There were many times when the Butterfly Estate was bustling with activity. Every sick bed filled, even the floor space and bedding running low, supplies in high demand and an organized chaos trying to keep it all together and everyone cared for and tended to. But for those periods of emergency, there were many more of the exact opposite. The estate was quiet and tranquil, especially when there were no visitors, patients, and demon slayer members visiting. It was the best state to be in, when inventory could be refreshed, double and triple checked. Research and medicines could be developed, and chores were all leisurely, commonplace activities.
People always came and went, and they had certain returning visitors and patients alike, but Aoi Kanzaki was one of the estates mainstays. Ever since they had lost their proprietors and the last surviving member of the Kocho blood years ago, the group of orphans had found themselves with a responsibility and reality that had always been a possibility. A possibility they hoped would never happen. Kanao and Aoi were both entrusted with the estate, along with the wishes of the Kocho's original missions. Kanao took on the field and aspects of battle that she was much better at, working on her social skills and diplomacy as she went with Tanjiro's help. Aoi handled the pharmacy and affairs of the estate, along with the care and development of the three growing girls, Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo, along with any other orphans who may have been directed their way and showed a knack or interest for medicine and nursing.
It was hard work, but she had to constantly remind herself that Shinobu was also of a similar age when she had been entrusted with the same legacy. Over the years people came and went, the smaller girls growing to develop different talents and paths. By far the hardest aspect of Aoi's job was the fact that she was always waiting for people she knew to return home again. Sometimes they didn't. And oftentimes when they did they were either on death's door, close to it, or very injured and hurt.
Inosuke Hashibira was one of the worst repeat offenders of such homecomings. This time was considered mild, surprisingly so, with only two broken ribs instead of all of them, fairly-deep lacerations, and dislocated joints in his shoulders and knees. When it came to the unique boy, simple patching and rest were his most effective treatments. Their medicaments and salves to speed the process and even to ease pain were often ineffective or very slow acting next to his natural abilities and resistance to poisons, for better or worse. Since his arrival had come during a slow time, Aoi had been able to take care of him herself, leaving the other girls to tend to the autumn harvests and preparations for the home and wintering.
She had sewed him up neatly and carefully to minimize scarring, stabilized his ribs and bones where she could, and even managed to pop his joints into proper place with chiropractic care. A few weeks and he would likely be good as new, barreling out whenever his crow returned with more bone breaking work. At least, for the time being, she knew that one of her friends were safe in her care.
It was always after the first couple of nights when she finally reached her limit, having bathed, changed, and tended to anything and everything her patients needed. Usually she didn't sleep for at least a day until she was done supervising and making sure the patient was stable. Despite having seven beds available in the recovery wing, Aoi had fallen asleep at Inosuke's bedside in her usual uniform and apron, a half-peeled persimmon on the tray next to her over the edge of his bed. The windows throughout the wing had not yet been opened for the day, keeping the chilly air at bay as it warmed into the afternoon. The sunlight of a late morning streamed brightly through the sheer green curtains, making for a very pleasant, warm, and quiet atmosphere. Perfect for dozing off in.
Dreams for Inosuke were rarely peaceful. Battle. That's what he dreamed of most nights, the visions filling his head running the gamut from glorious triumphs for the boar-headed warrior to blood-soaked, harrowing affairs. When his conquests, fictional or true, came to him, he slept more easily, and when the faces of his dead friends and the horrors of the demons visited him, he grew fitful and restless. But they were rarely peaceful either way. The only place where quiet, pleasant dreams seemed to come to him were those times at the Butterfly Estate. Even unconscious after another grueling fight, Inosuke rested peacefully whenever he was brought here.
The steady rhythm of his breathing shifted as his nostrils flared, a pleasant, familiar scent wafting in the air. It was only moments later that his eyelids fluttered open, those brilliant green eyes adjusting to the light and focusing on the ceiling overhead. Inosuke simply blinked as he immediately realized where he was, far too used to waking up back at the Butterfly Estate to be surprised any longer. The sheets glided and shifted as he began to sit upright, the sudden shooting pain in his core causing him to freeze suddenly as his body rejected the idea. Most men would have simply laid back down, but Inosuke Hashibira was hardly normal. Instead, he merely flexed his core even more firmly, that iron will ignoring any pain shooting through him as he pulled himself into an upright position. "Even the mighty body of Inosuke Hashibira is no match for Inosuke Hashibira!" he announced to himself, clenching both fists triumphantly.
