...human stars. (GiyuShino / Kimetsu no Yaiba)

i got nothing, but i'm still gonna find you

Being a graduate of a widely prestigious university, Tomioka Giyu was handled with special care when he arrived in his guardian's hometown. Normally, the prefecture's office systematically assigned their teachers into different schools after much deliberation from a board of high-ranking professors, but, as though he came home a prince, the office gave Giyu the rights to attend a school of his own choosing. He was presented four schools who were equally in need of a PE Major, and he told them they'd get a response after he's finished checking each himself. As the last school year only recently ended, the prefecture's office agreed, after much assurance from Giyu that he'd send them his answer before classes resumed.

At the second school he visited, he was immediately struck with the richly scented air wafting on the school grounds. He knew it was a floral fragrance, though he himself was never interested on fluorescence nor the science of it. He didn't know why, but Giyu immediately associated it with the image of purple blossoms forming a gentle curtain over ancient tree trunks. The end of his quick tour confirmed his speculations when he came upon a beautiful view of the many wisteria trees behind the main school building. His guide said that they were the school's most-prized topographic feature, a venue of aesthetic recreation for all students and teachers in attendance, slyly hinting that wisterias of this multitude and growth couldn't be found in any of the other schools.

Giyu never came to visit the last two schools, already having come to a decision as soon as he saw his first wisteria petal drifting in the wind, the ghost of its scent bringing the image of a butterfly to his head. As soon as they received the news of his decision, Kimetsu Gakuen happily granted him a homeroom in 1st year high school in gratitude for his support of the school.

Not long after, Giyu settles down with the daily routine of being a teacher, and has even developed a reputation of being the Spartan, commemorating the harsh exercises his class always undergoes and his strict consideration on many excuses to leave. He even gets used to the loud chatter of his fellow faculty, although he has always preferred to isolate himself in any social undertakings. This lunch, it seems that the latest news from his ever trusty source of Kimetsu intelligence, the Uzui Radio, is that a new student has transferred into the senior year of their high school department, a rich boy from some far away town with weird rainbow eyes. As he finishes his lunch, Giyu drifts away from Uzui's chatter and stares blankly at the wisteria trees below him. A plus point for the academy was that the faculty was installed with one of the best views in all the school, the height and vantage point allowing the teachers to look at a sea of plum-colored petals stretching farther than what one expects when they are viewed from the ground.

The thought of wisteria makes him think about that peculiar butterfly again, always the same one he's been dreaming of with shining delicate wings. In his acquired solace, Giyu forces himself to think about the butterfly whose presence has always haunted him before but has somehow become a permanent staple in his thoughts as soon as he set foot on Kimetsu High. In his mind, the gentle insect perches on top of a pond, small ripples coming from where its thin legs touch the surface. Behind its shining wings is a forest full of blooming wisteria, and Giyu is enchanted by the tranquility of the scenery. He thinks he hears a voice, but as soon as he focuses on it, it vanishes, but the butterfly and the wisteria never disappear. So he allows himself to be sucked into their allure, to the point where he can breathe in their familiar fragrance.

But, no. The scent is too real to have come from his imagination. Even with his eyes still closed, he is very sure that the air around him is now bathed in wisteria perfume. The fragrance is a signature of the academy, but the air ventilation inside the faculty room should have erased the floral scent. Slowly, he is rousing up from the depths of his subconsciousness, and the lively chatter of the faculty begins to fill his ears once again. But this time, he can pick up a voice from all those other voices, and the voice tugs at him so softly yet so painfully that he quickly scans the room in hopes of finding it. Unlike in his dream, the voice does not vanish, and his eyes land on Kanae's tall figure.