Ascend The Multiverse|多元宇宙を昇る [Kny x Black!Reader x Countryhumans]

Twenty Six| 二十六

Where the sleeping beauty awakens

A/N: With Tanjiro away for the Final Selection, you would think that the wait would be boring on the other side. But what you ignored is that this is a different timeline, meaning some things will occur differently from how you know them. English is in italics.

Or

Nezuko wakes up earlier than expected, much to our MC's delight.

Enjoy.

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Kokushibou could hear some grunting from her room while passing down the hallway to go meditate. His nose caught the faint scent of sweat beyond the shōji doors. It was clear that you were working out. You usually did that at times to keep yourself fit. Though he was curious as to why you never worked out in front of him, he respected your wishes. Still, he did not move from the door.

Inside the room, you were holding a hand stand pose and counting the seconds it took to stay in that position. You were not in a kimono which would have been uncomfortable, rather you were sporting a fitting brassiere and a loose short you got from your occasional private shopping trips to the European continent. Private in the sense Kokushibou did not come with you, but it was obvious you got new stuff.

Because of your outfit choice, your body was slightly exposed. Exposed in the sense a demon born in the Sengoku Era with his traditional ideals would get a stroke and tell you to wear decently. Unfortunately, you were from the future hence not a huge fan of outdated norms. So, you isolated yourself to work out in peace. Even if he were to hypothetically let it slide, you assumed it would make him uncomfortable. There were some things, you knew, he couldn't comprehend about the future which would clash with his own ideals of the past and his present— all of it being the past to you.

Hair tied in a bun, you maintained the hand stand for a reasonable amount of time. Your key strap was soaking up sweat from your neck, the keys lying against the ground due to your upside down position. The silver glimmer in them encouraged you to go for a longer period of time.

The keys jingled against your chest when you finally stood up, satisfied from your workout for the day. It was a nice activity and a healthy way to make sure your body was always in check. Though this time, it served an extra role of distraction from Tanjiro's Final Selection which was already halfway into a full week.

You had confidence in Tanjiro. He was a lucky guy who managed to get training from you and your six eyed partner in crime, the latter being less enthusiastic about it. Moreover, the Hand Demon was already gone so the week would be a breeze for him. Yet that alone made you concerned for him. The demon was dead, good job. But there was a chance the universe, the unknown culprit who brought you there or both could conjure up another demon from nowhere to take the place of the Hand Demon.

You were experienced to say the least when it came to time travel and how something small could change everything, otherwise known as the butterfly effect. All you could hope for was he wouldn't be faced by bad luck in the mountain. Tanjiro had managed to gain your compassion and friendship in such a short time so any thought of him getting hurt did not sit well with you.

The 'he's only a fictional character' narrative was not lost on you of course, but there was no harm in befriending him. Heck, Kokushibou of all people became your companion through a bond and he is thought to be the most loyal lapdog for Muzan. Interacting with him was a breath of fresh air in the weary lifestyle you had grown accustomed to with the countryhumans.