Though his ears weren't as keen as Zenitsu's, the sounds of soft, shallow breathing drew his attention towards his side. While he was used to Aoi being there at his side when he awakened, she never had been sleeping on those earlier occasions. Normally, she would chastise him about his recklessness and injuries, words guaranteed to go in one ear and out the other if they were even to be remotely heeded by the headstrong demon slayer. So the sight of her dozing at his bedside made for a pleasant alternative. A single, light snore even sounded as she slept.
The mattress shifted as Inosuke rolled over onto his hands and knees, crawling closer towards the sleeping girl until his face was but an inch from hers. For a good several seconds, he stared and watched her peaceful slumber, reaching over and grabbing at the half-peeled persimmon resting nearby. It was so unusual to see Aoi like this that he couldn't help but marvel at her, though he wasn't one to simply sit still for any amount of time. His finger poked right between her eyebrows, prodding her forehead just forceful enough to rouse her. "The victory is mine. Inosuke Hashibira has woken up before you," he stated with a wide grin, hardly giving her a second to process what he said before he started biting into the persimmon straight through the rind.
Aoi liked to think that if there had been some sort of injury or risk that required her full attention, she never would have dozed off like that. She might not have had the courage for sword fighting, but she still had a fairly good intuition and sense for different sorts of dangers. Like someone's life on the line. Inosuke was not in critical condition, though he had been plenty of times in the past, and by now the older girl was comfortable enough with him and the regulars to relax when it was fitting. Even when he started to move and talk to himself she hadn't budged. It wasn't until he poked her that her brow furrowed in the same spot, his words slowly catching up to her in a delayed register. That crisp bite was finally what made her dark blue eyes flutter fully open, the horizontal view of the room jarring her the rest of the way to wakefulness.
"Oh-You're up," She part murmured, part grumbled as she rubbed her eyes and patted her cheeks to rouse that sluggishness away faster. "You've been asleep for a full day. That's almost nothing." Compared to three or more, or even a week and then some.
She soon slipped into the normal tirade of how he ought to be more careful as she listed off his injuries, especially with unnecessary maneuvers like purposely dislocating parts of his body. She wasn't at the battle or witness to the circumstances, so she couldn't criticize him too much. But she wouldn't have been Aoi if she didn't fret at least a little bit. "Anyway, I'm glad you're going to be okay. Maybe you should lay down though," She suggested, scooting up to sit beside him so that she could gently press down on the center of his chest with one hand while pulling up and piling pillows behind with the other. He was almost too tall for the hospital beds now. She let him have the orange fruit, as the rind would be the least of her worries of what could hurt him.
"I took your boar's mask to wash and I'm going to patch it up since some fur tore off of it when you came back. I'll have Kiyo-chan bring you a proper meal." His hair caught her attention when she was about to get up, her fingers running through the shaggy black-blue tresses as she made a mental note to give him a trim later. Since she was there and he was up though, it was easy to reach for a brush in the drawer and want to straighten him up a bit. "If you get bored while we're waiting for your body to recover, we'll work some more on your tutoring for reading and writing. I hope you've had a little time to practice." For all her business and gruffness in all those tasks being set out, she was still doting on him as she brushed his hair, happy that he was alive and well.
As Aoi launched into her rote repetition of admonishments regarding his reckless behavior in battle, those wide pale green eyes simply stared at her with no change. Inosuke didn't react to a single word, simply watching her go through that familiar routine while he chomped away at the persimmon and chewed it up thoroughly. Those pulpy chews were the only sound to come from him, a steady rhythm accompanying her litany of concerns. When she finally finished, he audibly swallowed down the fruity flesh and broke into a wide smile, flecks of juice flying from his lips. "Don't worry! Inosuke is tough! Tougher than everybody else!" He simply brushed those concerns aside with his standard bold proclamation, undeterred by her concern. Though when she did tell him to lie back down and pressed her small hand to his chest, he didn't resist. "I don't need to lay down, but I will because I want to now," he stated.
