to bid you adieu | t. muichiro

02

CHAPTER 2:
our mutual panic.

—

These restraints were making you lose your damn mind.

The academy prohibited Gift usage for purposes other than training of self-defense, meaning that it wasn't a problem of you just itching to hypnotize someone. The restraints fostered an unusual circulation of energy throughout your body, leaving you to feel anything but energized the next day.

Lugging your body around felt as if someone had secured a number of ball-chains onto your legs and arms, just barely making it on time to school. Walking into the science class, you glanced over at Tokito—who didn't seem to be taking the change well either.

Agatsuma was clearly invested in conversation with him, speaking avidly of things that you couldn't quite hear. However, to your surprise, Kanao wasn't joining them. She was planted in her seat, lips pursed and eyes focused on the board despite the class not having started yet.

You joined her, "hello, Kanao!"

Kanao's eyes widened at your greeting, stumbling over various words as you slid into your seat and stared at her engagingly. "Y/N... it's good to see you." She settled on those words.

"How come you're not talking with Agatsuma or Tokito?" You lowered your voice to ask this, knowing of his proximity to you.

Her eyes flickered over to them before staring back at you immediately after. "They're Tanjiro's friends," she replied in a hushed tone. "I sit with him at lunch, but I don't know those two that well. Even then, Zenitsu's kind of weird. I would rather not engage in small talk with them, even if I knew them better."

You nodded. "That's quite the dynamic, I suppose." Taking the chance you had, you asked her the question you'd been dying to know. "Sorry to ask, but by any chance, are you acquainted with Kocho Shinobu?"

Noticing the slight twitch in her fingers and the new breathing pattern she'd adopted at that moment, it wasn't hard to tell that she knew the name. "She's my adoptive sister," Kanao answered, resting her uneasy hands onto the table. "What about her?"

You lifted your arm closest to her into her like of vision, revealing the steel cuff clasped around your wrist. "Just curious."

Her face dawning with the realization, she brought her hand up to grab your wrist and studied the contraption. "My oldest sister, Kanae, invented these. They're quite inhibiting and have a multitude of negative side effects—it's all in the way they absorb your body's energy. The most popular of which being fatigue and increased weakness."

As she rambled on and on about the effects of the restraints, she was suddenly interrupted by a loud screech from close to you.

"She has them too!" Agatsuma cried and pointing at you, successfully calling for everyone's attention. "What are those?! Are you both prisoners now?!"

"Shut up or I'm going to cut your tongue out, you bastard." You snapped, your rapid change in demeanor completely unsettling. Kanao nervously released her grip of your arm and whispered a few apologies to you.

The blonde-haired boy continued to cry at the top of his lungs about how intimidating you were, merely fueling the heated glare now ensuing between you and Tokito.