Stone Cold | Tanjirou Kamado

6. When she fades away

Once everything was tidy, Ayaka vaguely gestured for Tanjirou to follow her out of the room without stopping to check if he was following her or not.

"Take it," she said, as she threw his uniform, clean and without a wrinkle in sight, to his chest. Tanjirou stopped himself from yelling in surprise.

"It's even better than when I got it." He couldn't help but say, holding it on his hands as his eyes shined in amazement. "You're so cool, Aya-san."

She simply ignored him, moving fastly through the kitchen as she took the leftovers from the night before to make breakfast.

She knew that room like the palm of her hand. For as much time as she spent away, the memories ingrained in the body are never forgotten, like how an artist has encarved the ways to move their hands in order to draw.

Everything was still the same, although now there was the smallest dust coating that served as proof of her absence. If she had been there the dust would be no more, since she was the only one able to see it, she was the only one able to clean it.

She should do it the next time she came to visit, whenever that would be.

"Do you want me to help you?" Tanjirou offered as he saw over her shoulder how Ayaka prepared the rice on the boiling water over the fire.

He made an attempt to grab the spoon that hung on the edge of the pot, but Ayaka pushed him away with a slap before he could.

"I don't need your help, I can do it by myself, "she harshly said, giving Tanjirou a threatening glance that ordered him to stay sat without making any noise.

He obeyed without complaint as he sweated profusely, sitting with tense shoulders and not daring to do anything.

Time passed in silence, the sound of the bubbling water being the only thing to hear along with the slight echoing chirps of the birds outside.

"I can't understand why you think I'm amazing," Ayaka confessed in a grimace. She had gotten used to the constant sound of Tanjirou's voice chattering voice for the past two days, and it was weird not to hear it, as strange as that sounded. "To be fair, I don't even consider myself a good person, although I don't care either way. The only useful thing I'm good at is sword fighting, and I'm content with that."

Tanjirou looked at her from his place in curiosity, as she checked over the food on the fire.

"There is no particular reason, must there be one?" he answered in confusion.

"Of course there must be one. If not, it wouldn't make any sense," Ayaka replied as if it was something everyone should know. "Take me, for example. I look up to Himejima-shishou because he's very strong and brave, and even if he's suffered greatly he's still on his own two feet."

Tanjirou took his time to think. It was funny to look at his intensely concentrated face.

"Then I think it's the same reasons why you think Himejima-san is amazing," he simply said, shrugging in the process.

Ayaka gave him a glance filled in with scepticism along with slightly red ears, since comparing her to the Stone Pillar was the greatest compliment one could ever give her.

Tanjirou's eyes didn't seem to lie.

"How foolish," she said. "I'm not like Himejima-shishou, not even close. Besides, how would you even know that if you don't know him?"

Tanjirou shrugged again. "I just know," he only answered.

"If you look up to me so much, can you do me the favour of bringing me my uniform?" Ayaka huffed in a bad mood. "It's on the table."