The remainder of the persimmon disappeared into his mouth, rind and all, more emphatic chewing sounding in the quiet room as she started speaking to him again. While he had originally been resistant to receiving treatment at the Butterfly Estate, the girls who lived here were all now longtime friends of his. It was comfortable to be here and be doted on by Aoi and the others, a rare luxury he allowed himself whenever he was injured in combat. Not only had he made a pinky promise with Shinobu long ago not to tear at his bandages until he was healed, but it clearly made Aoi happy to help him recover. He made a pleased grunt through his chews at the mention of his boar head being patched up and an even more pronounced one at the promise of receiving a full meal, his eyes sparkling. Despite his wild personality and hard, muscular physique, his facial features were rather feminine and lovely.
"Inosuke has practiced! I conquered the most important characters!" he announced in his usual loud voice, more flecks of fruit flying from his mouth before he swallowed the final remnants of the persimmon. "Get me paper! I can show you!" He was clearly very proud of another triumph even if this one wasn't him conquering some crazed demon or mastering a new sword technique or breath art. Even bristling with excitement to show off the fruit of his training, he sat still enough for Aoi to not have too much trouble brushing at his black and blue hair.
While her warnings and chastising for his well being and carefulness were likely the least effective for Inosuke, the girl couldn't help but to express her worries and concerns for him nonetheless. At least he bothered to acknowledge them at all by asserting his grit. Tanjiro usually would try to assure her that he would be more careful and Zenitsu tended to more out rightly ignore or sigh at her depending on his moodiness. His compliance to laying back made her smile at the oddly childlike insistence that everything was by his own will and power. He had always been that way, granted, but it was nice that he never changed even as his body was clearly getting stronger and older as the years passed. Sometimes she thought he'd be the same wild child forever. His excitement and eagerness to show her his improvements in the lessons she had been teaching him were oddly endearing.
"Okay, okay, hang on." Aoi tried to keep up with him as he jumped ahead with her conversation, laughing in spite of herself. His lustrous hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, knowing that he was going to get it messy with getting to eat soon. She also had to pause to wipe his mouth and flecks of fruit that had clung to his lips and chin with an embroidered handkerchief. "Inosuke, you're practically a grown man now. Maybe you should be a little more conscious of eating more neatly so that you don't scare people away. Especially girls." She noted offhandedly, not certain he'd really care or understand the social subtlety. There were plenty of other reasons they'd run no matter how nice his face looked. He'd catch on sooner or later, but Tanjiro was often better and more sensitive with explaining more delicate things. He had been so good to Kanao, after all.
Snorting at her insistence that he eat more gracefully lest he scare off girls, Inosuke's reply was simple and straightforward. "I don't want scared girls clamoring over me! If food scares them, then Inosuke should terrify them! Hahahahahaha-ngg!" he proudly boasted, hitting his fist against his chest in his excitement. That strike caused him to grimace and his laughter to falter briefly, but with the usual excessive guts he displayed, he powered straight through, returning to guffawing as if his messy eating was a triumph of its own. Once he'd deigned to finish that outburst, he wasn't finished speaking, "Besides, you aren't scared of Inosuke's eating, so I don't have to change!"
Aoi had to set her jaw to keep from yelling at him to settle down again, since the more she said the more bravado he might have tried to display, leading to hurting himself even further. "I'm not scared of messy eating, but I can still appreciate eating neatly," she attempted to clarify for him, not certain if it was the right time or opportunity to teach him about etiquette and manners. Had she not made so much progress in teaching him how to write characters and read, she never would have considered doing more to help make him a properly functioning member of society. Just because he was gruff and wore a boar's head mask didn't mean that he had to live all the rest of his days as a boorish man that didn't know how to do anything else but fight, eat, and get hurt so that he could get better and do it all over again. He was getting older. They all were. And they would be expected to have more responsibilities as time went on.
