For a brief moment, I felt something strange — almost like a sense of loss. It had been such a long time. Six hundred years? Maybe more. I felt like I'd forgotten something important…
Forget it. The more I think about it, the more it slips away.
When I looked back at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, I noticed something unusual. His expression carried the faintest hint of shyness. His eyes avoided mine, as if he couldn't meet my gaze.
That caught my interest. I put away the stool, stood up, and leaned over him. With my thumb, I gently tilted his chin upward so that his eyes met mine.
"Why are you looking away like that? What is it you're afraid of?" I asked softly. My voice carried a teasing lilt.
The question struck Yoriichi harder than expected. His heart raced, his breath quickened, and even beneath the powder, a blush colored his pale face. He tried to turn his head, but my hand held his chin in place.
"…I… I just—"
Before he could finish, I pulled my hand back and burst out laughing.
"Pfft… hahaha! Oh, this is too good! Totally worth it!"
—From the corner of the room—
Somehow, Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu had ended up huddled together, clearly dragged there by Zenitsu.
Inosuke's muffled voice came from under the boar mask: "Oi, Zenitsu! What's that supposed to mean? Why was that so intense?!"
Tanjiro frowned in confusion. "Yeah… I didn't really understand either. Is that… some kind of secret technique?"
Both of their innocent gazes turned to Zenitsu, whose face went pale. After panicking for a moment, he stammered:
"Uh…! A-anyway, if you two don't know, it's better that way! You'll… you'll figure it out eventually, okay?!"
Tanjiro and Inosuke exchanged looks, unimpressed. "What kind of answer is that?"
Meanwhile, Yoriichi finally realized I had only been teasing him. He remained calm, but his voice was steady and serious as he spoke:
"…Don't make those kinds of jokes. If you do… I might take them to heart."
He rose to his feet, walked to the low table, and sipped the tea he'd left earlier. His face looked composed, but the faint red on his cheeks hadn't faded.
I didn't bother taking it too seriously. After all, this wasn't a story where you could twist fate at will. Reality was never that simple.
When I glanced at Yoriichi again, I noticed that even though he tried to appear calm, there was still a trace of shyness in his lowered eyes.
Adorable, I thought.
A red glow flickered in my palm and formed back into a stool. Sitting down cross-legged, I twirled the brush in my hand with a smile.
"Alright then. You three little hamsters—your turn."
My interest in putting makeup on the others faded quickly. Honestly, the only reason I even tried was to see how Yoriichi and his brother would look if I gave them the same style. Now that I'd seen it, I didn't care much anymore.
Still, since the three of them were already here, I figured I'd at least give them some simple makeup. Their faces were good to work with anyway.
To my surprise, the first one who stepped forward was Zenitsu. His body shook as if he were about to faint, but he tried to keep steady.
"What's wrong? You came forward first. Why are you trembling like that? Are you afraid of me?" I asked, brushing powder across his cheeks.
"I-I'm not afraid! I'm just… a little nervous…" Zenitsu stammered.
I tilted my head, studying him. Then, with mock seriousness, I lifted his chin and said:
"Tell me honestly… do you secretly want to be a girl?"
"Pffft—!!"
The tea Yoriichi had just sipped sprayed out across the table. He coughed into a towel, trying to hide his expression, though his eyes darted at me from the side.
I rolled my eyes. So he finds this kind of thing amusing, huh?
Zenitsu, meanwhile, froze in shock, his big eyes full of confusion. "W-wait! That's not—"
Before he could finish, I pressed a sheet of lipstick paper against his mouth. "Alright, that's enough talking. Makeup's already done. Go comb your hair however you like. Two braids would suit you."
"Huh?!" Zenitsu barely had time to react before he realized he wasn't even sitting anymore. He looked down and panicked—his body was floating half a meter above the floor, supported by flickering red light particles.
"Waaaah! What's happening?! Put me down!!"
A snap of my fingers, and he dropped. Face-first.
Smack!
Inosuke leaned over and snorted. "Hah! You look like a squashed frog." The corners of his lips, painted red, made the insult all the more ridiculous.
I ignored him, tweezers in hand, preparing false eyelashes. Inosuke's face was easier than Zenitsu's—his features were already sharp. A little powder, some eyeliner, red on the lips, and it was enough.
Still, when I grabbed his chin to steady him, my voice carried a warning:
"Sit still. Or I'll throw your precious boar mask away."
Inosuke scoffed, puffing out his chest. "Hah! As if you could throw away something that belongs to the great Inosuke—"
My tone sharpened just slightly, though I spoke casually. "I don't have much patience. Don't test me."
For all his bravado, Inosuke's instincts screamed at him. He went quiet, sat obediently, and let me finish. When I handed him a mirror, he stared at his reflection, wide-eyed.
His face was still his own, yet… it wasn't. There was a faint tenderness in his features now. A warmth he didn't recognize.
He touched his cheek slowly. "This… feels like… I've seen it before."
Watching his expression, I realized. So that's it… he looks like his mother.
For a moment, I almost pitied him. A boy who couldn't clearly remember her face, but carried her features all along.
"…Where's my hood?" Inosuke suddenly muttered, breaking the silence. His usual arrogance was gone, his tone unusually soft.
I smirked and pointed across the room. "Over there. Go get it yourself."
He followed my finger—and froze. His mask was sitting right in front of Yoriichi, who was calmly reading a letter with tea beside him.
Inosuke swallowed hard, every muscle in his body stiff. He crept forward like a child facing scolding, his voice small:
"Um… can I have my hood back?"
Yoriichi didn't look up right away. He glanced at the mask, then at Inosuke, and said quietly:
"Your mission does not require this."