"What the hell is this?" Inori's lips twitched in irritation. Her arms were crossed across her chest to hide the exposed cleavage. Now she understood why Shinobu gave her the matches and oil. Luckily, Muichiro had enough decency to look the other way, unlike the kakushi in front of her.
"It's the standard uniform for girls." Inori failed to see how an off-shoulder, sleeveless, and extremely short dress that barely covered her bottom was convenient for fighting. "All small girls wear it like that."
"Oh, really?" Irk marks popped all over her forehead. Inori was certainly not as busty as Mitsuri or Shinobu, but she was still eleven going twelve, so it was insulting and downright creepy to be compared by an adult. "That's weird because Shinobu-san does not wear a uniform like this."
"It's...it's the newest standard—"
"And why is Muichiro wearing a uniform for girls when he's a boy?" Said boy was currently looking down at his given uniform, looking as if he was questioning his life decisions. Inori would never say it out loud, but she thought he looked cute in the short and sleeveless yukata-style dress.
"Change our uniforms." Muichiro lifted his head to glare at Maeda who was quivering in shock and fear. "And make it quick, you're wasting our time."
Muichiro did get the uniform that he wanted, but Maeda still insisted that Inori's uniform was correct. "It's the newest standard for girls." He had repeated it over and over again.
Inori, having had enough of it, turned to Muichiro. "Muichiro, switch uniforms with me."
"I'm not wearing that."
She smiled in response, sweet and venomous. "You don't have to."
Muichiro looked at her skeptically, but nevertheless surrendered his uniform to her. He immediately doused Inori's uniform in oil as soon as she entered the changing room.
Inori hummed as she twirled in front of the mirror. Muichiro was slightly bigger than her, so the uniform was baggy. The kimono sleeve of her outer uniform dangled over her hands. She didn't like how it showed her bare arms every time she lifted it, so she changed her inner shirt into a long-sleeved one.
Inori left the changing room humming in satisfaction, the dark uniform made a huge contrast against her silver-rainbow hair, and she loved it. She decided to forgo the kyahan, letting the hakama pants flare out like a skirt around her ankles.
When she stepped outside, Muichiro was wearing his cyan yukata and navy hakama, glaring at Inori's uniform which was burning gloriously in front of him. He even threw his first uniform into the fire.
Inori quickly made her way to him, smiling sweetly at the trembling kakushi. "Maeda-san," she called out so sweetly that Shinobu would be proud. "It appears like you have given Muichiro the wrong uniform, kindly stop wasting our time and change it."
They both left with matching uniforms.
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
"Oyakata-sama, may I make a brazen request?"
Kagaya looked at the girl sitting in front of him, noticing how the air around her seemed to have changed ever so slightly. Smiling, he answered, "Shall we hear what it is first?"
"I'd like to hunt a demon moon for my first mission." Well, that certainly wasn't something he heard every day, especially from someone who had just passed the Final Selection. But Inori wasn't smiling. Her lips were pursed into a thin line, and she had never looked more solemn.
"The position as a pillar befits you, my child." Because he knew that was where Inori would end up sooner or later. "But may I ask why the rush?"
"I want to see how good of a bait I can be," answered the newly assigned demon slayer. "Muzan sent Lower Moon Six after me the second I escaped the Infinity Castle, so I want to test just how big the target on my back is."
What Inori needed right now were status and experience. After all, she couldn't just stay as a freeloader in the Ubuyashiki Estate forever. She couldn't sign up as a mere tsuguko either because she needed a high enough status within the corps that would allow her enough freedom and authority to do what she wanted, which was having a free schedule to exterminate demons and find out ways to defeat Muzan.
The last pillar to face an upper moon was Kocho Kanae, and she had died. If Muzan wanted her, then him sending the upper moons after her wouldn't be a far-fetched idea. Inori knew she currently didn't have the strength, skill, or experience needed to defeat an upper moon, so she needed to gain them as soon as she could.
"I want to request two months," she stated, placing a hand over her chest. "For the next two months, I will become the bait that will make a demon moon appear. Of course, I will continue to train in the meantime."
They always said that demon moons were hard to come across, so if Inori could really make a demon moon appear in just two months, that would prove just how targeted she truly was.
"This is a reckless idea."