"Ohh! Inosuke is awake already!" A smaller voice spoke up from the entrance of the room as the girl Aoi had mentioned was already passing by. Kiyo approached them quickly and greeted him by briefly clasping his hand. "Now Aoi doesn't have to worry anymore! I told her you'd be just fine though."
"It's not like I can help worrying!" Aoi's voice was drowning out in their discourse.
"Of course Inosuke is awake!" he spoke in his boisterous voice as he heard another familiar sound from the doorway, quickly turning to look at Kiyo as the younger girl scurried towards him. She had grown so much since their first meeting, starting to blossom into a young woman from the small child she had been. "Hold on tight!" he announced, flexing his muscles and lifting the lightweight girl into the air as he raised his arm, showing off his power despite his injuries. Those wide, shimmering green eyes shot back to Aoi, the incorrigible Inosuke grinning as he said, "See! Kiyo isn't scared either! You girls are strong, though I can still defeat you all in wrestling!"
Before she could stop him from showing off, he was lifting Kiyo up with his arm, the small girl squealing happily and hugging onto him for the short duration. "I'll get Naho to come later and we'll help you train when you get better. Sumi's gone to start learning how to use a sword. Maybe she'll be the one to beat you at wrestling one day!" Kiyo happily told him.
"Could you go fetch something to eat for him? Kiyo-chan is getting pretty good at cooking," Aoi spoke up, the young girl nodding to quickly attend to the important task. She scurried off soon after to get his meal together and enlist her remaining friend's help. The elder girl stayed with him, getting up to open a window before trying to find some paper and a pencil in one of the other drawers. It would be better to distract him with something easy to do lest he try to get up and move around again so soon.
Once she had been set back down, Inosuke called after the departing Kiyo, "Lots of food! LOTS!" clearly having quite the appetite being out for an entire day. That huge smile didn't diminish even as he seemed to settle down a little, pressing back against the pillows in his reclined position. "Aoi doesn't have to worry," he repeated, his voice calmer though still just as firm, "Inosuke will always come back." Even as she was opening the window and letting the crisp autumn air into the room, he repeated, "Always." He remembered the day that Aoi had learned of Shinobu's death, all those tears that she had cried. He didn't want to see the young woman look that sad ever again.
"I'll still worry, but... that makes me feel a little bit better. Thank you, Inosuke." Aoi smiled in spite of herself, making her way back with a few leaves of paper.
She didn't know if it was something he could really promise, too many people already being lost, but she appreciated his efforts to reassure her. "You'll likely have a home of your own someday with all the money you make as a demon hunter, but since you're learning how to write, you'll be able to send me letters no matter where you are. You can do so even during your jobs." With that, she sank into the mattress next to him and pressed against his side since there wasn't much room, setting him up with the wooden board and materials he needed. "All right. Show me all the characters you remember. In the right order."
Inosuke shifted a little in the bed to afford Aoi a little more room on the side of the mattress, but even with that, he could feel the warmth of her bleeding through the blankets, the soft shape of her rear touching against his side while she helped set up the wooden board and provided him with paper and writing implements. A brief glimpse down at that point of thinly separated contact delayed the start of his display, but he didn't let the thought distract him for more than a second. In his characteristic, wild manner, he immediately started to scribble on the paper. "I had Tanjiro teach me the best characters, and I defeated them!" he stated eagerly, the pencil marking each stroke in a haphazard manner. Even as he learned how to write, it was clear that proper penmanship and calligraphy was an entirely different lesson.
That short flurry of strokes culminated with several characters covering the entirety of that first leaf of paper. 'BOSS INOSUKE IS BEST! AWESOME! STRONG! CHARGE!' splashed from the top of the page to the bottom as he held it up for her approval, that irrepressible spirit of his showing in the broad smile he flashed towards her. "See! Boss Inosuke is best! That's the most right order!" Without leaving room for protest, he pressed that leaf into her chest, clearly giving it as a gift. "That's my first letter! You can look at it whenever you think Inosuke is hurt and remember that he isn't. Inosuke is best!"
