The eye of the storm (Sanemi Shinazugawa X Reader)

19| Painful memories

Days passed, nights grew colder, and my goal became clearer: to eradicate all demons from this world. Many things had happened since Kaigaku was expelled from the corps. We hadn't seen him again. Grandpa wrote me a letter saying he was going to look for him. Grandpa wanted to talk to Kaigaku because he wanted to ask him face-to-face if all that stuff about making pacts with demons was true. The one who had been most affected by Kaigaku's departure was him.

I was still recovering because I had lost my brother, the second one I had lost. That's why lately I worried twice as much about Zenitsu. I cooked for him every day, encouraged him to train, even gave him some lessons, trying to get him to master other forms of thunder, but it was impossible. Still, his progress was notable, and I was proud.

After Mitsuri's training had finished, I felt more flexible. Now, I was starting training with Tokito, who seemed happy to train with me. Despite being the youngest of the pillars, he was one of the best, with impressive technique. Training with him was tough but also enjoyable. He gave me plenty of advice to improve, and I received it all gratefully. It was wonderful that someone so young had risen to the rank of a pillar so quickly. Tokito truly was a prodigy.

One day, after our training session, we sat at the entrance of the Mist Estate. Normally, training sessions took place in the common training grounds, but Tokito was too lazy to bother going there, so every day, I went to his estate instead.

"You're blushing, (yn)-chan," Tokito said, tilting his head.

"It's just that it's really hot today, and I had to train hard to keep up with you," I replied, bringing the water bottle to my lips for a drink. I was exhausted. I think on hot days, it's harder for me to give my all because of the damage to my temperature regulating center.

"Are you sure you don't have a fever?" he asked, unfazed.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I assured him, offering a friendly smile.

"Let me check, just in case," he insisted. He approached me and placed the palm of his hand on my forehead. Then the back of his hand moved down to my cheek. The coolness of his skin relieved me a bit from the stifling heat I was feeling.

"Tokito-kun..." I murmured.

"Hmm?" he asked, pulling away to look me in the eyes.

"Can I ask why you always worry if I have a fever?" I asked.

"In case you get sick," he replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"But why do you think I'll get sick?"

Tokito shrugged and fell into deep thought. Before he lost track of the conversation, I ventured to ask him, "Could it be that I remind you of someone from your past? Someone who was sick?"

Tokito looked at me with a pensive expression, then tilted his head as if that would help him reason better. "I don't know, I don't remember anything."

"Not even a little bit?" I asked.

Tokito shook his head.

The words hung in the air, heavy with tension. I regretted my question the moment it left my lips, fearing I might have touched on a sensitive topic for Tokito. In an attempt to amend the situation, I jumped to my feet and exclaimed, "Well, do you want me to make something to eat for both of us?"

Tokito remained silent, his expression seemingly apathetic, as if everything in life were inconsequential. After a while, he nodded, though it seemed like he hadn't even heard my question. Nonetheless, I decided to fulfill my promise.

Once in the kitchen, I began cooking his favorite dish, furofuki daikon. As I sliced the radishes, Tokito appeared by my side, watching me cautiously.

"You don't need to help me; just sit down," I said, smiling.