The Butterfly Mansion was quiet that morning, bathed in gentle mist.
Birdsong whispered in the trees, wind danced through the leaves—and yet, every crow was silent.
A visitor had arrived, and none of the Hashira had seen him enter.
Rin stood before the main hall, dressed simply, eyes half-lidded, calm. He had come without summons. Without escort.
But the moment he stepped through the gates, Kagaya Ubuyashiki had known.
Inside, the head of the Corps sat, wrapped in bandages, his breath faint, yet his voice clear.
"You are not a member of our ranks," Ubuyashiki said, smiling gently despite his pain. "And yet you wear the silence of a thousand deaths."
Rin stepped forward, bowing with quiet respect.
"I'm here because this war needs to end," he said.
"And you believe you're the one who can do it?"
Rin met his eyes. "No. I know I am."
A long silence passed.
Even the wind stopped.
Ubuyashiki studied him—not with suspicion, but something closer to curiosity. Like a man who had read a thousand scriptures and found one page out of place.
"You… don't reek of bloodlust," he said softly. "Nor of malice. But you carry power. Old. Wild. Not from this world."
Rin didn't flinch. "I'm not a threat to humanity."
"But you are to demons."
Rin nodded once.
"I've already devoured two of the Upper Moons. And I'm not done. Muzan will fall. So will the rest."
Kagaya smiled faintly. "Then you're like a blade forged in secret… unsanctioned, but pure."
He closed his eyes, his voice barely a whisper.
"Should you be the one to bring peace… I will offer no resistance."
"You don't need to," Rin said quietly. "You can rest. I will eliminate them all."
As Rin turned to leave, Ubuyashiki opened his eyes once more.
"Just one thing," he called after him. "When it's over… what will you become?"
Rin paused at the door.
The mist parted around him like bowed grass.
"…I don't know yet," he said honestly. "But I'll figure it out once they're all gone."
Then he vanished.
No sound. No step.
Only the scent of fading smoke, and a single crow that cried once as the wind returned.