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Masachika and Sanemi were walking around the Butterfly Estate after Sanemi's wounds got taken care of, loud chatters fill the air on a sunny morning.
"Come ooon! are you seriously implying romance is useless?! Are you sure you got your head on straight, Sanemi?"
"Never been more serious in my entire life. Can't you stop calling me by my first name and just leave me alone?! You've brought up this topic countless times now!" Sanemi's words bite through Masachika's joyful composure
"That's not true..! I've only asked you once or twice!" he protests, shaking his fist in the air
"It was more than enough." the white haired boy bluntly responds, followed by a sigh from his friend who was trying to keep up with him and his avoidant attitude.
He zones out for a brief moment before coming up with a new way to tease him, therefore he chirps - "So...if you really are so disinterested in having girls all over you...what if it was..I don't know, Kochou-san?"
Then a small, seemingly almost endless silence signed the exact moment in which the two friends stopped walking.
Kochou Kanae was their mutual friend, Masachika introduced him to her (after no few complaints) since she's in charge of taking care of slayers in need of medical assistance. Hers was the first name that popped up in Masachika's mind.. maybe proposing a real-life example would make Sanemi ponder concretely, perhaps think twice before stating so firmly against the concept of romance or even just merely receiving admiration from girls, or so the young man thought.
Sure, his only goal was to make him flustered, to make his façade crumble.
Yet Sanemi stands his ground once again, at the very least undoubtedly satisfying Masachika's aspiration of seeing his face redden up a little more; he scoffs, turning his annoyed face to him - "What the fuck does Kochou have to do with any of this?!", a slightly embarrassed tone hints in his voice.
Masachika shrugs in response
"I dunno. I thought such a perfect girl could make even you change your mind" he says
Sanemi raises an eyebrow and eyes him suspiciously from head to toes
"haa..?!"
This might not be the first time Masachika addressed to Kanae with such words, which is the reason why Sanemi was so reluctant to even take him seriously at that point.
What was his issue, anyway?
It was already made clear, already spoken up about with certainty:
Shinazugawa Sanemi isn't keen on that type of stuff, and he doesn't even wish to speak about it for a minute longer. Such a meaningless argument wasting a devoted swordsman's time. It's really no use.
"I'm aware of what I think, and I told you I'm not interested." he adds, looking at him for a split second before collecting his thoughts, and then he continues - "..plus if you think she's so perfect just ask her out yourself and stop pissing me the fuck off."
Touché.
"Oh", he stutters
Masachika was obviously caught off guard by that statement.
He actually DID like her, and he let it slip out so mindlessly even Sanemi, who is as dense as a rock, noticed he's fond of her. This guy had noticed for a while now, but he hoped his friend stopped mentioning her as if he wanted to pair her up with Sanemi instead of himself.
No way that would've happened.
Not because he didn't enjoy her company, may I make that clear.
Kanae, whose sweet mannerisms made Sanemi quiet down the bitterness that constantly laid on the tip of his tongue, reminded him of home, of family.
He didn't dislike Kanae, no, he simply didn't like her that way; his vague admiration for that girl wasn't the same kind of admiration Masachika grew in the depths of his heart.
Still, Masachika shakes his head
- "I can't." - earning a frustrated sigh in response.
"Why's that? I've caught you talking about her as if she was some sort of goddess to you or something, more than once..and you brag about wanting to find love ever since I can recall! The fuck you mean 'you can't' now??"
"Yes, but" - the usual whimsy in his voice drops - "she's my friend! what if she gets weirded out and starts to avoid me..?"
Sanemi rolls his eyes
What an ironic little theatre Masachika had accidentally put up, falling victim of his own tricks.
"She won't." Shinazugawa spits out, and adds nothing else before turning his back on him once more
"Doesn't she consider everyone a friend at some point..?! Stop trying to pin your wishes upon me and just talk to her without seeking any other lame ass excuse, or I'll beat you up for good."
Sanemi kind of hated to admit it, but he actually cared about Masachika.
He's such a nice guy, he's always cheerful and positive, just like Kanae is. His presence truly felt like a warm summer breeze..when he wasn't being a pain in the ass, that is. Sanemi was convinced she would've never rejected that sunlight of a man with harshness.
He had started to love him like a brother would, he secretly cherished his smile and well-being and he wanted him to and find the love he wished for. Sanemi truly wanted him to be happy. Just as much as he wanted Genya to be.
And so just like that, he leaves, hoping Masachika would use his alone time to think about making a move.
Masachika watches as that short-tempered guy walks further away. He gave up on following him.
He just looks around, disheartened, and goes to lean on a nearby tree before letting out a tired sigh.
Kanae had happened to be outside of the mansion, she had some spare time and decided to go and check out on the other slayers who were presumably doing some exercises to speed up their recovery. She indeed ran in Masachika and Sanemi at some point, but they didn't see her because of their somewhat heated up argument, which sprouted the girl's curiosity. It led her to follow them from a distance and eventually hide behind that same tree Masachika ended up leaning against.
The boys were too absorbed in their discussion to notice anything else in that moment, so, when Masachika approached the tree, she stood there quietly for a few more instants.
He didn't know that young lady was there, right behind him.
What Kanae heard didn't disappoint her expectations, as she wished to bond with that dark haired boy as much as he wanted to get closer to her. The premises were promising, so she gains some courage and swiftly steps outside of the tree's comforting shadow, peeking at Masachika from his shoulders like a ghost would.
