The World On His Shoulders | Demon slayer x Male reader

Chapter LXVI

More angst who would have thought?

.

❛ ━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ━━❜

.

Y/N's POV

Back at his home, Y/N stood in his kitchen to try his hand at cooking. He had opened the Kamado family's cooking book to a seemingly simple recipe. It seemed straightforward enough, but Y/N was clueless.

He read the instructions out loud to himself, "Dice the tofu, simmer the seaweed..." He realized he wasn't entirely sure what 'simmer' meant. Shrugging, he decided to just boil everything together.

As he chopped the tofu, his knife skills were less than perfect, resulting in unevenly cut pieces. He threw them into the pot with more force than necessary, causing water to splash everywhere including his face.

"Okay, add miso paste after it boils," he muttered to himself, stirring the pot. The kitchen was already a mess, with ingredients scattered across the counter.

When it came time to add the miso, he misjudged the amount, dumping in far too much. The soup's consistency quickly became thicker than intended. Frustrated, Y/N tried to salvage it by adding more water, only to make it too diluted.

In a moment of distraction, he accidentally touched the hot pot, burning his hand. "Ouch! Damn it!" he shouted, both in pain and anger. The sharp sting was enough to make him abandon the whole attempt.

With a defeated sigh, Y/N looked around: the cluttered countertop, the spilled ingredients, and the pot of miso soup that was anything but appetizing. He eyed the stash of snacks he had, contemplating whether to just give in and eat those instead.

Y/N settled into his main room, the only company being his lantern, a selection of snacks, and a bottle of sake. Resigned to his solitary dinner, he reached for the two notebooks he had, one for writing, another for drawing.

Opening the journal, he began to write.

"Another day, another failure in the kitchen. I'm useless at this. Can't even cook a simple meal. So here I am, dinner is just sweets and sake again. I know it's not good for me, but the sake... it helps me forget. Forget the tasteless food, forget being alone, forget what I did to Sanemi. I just want to drown out everything, even if just for a night."

After closing the journal, Y/N opened the drawing notebook. The first few pages were filled with sketches of the Butterfly Estate, a happy Hachiman sitting, and Raijin proudly standing atop Hachiman's fluffy head.

He paused, thinking about what to draw next.

Y/N settled into a comfortable position. He took a deep breath, closing his eye for a moment to visualize the scene he wanted to capture. The image of Shinobu hugging Fugu's tank, wearing the yukata he had bought her, and her pretty smile came to mind.

He began by lightly sketching the outline of Shinobu's figure. Her posture was gentle, almost protective, as she held the tank. He paid attention to the way her body curved slightly, leaning into the tank with affection.

Next, he focused on the details of the yukata. He remembered the pattern vividly. His pencil moved in soft, fluid motions to replicate the design. The folds of the yukata were sketched with care, showing how the fabric draped naturally over her body.

Y/N then worked on Shinobu's face, aiming to capture her smile. He carefully shaded under her eyes and cheeks. Her hair was drawn with fine, sweeping lines, giving it a soft, flowing appearance.