"I am well aware." Still, Inori smiled as if she had just won something. "But by doing this, I will be showing Muzan that I am not a helpless child anymore. I will be showing him that he can send as many demons as he wants because I will stand my ground. I will be declaring war on him."
"You want to make the first move," Kagaya stated, knowing very well what the child in front of him was thinking. "If that is what you want, then I shall grant you two months."
Whether he granted her those two months or not, Kagaya was sure Inori would still hunt a demon moon. So, Kagaya would grant her the two months she needed to prepare herself for that huge change. He just hoped Inori wouldn't be another name he could only remember, but not talk with.
"However, Inori. There is something you need to know."
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
"Muichiro, I want to become a pillar."
Muichiro stopped mid-writing the letter for his sword, glancing up at Inori who was also writing a detailed letter about the swords she wanted. "I asked Oyakata-sama for his permission to hunt the Twelve Demon Moons for my first mission, and he already agreed to it."
"Why are you telling me this?" Muichiro asked. As far as he knew, Inori has always wanted to exterminate demons, so it wasn't a surprise when she claimed she would kill a demon moon right off the bat. He couldn't really say anything about her goal to become a pillar because he too wanted that position, but he couldn't understand why she was telling him this.
"Apparently, just killing the demon won't cut it because Oyakata-sama also considers the crows' report." Inori stretched her hand to pet her crow, Kanamaru, who happily nuzzled against her finger. "Because a pillar's job isn't just decapitating demons. He needs to know whether they have the right qualifications or not."
She turned to face him with a smile. "I know you also want to be a pillar, Muichiro. I'm telling you this because I want to work together with you for this Moon hunting."
Muichiro cocked his head to the side. "Is Oyakata-sama fine with that?"
"I wouldn't be telling you if he wasn't." She stood up, walking towards Muichiro with her arms outstretched. "So? What do you say? Want to try becoming pillars together with me?"
Muichiro didn't need to think twice to accept her hand.
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
"What are you doing?" Muichiro tilted his head to the side, watching Inori who was fumbling with some wires. "I thought you were trying to design your weapons?"
"I was, but I ran out of ideas, so I'm doing a side project."
"And what is this side project?" He moved to sit beside her, watching as she continued to fumble with the wires. He noticed her hands, gently grabbing them. "Your hands are bleeding. You should treat it."
"In a minute."
"What are you making anyway?"
"A gift for Kanamaru." She tilted her head towards the small box of beads while Muichiro began cleaning her wounds, covering the little cuts with band-aids. "I'm trying to make an accessory for him, but I keep pricking myself with the wires."
"Why?"
"Because he's a sweet crow," Inori answered, pulling her hands back as soon as he finished treating them. She inserted some star-shaped beads into the golden wire. "And he's working so hard to help us bait a demon moon. He deserves a present."
Inori turned and twisted the wire, inserting more and more beads. Muichiro watched with fascination as she created a tiny crown of stars, moons, and suns. The golden and silver beads shone beautifully against the light.
Holding the crown that was barely the size of her palm, Inori stared at it with her head cocked to the side. "Maybe I should make a matching necklace," she mumbled, turning to grab some more beads and wire.
"Should I make one for Ginko too?"
"Great idea." Inori clapped her hands, handing the wire to him. "I don't know how to make a necklace, so let's do it together."
Muichiro watched, following everything Inori did, failing alongside her when she made a mistake. He ended up pricking his fingers a few times too, having difficulty making the tiny jewelry. By the end of their crafting session, both of them had band-aids plastered all over their fingers.
The two crows returned to the sight of two necklaces and one crown waiting for them. The necklace Muichiro had created was a simple silver beaded necklace with a cloud amulet, but Ginko wore it with pride, puffing her chest as she trotted around the room.
However, nothing could be compared to the smugness radiating off Kanamaru when Inori placed the crown on his head. The golden beaded necklace with a star amulet complemented his crown perfectly. But the fact that he had a crown while Ginko did not trigger a very heated argument between the two crows.
"Caw! You look like a princess, you dumb bird!"
"And you look like a lackey, eyelash dimwit!"
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
"Eh? Inori-chan, you're trying to hunt down the Twelve Demon Moons for your first mission? That's so cool!" Mitsuri squealed loudly, earning a few looks from the other customers.
