"So tell me, Aoi - tell me, why do you, a person who doesn't even want to lift a sword, can make a strong man like me feel sick and weak without you?"
"You annoy me, kiss me when you're not supposed to and always steal food. But you broke my walls d...
"It's not my fault that you two find it impossible to reject those girls. I was honest to Clara about Aoi and she's leaving me alone. You're too nice to everyone, Tanjiro! And Zenitsu, you like it when the girls make those goo goo eyes at you!" Inosuke spat, shocking his friends.
Inosuke had never used their real name, even though he had memorized them. He was too surprised and angry hearing them making such assumptions. In his serious mode, he didn't think of making fun of them anymore.
Nezuko protested, "Zenitsu-san just doesn't want to hurt them. That's all!"
"Nezuko-chan's right. I will never do something to taint my loyalty to her!" Zenitsu joined, gripping his hands into fists.
Although Tanjiro knew Inosuke would become mad after hearing this, he still didn't like the fact that he was picking a fight with his sister.
Plus, the scent in the room smelled sharper, making Tanjiro's head dizzy.
"Try thinking deeply, Inosuke. If we stay here, Kanao and Aoi would always be conflicted whether they should take their apprentices' side or our side," Tanjiro persuaded.
Inosuke opened his mouth to reply, but Tanjiro cut him off by adding, "We're not boys anymore. We're men, and we should stop depending on them."
Inosuke felt weak knowing that he had been living his life by Aoi's side. He wondered if he would survive living and waking up without seeing her face first thing in the morning.
The thought caused his heart to ache, throbbing inside his chest.
He didn't want to let Aoi go.
"I don't want to be separated from her," he whispered, his voice low and cracking.
Once Inosuke took off his mask, his eyes were glistening with tears and he didn't even try to wipe them away.
Nezuko, Tanjiro and Zenitsu didn't even realize that he was breaking down under his mask. Inosuke had always been a tough guy, but he wasn't immune to tears.
Tanjiro walked over to him and held Inosuke by his shoulders. "I don't want to bring any trouble to the girls," he advised.
"If it wasn't for us, the girls wouldn't cause them problems," Zenitsu added, taking one step closer to Inosuke. He wasn't as bold as Tanjiro, but Inosuke had always been his good friend.
"B-but, if we weren't here, nobody would've saved Aoi from the demon boy," he reminded them, thinking about the one time that he became furious and cursed each person he bumped in the town.
Nezuko argued, "And if it weren't for us, we wouldn't even be in town that day."
Inosuke could sense his own opinion losing in the midst of their solid and sound arguments. If he chose to stay at the Butterfly Mansion, he would lose two of his best friends and Nezuko, whom he accepted as his own sister.
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