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another week had passed. shinobu was working on a vial in her office, which was taking a while. due to that, she was very busy. that meant that there really wasn't much to do.
sometimes kazemi sparred with kanao, other times she baked with aoi, (she actually just sat there and watched) and other times, she slept.
she loved sleeping.
out of genuine concern, shinobu had ran a few checkups on her a few days ago, and found nothing wrong. so, she just brushed it off as an odd sleep schedule.
kazemi didn't really speak to sumi, kiyo, and naho much, so they weren't an option. in general, she didn't like little kids, despite she, herself, being pretty young. it wasn't like she was actively rude to the butterfly trio, she just avoided them.
she liked the butterfly estate. she enjoyed the presence of everyone.
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two months had passed. her stay was unfortunately long overdue. since she wasn't an official tsuguko, she couldn't really stay that long. it was hindering her missions a little. even if she wanted to become a tsuguko, her breathing technique was quite different from shinobu's, and the training was a little too relaxed, so she could not become a trainee under the insect hashira.
"oh... you have to leave now, huh..." shinobu smiled in a slightly solemn matter. seeing her again was not guaranteed, as the world of demon slaying was unpredictable. in the three or four months she'd known kazemi, she had grown a little attached. she was beginning to see her as a little sister.
kazemi just nodded. she wasn't the best at expressing sadness, but didn't want to give the impression she didn't care, as many people had mistaken her blankness as nonchalance and ignorance. so, she did one of the only things she could think of. she hugged shinobu.
once again, shinobu was surprised by the action, but immediately hugged back, smiling.
"you're welcome to come back here whenever you'd like, alright?" shinobu stated, a warm undertone to her voice. kazemi didn't answer, simply continuing to embrace the hashira.
after a minute or two, she did let go. shinobu patted her head lightly, since she'd found out that the young girl loved that very much.
"why don't you go say bye to kanao and aoi as well?" shinobu asked. "they'll definitely miss you, too."
she obliged, and went to look for them.
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first, she found kanao, sitting in the garden with a butterfly on the tip of her finger. the tsuguko's eyes drifted from the butterfly, and she stared over at kazemi, asking what she needed through eye contact. they somehow learned to understand each other through body language. they, themselves didn't really know how.
