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Narrator:
It was a quiet afternoon at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters with most slayers either training or resting. Giyuu was sitting under the shade of a tree, enjoying the calm silence as he sharpened his blade. The peace, however, didn’t last long.
“Oi, Tomioka!” Sanemi’s rough voice broke the serenity as he approached, Obanai following behind with his ever-present scowl.
Giyuu glanced up briefly but said nothing, going back to sharpening his sword.
“Tch, you’re so annoying, you know that?” Sanemi said, standing right in front of him. “Always acting like you’re better than everyone else with that stupid quiet attitude of yours! You literally ruined our meeting yesterday"
Giyuu didn’t respond, which only seemed to infuriate Sanemi further.
“Are you deaf or do you just not care?” Obanai chimed in, crossing his arms. “You’re such a weirdo, Tomioka. No wonder nobody likes you.”
“I don’t care if you like me or not.” Giyuu said flatly, his voice calm as ever.
Sanemi clenched his fists, his temper flaring. “That’s it! You’re so full of yourself, I’m gonna-” He raised his fist, ready to punch Giyuu.
“Now, now, what’s going on here?” a sweet, calm voice interrupted.
Sanemi froze mid-motion, turning to see Shinobu approaching with her usual serene smile. Despite the gentleness of her tone, there was an unmistakable glint in her eyes that promised trouble if they didn’t behave.
“Oh, Kochou.” Obanai muttered, stepping back slightly.
Sanemi lowered his fist but glared at Giyuu. “This has nothing to do with you, Kochou. Stay out of it.”
Shinobu’s smile widened, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, but it does. I couldn’t just stand by and let you harass poor Tomioka-san like this.” She glanced at Giyuu, who was still seated, unfazed.
“Poor Tomioka? He deserves it!” Sanemi spat.
“Hmm…” Shinobu tilted her head, her expression thoughtful. “Well, if you’re so eager to fight... I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I told you there’s a serious situation at the west gate. It requires immediate attention, of course.”
Both Sanemi and Obanai blinked, confused. “What kind of situation?”
“Oh, nothing too major. Just a report of a few demons spotted nearby. But I’m sure two strong Hashira like you can handle it.”
Sanemi grumbled but the idea of demons piqued his interest. “Fine. But we’ll deal with this first then I’ll deal with you, Tomioka.” He pointed a finger at Giyuu before storming off, Obanai reluctantly following him.
Once they were out of earshot, Shinobu let out a soft sigh of relief.
“They’ll figure out I was lying soon...” she said with a small laugh, sitting down next to Giyuu.
“You didn’t have to do that.” Giyuu said, his tone neutral.
“Oh but I wanted to” Shinobu replied, leaning slightly toward him. “Shinazugawa-san can be such a brute. I couldn’t let him ruin that pretty face of yours, now could I?”
Giyuu looked at her, a faint hint of confusion on his usually stoic face. “Pretty face?”
Shinobu giggled, her teasing nature taking over. “What? Do you disagree? You should really learn to take compliments, Tomioka-san" He glanced away, clearly uncomfortable with the teasing, which only made her laugh more.
“You’re so fun to mess with” she said, resting her chin on her hand as she watched him. “You’re like an unchanging stone, no matter what anyone says or does.”
Giyuu paused, his hands still on his sword. “You don’t have to stay here. I’m fine on my own.”
Shinobu raised an eyebrow, her smile softening. “I know you are but I don’t want to leave you alone. Besides, you don’t mind my company, do you?”
He didn’t answer, but the faintest flush of color appeared on his cheeks.
“Ah, I’ll take that as a yes” Shinobu said playfully, leaning back against the tree.
For a while, they sat in companionable silence. Shinobu glanced at Giyuu out of the corner of her eye, a rare moment of seriousness crossing her face.
“You know” she began, her voice quieter. “You should stand up for yourself more. People like Shinazugawa-san will keep pushing you around if you don’t.”
“I’m used to it.” Giyuu replied simply.
“That doesn’t mean you have to accept it” she said firmly, her teasing tone replaced by genuine care. “You’re stronger than that, Tomioka-san. Don’t let them treat you like you’re less.”
Giyuu finally turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. “Why do you care so much?”
Shinobu’s smile returned, softer this time. “Because I do. And I think you’re worth caring about, even if you don’t see it yourself.”
The air between them grew quiet, the tension lingering just slightly. Giyuu didn’t respond but the look in his eyes was enough to convey his gratitude.
Shinobu let out a soft laugh, breaking the moment. “Well, I’ve said my piece. Now, if you’ll excuse me.. I need to make sure Shinazugawa-san and Iguro-san don’t come back here looking for trouble.”
She stood up gracefully, brushing off her robes. “Take care, Tomioka-san. And try not to get into more fights, alright?” Giyuu nodded slightly, watching as she walked away.
As she disappeared into the distance, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips..a rare sight but one that spoke volumes.
