KNY Fanfic: Priceless Smile

Chapter 73: Rehabilitation Training

     New morning and a new day for everyone again. Tanjiro and his friends are still resting. Zenitsu looked at Tanjiro.

"Hey, how long do you think is Kazu-kun a slayer Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked.
"I mean, he's kinda.... um.... short and small. Like Kocho-san."

"I don't exactly know but.... all I could say is that he's already a slayer when we met, so maybe two years." Tanjiro answered.

"Then, what do you think of his rank now?"

"I think, maybe a kinoto or a kinoe. I mean, he hid his presence very well I can't even smell his scent coming and also, he's fast. How about you?"

"The same for me. I mean, if you can't smell him, it's the same as mine, I can't even hear him. I mean, I can only hear his footsteps."

The longer they chat with each other the more annoyed Inosuke gets.

"Come on.... shut it will ya." Inosuke muttered out.

They just decided to silence theirselves until just a minute, Tanjiro got up.

"How about we go to visit Kazu-kun?" Tanjiro suggested.

"Are you crazy? At this state?" Zenitsu deadpanned.

"Oh.... you're right."

As they kept on resting, Aoi finally came to give them their medicines. Tanjiro thought of this as a chance.

"Um.... Aoi-san.... can I ask you something?"

"Go on."

"Do you perhaps know where Kazu-kun live?" Tanjiro asked smiling brightly.

"Even if I know I won't tell you. You still have to rest." Aoi answered frowning before walking out.

"Told you." Zenitsu muttered out.

All three of them kept on resting until the day came where Tanjiro and Inosuke were called out for a rehabilitation training. Everytime the two would come back, the expression on their faces scares Zenitsu. It always made him nervous whenever he look at them.

"Are.... you guys alright?" Zenitsu asked.

The two just stayed silent retreating to their own beds.

"HEY COME ON ANSWER ME!!! I'LL BE JOINING YOU GUYS TOMORROW!!!" Zenitsu snapped.

"Sorry." Tanjiro muttered out.

He was only met by nothing but silence after those words. Until the next day came.

The three of them are now walking towards the training room. Zenitsu shivering holding onto Tanjiro's clothes. By the time they reached the room, Aoi explained everything again. Hearing this Zenitsu snapped at the two and pulled them out.

"SIT DOWN AND LISTEN UP! YOU IDIOT JERKS!" Zenitsu shouted.

"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME?!" Inosuke shouted back.

Zenitsu then suddenly punched him on the face that made Inosuke fall on the ground.

"Zenitsu! Why did you do that?! Tell Inosuke you're sorry!" Tanjiro exclaimed holding Inosuke down.

"YOU SAY YOU'RE SORRY! YOU GUYS SHOULD APOLOGIZE! WHY DID YOU TWO COME BACK EVERYDAY LOOKING LIKE YOU'D BEEN THROUGH HELL WHEN YOU WERE ACTUALLY IN HEAVEN?!" Zenitsu shouted.

He kept on shouting and shouting about how good it is to be touched by a girl and how their bodies smell so good for him. He kept on blabbering words after words that made the girls, who heard it inside, uncomfortable and flinch.

As the three of them went back inside, they could really see how Zenitsu is true to his words. Despite the pain of being stretched, he's laughing. He also managed to beat Aoi in the reflex training game of lifting up her cup.

"Don't worry. I'd never throw a drink in a girl's face."

He tried to look cool, but the girls had a flinty look in their eyes. He also won the full body tag training but ended up bruised.

"I won the game but lose the war." He muttered out.

Meanwhile, Inosuke hated to lose. He spilled the medication tea all over Aoi during the reflex training and even lifted her up by her feet during the full body tag training.

While in the end, only Tanjiro lose. But all three of them still can't beat Kanao.

"Even with Monitsu here, we finished each day soaked." Inosuke muttered out drenched.

"Maybe, I should just change my name to Monitsu." Zenitsu replied.

As they all walk back to their rooms, they had a little chat.

"We joined the corps the same time as her, so why is she so much better?" Tanjiro wondered.

"If you think I know, you're dumber than me." Zenitsu deadpanned.

     On the other hand, Shinobu and Mitsuri are having a snack at Mitsuri's place. The two ladies are sitting at the veranda. As They sip their tea, Mitsuri suddenly had an idea in mind. To be precise, a question.

"Shinobu-chan?"

Shinobu only hummed in response.

"Aren't you worried about Mayonaka-san's children? I mean.... they're staying at Kazumi-chan's place." Mitsuri asked in a worried tone.

"They grew up there and spent much more time with her than any of us. All I could only think of now is that, even if I were to ask them to stay at my place, they wouldn't." Shinobu answered frowning.

"Why?"

"Simply because those three trust her more than any of us. They barely know us and we barely know them too."

Mitsuri have a saddened expression on her face as she sip her tea again. She also feels bothered like everyone else. Like Shinobu, Mitsuri's pretty close with Aiko too. Despite of her kind nature, she still couldn't stop feeling the same anger Shinobu feels towards Kazumi. For the first time, she get to glare at someone.

"We just have to pray and hope that Kazumi wouldn't hurt them one day. That on the very least she would take care of them properly in the place of nee-sama." Shinobu said gripping the tea cup tightly.

"I hope so too."

As the day goes by, Shinobu stayed there until the sun sets before her and Mitsuri took on their own ways to their mission. Unbeknownst to them, Take heard it all who was just about to give Mitsuri the letter Kazumi made. A letter of apology.

'If ever you hear her still very unwilling to hear me out, you may discard the letter. I'm sure she wouldn't read it if she still feels like that. And if she won't, it'll be the same actions for the others.'
Take recalled Kazumi's orders to him.

He looked at the letter he put on the floor before taking it again and tore it in mid-air with his talons.

'If they are so unwilling to forgive Master, they shouldn't regret their own actions in the end or I'll claw them myself.'
Take thought as he flew back to Kazumi's place.

He is also angered seeing how they treat Kazumi and even more just remembering what he saw, Sanemi nearly slashing Kazumi. Ever since the Pillars ignored her, Take kept being observative of their moves and actions whenever he encounters one. He then have one thought in mind.

'Pillars.... why call yourselves like that when you don't even have the understanding capacity a so called Pillar should have, dammit all!'