Pretend this is a really awesome title (MuiTan)

Chapter 17

Tanjiro's POV

Today, I skipped my tutoring with Muichiro. Because I needed to have a conversation with Kanao. I asked her to meet me at the same ice-cream store where I asked her out the first time. She agreed. 

I walked over to the table she was seated at, and pulled over a chair for me. She wouldn't meet my eyes. "Kanao," she didn't move a muscle under my gaze. Was she afraid? "I don't think this will work." She nodded, the corners of her mouth drooping. She wiped her teary eyes with her sweater sleeve. "But... I have a question."

She looked up finally, and I saw how reddened her eyes were. There were tear marks running down her cheeks as well. So she was crying before this. Huh. 

"Why did you post those photos?" I asked, and she shrugged shakily. "Thats... not helpful." She rested her head in her hands, looking at the glass surface of the table. A few people were staring at us from the other tables. 

"I c-can't say." She whispered, and I let out a quiet frustrated groan. She tapped the glass surface with her fingers, as if in thought. "I was jealous." I looked at her, unamused. I wanted to say 'seriously..?' But that would've been fairly rude, so I decided against it. I waited patiently for her to elaborate. "Because you like him. You love him." My eyes widened and I paused, unsure of what to do. I can't exactly deny it, but I definitely don't want to confirm it.

"Well." I mumbled. "You could've talked to me about it." She shook her head vigorously, as if the thought simply shook her to her core. "But I guess that's not your style, hm?" I couldn't help but cringe at how mean that was, but it was true. She's not one to chat, from what I've learned. 

"You were going to kiss him." She shed another tear, and my mouth flattened into a straight line. "At the winter fair." I looked at the ground in shame, because it was true. Im also in the wrong here, even though I've always tried to avoid that outcome, my whole life. "You know it too, don't you? Why didn't you talk to me then?" 

She glared at me accusingly, but I just looked at her the same way in response. "Fine. We're both in the wrong. But you should've targeted me, not Muichiro." Her eyebrows furrowed deeper at my words, and her mouth formed a snarl. 

"Of course. It's always protect Muichiro, isn't it? You don't care about how I feel!" She stood up and stormed out. I rested my face on the cool surface of the table. What a way to end it. I watched her walked around the corner through the side of my eye, and sighed, not sure if I should be relieve or upset.

Someone took the seat across from me and I sat up, ready to greet them, but... it was Muichiro. Perfect timing, I must say. Funny. He gave me a calculated stare.

"Are you okay?" He asked, and I groaned.

"Yea. Where'd you come from?" He tilted his head to the side, as if confused with my question. "Like, what brings you here?" He shrugged.

"I was passing by, 'cause I mean... I had nothing to do today, and I saw Kanao storm out of here. So I looked through the window to get a hint on why, and saw you looking emo." His eyes softened. "But actually, are you good?"

I shook my head slightly, and he stood up and came over to my side of the table. He leaned his body against the edge of the table, waiting for me to talk. 

"Well, we broke up, because I don't have feelings for her." I couldn't tell him it was because of what happened, because what if he blames himself? 

"Man, that sucks." He replied, the ghost of a laugh disguising itself beneath his words.

"What's funny?" I ask, and he looks at me, surprised. He giggles nervously, and now it was my turn to wait for a reply.

"It's just that...I expected it." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and I raised an eyebrow.