Another

Chapter 17: Time

I released the air in my lungs through my nose, regulating my blood flow. The small gate of the Butterfly Estate was a few feet off. I managed to make it here in less than five minutes, meaning I had about 24 minutes or so before I needed to be back in time to meet with Ubayashiki-san. 

The pleasant scent of Wisteria wafted through the air, mixing with the bite of medicinal herbs and the slight iron of blood. It was nothing out of the ordinary, for this was the hospitalization ward of the corps. However, I couldn’t help but acknowledge the slight shiver that passed through me the stronger it became as  I crept closer towards the wooden gate. 

The roughness of not-so sanded wood met my palm as I pushed at the small door. It gave in with little resistance, the hinges squeaking its denial with the gentle movement. 

Following the worn dirt pathway, revealed by the gate, I eventually came upon the doors of the main building. It was quite large, and looked almost the same from all those years ago, when I was still a slayer. 

However, it had aged, as well. 

The wooden frame was beginning to splinter, years of desperate pleas and stoic faces chippin away at the heart of the building. It was old, ancient even with the violence this estate has seen. 

The circumstances through which the head of this estate came to be was especially harsh. The trio were friends with her older sister, Kanae Kocho, who held the position of the Flower Hashira until she died at 17, against an upper moon. 

My feet thudded against the raised platform of the edifice, sandals in my left hand and my bag in the other. 

She had fought until sunrise, and died in current head’s arms. The younger sister, who’s name I cannot seem to recall at the moment, had stepped up and became the head of the Butterfly Estate in her place at 14 years old, and the Insect Hashira when she had turned 16. 

I slid the shoji doors to the establishment open, and let myself in. Knowing all this, it can be reasonable to believe that she would hold a strong grudge against the oni, and little remorse for them. So, it is unlikely that she’d be willing to spare two of them, no matter their background. 

Or their diet, as a matter of fact. 

If I could somehow pitch the idea to her, and see her reaction, then I could make a decision from there. Depending on how this Hashira responds, will I make a decision of what to discuss with Ubayashiki-san. 

I turned a corner, stepping into what I remembered to be the main hospitalization ward in my time. However, it appears that the emergency ward had been changed to a recovery section- judging from the weaker scent of blood and increased bitterness of medicine. I continued down the corridor, nearing the entry to the ward itself. 

A crash erupted from behind the wards door, followed by a high-pitched scream. I sprinted down the corridor to the doors themselves. With a hand on the saya at my waist, I slid them open. 

“Again?” The voice screeched. 

I blinked. “I have to drink it again? No!” The blonde man from earlier was sitting on a medical cot. Zenitsu, I believe his name was. 

A young woman with twintails held up by two butterfly pins held a cup in her hands. Her back was turned, facing Zenitsu, who wailed. She scoffed, and placed the cup into the hands of a girl with braids beside her. 

She jabbed at Zenitsu’s chest with her finger. “Be quiet! It’s barely been a week!” Zenitsu shook his head side-to-side in denial. “ I’ve explained this to you countless times! Drink the medicine-” She gently took the cup from the girl’s hand and snapped her gaze back to the blonde. “-or you might get an infection!”