ACT14

There was a recent incident coming up and shook the entire organization. Demon slayer Corps was shocked by the new recruited member. Kamando Tanjirou and his demon-sister, Kamando Nezuko. Those two were taken to Hashira meeting. To all dismay, they couldn't land a punishment and manage to kill this demon. As guaranteed, a letter from a former water pillar mentor bailed them out.

This was enough to make the group surprised. Nonetheless, the scarred-boy claimed to have seen Muzan in the flesh. No one ever laid an eye to the father of the monster. If someone was, that one could not survive in save and sound to give the evidence to the rest of a group. Lots of things sure happened in a very fast roller coaster. Every slayers had a ton of work to comply in particular of hashira.

One day, Obanai admitted something went off. He's a man of duty, he's willingly to work for the sake of Demon Slayer Corps, but right now, he simply sat and dumply staring into nothingness, alike Mist Pillar. He felt there's an empty hole inside his body, outside was like a shell without the soul. Drought, he had a feeling like the old tree on the dried soil reclining to the nothing, ready to slam down. Yes he felt liveless.

Again, Obanai sighed, resting his hand under the chin. The deadpan face with a boredom.

His behaviors, like a grumpy old man, were reflected on many pairs of Pillars. They were on the utility ground of Pillar. Actually, Snake Pillar would be more persistent, acute and determined.

One more time, Obanai sighed a heavy one. Resting his hand under his chin among other Pillars on the table.

"Do you think he's weird?" Shinobu asked a man sitting next to her.

"Mm" Giyuu hummed in agreeance and drank a tea in silence. He just could not read the situation in particular of this fellow Pillar. He didn't know what's going on either, just seeing some Pillars gathering here and Shinobu invited him and he did join a group.

"Tsh..don't fucking give a damn" Sanemi rolled his eyes in an annoyance. He felt furious because he accidentally ran into his little brother who was actually taller than him when he was about to mee Stone Pillar as Genya had trained with him for quite a time.

"Come on, Shinazugawa-san as a fellow Pillar. And I think our group are so quiet when we don't have Kyojuro-san, Uzui-san and Kanroji-san" Shinobu noted and played with a strand of her purple hair. She just thought of how lively, loud and chaotic when those three energetically powerful those three were as they went out to mission together. Maybe now they were in needed of refilled and unlimited energy. Three of them could provide a multitude of mood and color. Shinobu turned around. The rest of fellow pillar alll sat silently.

"So we are like living in meditation session" She made a joke but no laughter. It even made the air more heavy. Her brow started twitching in a slight anger.

However, under the suffocating air, Obanai gave out another sigh. It added the mood so slumped.

Her attention and a group directed toward Snake Pillar instead "I wonder what happened to him" Gyomei gave her the answer in a cryptic statement with a hint of the cycle of humans from buddhism. But it didn't help to explain anything.

"Iguro-san! What makes you a long face today? Did some slayers bother you?" Insect Pillar grabbed his shoulder, slightly but Snake Pillar didn't flinch at all, he just gave her a side eye and shook his head monotonously.

Shinobu swallowed a large 'shit' inside her throat "Hey if you don't tell us what's in your mind, we would not ever know what to do" she expressed.

Sanemi thudded his mouth because he thought he knew what was on this Snake mind and he didn't want to give a damn thing with it because now he was obsessed with training for a preparation on fighting. Then it's a turn of Shinobu to sigh from his nonchalant demeanor that dampened every mood, even now it's quite stressful to have heard news of Muzan.

"Are you hungry, Iguro?" Giyuu stepped in and tried to offer a snack from a bawl to him. He got the silent answer from Snake Pillar instead in which was very unlikely to happen. They all knew the rival and hostile pf Snake toward Water.

Oi oi this isn't getting anything!

It was way weirder to have seen Snake Pillar had no reaction to water Pillar due to their rivalry. It's a last straw in Sanemi nerve as well to see the soulless fellow pillar in which dragged everything down.

"Oi Iguro? Have you lost your mind? Someone didn't feed you enough food?" Sanemi mocked with a spike, hoping his message would tick some senses of him.

