A blind girl abandoned on a snowy plain was somehow lucky enough to be taken in by a shrine on the mountain. She went from orphan to shrine maiden.
But peace lasted only a few years. In a single night, an avalanche wiped out the warm hearth and the kind sisters she had come to know.
"Come with me."
The swordsman, his hair the color of blazing flames, held out his hand. His broad palm was covered in calluses, yet it was so warm.
And so Kasahara Yukiyo went from being an orphan to becoming the adopted daughter of the Rengoku Family.
Many years later, she still remembered the day she first arrived at the Rengoku Family home.
Before they had even stepped inside, a boy's brisk footsteps rang out. His voice was loud as a bell, and a sun-bright presence rushed toward her. He sounded both excited and thrilled:
"Father! Uh... who is this?"
Shinjuro Rengoku looked at the girl in his arms, her little hands clutching his cloak tightly, and spoke slowly. "This is... the newest member of our family."
A story had long circulated within the Demon Slayer Corps: there was a mysterious Snow Hashira who was always elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace.
They said the Snow Hashira was as cold as winter snow. She wore a veil over her head in every season, and no one had ever seen her face, making her all the more mysterious.
Her unique Breathing Style had earned her the respect of many in the Demon Slayer Corps, and made countless people curious about her.
One day, someone heard that the aloof Snow Hashira was actually very close to the respected Flame Hashira, and went to ask Mr. Rengoku.
"Mr. Rengoku, is it true that you and the Snow Hashira are very close?"
"Um! It's true!"
"Oh, I see. Then could you tell us how you met the Snow Hashira?"
"I don't mind telling you, but perhaps this isn't something a swordsman should be asking about! Now get back to your training!"
And just like that, he turned the question aside. Kyojuro Rengoku thought it wiser to focus on training than to spread gossip about the Hashira.
But as for how the two first met...
Eight-year-old Kyojuro Rengoku had never expected a little sister to suddenly arrive at his home.
She didn't talk much. Her silver-gray eyes always gazed blankly into space, and Father told him it was because she couldn't see.
She couldn't see... That meant she needed someone to protect her.
So Kyojuro Rengoku took on the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings. But whenever he stayed by his sister's side, his overly booming voice would scare her, and she would instinctively shrink away.
At first, Kyojuro Rengoku didn't know why. Born blind, Kasahara Yukiyo had hearing hundreds of times more acute than an ordinary person's. Every little sound was magnified countless times, and his loud voice nearly made her ears ache.
The third time it happened, she finally couldn't hold back and spoke the first words she had uttered since arriving at the Rengoku home:
"You..."
"Could you be quiet?"
[Reading Guide]
* Big brother survives, so read without worry.
* Plot-focused, with some everyday moments. Short story.
* The Snow Breathing Style is an original addition.
* The female lead is blind.
[Childhood friends, mutual devotion]
[Leans toward a tragic ending! The female lead dies because of the Mark's lifespan limit!]
Theme: Companionship lasts longer than love