They were indeed characters more advanced than he had learned previously, showing his effort to learn them even if they came from his single-minded desire to show off, but rather than dwell on them for long, Inosuke pressed forward with the lessons she had taught him previously. One by one, he started to write down the hiragana characters one after the other, mostly getting the order correct, though they all shared his horrid handwriting. Once he'd finished with the first alphabet, he switched to katakana, thrusting another sheet of paper into her hand for her inspection as he wrote the second alphabet in his usual frenzied manner. And after those, he even managed a few of the more simple kanji. "See! Inosuke remembers!"
Aoi didn't think too much of her closeness and familiarity with the boy, having knowing him several years already and more familiar with his body than most after having to literally mend and put it back together on many occasions. While Inosuke was blessed with a beautiful face and physique both, the growing, maturing girl was always reminded that she had to stay professional and objective when it came to admiring a man's body no matter who it was so long as they were a patient of the estate. Besides, it was Inosuke. He was practically like a family member and mentally like a simple-minded child. It was hard to teach him that he should have been anything different but himself and likely wasn't her place to.
Though she still wished that Tanjiro would have at least talked with her about what he was teaching him before he started confusing things and getting characters out of hand. Aoi watched as his words and scratches appeared all over the page, barely able to make out what he was getting at while cold sweat dotted her forehead. When he pressed that first paper to her unexpectedly, she felt some of the air leaving her lungs, briefly bending to catch the paper as well as reacting to the unexpected touch to her breasts, no matter how inadvertent and unintended. As he explained the purpose of the paper that was now her letter, she couldn't help but to blink in surprise at his insightfulness and hug the wrinkled sheet to her. Had he somehow managed to notice her worries?
"O-okay...I'll use this to remember that Inosuke is best." She conceded, patting his head and folding it neatly to tuck inside of her apron. Oddly enough she was reassured.
Inosuke soon shifted to what she had asked of him to demonstrate, managing not just one, but two alphabets and even some more complicated characters. Aoi did her best not to show too much frustration at the state of his handwriting, focusing more on what he had memorized. "You did remember! And you only missed a few strokes..." Or at least it was hard to tell what some of them were. Placing back the first hiragana sheet for him, she took his hand and tried to manipulate and place his fingers to hold the pencil more properly before setting him back against the paper, still holding his hand.
"Let's take our time and write it again, slowly, okay? It's not a race." Trying to guide his hand proved to be fairly difficult considering how big it was in comparison to her own, and she soon found it was easier if they switched, with her holding the pencil directly while beckoning him to rest his hand around hers to at least get a sense of the strokes and pacing. If he was willing to let her lead and guide them, it was methodical and took long enough to do that Naho and Kiyo had both returned with two trays full of food offerings before they finished hiragana. The food was mostly for Inosuke, but also for Aoi considering that she also hadn't eaten all morning and had just barely woken up with him.
Inosuke nodded as Aoi pledged to hold onto and remember his letter, affording a brief glance towards her as she tucked the paper into her apron pocket. His preternatural sense of touch had noticed something before, and that quick look affirmed something in his mind: Aoi was growing much as he was albeit in different areas. Her chest had been quite soft and larger than before, and she'd grown a little taller as well. Her silhouette had grown a little sleeker, and yet the curve of her hips was more pronounced. All he could tell from just that brief touch and the sensation of her rear against his side.
He beamed from ear to ear at her praise, "Inosuke is the best writer! Soon, all characters will fall to my awesome strength!" The strokes of the pencil halted as her small hand settled atop his, looking up at her large, indigo eyes, listening dutifully as she insisted that this wasn't a race. "Yes! If it was a race, then I'm already the victor. But let's try this too." As large and broad as his hand was, it was clearly a bit of labor for her to expertly guide him along even as he allowed her to guide his strokes, the results still a little uneven. However, things went more smoothly once she swapped the positions of their hands, his atop hers as she took the pencil and let him feel the more refined strokes. His nostrils flared in the occasional light snort as he seemed to be learning a bit, touch the best way for him to pick up tasks intuitively. Aoi was naturally a good teacher, finding such a method that benefited her rather difficult student.
