𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑

六十九

𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑

「 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑰𝑿𝑻𝒀 𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑬 」
𝐒 𝐓 𝐑 𝐈 𝐊 𝐄

꧁꧂

    "What!?" Mitsuri shouted in disbelief, her hands clutching tightly into fists as she stared at (Y/N). "You're quitting!? Retiring!? Why!?"

    "Because," she answered simply.

    "Please don't go..." Muichiro grabbed a hold of her sleeve, his turquoise gaze filling with such desperation and despair that it almost made her falter in her decision, she however merely looking away as she grabbed his wrist and gently made him let go of her. "Please!" He was only more insistent, continuing, "I still have not paid my debt to you! I can't let you go before that happens! And... and... I don't want you to leave me..."

"You don't need to be indebted to me," she tried to wave his concerns away. "You being kind to me is enough. Is more than I need, really."

"I can't accept this!" Mitsuri huffed out, for once looking quite irritable than her usual smiling self—most notable being the fact that her beautiful, pale green eyes were now sharpened into blades. "How can you leave us so easily? I still want to make memories with you and have fun with you! I still want to go on missions with you where we can slay demons and help people! Why do you have to retire? I... I don't understand..."

(Y/N) blinked at Mitsuri.

Then, she smiled.

It was one so soft and light that it stole both Mitsuri's and Muichiro's breath away, the tears that had been building in the former's eyes all but disappearing as she gasped when (Y/N) wrapped her in a hug, the boy however feeling unease and irritation settle silently in the pool of his stomach. (Y/N) was so gentle, so unlike her usual aggressive demeanor, and just that alone made Mitsuri melt in her arms.

But then she pulled away.

"I can still be your friend, pinky, and we can still contact each other, however it will be outside of the Demon Slayer Corps," she said, watching as disappointment and hope and unease flashed across the Love Hashira's expression all at once. "There are reasons as to why I am doing this. And I believe once I am gone... things will be better."

The slow crunch of footsteps that came to a halt behind her and the darting eyes of Muichiro and Mitsuri made (Y/N) turn to meet Giyu's sapphire-like gaze, the blue of the hues shimmering with shock as he stared at her.

"You're... leaving?" He stated, baffled.

"Yes," she responded in that same simple manner as before.

    "Why?"

    Before she could answer, in every single direction, the Hashira showed up. Obanai and Sanemi from the right, Shinobu and Kyojuro from the left, Gyomei from in front of her, and Tengen from behind her. Those in pairs stopped their conversation when seeing the small group gathered in the middle of the garden of the Ubuyashiki estate, their eyes almost immediately drawing to (Y/N) in the center of it all.