Chapter Thirty-Six

Six months have passed since the Fujikazeyama incident. Chinatsu's disappearance has shrouded the Shinazugawa mansion in a long period of oppression and silence.

The cherry blossoms in the courtyard bloom and fade again. When Sanemi passes by the corridor, he can't help but glance at the empty space where Chika used to practice her sword.

Now, all that remains is the wind swirling fallen leaves; the lazy figure who used to jump around calling for his master is nowhere to be seen.

Therefore, when the news of Chika arrived, he didn't even have time to feel gratified about his younger brother Genya's growth before rushing out like a gust of wind towards the headquarters.

Upon arriving at his destination, he leaped off "Hidden's" shoulder, ripped off his blindfold, and nimbly flipped over the roof.

In the distance, he caught sight of that familiar figure.

Just as his gaze fell upon it, the figure seemed to sense it and slowly turned around.

"Ah! Sanemi! It's been a long time."

A blonde girl in a light blue kimono raised her hand high and greeted him with a bright smile, just like when they first met.

Gazing at her vibrant, lively face, Sanemi's throat tightened, a dryness gripping his throat. He suddenly took a deep breath, lowered his center of gravity, and assumed the starting stance of the Breath of the Wind—

"Breath of the Wind—"

"Huh?" Chika was stunned by his sudden stance, her hand, which was halfway through its swing, hung in mid-air, at a loss.

Not only her, but even Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who was sitting upright on the veranda, leaned forward slightly and gently stopped her, "Shinazugawa, calm down..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sanemi's figure had already swept over like a gust of wind.

"Whoosh—"

The wind brushed past Chika's ears, tossing her waist-length hair. The next second, her shoulders were gripped tightly, and she was thrown into a hot and firm embrace.

The warmth emanating from that embrace was like that of family, carrying an undeniable strength.

"Welcome back, Chinatsu."

His deep voice rang in her ear, carrying a hint of relief as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted from her shoulders.

This series of actions completely stunned Qianxia. She placed her hands on his chest, unsure whether to push him away or let him have his way. She could feel the violent rise and fall of his chest, and the force that seemed to crush her.

After a long while, she finally slowly raised her arms and gently hugged him back.

"I'm back, Master."

......

As night fell, the pillars arrived one after another as promised, accompanied by a group of ordinary team members who looked bewildered.

Tanjiro Kamado followed behind Giyu Tomioka, still clutching half a rice ball in his hand, his eyes full of confusion.

He clearly remembered training in the forest, so how did he end up here in the blink of an eye?

Zenitsu Agatsuma crouched in a corner, his head in his hands, his golden hair disheveled, his voice trembling with tears, "I've definitely been kidnapped by a demon! I haven't even confessed to the girl I have a crush on yet, please don't!"

The two young team members next to him also panicked. One of them gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, his knuckles turning white. "I'm still on guard duty. How did I suddenly end up here?"

Another veteran patted him on the shoulder, but also frowned. "Don't panic, the lord and the pillar are here. Let's see what's going on first."

In the corner, a gentle-looking girl with two bows tied around her neck sat quietly, her eyes filled with confusion.

Only when Shinobu Kocho appeared did her eyes suddenly light up, like stars falling into a clear pool, and she smiled contentedly.

"So, you were taken away by Muzan back then?" Sanemi finally released Chinatsu, but his gaze never left her face, as if afraid that she would disappear again.

“Yes,” Chika looked up at him and nodded obediently, “I was taken away by Muzan’s subordinate Nakime, and later… I was rescued by Doma. But why half a month has passed, I… I can’t say for sure.”

"Um, could you describe what Muzan and his subordinate look like?" Kanroji Mitsuri, who had also rushed over, approached with a bright smile.

"Her name is Nakime."

Chinatsu replied, "Blood Demon Art is about manipulating space, allowing me to freely move within the Infinite Castle's structures, and also to gather intelligence and monitor team members. She probably looks like this..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chika's appearance changed abruptly.

