Disclaimer: I do not own Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Day 5
Giyu wakes up in a solemn silence, his mind naturally informing him of the big day he has ahead of him. He's ready, and he sits up in his bed to find Tengen looking at him expectantly. They both nod, no words are needed, they know what today is. They efficiently prepare themselves, put on clothes, and take one last breathe before going to war, going outside.
They open the door and notice everyone else had the same serious look on their faces. Sanemi is already standing outside next to Rengoku, arms crossed and face neutral. They stand their positions, and patiently await their counselor's orders. For the first time, there was no whistle to alert them for roll call.
"Ahem! My men- no, my soldiers. Today we embark on a dangerous mission. A mission so dangerous, I cannot even guarantee the safety of your return. I'm not sure what kinds of horrors await for you ahead, but I trust you will fight valiantly until the end! Knowing this, do you still wish to proceed forward?" They nod in unison.
"You have my gratitude... Now, here are your roles. Every non-representative, step forward." Iguro and Douma step forward.
"I need you guys to head to the archery area and follow the cones from there, you guys are still valuable to the team! You're the search party for when Tengen arrives," they responded with a resounding 'Yes Sir!'
"Excellent. Gyutaro, you're to follow me to the Girls' Camp. When me and Kanae blow the whistle, you'll run straight back to the Guys' Camp. Upon arrival, you will tag Tomioka who'll be standing at the end of the pier. Tomioka, when he tags you, that's your cue to dive into the creek. Swim to the post and back, fimd Rengoku who will be waiting for you at the opposite end of the dock, tag him, then follow him to the archery area alongside Gyutaro." Giyu nodded, he was getting the gist of it so far. He reaffirmed himself as he looked to the creek, he must not let his team down.
"Rengoku, I know you've already participated in the Olympics before, but I want to run it by you again just in case."
"Not a problem sir!" He saluted to him.
"When you're tagged, you run straight to the archery area with Tomioka and Gyutaro in tow. Grab a bow and some arrows, you're to shoot until you land a bulls-eye. Once you hit that, you'll run a bit until you see Tengen waiting on a path into the woods. There'll be cones acting as guides for him, so getting lost shouldn't be a problem."
"And this is where I come in! Fear not comrades, I shall lead us into a blazing glory of-"
"Shut the hell up, don't you ever fucking interrupt me ever again! Anyways... Tengen will run the path into the woods, where EVERYONE, and I can't stress this enough, EVERYONE must be present at the area. If we are short of even just ONE camper, we cannot begin the search for the idol. This is crucial so even if you've done your role, you are still not finished." There was some murmuring at the last part. No one could be absent for the last segment... Giyu eyed Douma from the side who was the only one who had a smile on his face, he wouldn't betray the whole team just to get at him... would he?
"...Does everyone understand?" It was kind of a lot to take in, but Giyu thinks he has it down. The search for the idol was going to be really hectic with more than ten kids in the woods though...
"Oh yeah, one last thing. The area where you'll be searching for the idol has but one rule. If you see any yellow tape, you CANNOT, and I repeat, CANNOT go past that. We don't want any campers to get lost so when you see it, don't be a dumbass and go past it," he looked directly at Giyu. Oh come on, he doesn't really think Giyu would be that stupid right?
Sanemi dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a stopwatch. He then glanced at his normal watch.
"Crud, alright everyone get into position! Tomioka, Rengoku, remain here! Everyone else, follow me!" Everyone hurried to their positions, Giyu walked to his.
"A bit more camp spirit would be appreciated Tomioka!" Rengoku called from behind before zooming to his post. In all honesty Giyu was just reserving his energy...
Now all he had to do was stand here until Gyutaro arrived. His heart was beating, the games are going to start soon..!
--
"...Someone is coming Tomioka!" Already? He didn't even hear the whistle yet! Were they too far to hear the whistle... wait, the person didn't look like Gyutaro or Shinobu. There were two girls, one dressed in a light purple and another dressed in blue who was... cowering behind the other one.
"Hello! This is the Boys' Camp, correct?" The girl in purple asked. Giyu continued to look at the blue girl though, she was acting a lot more shy than he was. It was a nice change of pace for him.
"Indeed it is! You must be the pretty ladies Tengen boasts about, the calm one Hinatsuru, and the shy one Suma!" 'Suma' eeped at Rengoku's volume. He was starting to relate to this Suma girl.
"Mhm! And er, is the boy with the spiky ponytail the swimmer?" Rengoku turned to me and stared, wait was I supposed to answer?
"Uhh, yes," I said before looking away. A little warning would've been nice.
"I figured, Suma you have to go stand next to him," she said, and Suma vehemently shook her head in defiance.
"N~no way-! H~he's too scary-looking and not Tengen!" Well that was a first, him? Scary? Giyu's mind could not make sense of that statement at all.
"You'll be fine, he seems to be a lot like you anyway..." a pause.
...He got the feeling she was implying something negative with that statement. It was with great hesitation that Suma stood up and slowly approached him. He looked off to the side, maybe if he didn't look at her she would feel more at ease. He felt awkward all of a sudden.
*Fweeeet...!*
There was an echoing whistle coming from Giyu's opposite direction. Whatever friendly terms the guys were on with the girls was switched off and replaced with a thirst for battle. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them back up dramatically.
The games have begun.
--
"...Ah! There she is!" Hinatsuru spoke up. It's been less than a minute since the whistle was blown but it seems Shinobu was already here... and no Gyutaro in sight. He glanced to Rengoku, a bit worried. He continued to look straight on to where Shinobu came from.
Giyu was pointedly looking at Shinobu in shock but she was not acknowledging him. Shinobu ran over on the dock and tagged Suma who... for some reason was not jumping.
"I...I can't!" Suma cried out.
...what?
"The water... it looks c~cold!" Shinobu smiled patiently.
"I'm sure the water is not cold... hurry now before the Boys catch up-"
"I see Gyutaro!" Rengoku spoke aloud as Gyutaro appeared. Panting as he bolted to the deck. Suma still wasn't in the water.
"C~can someone else do it~?" Shinobu was still smiling as she took a step forward to the now-crouching Suma.
"Jump." Her voice betrayed nothing but absolute malicious intent and it made Giyu wonder about what horrors Shinobu would threaten the poor girl with if she dared not to jump. If her goal was to scare Suma into getting into the water, it worked like a charm.
"Wahhh~ so scaryyy!" She jumped in and swam ahead. Giyu glanced back to Gyutaro who began to slow down.
"SHIT! I tripped back there!" He complained, that explains the dirt smear on his cheek. He tagged Giyu and he took one last look at Shinobu who still refused to look at him.
'Fine,' he thought to himself as he dove into the chilling water.
"I~t's soo~ cold!" Suma wheezed as she reached the post. Giyu has to make up for Gyutaro's blunder by swimming more viciously than he did yesterday. His arms soared past and pulled his body forward as he kicked against the water with all his might. It certainly felt more intense than it looked.