Obanai hummed. Not putting any mind to answer him.

"Oi oi! I said food! A damn food! You fool. Are you deaf? Food!"

Suddenly, Obanai jolted hrashly like he enlightened something. Everyone turned to him, confused by his abrupt action. Now his face seemed to move in thinking.

"Food…yes! Yes! Food!" Obanai stood and looked into every Pillar's eyes, nodded slightly before he left Pillars in a puzzlement. He ran back to his estate.

"He's unpredictable. Why did you know how to motivate him? It's very unusual for you" Shinobu asked in confusion, her brows frowned. "So what's food to him? I was wondering"

"Just wait and take a look for a few days," Sanemi grumbled and rolled his eyes upward. He didn't want to meddle with this shit. But okay for the sake of fellow Pillar before something happened in the future.

"What a pain.." Sanemi gave another comment, folding his large chest and tsked. Also earned several questionable look from the others.

A few days later, after the return of Kyojurou, Mitsuri and Tengen from a long mission at the remote village around mountain. They all back in save and sound. More alike exploratory mission than an exterminating mission.

With a return and welcome back, Mitsuri asked the excuse for her leave in order to prepare her self for tomorrow day-off. In which gonna be a best and special one.

"Sayonara Rengoku-senpai, Uzui-san!" Mitsuri was ready to set foot toward her estate with much energy as the same even her cloth and skin dented in dust. Holding back, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Hai-ya! Where are you off Kanroji!" She was stopped by a sudden loud voice of Ninja.

"I-I um…. I'm going to take a bath Uzui-san heh-heh Can I?" Mitsuri answered and held a small crumbed paper in her hand, slightly shaken, her eyes darted between two men unusually as if she's afraid to get caught in something.

"Whaaat? Should we celebrate together? Three of us? Damn let's get loose after a long mission" Of course, Tengen purposed to them a few days ago and she accepted his invitation very fast as well as her mentor who now looked at her with a doubful demeanor.

"If you're tired, you can take a rest my student Kanroji-kun!"

"No no I'm not that tired Rengoku-senpai" Mitsuri replied fastly because she had no intention to cause her mentor as well as Sound Pillar. She felt heart-broken to see their face turning down.

Knock knock knock

Three knocks in front of the wooden door. The transparent light in the new morning bathed the surface of the door. It reflected a shadow of a newcomer. The palm moved from a door, and ended on her right cheek which was painted in a pinkish palette vividly from her happiness inside-out.

Kanroji was in bliss. She had received a letter from Iguro Obanai a few days ago, normally they always exchanged letters from time to time.

"Iguro-san" Mitsuri called the owner of Snake Pillar estate in a cheerful tone for a brightful day, sunny but also windy. This kind of weather was suitable to start a very good day. She came back from a long mission with two incredible men of Pillar. Her muscle was still sore and had been bandaged on some part of her body. In which she didn't like it because she wanted to look fine in front of him.

But how can she cancel him.

"How are you, Kanroji?" Obanai greeted her back, opening a door for her. Kaburamaru was in pleasure to see this girl again, wiggling its head to her.

"Totally fine and what's your? I hope you're doing well, you know like there're lots of thing going on here. We rarely spent time together like before" Mutsuri started and made a silence in this place shattering "Due that Uzui-san also told me the same soI really don't want to miss any opportunities" She spoke flankly right on his face but he had a hard time to reply her for a same message. Because he was't totally sure she would deserve this or not.

"Good and thanks..it sure is however I have something to tell you" He began, shuffling slightly "it's almost the end of month now..I think it's a good chance to cook something from my supply..hmm..it's kind of I don't want the supply to go waste then are you fancy to join me?" Obanai tried to form an indirect invitation from a letter. Just say 'Come and have lunch with me' for average normal men would say; however, this's Iguro Obanai. He also knew her money almost was gone at the end of every month as her expense was poured into food the most as well as her mentor.

