To The Stars | Tokito Muichiro x OC

11 • Forgotten Priorities

"Inori! Can you help bring these to the patients?" Aoi called out. "They eat a lot, and you're least likely to drop these out of all of us."

Inori nodded as she turned the stove off. She took off her apron, hanging it on the hanger by the door. She took the two stacks of trays from Aoi, balancing them on both hands as she made her way to the recovery hall. Using her foot while keeping her balance, Inori slid the door open, managing to not spill anything.

"UMAI!"

Inori jumped at the loud voice, momentarily losing her balance. She yelped as one of the trays fell from its stack. In her panic, Inori reached her leg out, miraculously managing to balance the tray using her knee.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Clapping could be heard. "Your hair is so cute! Your eyes are also cute! They look like Iguro-san's! You're so cool!"

An irk mark appeared on Inori's forehead as she smiled venomously at the beaming pink-haired girl, and the blond man hidden behind her. She wasn't angry, not really, but she really didn't appreciate being treated like a spectacle. "If you don't mind, I need a little help." It seemed like breathing style and medicines weren't the only things Inori picked up from Shinobu, if the sweet but poisonous tone she used was any indication.

The pink-haired girl hastily took the trays from her knee and right hand, bringing them to her bedside table. She began gobbling up the food, moaning in delight as she savored Aoi's cooking.

Meanwhile, the blond man kept staring at Inori. She ignored his unnerving eyes, making it a point to not look at his face. She placed the other stack on his bedside table, dusting her hands as she smiled pleasantly to herself because she wouldn't have to clean the floor since nothing was spilled. "Well then, enjoy your—"

"Are you Hoshizora Inori?"

Inori froze, turning to look at the beaming man. Recognition immediately filled her mind, and her shoulders sagged involuntarily before they rose again because this man was not them. Still, she gave him a stiff nod.

The man beamed even wider than what was supposed to be possible, stretching out his hand. "I am the Flame Pillar, Rengoku Kyojuro," he introduced himself. "I've heard that you managed to stay silent and even escaped Kibutsuji. I applaud you. You have done brilliantly well."

Inori accepted his outstretched hand, finding it comical how it easily engulfed her smaller one. "Hoshizora Inori," she said even though she knew they already knew her name. Princess Yua's imperial etiquette lessons may be tainted by the less polite spirits she had befriended (demon slayers and yakuza, among many), but Inori had her lessons drilled into her body. "And thanks, though I didn't really do much. It was thanks to luck that I survived."

"Wait, wait, wait!" The pink-haired girl suddenly leaped from her bed, grasping Inori by her shoulders. "Are you really Hoshizora Inori? I've heard of you from Rengoku-san and Oyakata-sama. You're so cool. You're prettier than the descriptions. So cute," she rambled on. "Oh, oh! I'm Kanroji Mitsuri, the Love Pillar. I'm new to the whole pillar thing but nice to meet you, Inori-chan. I can call you Inori-chan, right?"

Inori smiled at the pillar in front of her, accepting her outstretched hand. "It's fine. Nice to meet you too, Kanroji-san."

"Call me Mitsuri, okay?" Mitsuri pulled Inori into a hug, squealing about how cute she was, much to Inori's confusion. "But what are you doing in the Butterfly Estate? I thought you were staying with Oyakata-sama?"

"Ah, I'm staying over to master Insect Breathing. Actually, I already mastered it and I was planning on going back to the Ubuyashiki Estate today, but Aoi-san needed some help with the food, so I decided to head back tomorrow." Inori complied as Mitsuri pulled her to sit on the bed.