When They Realized (GenMui)

7

Before long, Sanemi had arrived at the manor, parking respectfully into the garage. He let out a deep sigh, his head gently falling against the steering wheel in exasperation. It had been a long ride. Even the breath of the afternoon sun lingered on that fact, penetrating the glass windows of the vehicle ever so slightly.

Sanemi clicked the car doors open, and the group began to emerge. Muichiro exited first with a relaxed stride, Genya following closely behind. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu climbed out of the minivan, their eyes quickly scanning the exterior of the house.

Muichiro greeted them with a friendly wave. "You guys are welcome in."

As they stepped inside, the spacious living room came into view. The room was bathed in warm light from a grand chandelier hanging overhead. A marble coffee table stood in the center, surrounded by plush sofas and armchairs. Above a TV stand, a flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall, and several family pictures adorned the stand.

Tanjiro's gaze wandered around the room, taking in the decor. "Wow, Muichiro. I didn't expect the inside of your house to look like this, but it's nice."

Zenitsu, peering around with curiosity, nodded. "Yeah, it's a lot cozier than anyplace I've seen before. I like it."

This is glaze! Inosuke immediately thought to himself.

Always eager to explore, he immediately set his sights on a decorative vase on a side table. He reached out to examine it closely, nearly knocking it over in his excitement.

"Whoa, this thing's pretty fancy. Does it do anything?"

Zenitsu's eyes widened in alarm as he quickly moved to stabilize the vase. "Inosuke, be careful! We don't want to break anything."

Muichiro chuckled at the commotion and guided everyone towards the coffee table. "Let's settle here for now. I'll go get some board games from the game room."

As Muichiro made his way downstairs, everyone else found their selected seats on the carpeted floor, surrounding the coffee table. The Kamaboko Trio sat side-by-side, Inosuke the closest to Genya, who left a significant amount of space beside him. He would never admit it was for Muichiro.

When Muichiro made his way up the stairs to the first floor, he placed the curated boardgames on the coffee table. Unintentionally taking the hint, he occupied the empty space right beside Genya, immediately comforted by the taller ones relieving presence. Once he finished setting up the board games, he addressed the group.

"Alright, we have UNO, Jenga, and Monopoly. I forgot where the other games are," he said, crossing his arms in concentration.

Inosuke immediately perked up. "Sweet! I'm ready to crush all of you in Jenga. I'll build the tallest tower ever!"

Zenitsu looked concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Jenga can get pretty intense, especially with, y'know... Inosuke."

"What is that supposed to mean!?"

Tanjiro, ever the peacemaker, smiled reassuringly. "We'll just keep it friendly. How about we start with UNO? It's a quick game to warm up."

"Sounds good to me," Genya said, sitting down at the coffee table. He shot Muichiro a playful glance. "I hope you're ready to lose."

Muichiro smirked. "We'll see about that."

The group gathered around the coffee table for UNO. Tanjiro shuffled the cards and dealt them out. "Let's have some fun. And remember, it's all about strategy."

The group of five looked through their cards, nodding in satisfaction as they did so, some more than others. Curiosity sparked, Genya deeply affected by it as he took a minor glance at Muichiro's deck. The smaller one immediately noticed, hastily closing the gap between his cards and his chest.