Wisteria Eyed

47

"Boys, I'll be fine — stop worrying!" I glared at the three stooges crowding me, giving them an exasperated look as they shifted under my heated gaze, "I told you I can handle it, didn't I? Also, I was supposed to visit Ren-senpai at least once anyway; so, stop acting like I wouldn't have gone to the Estate otherwise, come on."

I felt a tad bit guilty as they stared back at me with a dejected expression, making me sigh and pat their head as a gesture of consolation.

"Why are you so interested to fix that shitty old man?" Inosuke asked angrily while I gently combed his hair back onto a more presentable state.

Not that it would help anyway since he'll just put on his mask again and mess it all back up.

"And who said that?" I raised an eyebrow at the three unimpressed looks fixed on me, "Hey, I'm serious. I am not interested in fixing the attitude problem of that guy in any way — I mean, not exactly. I just wanna talk to him and... well, knock some sense into him?"

"But you don't nee—"

"He is the only one who can help you with any information about that traditional dance of yours," I quickly interrupted Tanjiro while pushing my glasses up my nose again, "We need to talk to him. And if the only way to get him to talk to us is by breaking his stubborn streak, then let it be so."

"You make it sound like you are going to beat him up," Zenitsu muttered, "Not that I would mind that."

"Oh, hush you," I hid a smile at his remark but refused to comment on anything otherwise as I focused back on packing my trusted satchel.

'It seems like their hatred for Rengoku Senior increased exponentially as compared to the manga.'

Well, in all honesty, only Tanjiro faced him in the manga and knocked some sense back into him before he could meet the others — if he even did, that is. But in the current timeline, though...

'Maybe my involvement is a bit too harmful in other aspects,' I looked at the Trouble Trio as they whispered amongst themselves, the imagery making me feel a certain kind of emotion that I couldn't quite name.

"Okay, I'm done," I announced loudly as I stood up and snagged my old satchel from the floor, "Now, off to Ren-senpai's Estate!"

The three shifted around again, making me shake my head in exasperation as I went ahead and grabbed their collars to drag them by.

"Stop acting like me going with guys is the end of the world!"

"But Aneki~!"

It wasn't until a good while later when we were already on the way towards Rengoku's residence that Zenitsu gave up his whining, finally understanding I can be more stubborn than the three of them combined.

"I can't believe you are being this stubborn!"

"Well," I gave him a cheeky smile, "I did learn from the twins and perfected under the guidance of you three babies!"

"We are not babies!" Tanjiro defended enthusiastically, failing to notice how one of the 'we' he mentioned was stuck on my back like a baby koala, "We are only two years younger than you, Aneki!"

"Almost three," I pointed out before patting Inosuke, who was leaning (hugging? dragging?) on me and strangely behaving like Zenitsu in his initial days when he realized I didn't mind his physical touches, "And hush, you are babies. And even act like one — what are you talking about?"

It was amusing to see Tanjiro trying to defend his honour as Inosuke didn't give two shits while Zenitsu promptly accepted the position as a baby quite happily.