Inori hummed, too busy savoring the sweet desserts in front of her to give a verbal response. Inori had just returned Sanemi's sword before Mitsuri whisked her away when they bumped into each other. The Love Pillar then dragged her to a Western restaurant so they could celebrate her passing the Final Selection. Mitsuri had ordered a dessert buffet, on her treat, and both girls had been over the moon with sugar.
"It's not really going well, though. I haven't even finished designing my weapons, and Muichiro's sword is still not done yet." Inori sighed, munching another bite of pancake. She couldn't go outside unless her swords were ready, after all. "Also, I'm still gathering information on the demon moons."
She wouldn't tell everybody she was planning to be bait, partly because she was sure Mitsuri and Shinobu would scold her. Though as it appeared, the demons didn't bother knowing her name—typical of them—and they were going by physical descriptions, so Inori asked Kanamaru to discreetly spread information of a 'silver-rainbow-haired demon slayer with mismatched eyes' around an area, one that was deserted.
"I see, you're having a lot of trouble." Mitsuri frowned. "Well, Inori-chan and Muichiro-kun are super talented, so I have no doubt you two can do it. Work hard, Inori-chan!" Inori smiled at the encouragement. They continued eating their snacks, and talking about random things.
"Ah, it's Iguro-san." Inori noticed the Serpent Pillar walking past their window before entering the restaurant. "He came in. I didn't know he likes sweets."
"Iguro-san!" Mitsuri called out for him cheerfully, waving her hands. "Come join us! Oh, are you busy, Iguro-san?"
Obanai froze when Mitsuri called out for him. He originally planned to buy some desserts and give them to the Love Pillar later since he couldn't find her. He didn't expect her to be eating in the same restaurant he planned on buying the food from, though he really should have, considering this was Mitsuri's favorite restaurant.
He spotted Inori eating a chocolate parfait and immediately understood. Obanai knew that Mitsuri adored the younger girl, and she probably heard the news about her passing the Final Selection, so she invited her to celebrate. Obanai himself was a bit surprised when Shinobu told the pillars how Inori and Muichiro managed to pass the Final Selection just after a few months of intensive training. Though he supposed he should've expected that from someone who had been learning breaths since she could walk.
"No, I'm not busy." Obanai dragged a chair to sit next to Mitsuri. "How are you, Kanroji? Hoshizora?" He inclined his head towards Inori just to be polite. "I heard that you passed the Final Selection. Congratulations."
"I'm great, Iguro-san. Thank you." Inori stared at the snake wrapped around him, noticing that the snake was also staring at her. She pinched herself to fight the urge to pet it. Kaburamaru and Inori continued to stare at each other, unaware of the pillars who were looking at them weirdly.
"Do you—" Obanai hesitated. Kaburamaru may be quite sociable, but he has never shown interest in anyone other than the Rengokus, Mitsuri, Sanemi, and to an extent, Shinobu and Gyomei. But that was only because Obanai hung around them often. "Do you want to hold him?"
"Can I?" Inori beamed and Mitsuri swore her heart leaped at how cute the younger girl was.
"If Kaburamaru doesn't mind—" Obanai didn't even get to finish his sentence because Kaburamaru was already slithering down his arm towards Inori, hissing happily.
"So, your name is Kaburamaru? Nice to meet you." Obanai and Mitsuri watched as Kaburamaru nuzzled against Inori's cheek, the former in shock and the latter in cuteness overload. "I'm Inori, though you probably know that already. Do you like sweets? I don't know if snakes can eat sweets or not, so do you want some?" Inori fed Kaburamaru some sweet bread, which the snake accepted happily.
"Inori-chan, you're really so cute!" Mitsuri squealed again. Lunch continued with Mitsuri and Inori talking about her life back in the village while Obanai listened.
"Eh? They made you dance for seven days straight? That's cruel!" Mitsuri couldn't believe her ears. The human body has its limits and dancing for seven days without any break should have been deadly, even for the most powerful. "And if you pass out, you'll get burned?! That's too cruel, are those people even human?"
"I also sometimes question their humanity." Inori wasn't too bothered by her past. All have passed, or so she considered it to have passed, and there really was no point in being bothered since it wasn't like she would ever receive an apology. "Honestly, I'd be ashes right now if it wasn't for that rain."