He touched the post and kicked off of it like he did at practice, he was just behind her now...
"...Tomioka is quite the fast swimmer! Wouldn't you agree Ko-" Rengoku zipped his mouth when he saw her eyes, void without any emotion and completely drained of any sympathy. He even scooted a bit from her. He forgot Shinobu took these games very seriously.
Giyu reaches the dock a fraction of a second earlier than Suma, and he's struggling to pull himself up. Luckily, Suma is in the same boat as him. He gets up quicker, and is getting Rengoku to start his run before Suma tags Hinatsuru. The time between Giyu's tag and Suma's is two seconds.
He'a dripping wet, and he doesn't know if some of it is actual sweat he got from overworking himself in there. He doesn't mind it though, it gave his team the lead now.
"Giyu come on keep up! We have to follow Rengoku!" Gyutaro shouts and Giyu pales, he completely forgot about that! He begins to run along, even though his lungs were killing him. Shinobu runs up next to him.
"...I begrudgingly admit that you were impressive there, Giyu," Shinobu spoke up, it seems she was finally acknowledging him after that tense moment before the games. He wanted to reply with something snarky but he was too busy keeping his breathing neutral.
"You're... not so... bad yourself..." he gets out with difficulty. He doesn't know if she likes the compliment or not, she says nothing.
Shinobu's running ahead now, but not before turning her head to look back at him, "I'm afraid I don't have time to chit-chat Giyu, I must be ready to run before Hinatsuru shoots the bulls-eye," and then she's off. Giyu grits his teeth and forces himself to run behind Shinobu. They're headed to the same place after all.
*Can't throw the towel yet... I've still got an idol to find.*
--
Giyu finally catches a break when he arrives to the archery area, now Hinatsuru is stepping up to fire while Rengoku checks all the bows presented. What... was he doing?
"Gotta hand it to her, she's certainly a dangerous marksman," Iguro says suddenly, and for good reason too. Her first shot landed right on the yellow ring around the bulls-eye, Rengoku needed to hurry and shoot already!
"I wouldn't worry about this, Rengoku's got it," Tengen says leaning against a tree. He said it with such silky confidemce that it gives Giyu faith in him. Rengoku finally settles on choosing a bow that looked the same as the rest, but atleast he was finally firing.
He pulls up with an unwavering coolness that has Giyu's nerves fading away with each step. Stepping up next to Hinatsuru who fires another close call, and getting into the same stance from yesterday's practice. Pulling back strongly on the string and releasing. The arrow whizzes past by with a sharp whistle and lands directly on the center of the target.
"Bulls-eye to Rengoku!!" Sanemi exclaims loudly, Giyu couldn't believe it. Rengoku, in one shot, had given the guys a huge lead while simultaneously putting the challengers on edge. He can only imagine the pressure on poor Hinatsuru now...
"That's my cue, hurry and tag me in Rengoku!" Tengen shouts eagerly, and Giyu wonders why. They'll have a solid lead now thanks to Rengoku, any normal person would feel the pressure from Rengoku's performance. But just as Rengoku was about to tag Uzui-
"Bulls-eye from Hinatsuru!" From the lowest of odds, she had pulled through and Giyu couldn't believe his ears. He turned frantically to her with a startled expression, Hinatsuru didn't even seem the slightest bit phased. It was remarkable, the stillness in her eyes, not even the slightest crack from the pressure.
"Jeez... you'd think Rengoku getting the bulls-eye first would shake up his opponent..." Iguro grumbles lightly. Giyu's certainly surprised, he would've felt so demoralized if it was him. He saw Tengen smirk before Rengoku tagged him.
"Go go go!" Rengoku yells and Tengen is zooming off into the direction where the cones are aligned. Man he was fast! He even left a dust smoke trail behind his heels.
"YAAA Go Shinobuuu!!" Mitsuri exclaims proudly and there's a blur of purple hair in Giyu's peripheral.
Okay, Shinobu was definitely fast. He wasn't able to make out her body clearly as she cut the corner right behind Uzui. That newfound fact for some reason made him like her more?
"TOMIOKA! GET YER ASS OVER HERE THIS INSTANT YOU'RE HOLDIN US BACK DAMN IT!!" Sanemi roars and it snaps Giyu out of whatever trance he was in. He sprints to where him and the others were, neck and ears red from embarassment.
"Hey hey~! If you're the reason we lose these games I'll be sure to let everyone know it'll be your fault. You got that~?" Douma, the rat, threatens as he shoves into Giyu. He shakes his head and just runs past him.
Argh, damn it! He didn't have any time for small distractions such as these! They needed to move and fast! This is the last hurdle, and Giyu was going to give everything he's got into this! Not even Douma was going to stop him!
--
Everyone's neck and neck with each other! Arriving to the designated area at the same time, the boys and girls eye each other with envy and anger. Everybody was feeling uneasy now, it's too close to tell right now! Giyu glances to both sides, counting off 5 members on each side excluding the counselors. Everyone was present on each side, that's good...
Giyu blinks wearily, he felt... tired? It wasn't a long run but all the activities were starting to take a toll on Giyu's body. He shook his head violently, now was not the time to feel exhausted! He hears footsteps approaching, one of them was probably already here! Who was-
"EVERYONE! GET IN A CIRCLE, I HAVE A PLAN!!" That... was Tengen's voice! Wow! He beat Shinobu in a race?
"I DON'T HAVE A HUGE LEAD! SHE'S NOT TOO FAR BEHIND ME!" Crap, he should've known. All the guys got in a circle immediately, they needed to trust Tengen and whatever his plan is.
Tengen appears from around the corner, face beaded with sweat but not panting for air like Giyu was moments ago. He shoves himself into the circle and momentarily takes a second to breathe deeply.
"Alright, I've constructed a super genius plan that only I could have come up with for this search. I'm going to assign everyone to a girl! I need to think about the others but first things first! Iguro! You stay on Mitsuri-"
"Ok."
"Awesome! And Giyu, you watch Shinobu!! Next-"
"Woah w-what? I can't keep up with her, you should follow her!" Giyu's barges in, whilst desperately fighting down the blush. Why was he getting red just from being assigned to Shinobu? And why was he being assigned to her anyway??
"Listen, she's small and crafty, I don't wanna admit it but she'd lose me quickly. But since I already know you wouldn't let her out of your sight, you'll be the one after her! Now-"
"Shinobu's here!!" Mitsuri shrieked, momentarily grabbing everyone's attention. All eyes watch in a mix of wonder and dread when they see Shinobu run around the corner. Every guy looked to Tengen for orders, for guidance.
"...AH SCREW IT! Everyone else! Find a damn girl to follow! Let's go, MOVE MOVE MOVE!!" And just like that, everyone scattered. Every guy dove into the woods entrance where Kanae and Sanemi were standing at. Giyu saw the dark entrance of the woods and as he's running in, he hears Sanemi briefly remind that anyone caught going past the tapes will be in serious trouble, or pain.