His words rang in her mind clearly and it totally made her mouth watered "You're gonna cook for me? Oh .. wow what a day! yes! Absolutely yes! How can I miss it!" Her eyes sparkled suddenly as he expected and she jumped around happily. Obanai rubbed his nose and raised his eyes to absorb her shining to warm his heart. She's so cute, he thought, slightly evaded his face to hide his bashfulness creeping slowly over his facade.

While they were walking into his place, Mitsuri stopped. Surprised, Obanai turned and asked "what's it?"

Mitsuri muttered something before clapping her hand together as if she had a new idea on her head. He frowned in doubt yet still waited for her response patiently.

"Iguro-san let's say um…" Mitsuri fiddled a second, closing her eyes "thank you very much" and she pointed her finger to him and placed an index above his chest very gently while she eyed him shyly. She pulled her index back and then tipped oo him one more time.

Act of intimacy shutted him down for a few seconds. Recomposing the position, Obanai cleared his throat to regain demeanor. "You're welcome" He answered stutteringly before leading a way to the kitchen, pretending her touch never happened on his skin.

Cool down, cool down, cool the damn down baka, he chanted to distract himself when Mitsuri took a liberty forcefully to grab a hold of his right arm, two hands holding on his slender arm gently.

"Never I say your estate is so well-organized?" Mitsuru said.

"Hmm? I thought you used to. Why?"

"Nothing, I found it strange because my mentor estate is different from yours! To see any men put a great care on organizing household is rather surprising me"

Sizzling sound, cranking voice, water running from a sink, these signified the life of the kitchen in Snake Pillar estate. His kitchen hummed into life. Every utensil whispered to each other.

Opening a window for ventilation, Mitsuri giggled at his story when he had gone out to mission. She helped him prepare the protein, vegetables and ingredients as well as cleaning the dishes while Obanai served as a chef. He mixed flour together with several portions and dipped on the pan. The flankle of flour reacted with the heating oil and swelled upward like a yellow bud blooming into a flower.

Obanai looked at her slightly, and saw she looked at him very closely. Who could have thought he would cook for a girl. And it really is now.

It gave him the sense of domesticality. It drove him to picture one fine day as a family with this girl. Is her age suitable to get a marriage? Just his random thoughts ran through his head. Obanai secretly wanted to bash his head for thinking something so full of himself. Never in a life of him picturing this scenario.

"I never thought you could cook. And it looks really great. Look yummy and crispy" Mitsuri said with her appraising eyes on his work.

"I occasionally cook" Obanai lifted several portions of Tempura up from a pan, seasoning and served it on the table with a happy expression on his face, which was rarely noticed in the public.

"I am very lucky to have your food today! Um.." While he's busy putting a new portion into a pan, checking the heat of oil for a good temperature, he sensed something on his shoulder. Obanai looked a side and it's her chin. She placed her chin on his shoulder before reclining down so it looked like she lay her face on his shoulder. With dole eyes, she also looked into his eyes then her lip parted into a smile.

Not so long, a couple finished their cooking and also cleaned the kitchen. Obanai held a right to have a first bite. Mitsuri offered him privately by saying "Aahhhhh let's say it, Iguro-san I'm gonna feed you" Obanai shuffled as he's anxious on opening the bandage around his mouth. He parted it slightly for having a small bite.

Obanai swallowed both tempura and the ecstasy from her doing.

Mitsuri wowed and wooed at his cook "Iguro-san, it's really yummy! Can I have all of it? Oh god it smells really good!" Obanai's proud in his pride to make food for her and she looked very content, huffling his chest in a proud gesture.

"Yeah, I still have more if you like…" Obanai threw a opened invitation to her. Nonetheless, every mood and flow of circumstance looked really great. It satisfied what he thought. Obanai admitted he felt so special to see her acceptance; even from his cooking skill because he can feel she's happy with it. It gave him another page to reckon that he had done something to her. All were good. The mood went smooth under the soft sunlight and the enchanting song from birds outside his place, doing orchestra for them. Excepted one tiny little thing...

