❝ Oyakata-sama, who is this...? ❞ [Name]'s ears perk up at the saccharine sound coming from the supposed Love Pillar.
Ubuyashiki slows his steps, hands slowly pushing [Name] forward in order to properly introduce her.
❝ I have had the pleasure of h...
The smell of coal burned your nose, the scent of still-frying food aiding to soften the sharp smell. You scrunch up your face in mild annoyance, perturbed at how Tomioka was able to walk through the streets without much care to the smell.
Dusk had finally settled in, and the original plan was to look around at night, but you both were coerced by the townsfolk to book an inn in order to quell their questioning looks at your partner's katana.
You charm your way out of the situation, quickly endearing yourself to the local townsfolk as they now question where 'you and your husband' would like to stay. That elicited a giggle out of you, and a sputtering explanation from Giyuu that you were just colleagues.
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Tomioka-san slides the shoji closed, allowing the both of you to gain respite from the now-quiet streets of the town. The room that you both agreed upon (that also agreed with your allowance) was a clean, cream-colored space that had two futons laid out on separate ends of the room.
The feeling warmed your heart. I wonder if this is how normal humans live, what I'd give for this kind of life.
"I give you my sincerest of apologies, [Last Name]-san. I should have taken heed of my bearings beforehand and hidden my weapon." Tomioka trudges over to you and gives a deep bow, leaving you to brush his apology off with a teasing laugh.
"Yes, yes. Dispose of your pleasantries with me and just- sit down, would you?" You raise a teacup at him, beckoning Giyuu to sit across the kotatsu and eat dinner.
Tomioka says his prayers and gives a tentative bite at the dish, before brightening and chomping more of the food.
"This- this is really good. You ordered this, right?" You nod at the question, drinking your tea and smiling at his expression.
"It's stir-fry. You can't possibly mess up with that." You quipped, chewing onto your udon with more gusto.
Tomioka stifles his laugh with a cough, and your eyes light up at that. Huh, so he really does have a sense of humor. Good to know. You think to yourself.
The both of you begin to banter, the water hashira slowly but surely slightly opening up to you and your dry jokes.
The warm setting sun bleeds into the inky blacks of night, and you both set aside the salvers and allow yourselves to lay on the futons, still chattering to yourselves about nothing in particular.
"[Last Name], you're one funny kitsune. I like your kind." You suppress a loud laugh at his hiccuped confession, and you coo him back into his futon to lull him back to sleep.
Who knew Tomioka was this kind of person when drunk...
You look back at the sake bottle tucked into the corner of the room, grabbing a small cup and serving yourself one last sip of the alcohol.
The plain atmosphere of it all was a fresh feeling for you, and you wanted nothing more than for it to stay like this for a while longer as you let sleep overtake you.
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"Ugh, my head." Awoken by a loud groan beside you, you notice Tomioka-san clutching his head in his hand.
Standing up, you walk out of the room to request a warmed towel and go back in to lay it on his forehead.
"My my, Tomioka-san, do you not hold your alcohol well?" Nudging his sides slightly, you watch as the hashira's face turns a varying shade of crimson.
"Mn. Uh, I- didn't say or do anything weird, did I?"
Giving him a close-eyed smile, you dodge the question entirely by fixing your attire and walking back out of the room and down the stairs of the inn to leave extra pay for your shared stay and the place.
He rushes after you as you trek up the mountains in search of the demon, and you keep the both of yourselves occupied by speaking to him about mindless things, filling the air with sound as he nods in turn.
The both of you jolt at the sudden smell of blood. Human blood, to be more precise. He looks at you in worry as your face falls solemn.
Nodding to him, you rush towards the smell- gohei in hand as the metallic scent burns your nose.
What on earth could have transpired, you think as you finally spot a tiring body of a young teenager, noticing a burn scar on his forehead- carrying a girl on his back.
Tomioka soon was at your side, realizing the same thing you had at the same time. Your ears flick in shock as your stomach turns at the revelation of the little girl he was carrying.
That.
That was a strong smell of a freshly-turned demon.
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Shorter chapter for today; school's been on my back so I'm trying to fix a schedule to have longer, more frequent chapters without my grades taking a dock.
I hope you enjoyed this Tomioka-appreciation-filled chapter. Thank you for reading!