Once he enters, the sunlight gets blocked out a bit, the trees around here are especially bustling with leaves that block out the sun. Searching for the idol was going to be more challenging than he thought...
"Okay, find an idol, an idol... what does the idol even look like??" Giyu spoke to himself as he ran past trees. He runs straight ahead, and he begins to hear Kanae's voice encouraging people.
*That must mean the girls are in now! Tengen said I should keep tabs on Shinobu but...* Giyu shook his head to get rid of the oncoming blush. This is a serious matter! He needs to focus-
"Boo! Did I get you?" Giyu's startled but glances to his left, finding Shinobu who's running alongside him. She smiled at him he's irked that it gets a rise out of him.
"You did well for your team so don't let there be any hard feelings for when we win Giyu~" He frowns, so she's still that confident about winning is she? He'll just have to prove her wrong then... he speeds up and gets ahead of her slightly.
"Please don't be foolish enough to believe you could be faster than me Giyu, else I'll have to do this," and Giyu's awe struck when she leaps right in front of him. He briefly glances to her small legs, how was she so fast??
"Be careful there Giyu, you shouldn't run directly behind me," she taunts and Giyu grits his teeth. He so badly wanted to shut her up now. He picks up his pace and Shinobu actually looks surprised to see him keep up with her.
"Oh my! Look at you running so hard~" she quips but Giyu is stone-faced. He's determined.
"You surprise me Tomioka, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways," and just like that, she disappears from sight and Giyu loses focus momentarily. He can't stop himself in time and he headbutts into a tree so hard that it has him landing flat on his ass. His vision's very disoriented and he doesn't hear the slight worried cry from Shinobu.
*Urgh... ow my head...* He looks up at the tree as there was some rustling in the leaves. Then something revealed itself, a falling object.
*What's that...? Looks like a coconut... with a face? Wait... could that be...?* Giyu's vision slowly begins to return to him as the object falls in slow motion. That must be the idol!
It plops right on his lap, he's... he's got the idol!! Now to-
In a flash, Shinobu snatches it right from his lap just as he was about to grab it. She lands to his right and only stops to turn to him.
"Forgive me Giyu, but I cannot afford to let you win! No hard feelings~!" She runs off in the distance, making her way back to the entrance. Giyu's absolutely stunned beyond words, he already lost the idol! But...
But like hell he's going to give up that easily!
"SH-SHINOBU'S GOT THE IDOL! SHE'S HEADED BACK TO THE ENTRANCE! I REPEAT, GRAB THE IDOL FROM SHINOBU!!!!" And everyone in the forest freezes in their tracks, this was the first time anyone's heard Giyu scream. His scream reverberated throughout the area, and his plea of a cry shook the campers.
Only two out of the 12 campers went into action though.
--
*That Giyu...! It's okay... I've got the idol securely wrapped in my arms, all I have to do is make my way back-* Someone runs past her in the blink of an eye, without making a sound. In that split-second time-frame, she no longer feels the idol in her arms.
"Wha-"
"EXCELLENT WORK TOMIOKA!! YOUR CALL OUT SAVED US!! NOW THEN..." He crouches down.
"WE'RE GOING FOR THE WIN!!!" Tengen yells thunderously, his booming voice shaking the entire forest. He blasts himself off the ground, disappearing from sight and for the first time, Shinobu fears defeat.
Out of desperation, she yells.
"GIRLS! UZUI HAS THE IDOL, AFTER HIM!!!" She yells and the chaos truly begins. Boys versus Girls, a tale as old as time itself. What ensues is a continuous rally of taking the idol from one another.
--
*POP!*
"Want some?" Sanemi says as he munches on some popcorn. Apparently he finds the sound of running screaming children to be quite soothing. Kanae gratefully accepts, picking up one dainty kernel with her fingers.
"Why thank you Sanemi~ I was craving something to snack on as well," Kanae says in a slight chortle. Sanemi slides his cup next to hers, silently asking for a refill. She fills his cup with the pink lemonade carton. He nods thankfully.
"How do you think they're doing in there?" He asks. In the background, screams of terror were heard.
"GET THE FUCKING IDOL, GET IT!!"
"HEY DON'T PULL MY HAIR!!"
"SHE'S GOT IT! MOVE MOVE!"
"AHHHHHH!!!"
...
"...They sound okay to me!" He tosses a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Kanae only sighs at him, what else did she expect from him?
--
*THIS IS WAR!! I'VE LOST SO MANY COMRADES, IT'S UP TO ME...!* Tengen is exaggerating the scene in his head, imagining fireworks going off behind him and kunais whizzing past his head. That for some reason he's missing an arm and bleeding from his left eye.
The reality wasn't too far off in his opinion, he's got the scratches to prove it.
As he dashed on ahead to where the entrance was in sight, he wasn't aware of the three girls hiding in the bushes ahead of him. Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru were patiently waiting near the entrance. As soon as Tengen got in place, their trap would set off.
But Tengen had senses better than your average 15 year old male, he had eyes that functioned just fine, so he noticed the rope ahead of him.
"A simple yet effective contraption, my respect to whoever made it," he leaped over it no problem. The goal was just ahead, he could make it-
"NOW!!" three girls popped out from the bushes in unison and grabbed his legs, not even the self-proclaimed god of festivals could escape from a hold as firm as theirs.
"Oof!" He fell to the ground harshly as the idol fell from his hands. The idol rolled and rolled until it rested in front of a pair of feet. This was blasphemy! How could he be bested?!
...Though he was wallowing in his blunder, he was secretly proud of the fact that his girls one-upped him here.
"Suma! Now's our chance! Grab it and head to the entrance!" Hinatsuru gasped as she struggled to keep Tengen detained. But Suma was not moving, she in fact began to... cry?
"I'm sorry Tengen! They made me do it!" She wails and Makio berates her being an idiot. Of all things..!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IDIOT?! GRAB IT NOW BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE!!" But it is too late, someone does indeed take it during Suma's torment. Slithering their way in and striking when he saw the opportunity. Iguro Obanai.
"YES IGURO-" Makio shoves Tengen's mouth into the dirt, Suma just ruined their perfect plan!
Iguro wastes no time and continues to make his way over to the entrance, he could almost see the light!
"Iguro WAIT!" And he stops dead in his tracks, for that voice belonged to someone he knew very well.
He turns around is met with the heavenly sight of Mitsuri running to him! Her pretty pink hair bouncing off her shoulders as she catches up to him.
"Iguro! Do you have the idol?!" Oh... okay now this is quite the predicament he was in. He does indeed have the idol in his hands; ready to end the games and give the guys their first win... but, and it was a very big but, Mitsuri would likely fall for him if he...
She stepped closer and he took a step back, an action that surprised them both.
