𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙏𝙔

Chapter 02

❝Pretty 02❞

"I-I can pay the rent with my body, atleast",

" I don't need it",

In the end, Sanemi just leave her and let her take the other room in his house hoping that she'll be gone sooner or later.

But she still stays anyways, no matter how many time he yells as her, she just laugh it off which makes him wonder how desperate is she to cling to someone like him to escape the life waiting for her outside.

"It's because you makes me feel safe Shinazugawa-sama, what do they call that? Ah Safe Haven, you're my safe haven Shinazugawa-sama", he never ask her again . That face card is definitely dangerous for his heart.

It's not like he needed to worry about feeding the both of them, the money he earned as a demon slayer gives him enough amount to spend for the rest of his life though he could've just leave it all behind and travel around the world. He was about to leave when this woman arrive, talk about a destroyed plan.

But it irks him how the woman he seemingly adopted openly expresses the way she's using him. Telling him to marry her as an excuse for letting her stay in his house and everything. He wonders if she ever thought of leaving far away and actually makes a decent job far from here.

He looks at her from the corner of his eyes as she was sweeping outside.

Her hair was tied and her focus was intended on doing her job. Unconsciously his gaze stayed to her face and before he knows it, he was observing her expression.

The way she glares when some leaves can't be sweep easily, the way her eyes lit up when she is thinking she is done doing her job, the way she smiles when she looks at him like some sort of lost puppy while saying ,"Good morning, Shinazugawa-sama", while yelling despite them being separated by just a bunch of flowers in the garden.

'Yeah right, she probably won't survive that much outside', he thought before coming back inside and closing the door, completely ignoring her again.

'With a face like that, a lot of men would probably fight over her or perhaps do underhanded method just to get her'

Since his mansion is far from the village and he is known for his 'intense' personality, no one dares to come in here and there are no servants since he chases them out while saying he doesn't need nuisance bugging in his life.

And so, the little puppy of the house becomes the automatic in charge of cleaning the house and serving him foods.

"Here you go Shinazugawa-sama", he already complained to her about calling him "-sama"but the woman just won't listen and insisted on saying 'I'm used to it'.

One thing that he doesn't like however is when her intense eyes stare at him when he is eating the food she served as if waiting for feedback eagerly, just imagine a dog wagging its tail while waiting for a pat in the head, yeah just like that.

He sighs before dropping the chopstick after one bite,

"It's not that bad so can you leave me alone already?", she eagerly nodded, happy that he replied to her before leaving him alone in the table not without a, "are you interested in marrying me now Shinazugawa-sama?"

"No, get out",

"Aw, dang it".

≪≪≪≫≫≫

IT was 3 p.m when Sanemi decided to go to the Market, he's the one who go out most of the time while the woman, who's actually true to her words, doesn't come out, fearing about getting busted by the owner of the Pavillon where she came from.

If Sanemi wants to, he can just tell the owner where she is so he can get her out of his hair already, but his conscience wouldn't want to as he actually found out the man who's intending to marry her.

It was a man, thrice his age, walking with a lot of guards asking for a particular name that Sanemi is very familiar of.

"He's roaming again, isn't he tired of it, we're not even sure if she's still here in the village",

"That old man really wanted that Oiran so much"

"She probably gave him a good head or something"

"I mean, she's an Oiran, she probably did it a lot of times haha",

"Ahm, Sir, would you l-like more Garlic?", without knowing it, Sanemi was letting out a very dark aura that almost scares the people around him while he was trying to ignore the words of the bystanders.

"Yes, make it... ", he trailed remembering what a certain puppy told him.

"Shinazugawa-sama, don't you know? I like the taste of Garlic in fried rice more than the rice itself"

"Double", he said to the vendor while shaking his head, he felt like he really should stop listening to her blabber, his brain would go rot because of her stupidity if he may say.

IT was night when he returned home. He was expecting nothing at all, that was until he saw a familiar face holding a lantern outside the mansion.

The woman is seemingly in deep thought but when she saw him, her eyes lit up like the light she was holding.

"Shinazugawa-sama, welcome home!", she greeted him happily.

Though she was a blabbermouth, and a nuisance, Sanemi also thinks that she's not that bad, she's a good company to him. He doesn't even know where she's getting the energy from.

He can't help but to remember the old man that keeps on looking for her and slowly, he felt the urge to ask her why is someone that desperate for her, but when he saw how happy she is telling him how excited she is while waiting for him, Sanemi can't find the words to do so.

He felt like no matter what her reason is, if she will leave him one day, he can just say that this is just another fleeting day of his life where he met a stranger and diving deep in her situation would only make him feel empathy for her and he can't have that, he can't throw feelings to someone who looks like...

"Shinazugawa-sama are you listening?", bound to leave him one day.

"If you leave one day, just leave and don't say anything"

"Where did that come from and why would I do that? I will certainly at least leave a letter to you Shinazugawa-sama",

"Won't read it"

"Aw come on, just think of it as a sign of gratitude and respect or something"

"Respect me by giving me my peace",

" Can't do that for now, hehe", he looks at her from the corner of his eyes and saw the smile on her face illuminating in the moonlight which makes him look away.

He felt like an absurd man even thinking of her that way even after knowing who is she and her openly wanting to use him, but somehow he can't get angry. Not when his heartbeat goes louder than the plea of his brain to maintain rationality when she smiles at him.

@cwynnie