"So, that's why you've been learning breaths since you were a child."
"Yeah." Huffing, Inori smiled bitterly. "If I couldn't speak with the dead or the dead didn't teach me breaths, I probably wouldn't be alive right now." Inori stopped mid-chewing her cake, humming in thought. "Now that I think about it, my ability was as much of a blessing as it was a curse." Maybe that was why she couldn't help but still feel a bit sad that she lost her ability.
"But you didn't learn the sword?"
Inori shook her head. "The Crimson Dance is a dance that could be...improvised." Not too much, but it could. "Whatever they taught me made it easier to move in certain parts of the dance, and I implemented their techniques into the dance." She merged them all into one dance, and she perfected that dance to survive. "I use two staves to dance, and my breath is referenced from the dance itself, so I guess that's why it was easy for me to adjust to the sword."
Inori placed her index finger on her chin, humming in thought. "Now that I think about it, the first time I held a sword was when I was cornered by Lower Moon Six before Shinazugawa-san saved me. I got scolded quite harshly by the dead because I was shaking so much and couldn't hold the sword properly."
"Inori-chan, I know I've said before, but you really are so cool!" And for the umpteenth time that day, Mitsuri engulfed her in another hug.
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
Sanemi wiped the blood dripping down his arm, bandaging the cut with one hand. The demon he killed wasn't even worth the blood he had shed, and it irked him off. It would've been great if the demon was one of the Twelve Demon Moons and not just some hungry weakling who couldn't even provide him with a proper challenge.
"Thank you, sir." The trembling man he just saved bowed on his knees.
Sanemi clicked his tongue, turning away without so much as a glance. "Tch. Whatever. Just don't fucking wander outside once the sun fucking sets."
Sanemi stormed off to the next destination his crow had been screeching. His entire body was itching to kill more demons, but his mind was replaying his memories from before he left for the mission.
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
"Shinazugawa-san, I'm here to return the swo—gyah!" Inori had let herself into his estate when she realized it was unlocked, only to be greeted by Sanemi who came attacking. The Wind Pillar swung his sheathed sword, aiming it at her head. But Inori merely backflipped away, even using his sword as a footing.
"Don't fucking run from me, you brat!" Sanemi didn't want to believe it, but the brat really did pass the Final Selection with just a few months of intensive training. Moreover, the brat's friend, Tokito Muichiro, also passed the exam after only one month of training. If he hadn't seen for himself just how strong Inori was, he would've assumed the standards for the Final Selection had been lowered to the lowest of the low.
"Why are you attacking me? I haven't done anything to you yet!" Inori dodged his slashes, hopping around the front yard of his estate. "Also, why does your house smell like ohagi?" She ducked under his sword. "Shinazugawa-san, do you like ohagi?" She stepped to the side, dodging his slash. "Did you just make some ohagi? I like ohagi too, so do you mind if I have some? Are there any left?" She stepped back to dodge yet another slash, clapping her hands. "Oh, I'll bring you some ohagi next time as thanks for saving me from Lower Moon Six."
Irk marks appeared all over his face as Inori easily dodged his relentless slashes, even having time to babble. But she did nothing to attack him back, and it irritated him more. After all, he left the brat alone for two months and she was suddenly this strong. Sanemi felt like every part of him had been drenched in adrenaline.
"Stop dodging and fucking attack me already, you damn brat!"
"But Shinazugawa-san, I—gyah! Why the fuck are you drawing your real sword?!" Inori unsheathed the borrowed sword as soon as she caught sight of Sanemi unsheathing his. "Are you trying to kill me? I just passed the Final Selection! Please give me a break!"
"Oh, so you can curse too! Then, fucking come at me, brat!"
Star Breathing: Sixth Constellation: Dance of the Maiden
Sanemi's grin turned feral. He had seen this technique once when Inori was sparring against Muichiro in the Ubuyashiki Estate's backyard. Back then, her movements were still slow, and she could only create an illusion of six or so clones. But now, Sanemi couldn't help but feel another dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins.
He could see about eight of her running around his front yard. He felt disoriented by the sudden change in fighting tempo, and that made him more and more excited.