"Iguro...?" Damn it, no no! Why her!? On one hand, he could bring glory to the Boys' camp and have his name shared for generations to come. But on the other, if he gave the idol to Mitsuri, maybe she would ask for his hand in marriage after! This was truly the hardest decision to make known to mankind...
"Iguro~" He was torn between pleasing Mitsuri or giving the guys their first victory. This wasn't a fair decision to make! Despite his inner turmoil, he found himself taking a step-
*Snap!*
Iguro quickly turns to the source of the twig cracking, and he was met with two large violet orbs staring into him. It was so sudden and she was so close, that he didn't have time to react to her hands grabbing hold of the idol and stealing it from him!
No! Now he couldn't get either outcome!
"I'll be taking this..." Shinobu mutters quietely before jumping into the woods and disappearing without a trace.
Iguro fell to his knees, he-
A disheveled Tomioka appeared out from where Kocho came from, breathing heavily and eyes narrowed sharply. He looked like he had just gotten out of a fight.
"Where is Kocho?!" He demanded. Iguro couldn't even force himself to look at Tomioka, that's how ashamed he was.
"TOMIOKA!! SHE CONTINUED INTO THE BUSHES!!" Giyu nodded to the odd sight of Tengen wrestling with two girls. After judging in silence, he resumed his pursuit. The loner went after the butterfly, and Iguro wallowed in sadness by himself.
"Don't give up so easily Iguro, if Kocho comes back you must be able to stop her..." Tomioka reprimands and it makes Iguro grit his teeth. To be lectured by him of all people...
"Emm... are you okay Obanai?" Mitsuri questioned, genuinely concerned for his wellbeing. He looked up at her with his didcolored glistening eyes.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't give it to you Mitsuri..." he felt pathetic in front of her, his chances were ruined-
"Awww it's okay Obanai~! I don't mind one bit, it's just a silly competition after all~" She cooed sweetly. She even hugged his head and pull him in to her chest, a sensation he wouldn't dare forget.
An angel, she was truly an angel sent from heaven.
--
Shinobu hurries along, she's very aware of the ever so annoying Giyu on her trail but she's been making tight turns and moving sporadically. She's losing him, she knows she is. But for some reason... she still felt like someone was following her.
"Peek-a-boo~! Hiya Shinobu, it's me~!" Douma appeared in front of her and she hit the brakes immediately. Oh no, she does not want to deal with this freak. Immediately, she puts herself on guard.
"Greetings to you dirtbag~ I'm afraid seeing you brings me a feeling of disgust so great that I must warn you to excuse yourself out of my way before I hurl my guts out~" she chirps cheerfully, but her words were more venomous than a scorpion's stinger.
"Awww how mean~! Hey hey! Can I see what that thing in your hands is? I promise I'll give it right back~!" He motions a finger to the idol in her hand. So he's after the idol and not her... she won't let him have it by any means.
"This is off-limits I'm afraid-" she jumps out the way when he suddenly tried grabbing her, what the hell was that?!
"Just... one look is all I ask Shinobu-!" Douma smiled crookedly. Once more, he reached at her, and she continued to avoid his grasp until...
"Oops!" Gyutaro purposefully put himself in Shonobu's way and pushed her to the ground. Douma slowly picked up the idol as she glared at him scathingly.
"Aww what's wrong? If you want it back all you have to-" He cut himself short when Shinobu very nearly clawed his eye out. He smirks at her attempt and turns tail and runs, in the opposite direction of where the entrance is.
*What the hell is he planning..?! The way out isn't in that direction...* They continue running for some time, but Douma suddenly stops when there's yellow tape in front of him.
"Alright... we're finally here..." Shinobu stops right behind him but keeps her guard up. You can never be safe around this freak.
"Sorry for dragging you here, I hope you'll forgive me Shinobu~! I just want to ask you one question is all~! You just need to answer it truthfully and I'll hand you back the idol, no catch~" She's not looking forward to whatever he has to say, but frankly she was too exhausted to try and take it from him right now...
"Ask away" she'll comply for now, even if she feels like he's lying. He grins maliciously.
"I knew you'd be curious to listen~ so hey! Are you and that emo boy a couple yet? If not would you want to get with me again? I can guarantee that I am much better than that loser! I'll treat you right this time, I'm a changed man! Won't you find forgiveness in your heart and believe in us one more time~?"
"Absolutely not. The mere fact that I share the same air with you disgusts me. Me and Giyu aren't dating, but I would certainly choose to be with him over you." She was undeterred and as immovable as stone. Her words stung him, but he kept up his facade.
"My my~! Quite defensive aren't we~? Okay, how about I word it differently?" He's the one marching up to her, and the height difference between them irks her a bit.
"Be mine again, and that Tomioka kid won't get hurt. Neh~?" He leans his head in low, right to her neck as he darkly whispered his demands in her ear. She refused to flinch or even be startled from his ministration, she stood her ground. But then he raised a hand, and felt it suggestively move on her hip.
An action that revolted her.
"What are you doing?!" Shinobu backed away as she slapped him harshly against his cheek. The slap was so fierce that it echoed against the trees and left him stunned. Once he recovered, he cracked his jaw and smiled at her.
"...That was the wrong answer," the edges of his lips ran upward until his smile resembeld that of a sideways crescent moon. He pulled his arm back and Shinobu couldn't stop him in time. He threw the idol with all his strength past the yellow tape, out from sight completely.
Her eyes scanned past the trees but the idol was nowhere to be found, damn that Douma! She turned to him with an icy glare.
"I believe no one wins should the idol get lost~ I'll get it for you if you say you'll be my-"
"Shut up. I'll get it myself," she cut in as she goes under the yellow tape. Douma's smile never leaves his face.
"You will be mine Shinobu... and certaintly not that emo freak's." His eyes glinted dangerously when he heard someone walking by. He caught a glimpse of long black hair, and it boiled his blood when he guessed who it was.
--
*Where is she... I can't lose her! Especially if she has the idol...* Giyu thought bitterly as he traversed through the forest almost aimlessly. He heard someone suck in their breathe and he followed the sound.
He saw Douma ahead, so he began to proceed with caution.
"Well well, hey there Tomioka~! Catch any butterflies lately?" If there was someone Giyu was growing to truly despise, it would be Douma. For someone who smiled so much, he reeked of bad vibes.
"Have you seen Shinobu?" And Giyu wonders if that was a poor thing to say, since Douma seemed to beam at him.
"Ahh, why yes I have actually! Though I'm afraid she went past this yellow tape here..." Giyu's eyes widened, why would she do that?! Sanemi made it clear that-
...Wait, this is Douma telling him this. He's likely just lying to him to get him to break the rules...
He took a moment to collect himself before speaking. "How do you know?"