That large hand entirely encompassed Aoi's, their warmth sharing as she they touched. Unlike him, she was soft and smooth, her training almost entirely related to nursing and caregiving, and while there was some lean muscle in her frame, she wasn't at all like the rough, defined figure of his. A faint bit of color spread across his cheeks the longer they continued to write together, her shoulder soon touching to his as they worked across the page, her chest soon joining it as she leaned over further. Indeed, she was larger and so soft. It was comforting to be this close with her, but even still, Inosuke could feel his heart beating more swiftly, blood flowing through his veins.
When Kiyo returned with Naho and their writing lesson ended for the moment, Inosuke lit up once again, smiling excitedly and shouting, "Naho has grown as much as Kiyo! Much bigger! Maybe even stronger!" Rather casually he reached over and ruffled her hair in an affectionate manner, the white of his teeth showing with as wide as he grinned, "Maybe you three and Aoi could even present someone as strong as Inosuke a challenge in arm wrestling if you all teamed up!" He didn't pick her up like he had Kiyo since there was food to be had, eagerly dashing the remaining papers from the wooden board and laying it across his lap so the tray could be deposited there. "Everyone is bigger now! Even Aoi! Though she got more big here than here." Accompanying his words were hand gestures, the first rounding over his chest to simulate the swell of her breasts while the second was him raising his hand from his head as if growing taller.
She could tell that he was concentrating and attentive because he was very quiet in the time that passed once they began to write together. His hand was rough and almost seemed to completely wrap around the entirety of her own while he held on to her and followed her strokes. While it was no surprise given that he was a dual wielding swordsman, it reminded her of how Tanjiro's hands were yet much more hardened and almost unnaturally calloused for how young he was so many years ago. They were all finally growing into the hardened physiques that were already developing back then. Fortunately, the harsh training had not seemed to stunt their growth or completely affected their ability to develop normally.
Aoi wouldn't have even suspected that the closeness would be noticeable as different or intimate for Inosuke, brash as he was. It did feel very warm, however, that contact quite a bit more than what she was used to even when she was tending to the sick and injured while they were unconscious. Maybe he was so warm because he was still healing, and his body was otherwise on fire despite how he acted fine and not in excruciating pain. After a while Aoi found herself enjoying the warmth and peaceful quiet, missing it as it swiftly dissipated when food finally arrived.
Both of the girls twittered excitedly around their returning patient and friend as he greeted them in turn, immediately approving of the idea of having Aoi fill in for their missing triplet when it came to helping him train.
While Aoi quickly reprimanded them for agreeing to arm wrestling so easily, she shrieked at the way he tossed the papers they had been working so hard on away, letting them flutter to the ground as Kiyo and Naho started to set up the trays and take the covers off of the offered foods for him. From fragrant rice porridge with onions and chicken, to seafood pancakes, eggs, and fruits, the amount of food itself was impressive for the two small girls to have brought in themselves in the first place. They were still setting up when Inosuke made conversation with his observations, the two smaller girls blinking blankly with their button eyes as they made sense of what he was referring to, looking back and forth for reference. Aoi had flushed scarlet.
"Well—Ah—Of course I'm b-bigger! It's natural enough, isn't it!?" Aoi sputtered, at a loss for how she was supposed to respond, or if she was supposed to at all.
"Aoi is oppai!" Naho quipped simply, laughing as she copied Inosuke's gesture and carefully dodging to the other side before Aoi started trying to grab her hands to make her stop. Kiyo giggled behind her hands and partially hid behind Inosuke while Aoi huffed and suddenly became aware that her closeness with the boy hadn't gone without notice after all. "W-whatever! Just eat already!" She sputtered, fleeing the room so that she could calm down and reorient herself. It was just an observation. It wasn't like Inosuke was anywhere at the same level of awareness as Zenitsu anyway.
