[ on hold. ] 𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 || ᴋɴʏ ʜᴀꜱʜɪʀᴀꜱ

◇ 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 ◇

◇ In The Attic ◇

Obanai tied the unconscious girl's wrists and pushed her to the corner of the room as he eyed down at her. His glare softened as he stared at her for a moment, "if only you could help us..." He shook his head to shake away his thoughts and turned around, "nevermind," he whispered as he walked away from the unconscious body.

◇

"Let us through already!"

"Uhm? What makes you think I'll obey you?" asked Sanemi as he looked at the three, "my only job is to block your way, I'm not going to do the opposite."

"Now, be dear little guests and don't make my job harder for me," a sinister grin worked its way to Sanemi's lips as he looked at Tomioka, who was shielding the other three.

"That's enough," spoke another voice, Sanemi let out a sigh as Tomioka's glare grew more intense. "Change of plans," mumbled Sanemi as he disappeared. The three looked around as they clutched Tomioka's clothing from behind, "is he gone?"

"Yes," answered Tomioka.

"Isn't it quite stupid of them to leave us? There's no one guarding the door so we can enter," said Nezuko as she walked towards the door. Her hand twisted the doorknob, but no 'click' sound was heard for the door was locked.

"What if we break the door? It's wooden anyway, and we just need Y/N then we'll leave," said Zenitsu, still hiding behind Tomioka.

Tomioka stayed silent as he watched Nezuko try to break the door open and listened to the three of them conversing, he knew he will be held responsible if they do escape, but he did not care.

"I'm not strong enough to break this," said Nezuko as she turned around to look at Tomioka, desperately needing his help. "Move aside," said Tomioka as he walked towards the door and kicked it as hard as he could.

They rushed inside and Tomioka spotted the now conscious girl immediately, he ran towards her, the three followed suit. Inosuke removed the gag and proceeded to untie her, "did they hurt you?!"

"I'm fine, but... I don't think they are," said Y/N as her gaze shifted to Tomioka, "I heard Obanai whisper to me, "if only you could help" before walking away."

Tomioka let out a sigh as he helped the girl up, "you're not supposed to know, you can't meddle in with our business, this is our problem."

"At least let us know," said Y/N, completely aware of what happened to Tanjiro and whatever Tomioka may tell her may be the solution to bring Tanjiro back to normal.

"You don't need to know."

"Then, tell me how to bring my friend back!"

"..."

The tension between the two grew intense as Tomioka avoided her gaze, the other three couldn't bear to move an inch of their body as they stood in the uncomfortable silence.

"Please," pleaded Y/N as Tomioka continued avoiding her gaze, "even if you won't tell me what the problem is between the residents, at least tell me how to bring Tanjiro back."

"... That's the problem," said Tomioka, "we do not know how." His words were limited, afraid that he might accidentally spill the secret to them.

"Then, why?" asked Y/N, "why would the residents turn innocent people into some kind of being that we are supposed to see in fantasy books only?"

Tomioka stayed silent as he thought to himself, "maybe Iguro has a point, maybe these kids can help."

"I can't answer that question for you, because I, myself, am not aware of the reason. The real answer can only be heard from the head of this household. If you wish to know, then ask her yourselves."

—

The book is nearing the end!

If you have any questions regarding the plot or other stuff, feel free to comment! They might be answered the in remaining chapters. 👀 

As always, thank you for reading! Do look forward to the next update!