Kisatsutai/ An Inotan Story

Chapter 3

Tanjiro woke up from a strong smell piercing his nostrils.He sat up in his bed
"What is that smell. It smells kinda nice" Tanjiro floated to his door as if drawn to the source of the strong smell. As he whipped his door open, the strong smell flooded his senses and he seemed to be driven into a state of ecstasy. The source of the overwhelming smell stood right infront of him, shirtless and wrapped in a towel
"Ahh Inosuke I'm so sorry. I didn't expect to find you out...here"Tanjiro's sentence trailed off when he noticed the bruise on his forehead. Instinctively, Inosuke covered it before replying,"I just went to take a shower since we both have to share one anyway. That blondies so lucky he gets one to himself" Inosuke said before entering his room. "Wait Inosuke." Tanjiro called out
"What?"
"Good morning" Tanjiro beamed at Inosuke. Inosuke stared at Tanjiro with widened eyes
"Same to you" He replied before closing his bedroom door. Tanjiro held his hand up to his nose. "What was that smell and why was it so strong? Did he use perfume after he showered? That's probably the best reasoning. Anyway I think I'll make breakfast before showering." Tanjiro headed to the kitchen before slaving off to make breakfast for the three of them. He was met by a hug from behind.

He looked behind him to see Zenitsu and he giggled. "Good morning Zenitsu"
"Good morning Tanjiro"
"How'd you sleep?"
"I slept great and yo-"
"First you touch me then you touch Monjiro. You really are weird Monitsu"  a voice from down the hall called. Inosuke stood at the frame of his hallway. Zenitsu pulled away from Tanjiro, unaware he was still clinging onto him. Tanjiro petted Zenitsu's head and laughed
"It's fine. Morning hugs are some of the best ways to greet someone" Tanjiro chimed. Inosuke scoffed and turned to the side. After a minute of silence he walked over to Tanjiro and wrapped him in a hug. "G-Good Morning" He stuttered.
Zenitsu turned to him and opened his arms expecting a hug as well. Inosuke replied by flipping him off and sitting on the sofa in the living room.

After a hearty breakfast and shower the three of them headed out of their dorm room to begin their first day of college
By coincidence, Tanjiro, Inosuke and Zenitsu ended up in the same classes and so naturally they sat next to each other for every class. Tanjiro in the middle, Inosuke to the left and Zenitsu to the right. Tanjiro,being the pure natured human he is, payed attention in every lesson, taking down notes. Zenitsu drifted in and out of sleep and Inosuke just couldn't be bothered to pay attention. In science lesson, the three of them had to share a desk for experiments.

Zenitsu was especially sleepy since it was the last lesson of the day. He drifted off to sleep. Tanjiro and Inosuke caught a glimpse of him. Tanjiro giggled while Inosuke scoffed. Several seconds later Zenitsu's head drifted onto Tanjiro's shoulder. Tanjiro jumped in his seat, not enough to wake Zenitsu up but just enough for Inosuke to notice. Tanjiro looked down at Zenitsu and smiled before patting his head. It didn't take long for Tanjiro to notice a certain scent in the air. He smelled hatred, jealousy, discontent all mixed together. Terrified by this new scent, he turned his head to the source. It was coming from Inosuke.
"I-Inosuke?"
"Yeah?" His voice was full of grimace but his face was emotionless
"Is everything alright?"
"Of course it is dipshit. Do I look like there's something wrong?" Inosuke turned to face Tanjiro. His gaze drilling holes into Tanjiro's soul. Regardless, Tanjiro beamed at Inosuke and placed his hand on his head. Almost instantly, the malicious scent disappeared. Inosuke's eyes widened and a pink tone appeared across his face. He slapped Tanjiro's hand away and looked down at the table.
"Thank you" He muttered
"What was that? I didn't hear you" Tanjiro asked
"Nothing. Don't look at me like that pissface" Inosuke said, making Tanjiro giggle...

The bell indicated the end of lessons for the trio. The three of them walked back to their room and collapsed into the sofas.
"WE HAVE TO DO THIS FOR A WHOLE 4 YEARS?!" Inosuke and Zenitsu cried in unison
"Come on guys at least we have each other"
"Cut the crap loser" Inosuke replied. And that's when it hit Tanjiro. That sole phrase rang quite clearly in his head. He was sure of it now. He waited until Zenitsu was tired and headed off to his room after dinner.
"Goodnight guys" Zenitsu called
"Goodnight" they both replied before heading off to their own rooms. Only Tanjiro didn't go into his room. He followed Inosuke into his. He shut the door behind him , making Inosuke turn around to face him.
"Oi what are you doing in here?"
"Inosuke I have something to ask you" Tanjiro stared at Inosuke with unwavering determination