"Well... I may or may not have thrown the idol in there. And little miss stubborn Shinobu couldn't fathom finishing the games in a draw, so she went after it herself~! Naturally I tried to intervene and stop her but-..." He clenched his fists as he faded out Douma's rambling. That being said, Shinobu probably would go after it. She was being very competitive in these games, it didn't sound preposterous.
Still... he doesn't want anything bad happening to her, beyond the tape were some forest hazards and probably even bears according to his counselor.
It's with a shake of his head and an agitated sigh that Giyu pushes past Douma and the tape to head into the woods. Praying nothing happens to him or Shinobu... and a chance to still win this.
"That's quite the delinquet duo if I say so myself, I might refer to them as Bonnie and Clyde after this~" Douma guffaws to himself, walking off and bumping into something.
Or rather, someone.
"Ahh~ you're the junior counselor, Rengoku! Hey listen, I have something to tell you..."
"No need for that! I saw it all with my own eyes!"
"Oh good! Let's head back to report this to the counselor together?"
"Indeed we shall!" Douma walks ahead with Rengoku in tow. But Rengoku glances back to where Giyu was, his smile dropping a bit.
*...I must say, I am disappointed Tomioka.*
--
If Giyu wasn't lost before, he certainly was now. He's even started to be extra careful about where he steps, he doesn't want to trip and land on any thorns or something. He listens very carefully, both for Shinobu, and whatever else lives in the forest.
"Ah! There it is..." He stops moving to a halt, that was undoubtedly Shinobu's voice. He walks in that direction, running would generate noise and he doesn't want to make his presence known yet. He may be worried for her safety, but he wasn't just going to let her get the win that easily. He sees her in view, crouching down and picking something up off the ground.
"That Douma... Curses I can't even report him to Kanae anyway since I went past the tape..." Giyu breathes a sigh of relief, she was safe. She also has the idol!
...Now that he confirmed that, he lunged at her.
"Wha-"
*Grasp*
He's stolen the idol! Now all he has to do is-
...Get past Shinobu. A task much easier said than done. The air is thick and tense between them. It was a showdown.
"You... you followed me here?!" Her tone was shocked, annoyed even.
"...We made a promise last night didn't we?" He countered, and he's glad it made her fume. Still... getting through her wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Rather a sprint through a minefield...
"...Tomioka, if you wish to get out of here with your bones intact, I suggest you kindly hand it back over-"
"Not a chance." He was ready for her.
"...I see. You've been warned." And it began. Shinobu feigned crouching down only to lunge at him at a faster speed than him. Only difference was he was expecting it. He barely manages to slide past her and keep the idol off her prying hands. Once he dodges her, he books it. He hears her growl behind him.
"You're wise to run, but it's unfortunate for you that I'm the one you're running from..." she chases after him, and she's slowly catching up to him. Giyu's not really sure which direction is the one that leads back to camp, so he's zooming in between trees and jumping over bushes instead. Doing anything in his power to try and slow her down.
He sees the tape in sight, and he makes a hard left turn in that direction. He could do it! Still, it doesn't help that she's right on his tail. There's some leaves ahead, but they looked different than the leaves he was seeing this day. They were close to the ground, bright green and oval-shaped.
He didn't pay mind to them at first but for some reason his mind was yelling at him to avoid them, so he did but-
Shinobu just narrowed her hand in his arms and pushed the idol from his hold and into the air. She catches it and runs ahead of him. Crap! He let his guard down for a second and this happens?
She turns around to mock him but she's unaware of the stone sticking out from the ground, and her foot makes contact with it. She yelps in pain but Giyu sees she's about to fall into the leaves.
He finally realizes why his brain was telling him to avoid them, it was poison ivy!!
He dashed toward her as she began to fall, the games don't matter to him anymore at this point!
"Shinobu!" He yells as he jumps to her with all his strength. He's all but spearing himself at her and pushing her past the leaves and tape, just out the way of the poison ivy.
*THUD!*
It's a rough landing, one that has both parties groaning uncomfortably in slight pain. Giyu opens his eyes first when he lifts his head up from the dirt. Shinobu's underneath him, and she's missing her iconic butterfly hair clip. Her hair is down, her cheeks are a bit tinted and she's looking at him with wide eyes. She looked angelic when she was looking up at him like that.
But then he takes notice of the... precarious position they're in. Shinobu, underneath him. Giyu, on top of her. Her legs between his and his arm and elbow on each side of her head. Their breathes so close they were practically sharing them. His face blushes a deep, deep red, far outmatching her light pink one.
"Giyu..." She whispers and it shifts his attention back to her. He looks at her with a mildly panicked expression. They're both silent, neither one sure is sure what to really say or do.
Well... except maybe lean in closer, just... a bit...
"Ara~... Oh my my, how naughty~~" They almost feel the bubble they were in pop when a voice very familiar to them surprises them both. To say their faces reddened would be putting it extremely lightly. Those few words was enough to make them repel from each other like same-charged magnets. Scrabbling to their feet and distancing themselves like the other just revealed they had Covid.
"You bet they fucking are, THEY BROKE THE ONLY DAMN RULES I HAD FOR THIS PART!! AND OF COURSE IT'S GIYU WHO RUINS OUR CHANCES AT THE LAST SECOND!!" A fuming Sanemi marches in, face breaking out with veins and smoke actually coming out his head.
"I'm not surprised about Tomioka, but you Shinobu?! I think this kid is starting to become a real bad influence on your little sis Kanae," Sanemi berated and Giyu gets a sinking feeling when he says it's his fault for the games. Did he mean...!?
He sees Shinobu fidgeting side to side before opening her mouth.
"W-wait, what about the games?" Of course, of course she was still worried about the game. Did she already forget she almost landed in some poison ivy? Sanemi pinches the bridge of his nose harshly, mumbling a colorful selection of expletives under his breath.
"Look, we came in because Douma and Rengoku informed us that two campers went past the tape... and then we see the two said campers canoodling in front of us where the tape was!" C-canoodling?! He seriously couldn't have worded it any better? Oh God him and Shinobu could practically melt into the ground from how hot their faces were.
"AND WHILE YOU WERE CANOODLING WITH THE BUTTERFLY, TOMIOKA, DAKI JUST FUCKING WALTZED IN HERE AND PICKED THE FUCKING IDOL UP FROM THE FUCKING GROUND AND WON THE FUCKING OLYMPICS FOR THE GIRLS!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING CLOSE WE WERE TO WINNING IT FOR ONCE?! THIS FUCKING CLOSE I TELL YOU!!" Sanemi shoved his hand in Giyu's face, pressing his index finger over his thumb to indicate how close he was. Normally there would be a tiny gap between the fingers, he supposes he was trying to emphasize his point...
"Me and you are going to have a very long and very fun talk Tomioka, I trust you will scold Shinobu as you see fit Kanae?!" Sanemi demanded. She waved her hand at him in a so-so manner.
"Good! Now if you'lll excuse us... I've got some shit to unwind." Sanemi said through clenched teeth. Giyu gulps, he was in for it now...
