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1ST POV
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Two weeks had passed after Tengu Gramps sent the letter conveying my request to the Ubuyashiki estate. We eagerly awaited a response, though I couldn't be certain how he had phrased the message. Did he reveal what I truly was, or did he simply present me as a potential ally?

Regardless, I shrugged off these concerns. At that moment, I found myself in Tanjiro's newly acquired room, keeping a watchful eye on the demon child as she peacefully slumbered. To stave off boredom, I idly fiddled with my phone.

As for Nezuko, since our arrival, she had slipped into a much-needed and seemingly timed slumber, almost as if she instinctively recognized that it was her cue to rest, coinciding with the commencement of Tanjiro's training. Speaking of him, on the third day, he had entered a state of full-blown panic when Nezuko remained still and unresponsive. I had to spend the whole night reassuring him that she was fine, explaining that this was her way of replenishing energy instead of succumbing to the urge to devour humans like other demons. The boy, entirely uninformed and unsure of what to do, took my words at face value, or perhaps scent value? Despite his crestfallen expression each night as he gazed upon her while writing in his journal, he was relieved by this solution, knowing it spared innocent lives from Nezuko's potential hunger-induced attacks. It was a painful but necessary sacrifice for him, and he focused on his training to become a Slayer.

Although Tanjiro's training held some intrigue, I had already witnessed it once and had no desire to watch Tengu gramps pummel him once more. So, I opted to remain within the cabin, spending most of my time with Nezuko. Of course, I couldn't resist sneaking a few peeks when the old man began explaining their breathing techniques. I even attempted it in private, only to find myself wheezing on the floor like a sputtering engine trying to start up.

Damn, this shit was hard.

While Tengu gramps primarily focused on Tanjiro, as he should, he still found some spare moments between the boy's parkour sessions and trap-avoiding escapades to answer my questions about Total Concentration Breathing. This wasn't an ability I could simply mimic with my imagination, like learning how to use ODM gear. So, when I asked if he could teach me, even though it was unlikely I would ever need it, he was taken aback but didn't object. He did inquire about why I declined to learn swordsmanship, to which I simply replied, "To pass the time," which wasn't entirely untrue.

With only the three of us here-excluding Nezuko and the ghosts I had yet to meet-and with Tanjiro usually too exhausted to engage in conversation while the demon child slept peacefully in her futon, boredom inevitably crept in. Not to mention that Tengu gramps was a man of few words. While the idea of learning to wield a katana sounded intriguing, I leaned more towards the "punch it till you make it" approach rather than becoming proficient with a blade. Besides, I already possessed some knowledge of sword techniques from my three years of Titan training, although that knowledge wouldn't be particularly useful here. Additionally, I had a multitude of abilities at my disposal, and I certainly did not feel like getting chased by their swordsmiths.

Yeah ,no.

So yeah, after a week of explanations, breathing exercises, and enduring continuous stomach punches because 'I kept breathing wrong,' I was gradually but surely making progress. Finally, I managed to get it right once, and boy, did I feel the difference! I could sense how oxygen flowed to enhance my muscles, resulting in my vision becoming sharper than usual. It lasted for a mere five seconds before I lost it. My astonishment caused me to revert to French with a muttered "Putain..." I gawked at the old man, who also seemed surprised. After all, I had achieved this in just a week, perhaps thanks to the rigorous training I had undergone back at camp. There was no time to be a couch potato back in AOT.

The frequency of punches decreased three days after that initial success, although Tanjiro was initially bamboozled when he witnessed me getting gut-punched for the first time. Tengu gramps was a ruthless bastard, but his training methods proved effective enough that even a dumbass like me managed to make progress. So, yes, success! Now, in case I somehow acquired one of those nichirin swords, I would be able to find out what color it would take. Hope it's gold, since it's my theme.

My focus on a video I was watching was interrupted by a knock on the front door. I had been so engrossed that I hadn't noticed the new presence outside the cabin, prompting a furrowed brow as I turned my attention to the door.

"Visitors?" I mumbled absentmindedly.

Had Tengu gramps ever received visitors in the anime? Maybe, but they hadn't delved much into his life story. Instead, the focus remained fixed on Tanjiro's training arc, with only brief glimpses into events during those two years. They had to hurry to get back on track with the main plot.

Regardless, the door had my attention now. I concentrated on the aura emanating from behind it, attempting to deduce the identity of our guests. Honestly, considering how busy Pillars were with their duties, I highly doubted it was Giyuu. Moreover, the presence didn't exude the same serene calm as him and felt noticeably weaker. It bore an air of normalcy with no particularly remarkable features, except for a faint earthy essence and an undercurrent of uncertainty. While the person behind the door might not be at Pillar level, they appeared strong enough to handle someone like Tanjiro.

The second set of knocks spurred me to my feet, tucking my phone into the pocket of my red dashiki dress.

I made my way to the front door, gently closing Tanjiro's bedroom door to avoid disturbing Nezuko, although it was highly unlikely anything would wake her. As I approached the door, I sensed the presence of a person, likely a woman based on the shape of her aura, who appeared to be nervous and fidgeting uncomfortably.

'Wonder who that could be,' I thought.

Before I could open the door, a different idea crossed my mind, causing me to pause.

'Maybe I should cover up this time...'

Yes, the comments about my complexion had been getting on my nerves every time I accompanied Tengu gramps to the village. He and Tanjiro had been perfectly fine with it, dismissing any concerns immediately after I introduced myself. Tanjiro had been curious but respectful. However, strangers had no such reservations about asking intrusive questions, especially those with loose tongues, which often made me want to retaliate violently.

Anyway, cover up!

I knew I had the ability to shapeshift into anything, but altering my complexion just to avoid judgmental stares was out of the question! I love my melanin, thank you very much. And if anyone had an issue with it, well, I'd just beat them up.

With my customary snap-it ain't necessary but Joséphine l'ange gardien- i was now donning a dark hooded cloak adorned with a golden sun on the chest area, cloud patterns on the sleeves and brims. The cloak was long enough to shroud my entire figure. Underneath, I wore a gold kimono top, along with bandages on my neck and arms. Dark-colored gloves covered both my hands, and I wore the iconic swirly lollipop-orange mask, this time with two eyeholes, concealing my face to ensure no one could see my skin. Huhuhu. Completing the ensemble was an ebony hakama where my phone now resided and white stockings. I opted for my trusty black sandals I'd been wearing for a while, as getas tended to be less comfortable. Finally, I slid the door open.

'Whoever that is ain't seeing a black person today.'

Apparently, abruptly sliding a door open when the person behind is just about to knock is enough to startle them shitless, judging by the loud "eep" that escaped her. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline at the sight of the startled girl before me. She had a black head covering and wore a black and white mask that concealed her nose and mouth, leaving only her eyes visible. Her attire resembled a dark version of the standard Demon Slayer uniform, consisting of a gakuran jacket and hakama pants. It was none other than a Kakushi, whose eyes widened upon seeing me.

"Can I help you?" I inquired calmly.

The Kakushi appeared startled to be suddenly addressed by the peculiar masked figure, namely myself.

"U-U-Urokodaki-sama?" she stammered.

I tilted my head curiously. "Gramps? He's not here. Is there something you need?" I asked, genuinely curious.

She hesitated for a moment, her aura wavering with uncertainty, but then she swiftly regained her composure, adopting a more professional demeanor as she straightened up. "Hai! I've been sent to deliver a letter to the former Water Hashira, Urokodaki-sama!" she announced.

I blinked, intrigued by this unexpected development.

'Is it about me?' I wondered silently.

With a nod, I replied, "I see. Come along then. He's at the training grounds right now, and I assume you've never been there." I began walking toward the forest in the direction of Tengu Gramps and Tanjiro's auras. One felt like a vast current of water, while the other emitted warmth reminiscent of the summer sun.

The Kakushi hurried to follow but maintained a slight distance behind me.

"You seem a bit nervous. Is it my mask that's unsettling you?" I inquired, noting the tension in her posture.

She stiffened at the sound of my voice, her eyes widening in surprise at being addressed. What, did she think I wouldn't speak to her? True, I had my introverted moments, but it had been a while since I engaged in conversation with someone else.

The Kakushi stumbled over her words, attempting to find an explanation. "N-n-not at all! I was just... surprised. Sorry!"

I hummed thoughtfully. "Is that so? I see," I replied, allowing a moment of silence to hang in the air. "But why are you so nervous? I can sense your anxiety without even looking. Is there something troubling you?" I turned to study her smaller frame. My 14-year-old form, standing at 1m58, wasn't particularly tall, but I did tower over her by a few inches (1m50).

Her response was initially hesitant. "A-a problem?! Of course not!-" However, she abruptly halted, her hands rising to her mouth in a horrified realization that her voice had grown louder towards the end. I simply waved a dismissive hand, indicating that her slip up didn't bother me. This seemed to put her at ease, and she offered a profuse apology, much to my chagrin. "It's just that...it's my first time meeting an honorable former Hashira!" she admitted, her voice trembling with awe.

"Oh, so you're a fan," I remarked with a nod, amusement twinkling in my eyes as I regarded her. Then, I continued our walk, and she hurriedly scrambled to keep up, emitting an awkward chuckle along the way. It was evident that she was quite new to this.

"Y-You could say that, though I've been meaning to ask... um..." She hesitated for a moment.

Should I reveal my name? Meh, fuck it. "Colith."

"Colith-san...? I've never heard that name before," she mused, her curiosity piqued. Then, she shifted to a more inquisitive tone. "A-Are you one of Urokodaki-sama's students? It must be an honor to learn from such a legendary swordsman." Her voice carried a tone of reverence as she sighed blissfully, clasping her hands together. "To think he was the master of the current Water Hashira... how fortunate!"

'That much...?'

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm just passing through," I replied with a shake of my head. "By the way, I didn't catch your name earlier, or do Kakushis typically remain anonymous?" I asked, turning to her with a curious expression. She tilted her head, seemingly contemplating for a moment before nodding.

"Well, ordinarily, we do," she began, "but since you're an acquaintance of Urokodaki-sama, it's not a problem. My name is Enoki, but I dislike mushrooms. Nice to meet you." She dipped her head in a slight bow, prompting me to chuckle and mimic her gesture.

(art by me)

"I see, same here!- Oh, Gramps!" I called out, startling Enoki with my sudden exclamation. The old man, whose masked face had turned our way, seemed to recognize me even with my new attire. His aura radiated curiosity at the sudden change. "Oh yeah, I'm tired of people always staring at me, so that's why I'm wearing this!" I explained, eliciting a faintly puzzled "Huh" from Enoki.

He remained silent for a moment, then grunted in acknowledgment before shifting his attention to the Kakushi who had taken refuge behind me. "Who is this?" he inquired.

Her aura spiked with surprise, fluctuating through a rollercoaster of emotions, including nervousness, fear, eagerness, and delight, all simultaneously. It was a tumultuous mix that had me concerned. I figured I should lend her a hand here.

"Oh, this is-"

"O-OYAKATA-SAMA-uh, I mean, a letter! Oh no! Uh-" she squeaked, her outburst catching both Tengu gramps and me off guard. We exchanged a glance, then turned our attention back to the petite woman, whose interruption caused Tanjiro to pause mid-swing, his puzzled gaze now fixed on the commotion.

After a few seconds of internal scolding for her slip-up, she managed to continue, albeit with a stutter. "I-I have been tasked to d-deliver a l-letter from Oyakata-sama, u-u-Urokodaki-sama!" She clumsily fumbled with her pockets, retrieving an envelope bearing a wisteria crest, which she quickly presented to the old man in a deep bow. "I-IT'S AN HONOR TO M-MEET YOU!" she exclaimed with nervous enthusiasm.

Wow.

I couldn't help but be amused as Tengu gramps cautiously accepted the letter with a gruff "Thank you," clearly accustomed to such behavior from his years as a pillar. However, this particular act seemed to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Enoki's body froze, then tilted to the side as she literally passed out.

"EGH?!" both Tanjiro and I cried out in surprise. I acted quickly, catching her before she could collide with the ground. "What the hell?!"

