A/N: Tanjiro is part of the basketball team!
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Chapter 6:
Who Are You?
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"Kanao... Are you sure you want to go to school..? I mean you ju-" Kanao only nodded as Shinobu sighed. 'She's been really quiet since yesterday..' Shinobu pulled her hair in frustration as she called her older sister in
"NEE-SAN! THIS IS HOPELESS..!" She yelled as Kanae came in and only smiled
"Ara, you mustn't push her, Shinobu~" Kanae said as she pats Shinobu's head; A vein popped from her head.
"It'd be easier if she could communicate! She hasn't said a word since yesterday!" Kanae only smiled as she hugged her sister.
"Now, now, She'll be fine!" Shinobu sighed as she got out of Kanae's bear hug. "She's way different, there's no way that's Kanao!"
"Ara, Shinobu. You mustn't say those things. She is Kanao and will always be Kanao, our little sister." Kanae explained as Shinobu only ignored her. A few minutes passed as Shinobu stopped arguing with Kanae. It was hopeless to do anything either way.
"Yo, is Kanao coming?" Genya said as he walked into Kanae's room.
"N-"
"Yes, she is! Give us a moment, Genya~" Kanae smiled as she turned her attention to Kanao. Shinobu was fuming in anger as she sat in silence.
"Don't push yourself, okay, Kanao?" Kanao nodded as her sister kissed her forehead. "Let's go then!" The three sisters left the room as they headed toward the living room. Genya was already there waiting for Kanao.
"Take care of her, Genya." He nodded as Kanao went beside him and soon enough they were walking toward their school.
"Nee-san.. I still don't think it's a good idea to send her off to school like that." Kanae sighed and pat her head. They were standing outside watching the two walk away. "It's fine, she's grown up, Shinobu.." Kanae continued as she walked back inside the residence
"We should be heading off as well!" Shinobu stomped furiously on her way back inside.
She couldn't believe her sister still let her go like that.
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Genya and Kanao walked in silence as he tried making small talk. 'This is harder than I thought..' Genya sighed as he stopped trying to make a conversation. There was no way she'd ever say a word to him; His sister-in-law already tried and didn't succeed. His luck was already going down the drain. As Genya and Kanao kept walking, Genya stepped on something and it grossed him out.
"Aw fuck. Dog shit." He muttered as a vein popped from his head. 'What a horrible day.' Kanao stopped to look at him. She didn't care that he stepped on dog poop, so she just kept walking.
"Ugh, now I have to run back home... there's no way that this day could get any worse."
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It got worse. As Genya ran back to school, he was already late. The teacher only scolded him and let Genya go that time. His next class was Art and once he stepped into that classroom, he didn't know what was coming.
"Hey, Genya!" Genya waved at Tanjiro as he went over to sit next to him. They both started talking as they got up to get their paintings from the back.
RINGGG
The bell had rung and Mr. Uzui quickly hushed the students to give some announcements.
"..So yeah, now, I'm expecting this to be flamboyantly done by tomorrow. Now get going and paint." He said as everyone nodded.
Chatter filled the classroom as students rushed to finish their paintings. Genya and Tanjiro on the other hand were too distracted by their conversation as they got up to get more paint. When they walked back, together, Genya tripped over someone's stool and fell on a canvas as the paint he was holding splattered on someone's face.
Genya quickly got up to see Zenitsu crying as his artwork had been destroyed. Genya quickly apologized and from the corner of his eye saw Inosuke with paint all over his face.
"OH, NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!" Inosuke yelled as he chased Genya. Tanjiro tried holding Inosuke back as this only ended up in chaos. Everyone tried to protect their own canvases as Genya and Inosuke were running around. He pushed Genya, who fell onto someone who was holding their canvas. A hole was made within it as wet paint was scattered all over Genya from head to toe. Inosuke started hitting him but only got pulled away by Tanjiro. Tengen quickly got up from his seat and gave them all a lecture.
What a bad day for Genya.
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"...."
It was lunchtime and no one has said a word. Usually, Kanao would sit next to Tanjiro.. but she was sitting next to her brother-in-law. Aoi and Inosuke stared bickering over their food which broke the silence. Kanao was only smiling while Tanjiro only stared at her. Zenitsu was nowhere to be seen and Genya had just decided to stay silent and just watch his friends.
"Kanao!" Aoi yelled as she grabbed a rice ball
"..."
"Who should get this rice ball? Me or Inosuke?" Aoi questioned as Kanao just smiled. Everyone just stared at her and Aoi sighed.
"I guess it's mine," She said as she plopped it into her mouth.
"HEY! NOT FAIR!" Inosuke yelled as he jumped up from his seat and started pulling Aoi's hair. "LET GO OF ME!" Aoi yelled as she started pulling his ear and bit his arm. Genya sighed and got up to pull them away. "Guys.. now is not the time to argue. If you guys accidentally make one move and fall right on Kanao, that'll be painful for her.." Inosuke looked at him in confusion
"Why?" He asked as Aoi slapped him as she got up
"She got surgery, remember?"
"WHAT!?" The four turned their attention towards Tanjiro as he continued
"What surgery?" He curiously asked as Aoi and Genya took glances at each other. She sighed as Inosuke sat there in silence
"She got surgery after you know... fainted." Tanjiro, stunned, only stared in silence as he looked at the ground. Everyone went silence as Kanao spoke up
".. Uhm.. Genya-san, who is he?"
Tanjiro sunk deeper in his seat as he heard those words. He put his head down on the table as he just continued listening to the conversation.
"Oh right, that's Tanjiro." Genya said as he nudge Tanjiro. He only stayed silent. 'What do I do...' