"KYAAA!!!" Mitsuri's exhilarated voice echoed in the hallway as her eyes widened in surprise. "Your uniform...! It came!!"
'Here comes the loud one...' Tanjiro clicked his tongue gleefully.
"Looking good, right?" Tanjiro asked with a smile, patting his sister Hanako who was clinging to him tightly and refusing to let go.
Mitsuri nodded her head heartily. "You look so good, seriously!"
To her heartfelt response, he showed a warm smile. "Thanks, Mitsuri."
She saw his sharp features and gentle look, and her normal heartbeat began to elevate automatically.
Her cheeks felt like they were burning for some reason.
'Ahh, isn't he everything I hoped to look for when I intended to join the Demon Slayer Corps...? He's strong, kind, caring, doesn't mind my hair and diet.... He sees and treats me like other girls impartially. AH, why do I have to hide the reason that time... Idiot Mitsuri! There are so many good-looking females here, I fear he would be snatched away by them easily, waah.... No, wait, should I just confess!? No, no... He's still too young! Because of his absurd strength and height, I always forget he's just 13.... Mm, must I have to wait?'
Her thoughts raged in her mind, and her expression was noticeably affected.
"What's wrong with Kanroji-san? Isn't she too happy about Onii-chan, even more than us?" Shigeru whispered to Takeo, who was equally bewildered.
Then he realized something.
'Wait...! Is she!?'
He mumbled unknowingly. "Perhaps she's started to like Nii-chan..."
Shigeru heard his older brother's mumbling clearly.
His eyes widened in shock, and he immediately shouted. "Ehh? She likes Onii-chan!? Will they get married then??"
The poor little one had no idea how sensitive the topic was or how to restrain his voice.
Everyone turned quiet all of a sudden. "...."
Nezuko's fingers clenched into a fist within seconds, her pupils narrowing dangerously. 'No...'
Rokuta had no clue about the topic, so he tilted his head in confusion.
Hovering Kanae, as if triggered, said with a pout, "No, he'll marry Shinobu! Nobody else!"
Hearing and perceiving everyone's intense emotions in the room, the corner of Tanjiro's mouth twitched wryly.
Hanako turned her head upward from his chest and asked softly, her voice cracking, "Onii-chan... Will you leave Hanako?"
Seeing his sister's reaction, he released a heavy sigh. "You girl, what are you even saying... Don't say such things." In response, she cutely nodded.
He then pointed his finger at Takeo and Shigeru. "You, and you..." His eyes were not as kind as usual. "Reflect on yourselves. Don't say such sensitive things so casually, okay?"
Next, he pointed at the voluptuous girl near the door and spoke to his brothers sternly, though his expression remained calm. "Can't you see how inappropriate such a topic is for Mitsuri-san, hm? You made her uncomfortable. See, her face is all red now..."
Just like he said, Mitsuri was clutching the hems of her robes, looking down. Her face was flushed completely.
Feeling guilty, Takeo and Shigeru realized their mistake and bowed apologetically. "We're sorry... Kanroji-san!"
A silent Mitsuri's body shook for a second as she quickly said, "It's... alright..! D-Don't bow," before dashing out of the room, giving Tanjiro a brief embarrassed look. "I remembered something important, I'll see you guys later!"
Rokuta muttered beside Nezuko. "Onee-san's weird..."
Patting his head, Nezuko corrected him instantly. "Now, now, don't be like that. Blame your brothers for saying something they shouldn't."
Takeo and Shigeru scratched the back of their heads awkwardly.
On the other hand, as the situation returned to normal, Tanjiro noticed that Kanae was still puffing her cheeks. Her hands were tightly wrapped underneath her chest, accentuating her peaks.
She saw him looking and spoke out loud. "That girl, Mitsuri, she likes you, I can tell..."
'Hmm...' He gave her a look that said—Even I'm aware of that, so how's that going to help?
Her expression softened, becoming a bit strange. "You sure are a female magnet, aren't you? Even your sisters are deeply attached to you. Are you not going to keep some boundaries?"
Hearing her voice, he rolled his eyes.
Why would he willingly keep his family away?
His siblings loved him deeply.
He wasn't going to throw them away. Why would he hurt their honest feelings?
Therefore, he ignored her afterwards.
As his siblings were free after classes and so was he, Tanjiro decided to play with them.
And before he knew it, the first day of the new year was about to end.
The night had arrived.
Like promised, Tanjiro was making dinner... alone!
Yoru-san and the others had been sent away by him.
In the kitchen, wearing an apron, Tanjiro's hands moved non-stop, smoothly and precisely.
Whether it was chopping, boiling, grilling, or cutting vegetables, he was doing everything by himself without any problem whatsoever.
His timing was simply immaculate.
Obviously, he was used to cooking for himself in his past life. Not to mention, Tanjiro himself was a good cook, trained by Kie personally. With his current abilities and perception, multitasking had become child's play for him.
'Kyaa... I had no idea he can cook too.' Mitsuri, leaning against the wall nearby, shrieked mentally. "Mm, it smells really good~ I can't wait to enjoy Tanjiro's cooking!" she said happily, a big smile on her face.
Nezuko, who was also observing, nodded. "Mm, Onii-chan is even better than me in cooking. I'm sure everyone will love it very much."
"Mmm!" Mitsuri approved with a hum.
Shortly after, Aoi came through the door, carrying empty plates. "Those guys ate everything in seconds..." She said with a blank look.
Since there were patients in the ward rooms, he had to cook some extra. Aoi was the one carrying the food to them.
"Isn't that great~?" Mitsuri tilted her head, confused.
Aoi, without any change in her expression, replied after a short silence. "They didn't eat this quickly when I cooked in the morning."
Mitsuri and Nezuko's eyes flickered momentarily. "Ah, that's..."
However, Tanjiro's voice sounded the next second. "Don't be hard on yourself. Keep learning, I'm sure you'll get better." He flashed a motivating smile, his eyes warm and confident, like they believed in her totally.
Aoi, a bit taken aback, nodded. Next, she started to wash the plates, mumbling to herself, "Late Flower Hashira Kanae-san's cherished clothes are still missing... Kocho-san won't kill me with her poison, right?"
'...'
Controlling his expression, he answered calmly, "Don't worry, we looked for it this whole evening, and still didn't find. They weren't your responsibility anyway, just let it go... I'm sure Shinobu will find them somewhere in the corner."
Aoi gave a slight nod, not feeling better at all.
Sighing, he looked into the air and could only curse inwardly.
".... Don't stare, I'm telling you. It's embarrassing..."
A naked ghost was hovering ahead, her plum purple eyes half-closed in shame. Her mouth-watering body fully visible to his eyes.
'Stupid... Undressing herself just because she couldn't bear seeing her sister's heartbroken face... Heh, she did it to herself, why do I care...'
After laughing in his mind, he made up his mind for tomorrow's plans. 'I guess I'll look for that cult, hmm...'
....
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