"Bye Giyu~" Kanae teased and Giyu couldn't for the life of him turn around and wave back. He's glad to be away from Shinobu for a bit though, the embarassment was burning him alive.
--
"...I'm sorry, but you are too late for today's dinner. I ate the rest so there is no more. My apologies," The lunch man, who he came to realize his name was Gyomei from reading his tag, informed as he looked up from his newspaper. Giyu's stomach grumbled loudly in response.
"Great..." he said sarcastically. Sanemi really gave him an earful... he really did mean it when he said it was going to be very long. It was a half hour past lunch...
He sits at the table with Tengen and them in a slump-
"Well look who it is! The rebel of the Boys' Camp!" Rengoku berated and Giyu didn't have the energy for this.
"The man of the hour! The talk of both the Boys and the Girls, how does it feel being popular now Tomioka?" Tengen asked and Giyu thinks, he's popular now? It sounded wrong on his tongue so he face-planted in response.
"Actually it's not the good kind of popular though, everyone hates your guts! Especially the guys!" That was really helping out his mood.
"Douma was right about you being all talk... you really messed us up in the end," Iguro scolded and Giyu was beginning to grow frustrated, he tried like hell to win.
"I expected nothing less from the troublemaker to squander our chance of winning for the first time! My disappointment pales in comparison to Sanemi's though!" Rengoku complains from the bottom of his heart, Giyu's day just continued to get more sour.
"I can't lie though, I didn't expect my girlfriends to stop me like that... I take pride in having three capable girlfriends!" Tengen says with a shining gleam. Giyu's not having any of it. Iguro looks at Mitsuri wistfully.
"I for one do not want to associate myself with the Troublemaker! Excuse me!" Rengoku excuses himself and Tengen and Iguro follow. They leave Giyu completely alone and honestly, he prefers it this way. No one can see him wallow in sadness now.
It also gives him time to collect himself on what Sanemi told him. How he managed to escape expulsion a second time.
Yep, that happened. Needless to say, Giyu shat himself when Sanemi mentioned expulsion.
--
...This part is after his long ranting on how it was all Giyu's fault for losing.
"EXPELLED. How many times do I have to say it? E-X-P-E-Double L-E-D. You would've been expelled... if you didn't do that."
What?! While he still hasn't told him what 'that' was, he's extremely grateful to whatever it was since it's apparently saving him from expulsion. How is he getting into this much trouble at camp??
"Tomioka, you've heard it a thousand times, but Camp Kimetsu truly prides itself in the safety of their campers whether you believe it or not." That's a real shocker, because he didn't.
"That being said, it makes us look great when we have some corny heroic act occur here. And you did just that, when you pushed Shinobu out the way of some poison ivy. An action that got you on Kanae's good side," oh... that's what it was. He blushed when he remembered Shinobu underneath him.
"Yeah, because you decided to not be a shitty human being for once, that's what's allowing you to stay another day. Just know I am watching you though, count your fucking days brat," Giyu nodded quickly, he believed every word. Sanemi nodded at the door, signaling that he was finally free to leave. So he got up from his seat-
"Oh yeah, and one more thing," he paused at the doorstep.
"...Keep your fucking hands to yourselves will ya? You and Shinobu are wayyy too young to even think about that sort of stuff," he takes a sip from his mug and Giyu goes completely still.
'S-stuff? W-w-what did he mean by that?? He couldn't possibly mean...' Giyu's mind clouded up and he lost his balance.
Giyu high-tailed it out of there.
--
His face burned a bit at the memory, and he releases a sigh he didn't realize he was holding. 5 days, 5 days at this camp and he almost got expelled twice. He was starting to understand why Rengoku labeled him the camp rebel now. Maybe the next time he really would be expelled.
He shook his head, all he had to do was follow the rules! Why was it apparently so hard for him to do? He had no problem obeying orders.
"Wellll~ is that the loser who said that 'this year would be different'?" Ah. Today was going absolutely fantastic. Shinobu found him, now he has to sit through the humiliation from the Girls' star player...
He responded with the courteous action of 'the cold shoulder.' Quite literally too since wasn't feeling particularly hot.
"Oh no, you will absolutely not be ignoring me that easily," she says and he feels her press against his shoulder with her own, purposely shoving him a bit. Normally he would appreciate such contact from her, but the circumstances made him wish otherwise. He scooted away a bit but she followed and continued to literally press on him. He sighs, he has no choice but to accept the punishment of losing.
He turns to her with a defeated gaze, voice low and eyes narrowed. "Congratulations," he says. She smiles sweetly at him, but it's stinging in Giyu's eyes.
"Well, I did say this would happen after all, didn't I?" She continues to giggle at his expense, and Giyu can only nod pathetically.
Gyomei walks over to their table, and they're both horrified at the sight of him, the man was a giant! The fear dissipated quickly from Giyu though, when he saw the gourmet dish in his hands. It came straight out of a cartoon, when something fancy was delivered in a silver platter with a large lid.
"The victor's personal meal, as requested," He lifted the lid and Giyu swore the meal was glowing as he was revealing it. Underneath was two bowls, one with white rice, and the other filled with contents that looked like they came straight from a 5-star restaurant. He carefully placed it in front of her, and Giyu grew very frustrated with the loss now. If he knew the victors got a meal as delicious as that...!
"Ahh~ thank you Gyomei for the delicious meal~!" Shinobu says cheerfully whilst clasping her hands together. He nods in acknowledgement, seeming a bit pleased at the compliment. There's a glow around her now, and Giyu feels quite envious. He stares at her bowl with an obvious yearning for it, even though he didn't really know what it was. She picks up her bowl and pair of chopsticks, and just as she's about to dig in...
*GROWLLL!!*
...His stomach made its presence known.
"...Umm, are you-"
"Nope! I-I'm fine, I-"
*GROWLLL!!*
...
"Sounds to me like you're still hungry, haven't you eaten enough?" She giggles but Giyu scratches the back of his neck. Does he tell her?
"A-actually, I didn't get any food..." he admits hesitantly. He doesn't really want to make a big deal out of it. There's a look of surprise on her face.
"Really? Why is that?" He explains to her how the long scolding from Sanemi led to him being unable to get any food. He skipped over all the unimportant details, like expulsion. She sits there and ponders for a bit. Suddenly getting up from her seat and just leaving him there, her food as well. What was she..?
His curiousity is piqued when he catches the slightest whiff of her food, his head turning to look at the orange-colored delicacy in her bowl. The tantalizing sight made his mouth water, how he wished he won! He could've eaten some delicious salmon...
"You didn't sneak any bites in did you?" She says popping up next to him. He'll get used to that at some point, he still jumped anyway. He shakes his head vigorously.
"No, of course not," he was starving yes, but he wouldn't put his mouth in another person's bowl. She smiles at him and in her hands are another pair of chopsticks. She extends her hands out.
"A small gift to cheer you up~!" He shakes his head at her silliness, gee she was giving him chopsticks to eat air while she ate her Gordon Ramsay prepped dish. She grabbed her bowl and turned sideways facing him. Was she going to rub her food in his face too?
"Here, I'll share my winning portion with you. Think of it as a small rerward in acknowledgement for your performance in the games~" ...Huh? Did he hear her right? Was she really sharing her food with him..? He looked at her strangely.
"What's that look for? Do you not want any?" He opened up his packet of chopsticks in a hurried fashion in response. She giggles lightly.
"T-Thank you!" He says giddily and she's blushing a bit at that for some reason. They both raise their chopsticks and shift around their seats until they're facing each other. He can see her face very clearly now. They take out a small piece and...
Giyu's eyes widen in delight, it was delicious. Though Shinobu was absolutely gleaming in comparison.
"Mmh! Ahh this is my favorite meal~!" She exclaims as she's going for seconds and thirds. Giyu blinks at her with a certain fascination. He found the sight... cute. He shakes his head.
"Erm, what is it? The meal, I mean," he asks as he tries to find an opening to grab more. She hums as she tries to chew her portion before answering.
"It's called Ginger Tsukudani, a small Japanese dish that's made up of ginger, as the name implies, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, katsuobushi, and toasted sesame seeds! They go really well with rice and..." she trails off as Giyu munches on a third bite, appreciating her small rambling.
"Ah! I forgot about the rice bowl!" She says in a mild scolding manner to herself. He glances at it in question and picks it up from the table, holding it between them like Shinobu was holding the main bowl.
"No problem," he says as he takes the first bit of white rice. Woah, she wasn't kidding when she said it went great with rice!
They continue to indulge in the delicious meal and occasionally exchange small talk. Soon, the bowls are empty and while Giyu's not feeling full, his starvation was gone. Of course, he let her eat most of it.
"Fuh... I'm quite pleasantly sated if I say so myself... how was it?"
"...It was delicious, thank you," They stare at each other for a few seconds, silently gazing at each other with a certain interest.
Neither of them were ready for the hands placed on their shoulders.
"Welll, look at you two hitting it off well!" Of course Tengen would show up, just... of course.
"C-can you leave us alone?" Giyu spat with more anger than he wanted to admit. Tengen smirks at him and he hates that he knows what it's implying.
"Ohh? Having a moment are ya? Forgive me, I'll leave you two alone," well the moment's gone now thanks to him. Giyu sighs out through his nose. He looks back at Shinobu who's biting her cheek while looking to her left. He remains silent awkwardly...
"Attention fellow campers! Please meet us at the Boys campfire in a few minutes! We will discuss the results and stats of the Olympic participants so if you're interested, meet us there! If not... go to sleep!" Rengoku announces and Giyu admits he's kind of curious to know how he did. Even if it was likely terrible. He glances at Shinobu and-
"Let's go get our seats before everyone else does?" Her face was very close to his, and he almost squeaked at the contact. He nods anyway, they were on the same wavelength after all. She takes his hand and leads him outside. He looks dowm at their joined hands and smiles.
--
Once they're outside they easily find an empty log. They sit down quickly, and Giyu looks to Kanae but doesn't see Sanemi. Strange, was he in the bathroom?
"Welcome you two! I'm not surprised to see you together again," Kanae teases and Giyu slightly frowns in embarassment. She pats his head.
"I appreciate what you did to Shinobu back in the woods, if it weren't for you my sister would've succumbed to quite the distasteful itchiness..."
"Kanae..." Shinobu groans in slight discomfort, he doesn't know what she's embarassed about.
"Oh u-um, no problem," he lets out stupidly. He never really knew how to respond to the Girls' Counselor. She smiles.
"Say, do you know where my counselor is?" Giyu asks cautiously. To his surprise, Kanae begins to chuckle.
"O-oh! About that... i'm afraid he won't be attending us tonight. He-he's too busy... coming to terms with the loss, you could say," Giyu's confused from the way she worded it. He already knew Sanemi was ashamed they lost but...
Wait- was she telling him he was crying? Oh god one knowing look from her told him he was..!
"Well, seems like everyone's here. Okay everyone! Take your seats and I will discuss the stats of each representative!" There's a moment where everyone's sitting down. Shinobu pokes at Giyu to get his attention.
"How well do you think we did?" And Giyu doesn't really think hard about it. He did terrible, he cost them the win at the end so he's probably dead last. Shinobu on the other hand, was probably up at the one or two spot.
"I think you'll be in the top three, you were vital in a lot of factors," Giyu says and Shinobu smiles, almost a bit smugly. Like she knew she was a valuable teammate.
"I believe so too! You weren't... half bad out there yourself!" Was she being sarcastic? Giyu couldn't really tell at times with her. All he knew was that everyone on the boys team despised him right now.
"Right, before I start I wish to let all of you know that I'm proud of the fact that everyone had atleast contributed to something in the games! You should all be proud of even the slightest actions you took!" Sounded like pity praise to Giyu's ears.
"I'll start with the top three performances on the Boys' Side, coming in the third spot is Rengoku!! It was you who earned Tengen that small headstart before us with your accurate marksmanship! And it was also impressive how you nailed the bulls-eye on your first arrow~" Everyone cheered for him, Giyu included. How can you not? The man executed his part perfectly.
"Coming in second place for the boys and nearly tied for first place! It is... Uzui!" Wow he got second place? Who could be first? Despite his high ranking, Tengen didn't seem too happy...
"Your speed was most impressive! Being faster than Shinobu is no easy feat, and you performed well in the search for the idol, I heard it took 3 girls to stop you!" Well that seemed to cheer him up, turns out complimenting him puts him in a great mood. But now... who was first? No one else did nearly as good as them.
"Now onto the best performer for the night, he was quite the miracle worker! I bestow this honor to... Tomioka!!" All talking ceased, and Giyu was flabbergasted. Him? Him? But... he ruined the guys' chances at the end?? Everyone looked at him like he had just said something controversial, how was he first? Despite all the looks, Shinobu was the only who didn't seem shocked.
"You were a saving grace in the beginning, somehow managing to turn your scathing delay into the Boys' favor and gaining the lead! I was also informed that your presence in the search for the idol was suffocating to a certain member," ...he doesn't really remember doing all that, sure he was competitive in the moments but... did he really do all that? He really felt like didn't deserve this placement...
"Yes, you were exceedingly difficult to deal with in there Giyu," Shinobu muttered almost ominously. Soon people started to slowly clap, nodding their heads in approval. Even if it wasn't as much as the other guys... it warmed his heart a bit. He... was recognized.
"It was a valiant effort on the boys' part so let us make sure we give them a round of applause ladies!" Giyu cowered when the girls began to clap their hands, he also blanched when he saw Tengen stand up and bow. He really is an idiot...
