"How dedicated of you two to remain concerned for your seniors."

A mild chuckled welcomed the infernal duo as Shinobu appeared with her shoulder-length hair tied up loosely with two thick locks of her violet-tinged hair framing the side of her face while her hazy, purple eyes carefully scrutinized the duo. Of course, her appearance still depicted a bit of shabbiness for her butterfly-print haori did not cover the demon-slaying uniform but a faded kimono that stuck to her curves.

She was a beauty, her short height made her even more adorable.

"Um... can't you step down from the gate?"

Brian inquired with a queer gaze while Nik looked at Brian with a mixture of amusement and mischief as he turned his gaze and met Shinobu's burning gaze.

"Isn't it fine this way? A woman of her calibre has the right to look down upon the low-leveled slayers."

His words brought out a grunt of dissatisfaction within Brian as the Incubus jumped and easily stepped near Shinobu and smiled, crouching down to match her gaze at a nice parallel.

"But, such a sweet welcome is still quite satisfying to one's vanity."

'Smooth-Talking bastard... he isn't different from Ray...'

"How sensible for someone titled as the Pillar of War."

Shinobu caned her head sideways and flashed her smile as Nik shook his head.

"It's a misinterpretation. War breeds prosperity and advancement. The concepts that I am not truly fond of. So how about you call me a Pillar of Passion? Spreading happiness and blissfulness in the wake of my footstep."

"Pillar of Passion? Isn't that similar to Mitsuri's Pillar of Love?"

Shinobu placed her hand over to Nik's extended palm as the so-called of Pillar of Passion planted his lips on the back of her Shinobu's hand without any hesitation and smiled.

"Of course, it is. This fact proves that even among the ranks of slayers... a hope to live a life of happiness is a possibility."

"You said— happiness— but not peace? I wonder why?"

Shinobu pursued as Brian finally exhaled deeply. Without even having the strength to care for the two flirty birds presenting a show on top of gates and walked past the small door next to the gate and made his way towards Zenitsu's ward.

"A person can be happy even if the world is burnt and destroyed."

Shinobu narrowed her eyes at Nik's words as her ever-serene smile seemed to finally hide and reveal a hint of her thoughts through her rare— honest— expression.

"That's an ambition not many chose to pursue." Shinobu took her hands and turned her heels before stopping and tilting her head slightly so that her gaze could still observe Nik's expression.

"But... I do wonder if that ambition allows you to...— let's say— make others happy alongside yourself."

Nik stood up and grinned.

"I'd say, take a leap of faith. Maybe, you might just find what you are looking for, Shinobu."

With a chuckle, Shinobu turned her head and jumped down, leaving a soft whisper in her wake.

"That name does sound better through your mouth."

To prevent an extremely awkward situation of walking into Shinobu once again just after such an epic farewell, Nik waited above the gates for almost fifteen minutes before deciding to jump down only to find a smiling Shinobu appearing behind him akin to a ghost, making Nik's expression freeze for a moment as the lady burst into a peal of melodious chuckles.

"Ha~ Now that was satisfying." Shinobu still whimpered her chuckles while wiping away the single tear formed in the corner of her eye and gazed at Nik.

"Now, I am leaving for real."

She waved her hand and walked away into the thin mist that covered the mansion during dawn and this time, Nik checked the area with [Life Vision] to confirm the fact before he made his way towards the ward.

Sliding open the door, Nik found Brian's glowing body near Zenitsu as thin sparks of lightning crackled around the Fiend. Meanwhile, the youth with the party mask remained in the same position as Nik found him yesterday, making him a bit concerned if the youth had taken something potent and still reeling in from the effects of the same.

Not disturbing the treatment that was more than effective on Zenitsu, Nik gazed at the sleeping Tanjiro and then looked at the box placed on the bed right next to him. Gazing at Nezuko's condition through his [Life Vision], Nik traced the edges of the box with his index and smiled.

'Maybe... I can help in her recovery after all.'

Activating his Hamon Overdrive, Nik's body was instantly covered in a blanket of blazing gold Hamon that seemed to pressurise the air around him, finally waking Tanjiro up. But still, the pressure amounted a punch that Tanjiro simply couldn't handle, making him hold his breath as Nik continued mobilising more of his Hamon.

'Nezuko's Hamon is in balance. Even if she is hurt, the Hamon remains in balance while the quantity of the Hamon is lowered. So, there is a very simple solution.'

Nik gently placed both of his palms on the sides of the box and opened his eyes, revealing a pondering glint before the right side of his Hamon gained a crimson tinge as the left side remained blazing gold.

Slowly, the crimson blaze continued to eat away at the golden blaze and finally, Nik mobilised his will to stop the conversion of the red Hamon while letting a sliver of energy of both of the types of Hamon enter Nezuko's body at the same time.

His actions immediately received an astounding look from Brian while Tanjiro simply opened his mouth in astonishment. At the moment, Tanjiro could 'smell' a similar scent that always lingered around Nezuko. Meanwhile, Nik simultaneously opened his [Life Vision] and gazed at the two types of life-force energy slowly seeping into Nezuko's body before entering the balanced power pool that her petite body contained.

It wasn't till long that Nik ended up exhausting all his energy but the activation of Nezuko's own Hamon and the natural, usual swirl of Crimson and Gold within her body made Nik smile as his consciousness actively let go of the control of the Gravitational Wave slowly to avoid any unforeseen situation before slowly slumping on the same bed, oblivious to the screen that had opened in front of him.

As if the soft 'oomph' of Nik's head slumping over to the bed, the small box opened to reveal a Nezuko, whose pink pupils observed the surroundings as her gaze momentarily rested on Tanjiro and then Brian before she looked sideways and let her palm fall on Nik's head.

Pat

Pat

Slow, tender pats accommodated in the barely lit room where the only source of light remained the glowing Brian while Nezuko continued ruffling Nik's hair.

***

"Ugghh! Never again am I controlling four skills at once..." 

Nik sat up with a groan and looked around only to find the ward to be well-lit with open windows that allowed the room to be properly ventilated. 

Finally, Nik's gaze was attracted to the box placed on the bed beside him and Nik activated his [Life Vision]. With a cursory glance, he was able to find out that Nezuko had already reached her top condition and only then did he notice the small guild message.

Opening it, Nik found the words that made him lament in expectations and distress all at the same time.

[We'll definitely spar the moment your Bloodline reaches the Extreme-Tier.]

Who else could it be aside from the Guild Master?

With a few stretches, Nik stood up, donned his Haori and finally picked the box before making his way out of the empty ward and followed the sound of the harsh screams that seemed to emerge from the training hall of the Mansion.

***

Alternative Title: Brian Learn Holding Back