TO SEE YOU SMILE

Chapter 6: No Reason

"Just to remind you, I'm not letting you to scrub my back because I think of you as a slave. I just really don't want you to think that I dislike you so please don't misunderstand it."

I told Tokito a few minutes after he started scrubbing my back using a small towel.

"But I'm a slave so it won't hurt me if you'll think of me as that... It's not a big deal to me."

I frowned. There he goes again with his "I'm a slave" description for himself.

"Tokito, I will never think of you as a slave. I already told you right? I want to become your friend."

He got silent for a minute so I thought again of how should I help him to stop thinking that he's a slave.

"Tokito-kun, why don't you join me here? I'll scrub your back too," I stated having a slight smile on my face.

He seems to got taken aback by my words because he suddenly stopped and got frozen.

"Eh?? J-Join you?"

I looked over my shoulder to look at him.

"Yeah. Why not? What's the problem with that? It would help us to get closer and maybe you'll finally let me to be your friend."

He didn't answer but I could feel that he was against with my idea. To let him know that I was really determined to be his friend, I continued inviting him.

"Come on, Tokito. Let me scrub your back too~"

I held his arm to support myself to stand up but when I was about to face him, I accidentally slide——my poor back hitting the other side of the bathtub and because I'm currently holding Tokito's hand, I unintentionally dragged him with me——making his body fell on top of me.

He's now also soaked.

"S-Sorry.... Are you okay?" I asked with a worried voice. I'm afraid that his feet or knee got hurt when he fell earlier.

"Yeah, I'm okay, how about you?" He asked me back. "I think I heard a crack when you hit your back..."

When he mentioned it, that's when I feel the sudden pain in my back.

"I-I'm also okay. Thanks for worrying." I said.

I don't want him to know that my back hurts because he might blame himself again even it was my fault and it was just an accident.

"Then let me continue to scrub your back..."

He was about to stand up so my eyes widened.

"Wait, Tokito-kun!"

To prevent him from moving, I opened both of my arms to pull him for an embrace.

Even if I can't see his face, I know that he was also surprised like me.

"What on earth are you doing to Muichiro, Tanjiro?!"

I was surprised to realize that the door of the bathroom was already open and three familiar faces came inside.

It was Sanemi, Obanai and Giyu.

Obanai snatched Tokito away from me immediately while Giyu grabbed the towel that I brought and putted it on Tokito's shoulder. Sanemi was glaring at me with his fist closed like he wants to punch me for doing something wrong.

What did I even do wrong?

"Tanjiro, you know that all of us here adores you, but please don't take advantage of Muichiro." Sanemi told me with a warning.

"Muichiro is a part of our family." - Obanai.

"Yeah. We won't let you take him away from us." - Giyu.