"Kumeno-kun."
that poor guy gets startled and jumps on spot, a tiny scream chokes in his lungs before he turns over to meet Kanae's gaze.
"O-oh!! Kouchou-san! Good morning!" he quickly bows, to hide the red tainting his cheeks.
The young woman giggles at that sight, gesturing him to lift his chin up.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come out so suddenly..are you okay? You look rather stressed out."
Masachika looks back at her and nods energetically
"I'm alright-!" - frantic gestures accompany his words - "j-just...how.. long have you been around...?" he nervously chuckles, a thin droplet of cold sweat forming on his temple.
Oh, long enough, that's for sure.
However, she doesn't really know how to behave in that situation, either, nor she wants to put his delightful friend in a difficult position, so she just brushes it off with a smile - "Ah, I'm not quite certain, but that's not important right now!" - she beams
- "I heard you bicker with Shinazugawa-kun again...what did he do this time and why did he leave you here looking so upset??"
Although she knows perfectly what's the issue, she looks frowned and worried; it works every time with Masachika.
He always melts into her eyes, for some reason, and now that she knows that he has a liking for her, she intends on making good use of said information.
And if he doesn't make a move right away, she's ready to press him into at least trying.
Further agitation moves into Masachika's heart, and his eyes dart around as he struggles to find a suitable justification.
"He...uh..w-well" - but he fails - "we were just talking about how he doesn't want any romance in his life...and I found that odd, you know?"
"Oh"- she blinks - "is that so? I'm not surprised."
"Yeah, uh- wait, what?"
Why would it be predictable? that's what he thought to himself.
"Isn't it obvious? He has different priorities, and I don't think anyone could be able to form that kind of bond with him right now! We should respect that.."
"You think so..?"
"Yes...also, I happened to hear my name get mentioned, did my senses deceive me?"
His heart skips a few beats.
He isn't able to lie, especially not in front of her, but then, fuck, how is he supposed to handle this conversation?
It's awkward, knowing Kanae heard him use her as a faint attempt to tease his friend.
Masachika quickly tries to gain his composure back
"Ah, t-that!" - he tries to laugh it off
-"I just wanted to see if he'd get embarrassed.. I d-didn't think he liked you or something! I just wanted to joke with him a little more than usual..."
Kanae smiles at the beloved's honesty
"I think he might have a soft side, as you told me some time back... but I don't think it's about romance at all" - she can't help but giggle - "he's like a stubborn little brother, isn't he? Towards me and you both.."
Masachika's eyes light up, the tension gets eased by that mental image caused by the sudden topic switch. He hums softly.
"Indeed!"
They smile at each other, without another word,
which, on second thought, isn't exactly a good thing right now..
Words are begging both of them to come out,
they gaze into each other's eyes, pretending there's nothing left untold between them
but before Kanae could give up on leading him to speak up, Masachika decides to fill the silence, at last.
"What about you?"
"Hm?" her pink eyes widen a little, longing at him with curiosity,
"Are you the type of person to wish for love to find you? Even in your role as a hashira..."
Kanae stares at him for a little longer,
her reflection blurred into Masachika's deep, captivating dark eyes.
He looks so pretty,
how could a boy with such common connotations look so unique?
the two scars decorating his cheek complimented his features so well, and his smile shined like the sun.
She lowers her gaze onto the grass dancing under their shadows, as she speaks
"Although I don't yearn for love,
I wouldn't stop it if it arrived"
with that, the gentleman before her eyes feels relief, followed up by a modest amount of uncertainty.
Would she just accept anyone?
What a foolish thought, it's very unlikely. He had to find out what she meant, though, whence, after offering her a weak smile, he let it drop.
"...But how do you know if someone is worthy of your love?"
For an instant, Kanae's eyes sparkled with what appeared to be satisfaction.
"Oh, dear.." - she gleefully murmured, her usual gentle smile printed on her lips - "I'm talking about love, not infatuation...if *I* fall in love, I wouldn't tell my heart otherwise. I wouldn't just say yes to anyone, you know..my, how low of me must you be thinking!" she poked fun at him lightheartely, however those words stung Masachika like needles, thus guilt was soon pouring out of his skin.
"O-of course..! I'm sorry for the stupid question..."
"Don't mention it."
Kanae kept speaking softly to the man standing in front of her, and then decided to strike the final blow
"However if we're talking about infatuation...I'd accept to hang out with someone if we're friends and if they're courageous enough to make the first move."
That being so, she snarkily winked at him and enjoyed the show of colors manifesting on Kumeno's face.
She then hummed and tried to walk out of the frame, having stayed too much away from her duties
"Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"Let's go in the nearby town together sometime!!" suddenly those words came, shouting, out of his mouth
Kanae looked at him, a victorious grin progressively growing on her rosey lips
"...If...if you want to." Masachika toned down, the color of love still spreading on his cheeks, waiting patiently for the lady in front of him to reply and holding his breath in hopes for the answer to be positive.
"Gladly, Kumeno-kun." she finally nodded, the usual sweetness of her voice replacing the playful tone she had until now, inducing the boy to free his lungs in relief from the air he forcefully held in.
Before he could stammer another answer, as to grant himself another taste of the grace of her presence near him, she was already gone.
Just like she appeared earlier,
like a ghost.