In the quiet room, there was only the sound of the girl turning pages and the steady breathing of someone asleep.
Her purple eyes moved away from the book, and she saw Yoizumi's fingers twitch and his eyelashes flutter slightly. He was about to wake up.
Closing the book, her uniquely gentle voice lowered, as if she was worried about disturbing him.
"Are you awake?"
As soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with captivating gaze. It took a while for Yoizumi to fully regain his clarity, his voice still a little hoarse from just waking up.
"Did I sleep for a long time?"
"No, only three hours have passed." Shinobu was originally worried. After repairing Rengoku-san's arm, she wondered what kind of pain he had endured. Seeing his tired eyelids barely able to open, she couldn't just stand by.
She thought of taking him back to his room and then leaving, but she always overthought things. What if some unexpected accident occurred?
What if her presence was needed, and she wasn't there?
Just thinking of a possibility, Shinobu couldn't bring herself to leave.
"Hmm…" When did it start, that when he woke up, it was no longer desolate, but someone would gently say,
"You're awake."
Letting him know that someone was waiting for him to wake up.
The room was quiet for a while, then Shinobu initiated a conversation, placing the medical book in her lap.
"How did it feel, going home this time?"
Hearing this question, a hint of bitterness flashed in Yoizumi's eyes.
"It was more cruel than I imagined."
"I thought I could calmly accept the deaths of these relatives I had never met."
"But death… is more sorrowful than I thought."
He had never felt such a strong sense of reality. The dream he had on the Infinity Train, he knew it was just a dream. No matter how many feelings he had in the dream, they were just a means to make him sink into it.
But when he personally witnessed the warm home from that dream become dilapidated and devoid of laughter, Yoizumi felt a chill in his heart.
How cruel it was.
Just as I learned of your existence.
But I must accept the fact that you are no longer here.
Yoizumi began to fear loss.
Tanjirou, Nezuko.
He looked at the person in front of him with complex eyes.
And Shinobu… even every single person he knew.
No matter who it was, he didn't want to lose anyone else.
Hearing this, Shinobu sighed softly.
How could she not understand the cruelty of death?
Her parents, her sister… they all died tragically before her eyes, and she was powerless.
How much she hated her own weakness.
If only she were a little taller, if her hands were a little bigger.
Then she could personally cut off the demon's head, instead of painstakingly using poison.
"Shinobu… I don't want to lose anyone else." Facing Yoizumi's bitter words.
Shinobu clenched her palms. She clearly heard her own voice.
"Does that… include me?"
She knew she was stubbornly heading down a path of no return, yet she still yearned for this unwarranted hope.
"Yes." The simple yet firm answer entered her ears, adding to her unwarranted greed.
What should she do?
What should she do with this uncontrollable emotion?
She had always been deceiving herself, forcing herself not to care, but she always wanted to get closer.
The violent thumping of her heart, her flushed cheeks, all reminded her.
She liked him.
It had been a long time, so long that she didn't even know when she had fallen for him.
Perhaps it was the night of their first meeting.
She had been captivated by those clear, bright sapphire eyes.
It shouldn't be this way.
This was an emotion she could not hope for.
She averted her eyes, no longer looking at Yoizumi's serious expression. Why did he understand how to give her a satisfying answer at this moment?
If it were like before,
Making her angry and helpless, she wouldn't be so troubled.
Wait… if it didn't include her.
Shinobu might have acted before thinking, and hit him first.
Seeing Shinobu stop talking, Yoizumi thought he had said something wrong again.
Should he take it back?
But his strong intuition told him.
If he took it back,
Something bad would happen.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her clenched fists and her slightly trembling body. A rare look of worry appeared on her usually calm and indifferent face.
Was she feeling unwell?
Yoizumi moved his body to the bedside, closer to Shinobu, wanting to use Blood Demon Art: Rotation to heal her. But just as he got close,
The rich scent of wisteria wafted towards him, and the girl's small, soft body leaned into his embrace. Yoizumi's eyes widened, and his indifferent face became even more flustered and helpless, his hands not knowing where to rest.
Why did she suddenly hug him?
Shinobu's voice was very low at this moment, so low that even right next to Yoizumi's ear, it was difficult for him to hear clearly.
But.
Yoizumi still heard it.
He heard Shinobu's helpless voice.
"Please hold me…" Yoizumi looked down and saw her tightly closed eyes and trembling eyelashes. He placed his hand on the girl's slender back and gently held her tight.
If he didn't know what to do,
Then he would respond to her with action first.
She knew what she was doing was selfish, but she couldn't care about that much anymore.
Let her be willful just this once.
Just this once.
Shinobu leaned on Yoizumi's shoulder, her palm pressed against his chest.
She remembered that night.
Yoizumi had taken her hand and placed it on his chest, telling her.
He had a heart… Now, Shinobu felt that heartbeat again.
But this time it was different.
She clearly perceived that this heart was now beating violently for her.
After a long while, Shinobu moved again, looking at Yoizumi with an apologetic gaze.
"I'm sorry… I thought of my deceased relatives, so…" Yoizumi didn't notice anything in her half-truthful words, he just shook his head.
"It's okay…" He paused, then continued softly, "If you're sad and need a hug, I'm always here."
"Because I want Shinobu to be happy."
"Thank you, I'm fine now." Shinobu lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Yoizumi. She couldn't stay here any longer, otherwise she didn't know what reckless actions she might take.
"I still have a mission tonight, I need to prepare."
"Goodbye."
"Hmm, goodbye." Yoizumi waved his hand to bid her farewell. After Shinobu left, the room once again fell into dark silence.
Yoizumi placed his hand over his heart. The abnormalities in his heart were becoming more frequent.
He forgot to thank her.
Because of that hug, his originally restless emotions had stabilized.
When Yoizumi woke up and saw Shinobu, he was actually a little happy.
A long time ago, when he was still in that dilapidated house.
Every time he opened his eyes, he could only see the broken and corroded beams.
But now he was no longer alone. After waking up, he would see Tanjirou's bright smile, and Nezuko quietly lying by the bed, looking dazed.
He was no longer living aimlessly, turning day into night.
All of this,
It all stemmed from that bright moonlight night.
A beautiful Kochou descended from the moonlight, guiding him through the long night and bringing him to the garden of dawn… (Yoizumi is gradually realizing his special feelings for Shinobu. I also want them to be together soon, but Shinobu still has more important things to accomplish.)
(I hope everyone can tell what I'm trying to convey?)
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