丨Soar丨 Kimetsu no Yaiba x OC｜

Chapter 27

"Jigoku ramen?" Chizuko stared at the menu. Hell ramen?

Chizuko's stomach was growling, she had traveled for two full days to reach Noboribetsu, otherwise known as 'Hell Valley'. But her stomach flipped upon laying eyes on the bright red broth, is that even edible? She was sure she'd master flame breathing after eating that, literally breathing out flames to be exact.

Though potentially more dangerous, Chizuko chose to travel at night since there'd be a bigger chance for her running into Tamayo. However, she had absolutely no luck on that, it was as if the demon doctor vanished from existence, not a single soul was able to capture her appearance. Chizuko scratched her head, should she find something to eat first? Or should she take a rest at the wisteria house before staying up late again?

"Excuse me? Have you seen this person? He's a friend of mine, slightly taller than me," a man with round glasses approached Chizuko. Snapping out of her daze, Chizuko's attention shifted to the watercolour painting the man was holding.

Wow. He draws as good as Ichika, or even better.

"Er... Hello? Miss?" the man blinked, "Hello?"

"A-Ah, sorry, mister, I haven't," Chizuko pulled out the drawing given to her from her bag, "I'm sorry to bother you but have you seen this woman? Sh-She... er... She's my aunt."

"I haven't seen your aunt, sorry," the man smiled, "Hm, looks like we're both trying to locate missing people. I'm Tanaka Noboru, and you?"

"Suzuki Chizuko. It's nice to meet you, Tanaka-sama," Chizuko returned the smile, "your painting is beautiful."

"Really? Thanks, Suzuki-san," Noboru went pink, "Say, do you want to stop by at my place? I can help you with your painting."

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Chizuko laid on the table, watching how Noboru's paintbrush glided across the silky paper.

The morning sun poured in through the opened glass windows. Chizuko sat beside Ichika silently, eyes widening as roses from the garden seemingly bloomed on the paper. "Chizuko-chan!" Ichika exclaimed all of a sudden, "Y-Your chin!"

"H-Huh?" Chizuko straightened, only to realise she had accidentally rested her chin on some green paint, "A-Ah! I-I'm sorry, Ichika-chan! I..." What if Ichika would be mad at her? Would she be scolded for wasting paint? What if Ichika never liked her anymore?

"Pffff..... It's alright, Chizuko-chan," Ichika's laughter eased Chizuko's worries, "Come on, let's go clean up first."

It wasn't long since Chizuko last saw Ichika, but how she wished they had more time for each other, like in the old days.

"Chizuko-chan, are you sure you can walk by yourself?" Ichika and Chizuko were walking down the corridors of the butterfly mansion, it was a week after Chizuko woke. Supporting herself with the wall, Chizuko tried to sound convincing, "O-Of course! I'm going to die of boredom if I don't get some fresh air!" She wasn't going to let some injuries stand in the way of spending time with Ichika, especially when Ichika took a day off for her.

"I'm sorry for not going on missions with you," Ichika halted abruptly. "What?" Chizuko blinked, what was Ichika talking about? It wasn't her fault that their schedules were different, and it was Chizuko herself who always swapped with others, right?

"I..." Ichika took a deep breath, "I... After Hina's death... I just... I just didn't want... No, I shut myself out. I... I felt like if I stop being close with anyone, I won't feel sorrow for anyone anymore. But... after what happened to you... I... I can't bear just loosing you like that! We've missed out on so many things and all I did was thinking for myself! C-Can we start over?"