "Let's make a promise to work together to become stronger, together, and defeat as many demons as possible, even if it's just one more."

This way, we can save those like them.

If they had the power, they could protect others!

"Ok!"

Shinobu lowered her head, clenched her fists, and her eyes were filled with hatred.

"Let's get stronger together, kill all the evil spirits, and avenge Mom and Dad!"

At that moment, the sounds of fighting outside stopped.

The two sisters looked out the window at the same time, only to find that the outside was now deserted.

The door was pushed open, and Ling Chuanche stood in front of it. The two sisters immediately turned to look at him.

Although he had already learned from the doctor that they had woken up, Ling Chuanche still felt relieved when he actually saw them.

He walked up to them and reached out to touch their foreheads.

“Mr. Lingchuan, we are alright now!” Kanae Kocho said.

Shinobu Kocho sat obediently on the bed, motionless, feeling the warmth of Toru Ayakawa's hand on her forehead.

After a moment, Ling Chuanche withdrew his hand. "You need to rest for a few more days. Your bodies are severely depleted. I had someone prepare some extra nutritious food for you."

“I have arranged accommodations for you, and your parents have been properly buried. Don’t worry. If you want anything to eat, just tell me. If I’m not around, just ask someone else. Don’t make yourself suffer.”

A gentle voice surrounded Shinobu and Kanae.

The two sat there, stunned.

Those were the kinds of instructions only their parents would give them.

The gentle words whispered in their ears brought them an unprecedented warmth, reminding them of the time when their parents had spoken to them in the same way.

In a daze, they seemed to feel that their parents had not left, but were right in front of them.

The tension that had been building in their hearts suddenly snapped.

"Wow......"

Ling Chuanche felt a sudden weight in his arms as Kocho Shinobu burst into tears.

Lingchuan Tetsu looked at the sobbing Shinobu Kocho in his arms and Kanae Kocho wiping away her tears beside him, and was immediately at a loss.

Lord Cangzhu has slain countless demons, but this is the first time he has faced such a situation.

He stood there, his body stiff as a piece of wood.

Shinobu Kocho gripped his clothes tightly with her two little hands, buried her face in his chest, and cried her heart out.

Ling Chuanche only breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had been rescued, when the doctor arrived after hearing the commotion.

At this moment, Ling Chuanche stood to the side, his black team uniform soaked with a large wet patch on the front, from Kocho Shinobu's tears.

Shinobu sat on the bed, still wiping away tears with her head down, occasionally sobbing.

If you didn't know better, you'd think Ling Chuanche was bullying a child.

"They're mostly recovered, Lord Cangzhu," said the physician, Ju Zi, as she packed her medicine kit. "They were just overworked and emotionally agitated; a few days of rest will do them good."

Chapter 3: They Don't Want Us Anymore

"Then I'll leave them in your care,"

Orange is a swordsman from the same class as Lingchuan Che, and has been in the team for almost ten years.

However, due to its own limitations, it has now been relegated to logistics.

Looking at Ling Chuanche's disheveled appearance, she smiled and said, "You go ahead and do your work. I'll take good care of these two children."

"Ah."

Ling Chuanche nodded and looked at the two sisters on the bed: "I have arranged accommodations for you. Someone will take you there after you have rested."

They will take good care of you, don't be afraid.

Butterfly held back her tears and stopped crying; even Kanae Butterfly was stunned.

To the sisters, these words sounded like a "delegation of an orphanage."