A Snake Decides to Love (4.)
Obanai's hand felt sweaty, but Kanroji showed no recognition of it. If anything, she gripped his hand tighter.
Her pink lips curved into a sweet smile.
The hashiras, the master's wife, the bow girls, some kakushi, and Kamado and his doofus friends looked at him expectantly. They were in one of the mansion's meeting rooms during the daylight. Somehow, Kanroji had rounded them up and now looked at him.
When daylight was so precious before the time demons roamed, it meant a lot for everyone to attend.
Kanroji batted her eyes.
"Go ahead, Obanai! Tell them how you proposed to me."
Obanai winced, rubbing the back of Kaburamura's scales for comfort.
The proposal hadn't been romantic. After they had kissed, and the memory still warmed him down to his toes, remembering the softness of her mouth against his, he committed himself to her.
' Kanroji, I promise to become someone worthy of your love. To devote myself only to you and make the rest of your days happy. Keep me in your care until you find someone better.'
She had scolded him about his halfhearted confession but accepted it.
They were going to be married.
But the ignorance of his youth reared its head. He had never been to a wedding. It was something he could only reference from books. His fault for spending his childhood in a cage, waiting to be sacrificed.
When Kanroji asked would they get married at home, a Shinto shrine, or a church, he completely blanked.
He would take it to his grave. But once he left her home and the high of their first kiss wore off, he cried in frustration. Someone better suited should have married Kanroji. He was so incredibly blessed someone like her wanted him.
Because there was so much he didn't know.
"Obanai?" she called again. Kanroji was still smiling and squeezed his hand.
He had gotten consumed in his thoughts.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Oh, thank you for coming on short notice. Kanroji and I are getting married unless another suitor comes along." Kanroji frowned at him. "But most likely it'll be me. None of this will disrupt our mission to destroy Muzan, but we wanted to inform you. In addition, Kanroji may be moving into my quarters."
The room erupted into loud applause. Gyomei as usual burst into tears. Although the master's wife wore a blank expression, her tight smile seemed halfway encouraging. Kamado and the boar kid hooted in celebration. The obnoxious golden-haired one whined about his lack of a love life, but an elbow from Kamado made him congratulate them.
Obanai looked for his friend's reaction in the crowd.
Sanemi gave a quick affirming nod. He wasn't very talkative nor had he ever interacted much with Kanroji. But off the strength of seeing him happy, he seemed to accept the union.
Underneath his mask, he couldn't fight his nervous smile or the flutter in his stomach.
"Congratulations, Iguro. I'll have to welcome you into the married men's club with a drink," Tengen told him. Obanai blushed, knowing he would have to ask the former sound hashira for some special advice later.
"OOOH, a wedding! Can we help?" The bow girls had squealed, setting down their stack of laundry on the meeting room floor.
"Yes, please! Obanai and I don't know much about wedding planning, but we hope my parents and you all will help us." Kanroji turned to Amane. "Do you think the master will allow us to be married on his estate?"
Obanai still had yet to receive her parents' blessing. They were operating on a rushed job, but his fiancé assured him they would be accepting.
Amane answered slowly. "Yes, that will be quite all right. Master Kagaya would be pleased to contribute anything we can, including funds, venue, and catering. However, our family will personally be unable to attend. It would be too risky to expose ourselves outdoors to those who seek to harm us."
"EEEEEE! Thank you! And you all have done more than enough." Kanroji cheered. Tears built in her eyes.
Their master was so wonderful. An absolute saint.
Unable to stop being perceptive, he suspected Amane was less than thrilled. Either at hashiras being married or the short shelf life their union would most likely have. Planning a wedding and then a funeral seemed especially morbid.
But Obanai needed to stop worrying. He had to live in the present. He was going through with it, so he should enjoy his wildest dream coming true.
Amane, the bow girls, and a few female kakushi left for another room to start mapping out wedding logistics.
"Happy for you," Tokito said with the dryest deadpan Obanai had seen before exiting. But for the former emotionally constipated teen it was noteworthy.
Kanroji prepared to follow the women but stopped for Kocho.
Even a pale Kocho managed a smile. She coughed into her elbow several times before she asked, "Would you consider a butterfly theme for the wedding? If so, I have a lot of decorations lying around. I'm so happy for you, Mitsuri. I know you liked him for a long time."
A long time?
Obanai felt that warm feeling in his chest again. Was it so impossible that someone truly cared for him?
"What are you most excited about, Kanroji?" a female demon slayer asked.
Kanroji hugged herself. "Oh, I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with one of my best friends. And I'm also excited to make love for the first time on my wedding night!" Kanroji threw her hands up joyously.
The hashira and demon slayers pierced Obanai with their funny bulged-out eyes.
"Oh dear, I said that out loud." She blushed and held a hand to her mouth.
"Yeah, yeahhhhhh," Zenitsu chanted with a suggestive smirk.
Obanai felt his face flush. Kaburamaru hissed amusedly.
His junior cleared his throat and for once he was thankful— not entirely repulsed by Kamado.
"Behave, Zen. Again, I'm so happy for you both." Kamado smiled.
"Love! Love!" Nezuko babbled from underneath one of the tables, clapping her hands.
Admittedly no one said "I wish you a long life or marriage," but all their comments were positive. Gyomei clapped a heavy encouraging hand on his shoulder.
If Master and his family were going to put on the wedding, then he just needed to win over Kanroji's parents somehow. And stifle his crippling self-doubt along the way.