The Spider's Web (Rui Ayaki x Reader/OC)

Ch 6: Butterfly Estate

The first thing I noticed was the huge cherry blossom tree peeking out behind the estate. It's beautiful pink leaves added a nice contrast to the wooden-modern look of the estate.

As I walked on the stretch of land leading to the home, I couldn't help but notice the blooming flowers that dotted the ground. Since it was late, the lanterns hanging and on the ground lit up and added to the calm atmosphere of the place.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Shinobu smiled as she lead the way.

"Well, beautiful is an understatement," I grinned.

As we walked into the estate, three little girls greeted us.

"I'm Kiyo!" A girl with shoulder-length black hair had thin bangs framing her face. She also sported two pink butterfly clips on each side of her head.

"I'm Sumi!" Another girl with her hair in low twintails had blue butterfly clips fastened onto it.

"And, I'm Naho!" The last girl had her hair parted in the middle along with braided twintails that were tied with green butterfly clips.

The three of them all looked similar, so I made a mental note for myself:

'Kiyo is pink,'
'Sumi is blue,'
'Naho is green,'

"Set up a bath for our guests," Shinobu ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" They said in unison and began on their tasks.

Rui and I looked at each other at the same time, but did not exchange any words.

"Come on, let's discuss about this whole thing," Shinobu said as she patted the seat in front of her.

As we sat on the floor, I let out a breath I did not know I was holding in and sighed.

"Let's get straight to the point. Saki, was it? If this boy eats people, what will you do?" She gestured to Rui.

I stared at her, my mouth opening to say something, but it ultimately closed back. She scooted a little closer to me and stared at me with a straight face.

"Why didn't you reply to my question instantly just now?" She asked.

"I-I don't know," I replied.

"Because your determination is shallow." She answered what was supposed to be my question for me.

"Hey, that's enough," Rui intervened.

Shinobu ignored him and continued.

"If he eats people, there are only two things you can do,"

I looked at Rui, picturing the gory and horrifying image in my head.

"After you kill him, kill yourself by disembowelment,"

I pictured myself killing Rui, and my mind went into a momentary frenzy. Anyways, I snapped out of it.

"Or, I will kill you myself." She ended.

Back into the frenzied state I went. As my blood ran cold, I could tell Rui was feeling the same.

"Are you ready to bring this boy along?" She asked me.

I gripped his hand in mine and thought about it hard. I could put myself in danger, but I can't afford to abandon Rui.

"Yes," I replied confidently.

"Haha! I like that answer!" She suddenly became cheery. "I'll be your trainer from now on. Have a good nights rest, and tomorrow morning will be a rest day for you, followed by your first day of training," she clasped her hands together.

"W-What?" I was taken aback.

"You heard me! Now go take a bath and gain some energy back. You both must be exhausted," she shoo'ed us out.

After we left, we paused for a moment to organise the thoughts in our head.

"That was..."

"Interesting," I finished his sentence.

After we settled into our separate baths, we relaxed and thought about what happened. Sure, we may have lost many things, too many, but we gained many things too. After my bath, Kiyo gave me a newly washed kimono and sent me on my way.

"Your kimono that you were wearing when you entered will be dry by tomorrow. So after your morning shower, I will return them to you. Now if you'll excuse me," Kiyo bowed politely and smiled.