The World On His Shoulders | Demon slayer x Male reader

Chapter LXI

This story arc is...  what I consider my best so far... so get comfortable and be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions far more intense!

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━ ❜

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Y/N's POV

Y/N's eye open, greeted by the familiar ceiling of his room in the Butterfly Estate. 

He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eye, and glanced around. His indigo yukata was nowhere in sight. Instead, he was dressed in simple patient clothes.

With a groan, Y/N swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet meeting the cool wooden floor. He noticed his eyepatch was missing.

Staggering slightly, he made his way to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, he squinted against the bright morning light. The sun was already high in the sky, indicating it was later than he had thought.

Memories from the previous day tried to surface in his mind, but they were fragmented, elusive. He remembered the festival, the orphanage... and the crushing weight of a long-forgotten truth. ...Or was it?

Y/N dropped the curtain and crawled back into bed, curling into himself.

The door creaked open. Y/N's ears perked up at the familiar, sweet voice of Kanae. "Shinazugawa-kun?" she called out.

"How are you?" she asked softly.

Y/N remained silent, his back to her. He closed his eye tighter, pretending to sleep, not ready to face the conversation or the emotions it might bring.

He heard her approach. She paused beside the bed, and he felt the mattress dip slightly as she sat down.

"Shinazugawa-kun," Kanae's voice was closer now, gentle and coaxing. "It's late. You've slept for quite a while."

There was a pause, and he imagined her studying him.

"I brought some tea," she continued. "It's your favorite. I thought it might help you feel better."

Y/N could smell the faint aroma of the tea, a subtle reminder of the many mornings they had shared a cup. It was a small comfort, yet he couldn't bring himself to respond.

"Everyone's been worried about you," Kanae added after a moment, "We just want to make sure you're okay."

He felt the bed shift as she leaned in closer. "Shinazugawa-kun, please... can you talk to me?"

He chose silence as his refuge.

Y/N heard Kanae sigh resigned. "I'm going to leave the tea here for a bit," she said gently. "If it gets cold, I'll come back for it."

As she began to rise from the bed, Y/N realized he didn't want to be left alone. In an impulse, he turned towards her, "Kanae?" he muttered, his voice rough with fake sleep.

Kanae paused, turning back to face him. "Shinazugawa-kun... Good mor—afternoon now," she corrected herself, offering a smile that seemed awkward and forced.

"You... remember anything?" she asked cautiously.

Images of the festival flashed in Y/N's mind – Kanae handing out candy to children, the joyous atmosphere. And then the jarring memory of Genya at the orphanage. Was it a dream? A fragment of his shattered recollections? He shrugged slightly. "Kinda," he replied noncommittally.