The eye of the storm (Sanemi Shinazugawa X Reader)

27| I couldn't

After coming back from our little vacation, the workload hit all the Pillars hard. Suddenly, we all had a bunch of missions, most of them individual. Luckily or unluckily, none of us encountered an Upper Moon, so they were all quite straightforward. In fact, the missions were becoming repetitive and boring to me.

During the day, I would visit Kimura at the Butterfly Estate to check on how he was doing. At first, Aoi couldn't stand him, but then she realized how kind Kimura was, and she ended up accepting him. I was glad to see him integrating so well with the three girls; to them, he was already part of the family.

"I have to admit, he's a very competent guy," Aoi remarked as we walked through the forest under the sunset's light. Aoi had announced that she was going to search for medicinal herbs in the forest before it got dark, and I decided to accompany her because I didn't have anything better to do.

"He's a great help to us, especially to me, and he's very obedient," Aoi added with a slight smile.

"I'm glad I didn't make a mistake with him," I declared happily.

We continued walking deeper into the forest. Aoi carried a basket in her hands and occasionally bent down to pick mushrooms and herbs, and I helped her.

"Hey, (l/n)," Aoi suddenly said. I noticed her voice sounded a bit more subdued, so I turned to look at her.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You don't have to help us all the time, it's not your obligation, you know?" she said, resuming her walk. If we kept going deeper into the forest, it would soon be dark, but since I was with her to protect her if anything happened, I didn't say anything, and we continued walking.

"I don't help you because I see it as my obligation, I help you because I want to," I replied naturally.

"I know, but you don't have to do it, we don't want to waste your time or prevent you from fulfilling your duties as a Pillar," she murmured, bending down to pick a herb.

"I think you misunderstood me. I help you because I enjoy spending time with you all. When I spend too much time away from the butterfly estate, I miss you all," I assured her with a smile.

Aoi's eyes widened in surprise, forming a perfect 'O' with her mouth, before quickly breaking into a grateful smile.

"You're very kind, (l/n)," she said, very pleased.

"Ah, not at all. I'm just saying what I think. Your work may go unnoticed by some, but it's the most important of all. Without you, all of this would be chaos, and many more demon slayers would die," I commented as I put some mushrooms into the basket.

We spent a few more minutes gathering herbs and mushrooms, valuable ingredients for the medicines the girls concocted. As dusk settled in, I suggested to Aoi that we should start heading back. She readily agreed, pleased with our plentiful basket. Besides, we both cherished the time spent together.

As we made our way back to the butterfly estate, Aoi and I continued our conversation, enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings. However, my attention was suddenly drawn to a faint sound, like something being dragged through the grass. I paused, listening intently. Noticing my halt, Aoi inquired about what was amiss, as she hadn't detected anything unusual.

"I hear something dragging," I informed Aoi, but she waved it off.

"It's probably just some animal, maybe a snake. We should get going before it becomes a problem," Aoi suggested.

But then, I sensed something else—a slow, rhythmic heartbeat accompanied by a faint moan. This time, I knew something wasn't right. However, before I could voice my concerns, hands emerged from behind a bush, dragging along the ground until they revealed a boy clad in the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps.