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"You have to fix your own lunch today," Nezuko tells me as she runs around the house, gathering her things, "I'm behind schedule and I didn't have time."
"Don't worry about it! You don't have to fix my lunch you know. It's very kind of you, but if you're too busy-"
"Nah, it's not a problem! Just fix it today, okay?"
I nod.
I never want to cause my little sister any trouble. She has herself to worry about, and yet she still makes my lunch. What a sweet girl. Without mom here, I suppose she kind of mothers me sometimes.
We have to take care of each other, living alone.
Peeking inside the fridge for lunch material, I see spring rolls. They're cut neatly in halves and overflowing with veggies, noodles, and tofu.
Perfect!
There's a good amount of them too. I grab three, and then on second thought, put one more in.
I was going to bring Inosuke something today, and this is perfect!
"Let's go!" I tell Nezuko, heading Giyuu's car horn honk in the driveway.
"Hold on! Dammit! Where... is..."
"Where is what? We're gonna be late!"
We then spend eight minutes looking for Nezuko's phone, that turned out to be on silent, (so I couldn't call it) and under her pillow.
Thankfully Giyuu only chews us out a little bit in the car.
ੈ✩‧₊˚
Inosuke is at the lunch spot before me today. He's already taken out his bento by the time I sit down.
"Hey Tanjiro," he says, taking a bite of sandwich.
"Hey Inosuke!" I greet, "I brought you a spring roll."
He takes it slowly.
"Thank you... but you don't have to bring me food."
"Nah, I don't mind! You never seem to bring a big enough lunch!"
That was the wrong thing to say. I can see it in his face. I regret it the moment the words come out of my mouth.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he snaps.
No going back now.
"You always eat so little! You must be hungry! And you seemed to like my sister's cooking when I gave you the tofu last week, so why not?"
He stands up defensively.
"You don't have to bring me food, okay! So quit worrying about me! I just don't feel like eating sometimes!"
I've never seen him upset like this before.
Panic rises in my chest, and I can feel my heart beating fast. I'm scared. I hate it when people are angry at me.
"I-I'm sorry, I was just trying to be nice."
"Well don't!"
I swallow down my panic and nod.
"I'm sorry," I say again.
He just picks up his backpack and runs away.
"Inosuke!"
He doesn't look back.
"You were out of line Tanjiro," I say slowly, trying to steady my breathing, "He doesn't seem to want your help, and this must have made him feel like he needs... charity. And that offended him. Okay, okay."
Tears leak from my eyes and flow down my face. I try my best to wipe them away. I want Nezuko. I need a hug.
"No, he just got mad at you. You offended him, and he got mad at you. It's not the end of the world," I scold myself, "So fix it. Fix it."
ੈ✩‧₊˚
I don't get a chance to fix it.
Inosuke avoids me for the rest of the day.
That night, Nezuko catches me putting my bento in the fridge.
"Tanjiro? What are you doing? Why didn't you eat?"
I shrug, stuffing the box into the fridge and shutting the door. Inosuke's moody silence must be rubbing off on me.
"Tanjiro. Something's wrong. I can tell. You can tell me," she says softly.
I don't realize I'm crying until Nezuko is trying to soothe me, pulling me into a comforting hug. I bury my face in her shoulder, hugging her tight.
"What happened?" she whispers softly.
I tell her about what happened at lunch.
She sits me down in a kitchen chair, wiping at my tears with her soft hands.
"Oh big brother, don't cry. You just offended him. People don't like it when you make it seem like they can't take care of themselves, even if you have good intentions. But I'm sure he won't be mad forever. You just have to find him tomorrow and apologize."
I nod.
"I didn't mean to upset him. It really scared me when he got upset. I'm scared to approach him."
"I know," she says, "But if you value the friendship, you have to make it right, and if he wants to be your friend, he'll forgive you. See this as a test. You're seeing if it's meant to be."
"'Meant to be' sounds like a love story," I say, chuckling softly.
Nezuko smiles.
"Maybe, but many different relationships can be 'meant to be'. I was meant to be your little sister."
