#A/N: For the sake of the STORY, I changed the monaka stall into a sweet shop, kind of like those K-dramas where the heroine meets the MC in a cafe... Just wanted to add a bit of that dramatic vibe. (:v)
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At the sweet shop, a single girl sat alone. Untouched sweets rested neatly before her, their glossy surface catching the afternoon light… yet not a single one had been disturbed.
Kanae Kocho sat with her usual composure, back straight, hands resting gently in her lap. At first glance, she looked no different than always.
Calm. Gentle. Unshaken.
Her Demon Slayer uniform was pristine, every line in place, the dark fabric fitted neatly to her frame. Over it, her butterfly-patterned haori draped lightly across her shoulders, shifting softly with the breeze. It gave her that same familiar presence...
Like something delicate.
Untouchable.
But today… that calm was only on the surface.
Beneath it... A storm.
Her gaze drifted toward the entrance.
Then away.
Then back again.
Subtle.
Measured.
But too frequent to be natural.
"…Did I give too little information?" she wondered quietly.
Her fingers shifted slightly against her sleeve.
"…He should know this place… right?"
A pause.
Her eyes lowered to the untouched sweets.
"…But what if he doesn't?"
The thought lingered longer than she wanted.
"…We only came here once…"
And that time... Shinobu had been there too.
It wasn't their place.
Not really.
Her chest tightened slightly.
"…Will he even come?"
The question slipped in before she could stop it.
For a moment, her composure wavered.
Just slightly.
Her fingers curled faintly in her lap.
"…Should I go to the Rengoku residence…?"
A small pause.
"…I don't even know the way…"
Silence settled around her again.
The shop was quiet.
People came and went.
Time passed.
But Kanae remained where she was.
Waiting.
"…This…" she exhaled softly, almost soundlessly. "…Why am I like this?"
Her gaze lifted once more... Toward the entrance.
As if hoping, that the next person to walk through it would be him.
*Tring*
---
With his destination finally in mind, Kagerou kept his pace steady.
Not hurried.
Not slow.
Just forward.
As he walked, countless possibilities ran through his head. Scenarios. Conversations. Outcomes he tried and failed to prepare himself for.
And before he even realized it… He had already arrived.
The sweet shop.
The same place they had once stopped by after he saved Shinobu from the alley.
Kagerou stood quietly in front of the entrance.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
Then, unconsciously, he took a slow breath.
And pushed the door open.
*Tring*
The small bell above the door rang softly.
Kagerou stepped inside.
And then... It happened.
Maybe it was a coincidence.
Or maybe… They had simply been looking for each other all along.
The moment he entered, his eyes found her immediately.
One girl sitting alone by the window.
A plate of untouched sweets resting before her.
Sunlight poured gently over her figure, illuminating the soft colors of her butterfly-patterned haori.
Beautiful. No... Divine.
Kagerou froze.
Their eyes met.
And for a moment… The world stopped moving.
One second.
Two.
Several more slipped by in complete silence.
Neither of them looked away.
"…Excuse me," a voice suddenly spoke from behind him. "Are you going in or not?"
Kagerou blinked, as though waking from a dream.
"A-Ah… yes. Sorry," he said quickly, stepping aside and bowing his head apologetically toward the couple waiting behind him.
The pair simply shook their heads before walking past him deeper into the shop.
Only then did Kagerou realize something embarrassing.
He had been standing there the entire time.
Staring.
"…Tch"
A quiet breath escaped him.
Then slowly, awkwardly, he began walking toward her table.
For someone who had faced demons without hesitation… Those few steps felt absurdly difficult.
He stopped in front of her.
Didn't fully meet her eyes.
And quietly sat down across from her.
"…I'm sorry," he said softly.
A brief pause.
"…I'm late"
No response came.
Silence settled between them.
Then more silence.
Kagerou felt his chest tighten.
Time seemed to slow, every second stretching unbearably long, yet no words could escape his lips.
…He was afraid.
Slowly, he lifted his head to look at the woman sitting before him.
No smile greeted him.
That gentle smile, the one that always seemed to rest naturally on Kanae's face, was gone.
And somehow… That frightened him more than anger ever could.
Her gaze met his directly.
Sharp.
Quiet.
As if there was no longer any need for words between them.
As if, in a single glance, she had already said a thousand things he didn't know how to answer.
Something twisted painfully inside his chest.
It hurt.
But there was no wound.
No blood.
Just a deep, suffocating ache he had never felt before.
For the first time in a long while… Kagerou Rengoku felt restless.
Not on a battlefield.
Not against a demon.
But here.
In front of her.
---
His gaze remained steady.
But it felt as though everything beneath it had begun to waver.
Then finally... After what felt like an eternity.
"…You're too late"
Kanae spoke softly.
Not loudly.
Not coldly.
And somehow… That made it hurt even more.
"I-I'm sorry," the words escaped him again. "I didn't know this place-"
"Not that"
The interruption came immediately.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
And somehow… far more painful than if she had shouted.
Kanae lowered her hands slowly into her lap, fingers tightening against the fabric of her sleeves.
"The fact that you came searching for me…" Her voice trembled faintly. "…is already too late"
Kagerou's eyes widened slightly.
"T-That's because I didn't-"
"I waited for you"
The words overlapped his.
Quiet.
Simple.
And devastating.
"Every day felt torturous"
Silence.
Kagerou's throat tightened.
And finally… He understood.
His mistake wasn't that he found the shop too late.
It was that he never searched for her sooner.
"This is the first time…" Kanae continued softly. "The first time I've ever felt something like this"
Kagerou couldn't speak.
Couldn't interrupt... Couldn't raise his head anymore.
Because somewhere deep down… He knew she deserved to say it.
"Do you know how much it hurt, Rengoku-san?"
Her voice wasn't accusing.
That made it worse.
"It hurt so much…"
A brief pause.
"But…"
That single word sounded different.
Softer.
Fragile.
Kagerou slowly raised his head fully to look at her again. Because he needed to hear what came after it... He needed to know.
Kanae lowered her gaze.
"But I couldn't blame you completely," she whispered. "Because I know this was also my fault"
"…Kanae…"
"That day…" Her fingers tightened in her lap. "I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I know some things are meant to stay unknown. I just… I was so relieved when you came back safely from your first official mission. I was happy, and…"
Her voice faltered.
"I…"
Tears threatened to fall.
And before they could... Before anyone else in the shop could notice, Kanae quickly covered her face with both hands.
Silence filled the space between them.
Small.
Painfully small.
"I'm sorry…"
"N-No," Kagerou answered immediately, leaning forward slightly. "This is my fault, Kana-"
"It's enough"
Kanae cut him off gently.
Not coldly.
Just… tired.
Slowly, she lowered her hands again, though she still avoided looking directly at him.
"There's no point talking about it here anymore," she said quietly. "We need to leave soon, or we'll arrive too late"
Then, before Kagerou could respond... She stood.
The chair shifted softly against the floor as she moved toward the counter.
Kagerou remained silent.
Watching her go.
Only then did he begin to notice the atmosphere around him.
The other customers were staring.
Not subtly, either.
Some looked annoyed.
Others openly angry.
One older woman looked moments away from hitting him with her sandal.
"…Shit," Kagerou thought.
Because somehow… Facing Kanae had turned out to be far more terrifying than facing demons.