"Oh god! It's yummy! Can I have another one, Iguro-san! I can't stop eating!" Loud as ever, that noise broke all sweet scenes before him. He admitted it's not from what he expected, rather odd to have another one beside her. "One more please!" That noise still rose up like protesting for more food. He gripped his fist.

"Rengoku! It's the third one! Kanroji doesn't finish the new one!" Obanai scowled to a golden haired man sitting next to her. Kyojuro paused, then laughed as if what he said was just an amusing light joke before a meal. "Come on! I just feel hungry. That's all"

"You just came here for free food! You free rider!" Obanai grimenced. He admitted the presence broke privacy today. Just his chewing destroyed the sweet atmosphere as it never happened before. It was supposed to be her and him. At this right and abrupt thought running to his head. The cheery 21 years old man with no experience of getting laid to a woman...cook for her..wake up with her...

Blushing without any reason, it drew Rengoku to stop asking for more food and watched him curiously. Obanai imagined the picture of him living under the same roof with her, making her a food everyday and every night. He's distracted and accidentally drew his eyes to her, indirectly.

Mitsuri spoke cheerfully "I forgot to mention you earlier. Gomenasai, Iguro-san. I think Rengoku-san might want to join us as well, because your food must be very delicious, then I invited Rengoku-san too" Mitsuri giggled, it relieved the boiling tension inside his head. How could he anger to her? No way.

"I'm not saying you can't.." there's a tint of uncertainty in his voice as he could not definitely express what he thought to her and what he wanted today. "I'm saying because he's eating too fast and he will eat your portion.." while Kyojuro also snatched one Tempura from her in front of his eyes "Get it back to her, I will make one for you! don't steal from her, Rengoku-san!" Obanai shouted in an attempt to stop him.

Leave no choice, Obanai begrudgingly retreated to the kitchen and warned Kyojuro to not take her food again. He quickly made an abundance of Tempura for these two again. Amidst the sizzling sound of oil and flour in the pan, Obanai sighed, felt strange inside but glad because right now, it seemed like he had someone, at very least two people, to be able to stand by his side. Her laughter mixed with Kyojuro's chuckle knocked his sense up, what are they talking about? Hey Did he play a dirty joke on her? Or he's making something funny to impress her?. Obanai now felt regretted to have him here. It's like Kyojuro stealing the scene from him totally.

Never enough, Kyojuro finished his recent one in no longer than three minute "more?" He signaled to Obanai who sent a deadly and warning glare to him to shut his mouth.

Slight hesitant, Mitsuri shifted her eyes between tempura and her mentor "Rengoku-senpai, you can have mine"

"Kanroji!" Obanai protested, a bit whining at her.

Mitsuri waved an apologetic hand to him "I think Rengoku-senpai's really hungry and your cook's the best! That's why he wants more!" She said, likely coaxed him. "Food's more delicious when we eat together"

"But he almost ate half of spare" Obanai said, waiting for her reaction. Then it, in turn, was due to Kyojuro's exclaim. They turned to him.

"Thinking of you sad earlier Kanroji-kun, the more people the more delicious" Kyojuro quoted her with a respectful manner as if giving a credit to her. Mitsuri gave a curt nod to him multiple time, eager as away.

"What's it now" Obanai asked, also curious.

"I also told everyone about this" Kyojuro said in a powerful and energetic tone but Obanai could hear a drop of ticking bomb inside his head; he knew how it should look like to have those coming to his estate. His estate's not small or large, comfortable for him living alone and never open to anyone.

"What do you say? What do you mean" Obanai willed positively.

Till Kyojuro opened his mouth, he paused and flicked at the door. It followed with a savage knocking that disturbed his sense so much, his name being called multiple times which was so noisy.

"They're coming!" Kyojuro stood up and headed to the entrance. "Wait! Rengoku-san you mean you invited all of them here?" This only thought gave him a goosebump but her eyes sparklingly beamed like something good's gonna happen. "Should you tell me early! Senpai I shall make something for them too"

"Iguro! Iguro! I bet you hear us" the harsh sound calling him so relentless. Signing, Iguro rolled his eyes, partly gave a stare to Flame Pillar to signal it's his fault but he gave a thump in return. "It's gonna be blast, Iguro-san believe me" Obanai didn't want to believe, all his picture scumbling down by the majority of sound busting in front of his house.