"Now for the girls... our third place performance is Hinatsuru! How you kept calm under pressure and weren't phased in the slightest when Rengoku hit the bulls-eye before you was nothing short of admirable!" Tengen hollered quite loudly and even stood up and hugged her. Earning stares from everyone and a blush from her. Two other girls watched in envy.
"Second Place is quite a surprise! The girl who quite literally 'snatched' the victory for us, Daki!!"
"YEAHHHHH!! THAT'S MY SISTER!!"
"Hey why're you cheering for her when we lost?!"
"Because I'm proud of my little sister! Got a problem with that?!"
"I do when she's the reason we lost!" Gyutaro and Tengen pressed their foreheads against each other, were they about to fight?!
"Now now boys~ calm down... lest you wish to sleep in the woods tonight?" The threat came so sudden that it felt like she meant it. So chilling that it ran a shiver down their spines before they quickly sat back down... but not before sending one final death glare to each other.
"And finally, the star player for the girls, our miraculous Shinobu!!" For some reason it sounded bias coming from the person related to her, but no one dared to speak against it after her threat. It was very rare to make someone like her upset, but when she was upset... she became ten times scarier than Sanemi.
"Spectacular all-around, managing to stay up to the guys' necks with her speed and ordering the girls around quite well! Although maybe she was a bit reckless at times..." Giyu suspiciously coughed into his balled hand at that. This earned a pointed gaze from Shinobu.
"Something you wish to say, Loser?" He ignored her and she fumed. He wasn't the first person to go past the tape though.
"That concludes the games everyone! I hope you all had fun! It's a victory for the girls once again!" All the girls jump to their feet and cheer in ecstasy, wide smiles and crinkled eyes. The boys hang their heads low, all that hard work only to still lose. They gave it their all, and in the end they were still the losers.
The Defeat began to settle in...
"...Eh? Why the long faces boys?" Everyone quieted down and looked at her, some with malice and others with confusion. Was she going to start mocking the guys now? She wasn't that type of person, but after all the talking the guys made...
"You didn't think... this was the only time we'd do this, right?" And just like that, all the boys perked back up. Hope filled their hearts even though they weren't entirely sure why. She had a certain glint in her eyes accompanied with a small smirk. Giyu doesn't care about the giddy expression on his face, even if Shinobu is laughing at him.
Was this... redemption??
"Naturally, the Camp Olympics will make a return again! Do not give up yet! A chance to redeem yourselves awaits you!" Fire burned within the guys at the promise of another chance, a passion and drive to succeed next time. Next time... next time they'll-!
"Oh, but that won't be for a while I'm afraid. Maybe towards the end of Camp?" The hype she had built up had distinguished almost entirely. Almost, the fire was still lit. Kanae sits down on her chair and lets out a long yawn.
"Okayyy~ that concludes the Gamesss~ Goodnight everyone~! Victors, follow me~" And it's over, the day is finally over. Now that that fact registers in everyone's minds, the fatigue finally hits them. Some people begin to collapse right on the spot, some even falling asleep at the blink of an eye. Giyu was no different, but he wanted to atleast be in his bed before he got a face full of dirt. He firmly believes if he shuts his eyes for more than two seconds he'll drop dead on the ground.
It's with great struggle when he begins to stand up. Knees feeling a tad heavier than usual and almost no more gas in his tank. He barely registers the two feet that aren't his on the ground. Slowly looking up, he sees Shinobu blushing with her a finger twirling a strand of hair.
"Can I help you..?" He asks with such clear tiredness it almost makes her want to yawn. She gulps in anticipation, better now than never...
"Giyu I..." she looked around. Coast was clear and...
She suddenly leans in and pecks his cheek with her lips. Softly, Giyu registers. She pulls away and her action clicks something in his brain.
She kissed him. Kissed... him?
What just happened?!
"SH-SHINOBU?!?" Kanae cried out in a squeal. Behind her, Mitsuri fangirls. Shinobu reddens more, they saw that!?! Oh no...
"...T-thank you and goodnight!" She rushes out before making a quick 180 and walking back to Kanae who looked at her abashed. Not even giving Giyu a chance say anything. Mitsuri instantly popped up next to her and bombarded her with questions, like how did it feel? did you tell him? Is he a good kisser? Mitsuri really has no filter...
But it was worse when Kanae started asking similar questions as well. Only hers were so much worse. Shinobu hid her steaming face in her hands, wishing they hadn't seen that.
...but atleast she did it! She finally did it!
...Giyu on the other hand, was having a little difficulty wrapping his head around it. She left him an absolute mess.
'What did that mean?! He-she, huhhh?!?' Giyu's whole system shuts down. He- for the life of him- just can't understand why! Shinobu just, did she really-
...Does she actually like him?
Christ his face just sizzles at that thought. Blushing a deep, deep red that's traveling all over his neck, ears, nose, and especially his face. His face burns and he wipes away the sweat that's beginning to form. He needs to lie down-
"Yooo! Tomioka! I saw that whole thing~" Tengen teases with a smirk as he wraps an arm around his shoulder. Giyu couldn't even comprehend being mad right now, A girl just kissed him! What did Sabito and Tsutako say again?! Something about confidence? Wait, but that was for when he makes the first move! Yet Shinobu-
"So, still think you two are just friends?" Giyu doesn't respond, can't respond. His head is feeling very very light suddenly and he's, well... his head suddenly droops.
"...Tomioka? You there?" He shakes him roughly but sees Giyu's eyes are completely blank. He passed out from a short kiss on his cheek!? This guy...
"...For real? Jeez... in any case, you're one step closer to becoming a man. I mean, it's not like I've forgotten my promise. So I'll continue to help you out, my appr- ...friend." Tengen picks him up with such ease it's comical. Still, Tengen was feeling quite proud for his fellow comrade at the moment. He knew it was obvious she liked him!
...Boy he's gonna get a kick out of this when he wakes up!
But someone else was feeling a very strong and very opposite emotion from seeing that. Yet... it wasn't anger, it was heartbreak. He was just thinking of apologizing to Shinobu for what he'd done but...
...He leaves. It's too late now, Giyu's won her heart.
A/N: Yayy chapter 5 is finally out, I hope this read was up to your guys' expectations? I always worry about every chapter I release, wonder if the story is progressing fine or if it's even enjoyable at all. I know I take my time with releasing them and I apologize, but I'm afraid I have some bad news as well. Call me selfish but, I will be focusing more of my time on trying to catch up to One Piece for the Gear 5 reveal. Very unproffessional I know, but it's my favorite anime so I hope you guys understand. That being said, these already lengthy chapter updates might get... lengthier. I'll try my best to make sure that won't be the case though, It's not like I'll stop working on this story entirely. As always, thank you so much for reading this and see you in the next chapter.
P.S: This was supposed to be the chapter where they really kissed but I thought it'd be too early so, yeah idk what you'll make of that. Ok bye for real now!