The Coldest Hashira

The Hashira Meeting Hall was unusually quiet.

All nine Hashira sat in their usual places, waiting.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki stood at the center with his gentle smile.

"I have called all of you here today for a special reason."

The Hashira immediately became attentive.

"A new Hashira has recently been promoted."

A few brows lifted.

A new Hashira at such a young age was already rare enough.

"Her name is Shirayuki."

Kagaya paused for a moment.

"There are some things you should know about her before meeting her."

The room grew silent.

"Shirayuki suffers from a severe memory disorder. She forgets many things shortly after they happen. Sometimes conversations. Sometimes names. Occasionally even events that occurred only hours ago."

Several Hashira exchanged glances.

Mitsuri's eyes widened.

Shinobu tilted her head curiously.

Sanemi clicked his tongue.

Kagaya continued calmly.

"So I ask all of you to be patient with her."

Then his smile deepened slightly.

"And one more thing."

"Do not mistake her appearance for weakness."

The room became even quieter.

"She may look like a child."

"She is not."

"Shirayuki became a Hashira at the age of fifteen."

Even Sanemi raised an eyebrow.

"Please welcome her."

The doors slowly opened.

Creaaaaak...

The moment Shirayuki stepped into the room—

A cold wind swept through the hall.

The temperature seemed to drop instantly.

Several Hashira felt chills run down their spines.

Not because of the cold.

Because of her presence.

She was small.

Very small.

Her height was only slightly shorter than Muichiro's.

She looked no older than eleven or twelve.

Long white hair.

Pale skin.

An expressionless face.

No emotion.

No smile.

No anger.

Nothing.

Just silence.

And somehow...

That was the unsettling part.

Mitsuri's thoughts:

She's so cute!

Wait... why is she so scary...?

Obanai's thoughts:

That's a Hashira...?

No... Master's warning wasn't a joke.

Shinobu's thoughts:

Interesting.

She doesn't even react to everyone staring at her.

Sanemi's thoughts:

Tch.

What kind of creepy brat is this?

Muichiro's thoughts:

She looks cold.

Like snow.

Shirayuki walked forward without looking at anyone.

Not Mitsuri.

Not Sanemi.

Not Shinobu.

No one.

Then—

Her eyes landed on Giyu.

For the first time...

A faint warmth appeared in her otherwise empty expression.

Not a smile.

But something close to peace.

Giyu looked back.

A silent acknowledgment.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

The exchange lasted only a second.

Yet every Hashira noticed it.

They know each other.

The realization spread throughout the room.

Shirayuki finally took her place.

The meeting continued.

After discussing several matters, Kagaya dismissed everyone.

The room became quiet once again.

Nobody moved.

Everyone was still processing what they had just witnessed.

Finally—

Mitsuri couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"Hi, Shirayuki!"

Shirayuki looked at her.

Mitsuri smiled brightly.

"I'm Mitsuri Kanroji! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too."

The response was polite and flat.

Mitsuri leaned forward excitedly.

"Okay, I can't stop myself from asking."

"Why is your uniform different from ours?"

Everyone looked down.

Indeed.

Her uniform was noticeably different.

Shirayuki blinked.

"I don't know."

"..."

"I asked a Kakushi once."

Everyone waited.

"What did they say?"

Shirayuki thought for a moment.

"They gave me a creepy smile."

Mitsuri immediately covered her mouth.

"And then they said..."

Shirayuki paused.

"Um..."

"Uh..."

"Ah..."

"They said something."

Silence.

Then Shirayuki looked completely serious.

"I forgot."

For a second nobody reacted.

Then—

Pfft.

Mitsuri burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

Realizing what she did, she quickly covered her mouth.

"Ah! Sorry!"

Shirayuki nodded.

"It's okay."

"I don't remember most things anyway."

Mitsuri laughed even harder.

Even Shinobu struggled to hide her smile.

Then Shinobu spoke.

"I'm more curious about something else."

She looked between Giyu and Shirayuki.

"You two know each other, don't you?"

Giyu answered first.

"Our mentor is the same."

"We trained under Urokodaki-san."

Several Hashira nodded.

That explained it.

Before anyone could continue—

"Tch."

Sanemi's voice echoed through the room.

Everyone looked toward him.

He was glaring directly at Shirayuki.

"You're annoying."

The room froze.

Sanemi crossed his arms.

"I've never seen someone this expressionless before."

"No reactions."

"No emotions."

"Nothing."

He smirked.

"You're like a second Tokito."

Muichiro blinked.

"...Second Tokito?"

Nobody knew whether to laugh or not.

Shirayuki remained silent.

Sanemi clicked his tongue again.

"See?"

"That."

"That creepy blank face."

Still no reaction.

Then suddenly—

Sanemi stood up.

"Fight me."

The room instantly became tense.

Mitsuri panicked.

"Eh?!"

Shinobu sighed.

"Here we go again."

Shirayuki simply stared at him.

Without answering.

Before she could speak—

"Leave her alone."

Giyu's voice interrupted.

Sanemi immediately snapped toward him.

"Oh?"

"What was that?"

Giyu remained calm.

"Master already explained her condition."

"Stop provoking her."

The vein on Sanemi's forehead twitched.

"The hell's with you?"

"Why are you talking so much?"

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"What?"

"She your girlfriend or something?"

Several Hashira nearly choked.

"Or maybe you've got a crush on her?"

Giyu opened his mouth.

Then—

"Brother."

Everyone looked at Shirayuki.

For the first time she addressed Giyu directly.

"Please stop."

Giyu fell silent.

Shirayuki slowly stood.

Her emotionless eyes met Sanemi's.

"Shinazugawa-san."

A cold breeze drifted through the room.

"Let's fight."

The training grounds were cleared shortly afterward.

All the Hashira gathered to watch.

Sanemi grinned.

Finally.

This would be fun.

The fight began.

BOOM!

Sanemi rushed forward immediately.

His sword cut through the air with explosive force.

Shirayuki dodged.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Effortless.

Almost like a drifting snowflake.

The battle intensified.

Shockwaves erupted across the field.

The watching Hashira became increasingly stunned.

She wasn't merely keeping up.

She was matching Sanemi.

Then—

Shirayuki finally drew a deep breath.

A strange cold spread through the battlefield.

The grass began turning white.

Frost crawled across the ground.

The air itself seemed to freeze.

Sanemi's instincts screamed.

Too late.

"Snow Breathing..."

The temperature dropped drastically.

"First Form—"

CRACK.

Ice exploded outward across the battlefield.

The earth instantly transformed into frozen terrain.

Sanemi looked down.

His eyes widened.

His feet were trapped.

Solid ice had formed around his legs.

The more he struggled—

The tighter it became.

"What the—?!"

The watching Hashira stood up in shock.

Even Obanai's eyes widened.

The entire battlefield had become a frozen domain.

Shirayuki stood calmly in the center.

White snow danced around her.

Expressionless.

Silent.

Cold.

For the first time—

Sanemi realized why Kagaya had warned them.

This girl wasn't a child.

She wasn't weak.

She was a monster wearing the face of a little girl.

And somehow...

That emotionless stare was far scarier than any rage he had ever seen.

...This is your outfit btw👇👇👇...

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