The laughter of the young girls prompted Inosuke to laugh along with them, not yet realizing that he'd said something insensitive. He'd seen Aoi get flustered plenty of times before, figuring that was all part of then fun, and so when Naho mimicked his gesture, he repeated it as well, the throb of his broken ribs barely even registering as the room filled with such mirthful giggling. "Aoi is Oppai?" Naho's words came out of his mouth next, rolling around that unfamiliar word and looking towards the elder girl, asking, "Aoi is Oppai? Is Oppai a secret name? Show Inosuke how to write Oppai!" His enthusiasm was well-intended even if he were simply driving the knife in deeper and twisting it, so when she leapt to her feet and stormed out of the room immediately, he could only blink in surprise.
Inosuke stared at the door for a few seconds after the rapid departure, still not fully grasping what had just happened. Without his usual instructor here to explain, he looked to the young girls, cocking his head to the side as he fixed a quizzical gaze upon them. "What is Oppai? Why is Aoi Oppai? Was Inosuke not supposed to know that Aoi is Oppai?" the flurry of questions flew out of his mouth, his confusion at what had just transpired even holding him back from devouring the delicious smelling spread before him for a moment. Though only a moment, as one of the seafood pancakes were stuffed into his mouth as he let Naho and Kiyo answer his questions, chewing just as noisily and messily as he had earlier.
In afterthought, Aoi realized that she could have handled the entire situation in a much more mature manner and been the adult to the trio of children. Making a big deal of the event only attracted more attention to herself and showed that she was rather self-conscious despite the way her usual clothing hid her development. Over time Naho had proven herself to be only deceptively innocent and was developing a bit of a mischievous streak. She just liked to tease Aoi when she could in an attempt to lighten things up around the otherwise serious caretaker.
"Oppai means having large breasts." Naho explained as-a-matter-of-factly, gesturing once more to her chest as they had been without Aoi in the room. "It's not like you weren't supposed to know since it's there and anyone can see it. It's just something that girls like to be proud of! I think. I guess Aoi is just more embarrassed since there's usually no one to notice." While Inosuke began to eat, Kiyo started giggling at his mess and manners even as she tried to reason and stand up for their big sister figure.
"Um... Usually girls don't talk about things like that. Especially with boys. I just hear them sometimes comparing each other at the bathhouse or hot springs." Kiyo offered. "It just means Aoi is becoming a fine woman. I think. That's what the grandmas say, at least."
Continuing to shovel food into his mouth even during the explanations provided, Inosuke occasionally managed to grunt out a word here or there amid his voracious chewing. "Wwlahhj bryests! Prowwd!" he began, shoveling the rice porridge into his mouth once the seafood pancake was fully ingested, "Hawwt sprwinggg! Foiine whummmon!" Their answers were somewhat contradictory, seeming to indicate it was both a good and a bad thing, so in his mind, Inosuke began to weld their two explanations together into a single idea. Nodding, he let out a long grunt of understanding, that nonverbal cue seeming to satisfy both Naho and Kiyo that they had succeeded in teaching him. Of course, neither had actually fully succeeded in managing to clarify the delicacies of speaking to a woman about her bust.
Food disappeared from the trays at a rapid pace, vanishing into Inosuke's gullet with a gusto only he was capable of. Yet he didn't eat everything there. While his mannerisms came off as inconsiderate and brash most of the time, he did care for others in his own way, and food was an area that he understood completely. People need food, and Aoi had run off before she could have any. "Aoi is growing bigger! She needs food to keep getting bigger and more proud! Inosuke will bring her food for her oppai!" he announced, immediately piling the remaining portions of the feast he hadn't devoured onto a single tray, and without an opportunity for a word of protest, the recovering warrior leapt from his bed and charged out of the room. "AOI! AOI!" he hollered loudly, calling out to her.
While Kiyo wasn't convinced that they had really managed to help Aoi and Inosuke, there was very little that they were able to do by the time he ate enough to energize himself for running around the house trying to find her. Kiyo at least had enough sense to lightly hit Naho for being too insensitive and teaching Inosuke a strange new word, and with little else left to do in the empty wing the pair cleaned up after the mess he had left behind and made the bed. It was pointless to chase after him or confine him to bed rest when he was clearly well enough to be up and running around. No matter how his ribs were still broken.