"I-is she okay?!" Tanjiro rushed over to us, concern etched across his youthful face, his forehead glistening from his earlier training. Meanwhile, Tengu gramps sighed in response.

"One of those, huh?" he muttered as he opened the envelope, unfazed by the sudden turn of events.

"Eh?" Tanjiro and I echoed simultaneously.

"What do you mean by that?" Tanjiro inquired, blinking in confusion. Then, he did a double-take, his eyes widening as if he were seeing me for the first time. "Whoa! Who are you?" he exclaimed, jolting in shock.

"Use your nose, Tanji," I quipped with an eye roll, gently placing the girl's head on my lap while respecting her privacy. I chose to ignore his exclamation of 'C-Colith-san,' opting instead to address the old man with a more pertinent question. "When you say 'one of those,' you mean the fanatic type? This isn't the first time you've encountered something like this, I presume?"

His mask briefly shifted toward me before returning its focus to the letter. He shook his head and replied, "No."

A snort of amusement escaped me at the mental image of a young and flustered Tengu gramps surrounded by a group of passed-out Kakushis. It was a rather comical scenario.

"W-what should we do about her? And why are you dressed like that, Colith-San?" Tanjiro asked in rapid succession.

"Eh, there's no need to worry. She'll eventually wake up," I assured him. As for the second question, I decided to surprise Tanjiro by suddenly turning my masked face toward him and waving my arms theatrically. "To look cool~"

Tanjiro blinked, resembling a lost puppy as he processed my answer. "...Cool?"

"Yeah."

He stared at my mask, his brow furrowing in thought, before he tapped his fist into his hand as if he'd had an epiphany. "Oh, I understand! It's because you dislike being stared at, is that it?"

"Well, yea-"

"I see..." We both jolted at the elder's voice, turning to glance at him with curiosity, while a slight shift from Enoki briefly drew my attention downward.

"See what?" I asked, feeling that the discussion was somehow about me. "Is this about the meeting?"

"Meeting..?" Tanjiro mumbled, clearly unaware of what we were talking about.

"Yes," Tengu gramps confirmed, "Oyakata-sama has agreed to meet with you."

Oh?

"Well, finally! I was starting to wonder if they'd refused when they sent your crow back with no answer! So, how do I get there? Where's my guide?" I inquired eagerly. Tengu gramps simply pointed toward my lap, where Enoki's head was resting. I sighed in resignation. This was to be expected. "Why not use a crow instead? It would've been easier."

"It is best if you ask her yourself; she's waking up," he replied, then turned his attention to Tanjiro, who flinched under his gaze. "And you, who told you to stop? Demons are not going to slay themselves! A thousand more swings!"

The pre-teen squeaked out a hesitant "H-HAI!" and clumsily resumed his training.

As Tanjiro went back to his exercises, the Kakushi groaned as she regained consciousness. I resisted the urge to make that Skyrim joke, knowing she wouldn't understand it. I'd tried it on Tanjiro before, and he'd just blushed and given me a positive response. Enoki, naturally embarrassed about her earlier reaction, profusely apologized, although Tengu gramps seemed unfazed.

"I have been sent to bring an important guest to Oyakata-sama as well. However, as a safety measure, they must be blindfolded," she explained, presenting us with a blindfold. "Hence my presence here instead of a crow, sir." She glanced at both of us, but mostly me, seemingly intimidated by the former pillar.

"Oh, so you'll piggyback me there, I see," I remarked, nodding with crossed arms. It made sense; they couldn't afford to reveal the estate's location to just anyone, especially given the potential danger. I could warp there, but without a sense of their aura, it would be impossible. Besides, I hadn't been there myself, and watching the anime didn't count!

"Yes, that's-" She began to answer but did a double-take, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "EH?! IT'S YOU?!"

I chuckled and playfully gestured around, saying, "Yeah? I mean, do you see anyone else here?"

This prompted her to start freaking out again, much to my dismay. She profusely apologized for apparently 'disrespecting' me, which I quickly brushed off with a sweat drop, realizing her reaction was a bit over the top. Eventually, I managed to calm her down before she could pass out again. Tengu gramps seemed to find the whole scene quite amusing, and Tanjiro was wheezing in the background.

