Chapter Text
"What do you think about Kanao?"
Tanjiro paused mid-bite. "Huh? Kanao?" He leaned backwards, a thoughtful look on his face. "Well, It's pretty nice of her to keep training us every day." He turned to his friend. "Why? Did you notice something?"
Zenitsu's mouth quirked into a line. "I mean, maybe? I'm not sure. It's just that-" He cut himself off with a sigh, looking at the ground. "Her emotions feel muted, somehow. Like she's not fully here."
Tanjiro took another bite of his rice ball. "What do you mean?"
"Okay, so, you know how my hearing's pretty good, right?" His friend nodded. "Well, usually, I can pick up on what others are feeling, at least to an extent." He bit into his peach, then continued. "But, with Kanao, it's as if her feelings are behind a wall. I can only hear faint traces of them. I've never seen something like it before."
He sighed again, turning to his friend. "I don't know if it means anything, but-" He raised his eyebrows. "Huh? Tanjiro? Why're you looking at me like that?"
His friend's eyes were practically sparkling. "That's so cool, Zenitsu! I didn't know you could do that! It's almost like how my nose can smell fear!"
He blushed, looking away from his friend's face. "I-it's not really that special, I-"
Wait.
His brain finally caught up with what Tanjiro said. He whipped his head back around to face his friend's.
"You can what?!"
One of the Ubuyashiki children smiled and slid open a door. "You may see the master, now. If you would please follow me, Lady Kocho."
Shinobu smiled, getting up from her seated position. "Yes, of course." She followed her through the hallways, until they both faced an open-air room. Bowing, the attendant left.
Shinobu hummed in thought. Such wonderfully strange children. Turning to the master, she quickly kneeled in front of him.
He faced her, with that ever-present smile still plastered onto his face. Sometimes, she wondered how he kept it up.