Wind Breathing: Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree
"You know, Shinazugawa-san." Sanemi swung his sword, narrowly avoiding Inori who slashed from behind. Veins erupted from his neck at the sight of her smiling that deadly smile she probably learned from Shinobu. "Getsu-nii used to swear a lot too, and the men of the yakuza don't exactly have the cleanest mouth."
Star Breathing: Twelfth Constellation: Flow of the Fish
Inori kicked the ground with all her might, launching herself forward at a blinding speed. Sanemi would admit that she was fast, but a head-on attack like that was predictable and easy to deflect.
"You're predictable, you damn brat!"
Wind Breathing: Eight Form: Primary Gale Slash
"I know." Sanemi's eyes widened when Inori glided through the gaps of his attack, appearing in front of him when he was wide open. "That's why I created this form based on our fight last time. There is only one difference though." Inori raised her sword.
Flame Breathing: Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation
Sanemi kicked the ground, backflipping away. He could feel the cool surface of the sword grazing his forehead, telling him just how close he was to getting cut. Sure, Inori was using the blunt side of the blade, but a cut like that marked defeat, and defeat was defeat.
"This time, I'm still holding a sword." While Inori's smile was more venomous than feral, Sanemi could feel the danger behind them, and it excited him to no end. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Hoshizora Inori was someone worth his praise and acknowledgment.
Sanemi cackled as a trickle of blood dripped from the scratch on his forehead. The brat who could only graze him two months ago managed to make him bleed. He gripped his sword, about to strike again when his crow suddenly screeched.
"Caw! Mission! Shinazugawa Sanemi! Mission!"
Sanemi clicked his tongue. He never once complained about having missions, but he really wanted to finish his fight with Inori.
"Don't look so down, Shinazugawa-san." Inori smiled more softly, placing the sword on the ground. "I'm only here to return the sword and tell you that Oyakata-sama gave me permission to hunt down one of the Twelve Demon Moons. Well, Muichiro and I are working together to hunt down a demon moon."
Sanemi blinked a few times, deciphering the meaning behind her words. He cackled again, louder than before, upon realizing what she meant. "You're going to be a fucking pillar now!? Well, brat, being a pillar ain't as easy as passing the Final Selection. Do you really have what it takes to stand next to me?"
"Not yet." Inori shook her head, heading towards the front door. She turned back and flashed him a toothy grin. "But the next time we meet, I hope it will be as fellow pillars. See you next time, Shinazugawa-san."
Sanemi watched as the door swung close, his eyes popped out and his mouth curved into a wild grin.
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙
Fucking try it, brat. Sanemi didn't realize that he was grinning until a little girl pointed at him and cried in fear, her mother immediately shushing her. He ignored them and continued to walk.
Something from his peripheral vision caught his attention and he immediately stopped in his tracks. Displayed in one of a shop's windows was a haori. The haori was a gradient color from dark purple to lilac with celestial patterns all over it. He could see constellations he couldn't recognize, little stars, as well as little suns and moons. Sanemi's first thought upon seeing that haori was Inori.
Sanemi entered the shop, asking for the haori he saw on display. He didn't really understand what drove him to even consider buying it, but he went along with it anyway.
"What size are you looking for, sir?" The owner went to the back room, probably searching for the haori Sanemi wanted to buy.
Sanemi tried to remember Inori's height. He knew she was tiny, at least tiny enough for Tengen to pick her up like a cat with ease. It wasn't saying much considering how Tengen could also easily lift Sanemi up if the Sound Pillar ever got the chance to, which would be fucking never.
"She's tiny." Sanemi didn't know how else to describe her size except that she was thin and tiny, and looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away. "Probably around this tall." He measured his hand to rest somewhere near the base of his neck.
The owner chuckled, grabbing the displayed haori. "I'm sorry, but this is the only size available for this design. But I'm sure we can find some other designs that you might like."
Sanemi shook his head, insisting on buying that haori. Inori wasn't that tall, but he was somewhat sure she could just fix up any measurement errors on her own. But he heard the girl was actually hopeless when it came to everything but dancing and swordsmanship.
Not his problem.
"Is this for your girlfriend?" The owner asked as he wrapped the haori up, Sanemi had insisted on using a gift box since it would technically be a gift. "You must really love her."
Sanemi had to take a moment to think of the perfect words to describe his relationship with Inori.
"No, it's for my sister."
·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚☆.｡.☆.｡.:*☆ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