After an intimate moment with Mitsuri, Shun returned to the Butterfly Mansion feeling content.
As he spotted Kanae sitting in the courtyard sipping tea after her swordsmanship training, a doubt crept into his heart.
"What's going on? She's not here?"
In Shun's impression, Shinobu was always by Kanae's side.
He had secretly calculated Shinobu's research schedule, and by his estimate, she should have been here today.
"Shinobu went to look for you this afternoon. She returned at night and locked herself in her room, refusing to come out." Kanae said, placing her teacup down and looking at Shun quizzically.
"Takema-kun, did you do something to her?"
"No, no, no! I was teaching Mitsuri how to run faster today, and I didn't see Shinobu. Maybe it's something personal." Shun quickly denied, waving his hands before grabbing a teacup and taking a long sip to calm his nerves.
"Takema-kun, that's my cup." Kanae reminded softly, biting her lip.
"I know." Shun replied, taking another sip and giving her a cheeky wink.
Kanae's ears turned bright red in an instant.
"Shinobu was right, Takema-kun is mean..." She murmured before abruptly standing and fleeing. Watching her panicked retreat, Shun finished the tea in the cup.
"Conquering Kanae is going smoothly, but I'm worried Shinobu might find out." Shun thought, a headache forming as he imagined Shinobu's reaction.
"It seems the road to becoming the king of a harem is long and arduous, but tomorrow I'll bring Kie and the others to settle nearby..."
The word "run" flashed in Shun's mind.
❀❀❀
Over the next two days, Shun continued his training, even practicing Total Concentration Breathing in his sleep.
Apart from Shinobu avoiding him at all costs, nothing unusual happened.
That day, after parting with Mitsuri as usual, Shun returned to the Butterfly Mansion and noticed the absence of swordsmanship training sounds.
"Hey! Shinobu!"
Shun saw Shinobu arriving at the training area with a wooden sword and quickly approached her.
The moment Shinobu spotted Shun, she instinctively turned to flee in panic.
Shun didn't hesitate. He grabbed her wrist and roughly pinned her against the wall.
"You're still running after all this time!"
His tone was harsh, but Shinobu, trapped against the wall, didn't display her usual competitive and fiery spirit. Instead, she hung her head like a scolded sparrow.
"Tell me quickly—where's Kanae? Is there a mission from the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Hearing Shun mention her sister, Shinobu pursed her lips before replying softly, "There's news of a demon spotted at the Eternal Paradise Faith sect. Nee-san went to investigate."
Shun's expression shifted. If nothing had gone wrong, this would likely lead to Kanae's fateful encounter with Doma in the original storyline.
"Is it dangerous?" She asked, her voice serious.
Shinobu panicked by Shun's reactions.
"There might be a Twelve Kizuki demon at the sect. How long has Kanae been gone?"
"Half an hour." Shinobu answered hurriedly.
"Do you know the location?"
"In Ichikawa City."
Without another word, Shun spun around and bolted. By the time Shinobu caught up, he was already gone.
"Takema-kun, please... don't let anything happen to Nee-san!" Shinobu cried out.
❀❀❀
At the Eternal Paradise Faith sect, the large church doors were suddenly flung open with a deafening crash.
The heavy gates were hurled into the church temple, creating a thunderous boom that shook the structure.
Doma looked toward the shattered entrance in surprise, curious to see who had the audacity to interrupt his domain.
What entered his gaze was a strikingly handsome young man, whose appearance was so captivating that Doma felt a desire to claim him.
Shun, however, surveyed the room with cold determination. He immediately spotted Kanae, who had arrived before him, and breathed a sigh of relief. But his resolve to kill intensified.
Originally, Shun had intended to continue training and mastering Total Concentration Breathing and Transparent World. However, this situation demanded action—Tsukuyomi would be his training ground now!
It didn't matter if it drained his eyesight or risked blindness; his resilient body could endure hundreds of Tsukuyomi uses.
Blocking the mental energy of Muzan within Doma's body, Shun prepared to attack.
Doma unaware of Shun's thoughts, spoke with interest:
"Demon Slayer, you—"
"Tsukuyomi!"
Tsukuyomi inflicted excruciating physical and mental pain on its target in an illusory world, with the pain translating directly to the real world.
For Doma, Shun magnified that torment several times over.
Back in reality, Doma's face remained blank.
"I feel nothing for anyone. It's pointless." He said.
"Then can you feel this pain?" Shun replied, his voice icy.
Doma's expression faltered.
"Tsukuyomi!"
"Tsukuyomi!"
"Tsukuyomi!"
❀❀❀
Several seconds in the real world passed, but inside Tsukuyomi, over two months had elapsed.
When Shun returned to reality, he felt a slight sting in his eyes. Fortunately, his complete mastery of Total Concentration Breathing during the prolonged fight had left him stronger than ever.
Meanwhile, Doma had been reduced to a lifeless shell.
At first, he resisted, but the relentless torment broke him. After countless cycles of Tsukuyomi, his once-glassy eyes dulled, and he became unresponsive to even the most brutal attacks.
"I'll leave you to burn in the sun later. Consider yourself lucky." Shun muttered, dragging Doma's corpse out.
As he exited the temple, Kanae arrived, her eyes darting between Shun and the defeated demon he held like a battered dog.
For a moment, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.