Their Tale [Kimetsu No Yaiba Oneshots]

11. White Day

March 14.

Shinobu was reaching for her butterfly hairpin on her bedside table when she noticed today’s date, and ended up staring at the calendar for a while.

Huh. Five more days until her graduation.

It’s also White Day, a small voice reminded her. Right. She totally forgot it had already been a month since Valentine’s day.

… A month since she had sneakily stolen a kiss from her (soon-to-be) boyfriend’s forehead, earning her the best thing ever on that day: the dumbfounded look on his face.

Her mouth unwillingly curled and pulled into a bashful grin, remembering how bold she had been. Well, maybe it’s just the magic of Valentine’s Day—people becoming braver and more courageous to confront their love lives. That kiss was a big leap in their relationship, as it’s literally the most, and the only physical thing they had done thanks to his ridiculously high sense of responsibility. While Shinobu didn’t consider herself to be particularly thirsty or romantic, sometimes when she looked at those couples in the hallway, she did wish he were more aloof so they could occasionally embrace, or even kissed, if she’s allowed to hope. Secretly, she hoped that kiss would ignite a spark inside him to shed his inhibitions and get more… physical with her. Or at least return it the same way on White Day.

Then again, this was Tomioka Giyuu she was talking about. The same guy who took a leave on Valentine’s day because he knew he wouldn’t be able to restrain himself from confiscating chocolates from students (although contradictorily, he wanted one from her). He might be more lenient in regards to White Day celebration—because it was not as disruptive as Valentine, he said—but what were the chances he would join the festivities? Small chance, she would say.

So Shinobu reminded herself not to set her expectation too high. At best he would probably gave her a box of sweets, and at worst… an empty hand. She felt a prick in her chest when she imagined the day ended with her not receiving any kind of gift of him but she tried to rationalise it—it’s not a big deal, she didn’t need to be given sweets to know about his feelings, she knew damn well he truly loved her from his actions.

Turning away from the calendar, the third-year student deftly put up her hair, promising in her heart that she would not be disappointed by anything done by her boyfriend on this special day.

… Though it didn’t stop her from slipping laxative pills in her school bag, a preparation if she really didn’t receive anything by the end of the day.

———

She was putting beakers back to the cupboard by the blackboard when Giyuu suddenly entered the room in his usual blue tracksuit. The clubroom was empty except for her; she had told her juniors to go home and just let her tidy up by herself for the last time. Kanao had volunteered to help her, quite adamantly, in fact, but Shinobu had always had a way with people. She just needed to talk how a certain boy with maroon hair was waiting by the shoe locker for her, and Kanao was convinced to leave with a blush on her face.

His visit did not exactly surprise her, since he had always been doing that if he spotted her alone in the clubroom, but it sure gave her some hopes on White Day present. Giving the teacher a sideway glance, Shinobu greeted with a slight smile, “Hello, Giyuu-san.”

“Don’t call me that. We’re still at school,” Giyuu replied gruffly, taking erlenmeyer flasks on the teacher’s desk and passed them carefully to her.

“Come on, there’s literally no one else here besides us. Can you be a little bit lenient for once? I’m graduating in five days, after all.”

He only offered her silence, and she sighed, getting rid of the expectation that he actually came here bringing something.

As soon as she put all equipment inside the cupboard and locked it, something hit her head softly. Turned out he was placing a box of cookies on her head, a single white ribbon wrapping the package.