In the blink of an eye, the blue-clad, blonde girl had transformed into a woman with flowing black hair, dressed in a dark kimono. She held a shamisen in her arms, and her face was completely hidden behind her thick black hair, making it impossible to see her expression.

In just a moment, she transformed back into Chika's appearance.

"Wow!" Kanroji Mitsuri couldn't help but exclaim, rubbing her eyes. "W-Is this a transformation jutsu?"

Zenitsu Agatsuma jumped up and hid behind Tanjiro, only revealing half an eye. "Wow, what a terrifying Blood Demon Art! Will she turn into my grandfather and come after me?"

"This...is this your Blood Demon Art?" The boy with blue-dyed hair tilted his head and asked, "Can you transform into anyone?"

No!

Chinatsu flatly denied it, blinking her bright red eyes, "My Blood Demon Art is dream weaving~"

She looked at Muichiro Tokito with a faint smile, "For example, right now, Pillar, do you remember how you got here?"

"Everyone can also take a good look back at how they got here and what happened before they came."

For a moment, everyone fell into deep thought.

Muichiro Tokito rested his chin on his hand, frowned and muttered, "How did I get here... I clearly finished dinner and took a nap in a tree, then I met Gin, fell asleep while hugging my Nichirin Blade... and then I traveled through the forest and got here."

Silver was the name of his raven. I didn't find anything wrong with it.

"Ah! Me too!"

One of the ordinary team members suddenly exclaimed, his voice filled with lingering fear, "There have been very few traces of ghosts lately. I chatted with the raven Meimei in the tree for a while last night and then fell asleep."

"I woke up to find myself walking this way, and I thought it was the captain's order, but now that I think about it, nobody told me!"

The meditating Beimingyu Xingming put his hands together, the prayer beads spinning on his fingertips, and said in a deep voice, "This humble monk was organizing the scriptures when Juejia was right beside me. She was on her way afterward. At the time, I thought it was just Yin's notification, but now that I think about it, it's too strange."

Obanai Iguro straightened up from beside the pillar, his snake tongue flickering rapidly, his tone inquisitive, "Could it be that you've learned the ability of that Lower Moon demon from last time, and can also pull people into dreams?"

He remembered the Lower Moon demon he had encountered at the gathering before, who used dreams to trap his team members; it was a ruthless method.

Qianxia chuckled softly, a strange light swirling in her red eyes. "My dream-making is not just about pulling people into dreams."

“I can weave, project, and even… rewrite your will to some extent.”

She paused, admiring the growing astonishment on everyone's faces, and continued to explain: "What you experienced, from falling asleep to arriving here, was not reality, but a guiding dream that I implanted in your subconscious."

"Through a certain medium, it is reasonable enough for your body to act on its own under the guidance of the dream, while your consciousness is completely convinced."

"As for the transformation just now, that was just the most rudimentary application of the dream-making ability."

"I briefly implanted the concept of 'I am Nakime' into your visual perception, allowing you to see the image you expected. In essence, it was your brains that wove a brief illusion for themselves."

Disbelief was written all over everyone's faces. Giyu Tomioka frowned, his deep blue eyes filled with seriousness. He said in a deep voice, "So, from the moment we received the assembly order, we may have already been under the influence of your dream?"

He recalled that when he went out today, he felt like his steps were out of control, and now he knew why.

“That’s one way to understand it, but not entirely,” Chika continued. “My abilities are limited, and I can’t influence everyone on a large scale for a long time. I need to rely on something familiar to everyone, like the Kasugai crow.”

"Entering the dream occurs the moment you enter a specific area and your mind relaxes slightly, and the grafting is completed quietly. The transformation you just experienced was a small-scale, instantaneous cognitive interference."

"This ability... is too dangerous."

Shinobu Kocho maintained her smile, but her eyes sharpened slightly. "If used in battle, you could almost make us kill each other, or silently take our lives in our dreams?"

Chika met her gaze, her smile as pure as ever: "Theoretically, it's possible. It's possible to make someone sink into a beautiful dream until their spirit is exhausted, or to weave the deepest fears to rupture their heart meridians... It's all possible."

These words instantly brought the atmosphere in the room to a freezing point. Some people's hands secretly rested on the hilt of their Nichirin swords, their knuckles turning white.

Ubuyashiki, sitting upright under the eaves, coughed lightly twice. Her pale face was expressionless, but she slowly spoke, "Chika, what you want to say is probably more than just this, isn't it?"

“That’s for sure. I’ve already said it, so I definitely won’t do it.” She changed the subject, her tone becoming light and firm: “Because I have a better way to use my Blood Demon Art.”

"My memories are linked to Doma, my boyfriend, Upper Moon Two. Now, I know the abilities and fighting styles of all the Crescent Moons below Upper Moon Two. If possible, I would like to begin special training for everyone here starting today!"

"Special training for all crescent moons!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

They recognized each word individually, but when put together, they were difficult to understand.

Mitsuri Kanroji's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with both hands: "Boy-boyfriend? Upper Moon Two?"

Obanai's snake slid off his wrist, landed on the ground, and wriggled, clearly startled.

Uzui Tengen stood up abruptly, his hair ornaments swaying wildly. "Hey! Are you kidding me? You're dating a ghost and you want to train us?"

This is simply... as absurd as a nightmare itself.

Mitsuri Kanroji felt increasingly dizzy as she thought about it. "Upper Moon Two... isn't he a bad guy? Chinatsu-san, he must have tricked you? Ahhh, I must be dreaming."

Kyojuro Rengoku suddenly stood up, his voice booming, "Miss Chinatsu! Do you know that Upper Moon Two is a demon who has killed countless people? How can you associate with him!"

Beimingyu Xingming also opened his eyes, his tone heavy, "This humble monk understands that you may have your reasons, but befriending ghosts is definitely not the right path."

Zenitsu Gasai was already collapsed on the ground, muttering, "Oh no, oh no, I must be dreaming. Chinatsu is talking nonsense. Wake up!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki coughed lightly twice, his pale face expressionless. "Chika, you must have your reasons for saying all this. But some things require further consideration..."

Sanemi's temples throbbed with rage, and he felt an intense urge to punch her head open to see if it was filled with water.

Just as he was about to make his move, Qianxia stepped onto a step and swung her fist high.

"Cheer up!"

She shouted, "Kill Muzan! It's everyone's responsibility! What we need now is intelligence, the strength to win! And I am the intelligence, I am the strength."

Sanemi couldn't hold back any longer, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists.

But just then, a familiar yet long-lost voice rang out from the corner.

"Ah~ What an interesting dream~ Everyone got along well~"

Sanemi's raised fist stopped, Shinobu Kocho's eyes widened, and even Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who had seen many big scenes, opened his eyes and subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound.

Chika scratched her head, a little confused about what was wrong with everyone. She glanced at everyone present; the ordinary team members all had similar expressions, looking completely bewildered. But the Pillars and the Master present all looked like they'd seen a ghost.

She craned her neck to look at the girl with the double butterfly hair ornament sitting on the railing, then cautiously poked Kanroji Mitsuri beside her, "Who is she? Why does everyone give her that look?"

The latter covered her mouth and exclaimed softly, "This...this is Lord Flower Pillar, who has been in a coma for many years! You actually dragged the unconscious Flower Pillar into this dream? Is your method of bringing people into dreams random?"

"Otherwise what?" Chinatsu said matter-of-factly. "I never thought about summoning demons. People can be summoned just like that. As long as they have the Demon Slayer Corps insignia, they have to have Kasugai crows."

Obanai Iguro leaned forward and whispered, "You've pulled in a big shot. This is the Flower Pillar who has been in a coma for many years, Kanae Kocho."

"Oh, by the way, she's Shinobu Kocho's older sister, and the person Sanemi Shinazugawa has a crush on."

"Oh~~~" Chinatsu's eyes lit up. "So it's my sister-in-law."

Sanemi's face flushed red to her ears, and she turned sharply to glare at Chinatsu, "What nonsense are you talking about!"