Anyway, after that, I suggested she take a little rest over tea before heading out because the journey here must have been exhausting. She tried to politely decline the offer, claiming it wasn't necessary, but I had none of it. So after bidding a goodbye kiss (on the cheek, mind you, you menace) to a red-faced Tanjiro, spending an hour over tea with a jittery Enoki, giving Nezuko a peck on the forehead, and even hugging Tengu gramps, who surprisingly accepted the gesture-'HOLY SHI-'-with Enoki flipping out in the background, I suspected this would happen a lot in the future. We then began our journey to the estate.

"So, how long until we get there?" I asked as we walked farther from the cabin.

"Um, the Ubuyashiki estate is a two-day walk from here. We'll stop for the night at the closest Wisteria house and continue the next day. That's when you'll have to put the blindfold on, Colith-Sama," she dutifully answered.

I groaned, "Please, you don't have to 'sama' me, you know? Just call me Colith!"

"E-eh, but you're an important guest-"

"Now, now, you had no problem with it an hour ago!"

"That's because I didn't know you were my mission at the time!!" She shrieked before quickly covering her mouth in mortification. "I'm so-"

"Alright, none of that," I stopped walking and turned to her, wagging my finger like a the momma I was. "Listen, Enoki, I ain't no noble, princess, or anything like that, so no need to use honorifics with me, okay? Don't worry about disrespecting me; just treat me like any other person. And don't be afraid to speak your mind around me; I won't mind, got it?"

Enoki seemed extremely surprised by my words, to the point where her arms fell to her sides as she dumbly nodded with wide eyes before muttering.

"...'princess'?"

"Huh?"

"You're a woman...?"

We stared at each other blankly-well, she eyed my mask eyeholes-before I processed what she said and burst out laughing. I didn't see that one coming! Enoki seemed so lost that it made me choke with laughter at some point.

"OH sh- I think I almost died-" I managed to wheeze from my hunched-up position.

"A-are you alright..?" She was rapidly patting my back in concern. "w-what's so funny...?"

I waved a hand in a calming manner after calming down. "Sorry, sorry, phew...you thought I was a man?"

Enoki blinked rapidly, dumbstruck by the situation. "Y-your outfit and your voice made me think that you were m-male, so I assumed... I'm sorry." She quickly bowed in apology, to which I sighed.

I couldn't fault her for that one. My regular voice isn't high-pitched, soft, and sweet compared to hers, and probably other females here, since I wasn't trying to act cute and meek every time I spoke. Sure, I can shift between mezzo and soprano when singing, but continuously speaking like honey wasn't my jam. Though I understood where she was coming from if she had never met any females with deeper voices before, which seemed very likely.

'So that's why Tanjiro was confused, huh...neat. This could be useful if I want to mess with people in the future. Heh.'

"It's okay, don't worry. That's good to know actually," I said, standing with my hands on my hips after straightening up.

"Eh? How so?" Gosh, why are their voices so high-pitched?!

I snorted, "Oh, nothing. Anyway, which way to the Wisteria House again?" I started stretching out of nowhere.

Enoki tilted her head to the side, giving me a puzzled look, "Hmm...south-east from here. Why, if I may ask, Colith-sam-san?" Oooh, progress!

"East... East... oh yeah!" I nodded because I was shit with directions, then I whirled toward her with open arms, "Alright, come here, I'll carry you."

She blinked slowly, trying to process what I just said with a "what" before squealing in surprise as I scooped her off her feet in a bridal carry. She blushed profusely, looking at me with wide, panicked eyes, "W-w-what are you-"

A mischievous grin stretched my lips upward, not that she could see. I chirped in a sing-song tone, "Aaaaalright! Hold on tight! Don't want ya slipping out of my grasp now, would ya?"

Before she could react to what I said, the ground cracked under me as I leaped into the sky and propelled us southeast at breakneck speed, DBZ style. I think Enoki's vocal cords didn't survive the trip.

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EDITED