Then it moved to the window. Delayed to react, the window's pushed by one of Pillar like he has every right to open the window over everyone. "Hey! We call you, don't you hear us?" Tengen rested his arm on the window sill in a relaxed pose and smirked like he had every right to do anything here.

"There's a thing called the door, you know Uzui..I'm going to open for you in a second" he threw a big lie. If it's not loud, Obanai gladly pretended there's a thing called the door at his place.

"You guys are coming too!" Mitsuri lit up more welcomingly than ever when seeing Shinobu waving somewhere beside Sound Pillar.

Obanai grumpy stood up and opened the door for each of them. "Don't make my estate dirty! Took off your shoes Tomioka! Know some damn manner" He declared in a mild rage when seeing the weird smile of poor Water Pillar while Wind Pillar watched them indifferent.

"Aww is it a gathering of Pillar somehow? That's awesome" Mitsuri exclaimed in glee and threw arms over Shinobu, her closest friend. They both giggled "My my, what a coincidence. If Rengoku-san didn't tell us, we would never know there's a gathering over Iguro-san's estate" Obanai reminded himself she's being sarcastic toward him.

Rolling his eyes, Obanai found no option but had to open his estate to all of them "Oi! Don't move things by yourself Uzui! This is my estate, don't you remember" He warned Ninja but he sighed back in return like a kid pretending to listen to his parents. "Don't be like a grumpy old man Iguro-san"

Tengen claimed a seat next to her and Flame Pillar as a trio of energy banding together "You have to answer us first Uncle Iguro" Obanai rolled his eyes at the prefix he added "Why you invite only her" Tengen said in a normal tone with a innocent face. However it froze, the clock on the wall stopped ticking, the concert of birds disbanded. What in the hell every noise was discarded at the same time. Obanai grumbled inside.

"Hmm.. don't tell me you are gonna…." Tengen narrowed his eyes like the investigator while the prisoner was fret and sweating. Obanai took this chance to announce "Wait here, I'm gonna make another set of tempura for you. And stop asking anything" personal "more because this is all I got okay?" Obanai inserted authority over them and earned a nodding from them.

Obanai sighed and tried to control his breath as if he used his breathe to fight the demon. He tried to recompose himself again. "Kanroji, you do like I said?"

"Oh I did it!" His ears pulled his head to them in a doubtful manner. His eyes sparked the question openly. Tengen laughed and laced his arm over her shoulder.

"See it work! Iguro-san you have to thank me for that" Tengen spoke.

"Why the hell in the world?" Obanai retorted back and tried to look composed in front of the fellow pillars as well. He can't lose his face in front of that Giyuu or even Sanemi.

"I gave a useful tip to Kanroji about how to impress a man" Obanai was paralysed by a sudden dose of special drug. He thought back to her intimate action. Was it all from that Ninja's suggestion? "So now I'm her senpai right Kanroji" She answered him very fast "I'm her second senpai who will train her to be a fine woman and to be able to find a perfect match for her"

"Uzui-senpai Kyaaaa stop it! I'm embarrassed now" Mitsuri squeaked shyly while Sound and Flame Pillar laughed very loudly. He didn't know what agenda they came up with but it didn't look good. He had to find a way out.

"Hmm I don't know you have that much free time to spare for a play, Uzui-san. Should you focus on getting rid of demons or at very least the upper moon?" Obanai used his big brain to generate the idea to criticize him.

"Oi Iguro..what's about the food? I said food..F-o-o-d" Sanemi said nonchalantly. Obanai turned to him with a deep scowl and fiesty anger. How can he put up with this freak and jerkass. He should not buy his idea of making food for her at that day and finally it also became a double-edge sword on him. He hate it. Despise every essence of this man. The way he made his face like he held a trump card over him.

Damn it..