Aoi Kazama didn't dare dwell on it too deeply. The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became; even a surface-level thought was enough to send shivers down her spine.
Should she tell the Master about what she saw in her dreams? Would he even believe her?
Even if she decided to come clean, how would she even frame it? "I had a dream that I ended up in the demons' headquarters"? It sounded like the ramblings of a madwoman.
Oyakata-sama was always gentle and kind, but would even he believe something that defied all common sense? He might just end up worrying that she'd been targeted by a Blood Demon Art and was losing her mind.
After a long period of agonizing over it, Aoi finally made her choice: she had to tell him.
"So, you're saying that in your dream, you entered a bizarre space where three Upper Rank demons appeared?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice remained as gentle as ever, without a hint of skepticism.
Aoi nodded solemnly. "Oyakata-sama, do you think that's their main stronghold? The architecture inside seemed to extend infinitely. Could it be a Blood Demon Art?"
Kagaya nodded slowly, the ripples of concern in his eyes settling into a deep gravity. "A space that extends infinitely... it certainly sounds like the work of a Blood Demon Art."
Acting on this information, Kagaya immediately convened an emergency Hashira meeting. Once again, Aoi found herself surrounded by the most powerful swordsmen in the Corps.
"Whoa! Aoi-chan actually went to the demons' headquarters? That's simply incredible!" Mitsuri Kanroji exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with pure wonder.
"As unbelievable as it sounds, it really happened," Aoi replied with a serious nod.
Following Aoi's explanation, the Hashira broke into a flurry of discussion. Despite the absurdity of the claim, the group eventually accepted the bizarre truth. Kagaya then warned them all: not a single word of this meeting was to be leaked.
After the meeting adjourned and the Hashira began to disperse, Aoi had only taken a few steps before Giyu Tomioka blocked her path.
She looked up at the expressionless man and tilted her head in confusion. "Is something wrong, Tomioka-san?"
"Are you... alright?"
Aoi didn't catch his meaning at first, but once she realized he was asking about her wellbeing after the "dream," her lips curved into a soft smile. She raised a hand and lightly patted her own cheek. "I'm perfectly fine, Tomioka-san."
"That's good. If you need anything, you can come to me."
"I will," Aoi accepted readily.
Watching the two of them chat seemingly happily, Sanemi Shinazugawa felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of irritation. He marched over to them, snapping, "Hey, are you two done gossiping yet?"
Giyu looked up, his eyes as calm and stagnant as ever. He spared Sanemi a flat glance. "Is there a problem?"
Seeing that Sanemi was about to bristle, Aoi quickly stepped in. She held out a hand between them, a helpless but warm smile on her face. "Sanemi, Tomioka-san was just checking on me."
Sanemi let out a cold snort. "Since when does he care about people?"
Out of nowhere, Mitsuri Kanroji appeared, pulling a bright red Obanai Iguro along with her. She leaned in with a face full of gossip. "Oh my! Is Shinazugawa-san jealous?"
Sanemi's face instantly turned the color of a beet, looking as though someone had just poked his most scandalous secret. He spun around to glare at Mitsuri. "Jealous? Are you joking?! Why on earth would I be jealous of this guy?!"
Even as he roared, he didn't forget to shoot a fierce sideways glare at Giyu, as if that would somehow prove his innocence.
Giyu, however, acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He remained as unruffled as ever, though the fingers resting at his side curled almost imperceptibly.
Mitsuri didn't seem to hear his denial; instead, her smile grew even more radiant. "Ehh—but you looked so concerned just now, Shinazugawa-san! It's rare for Tomioka-san to reach out to someone, and Aoi-chan is so cute, it's only natural for everyone to keep her in their thoughts!"
Beside her, Obanai Iguro—seeing his friend's face turning a shade of red that looked ready to drip blood—hurriedly dragged Mitsuri away.
Aoi took the opportunity to make an excuse and slip away as well. That had been... just a tiny bit awkward.
Back at her quarters, Aoi took a moment to settle her emotions and organize her thoughts on recent events.
The most baffling thing was the sudden "time travel" to Gyutaro's childhood, followed by the vision last night. She tried asking the System, "Do you know why this is happening?"
[Insufficient permissions. Insufficient permissions. Insufficient permissions!]
The looping mechanical voice gave her a headache, so she decided to stop overthinking and just let nature take its course.
She checked her System panel and saw that her points were down to 17,000—a massive gap away from the 100,000 needed for the Curse-Breaking Flute. She patted her cheeks, forcing her messy thoughts down. "I need to find a way to grind more points."
She browsed the new "Daily Mission" section of the panel. The tasks included things like: "Make a meal of Salmon Daikon for Giyu Tomioka," or "Hand-feed a piece of Ohagi to Sanemi Shinazugawa," and so on.
By now, Aoi could face these tasks with a calm heart. She even found herself clicking her tongue at the point rewards, calculating which one to tackle first.
"Let's start with the Salmon Daikon," Aoi decided. After all, Giyu was a man of few words; even if he disliked it, the situation wouldn't be too embarrassing.
She got straight to work, heading to her usual fishmonger to pick the freshest salmon and two crisp, white radishes.
Following the process in her memory, she cleaned the salmon and marinated it in cooking wine and ginger for fifteen minutes to remove any fishy smell. Then, she sliced the daikon into thick chunks and blanched them to remove their bitterness.
Time slipped away to the crackle of the hearth fire. The broth in the pot gradually simmered into an inviting, milky white. The savoriness of the salmon and the sweetness of the radish melded together, the aroma filling the entire kitchen.
Aoi took a small spoonful to taste. The seasoning was perfect. She curled her lips in satisfaction.
Okay, everything is ready. Now for Giyu!
Aoi arrived at Giyu Tomioka's door, carrying the freshly made Salmon Daikon.
The door creaked open. Giyu's gaze fell on the white porcelain bowl in her hands. His nose twitched slightly; he had clearly caught the delicious scent.
"Tomioka-san, I made some Salmon Daikon. Would you like to try some?" Aoi held the bowl out to him.
He reached out to take it, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of Aoi's hand. "Thank you."
Aoi shook her head. "No need for thanks! I'm just glad you like it."
[Daily Mission: Prepare a meal of Salmon Daikon for Giyu Tomioka — Complete!]
[Reward: 1,000 Points]
[Current Points: 18,000]
Aoi fought the urge to let a massive grin break across her face. "Then I won't disturb your dinner! Goodbye, Tomioka-san!"
As he watched her run off, Giyu looked down and took a sip of the broth. As the warm, savory flavor spread across his tongue, the corner of his mouth curved upward in a nearly invisible smile.