BUTTERFLY : SHINOBU KOCHO (PART TWO)

Part 0: Kinoe

*Present Day*

With the midday sun finally breaching the thin veil of the curtains above his head, Tanjiro begrudgingly sat up from his bed with a groan, scratching at his scalp. The redhead demon slayer let out a yawn, unsure of the time.

Hm....morning already....

He turned to see Zenitsu yet again sprawled out in his bed, snoring with his mouth open. Tanjiro couldn't help but crinkle his nose when he heard Zenitsu murmur a blend of "ooou~, let's go, Nezuko-chan~" and "No, don't, we're too young~!" in his sleep.

Whether it was because Tanjiro had gotten so used to Zenitsu's less-than-discreet crush on his little demon sister or because he was too groggy to beat him to a pulp, he didn't know, but the redhead got out of bed and walked towards the kitchen of the Butterfly Mansion.

Still rubbing his eyes, Tanjiro thought to himself, Wonder if Aoi-san made breakfast by now, hope she doesn't get upset at me for sleeping in....

Walking through the halls, Tanjiro found himself looking back on his time so far at the Butterfly Mansion.

So far, recovery had been rough. Mastering Total Concentration Breathing at a consistent level had been more taxing on him than any training he had endured at Urokodaki's camp by a longshot, and with Zenitsu casting his training aside for the majority of his stay at the Butterfly Mansion, he was left with Kanao and the Sumi-Kiyo-Naho trio as companions in his training endeavors.

Had Inosuke not been selected to go with Sakusa to train at the Kari Manor with the rest of the clan, the boar boy would have delighted in the challenge, and perhaps Tanjiro himself would be pushed further onwards to perfect this breathing technique, he thought. Though, he would never suggest that Inosuke should not remain with Sakusa. The chance to train alongside a Hashira would be an offer only an idiot would turn down.

Tanjiro was glad that Inosuke was spending so much time with the Kari, even if his trademark loud nature was often missed at times.

Tanjiro let out a yawn into his hand before groggily sliding the door open to the kitchen, and looking over to the counter to see Shinobu's back to him as she cut up some vegetables into a bowl with some pouches labeled various herbs and spices to her side.

"Ah...good morning, Shinobu-san," Tanjiro murmured, leaning against the table in the center of the room. "What's for breakfast?"

"My, my, I think you mean afternoon, right, Tanjiro?" Shinobu replied bluntly, keeping her back to the redhead boy.

Tanjiro felt a chill crawl up his spine and he grimaced from the older teenager's icy tone.

A-Aw, crap, she is totally mad at me for missing morning training....

"O-Oh, y-yeah, sorry, must've overslept-"

Shinobu cut him off abruptly with a slam of the chef's knife into the cutting board; naturally, Tanjiro let out a yelp and shuddered when the butterfly girl turned around to face him, veins popping out of her forehead.

.....I'm dead.

"My, my, young Tanjiro~, it seems as though Saku-san has spoiled you, letting you get up late and missing training so often~!" Shinobu said. Her bitter tone contradicted the kind smile she kept on her at all times, and she took a warning step over to Tanjiro, who only quivered in place with his mouth open wide.

"The agreement for you even staying here past the end of your recovery time was to continue your training, remember~? If you choose not to do your training, then I'll have no choice nor any problem with chucking you out onto the street and shutting you out, you know~!!"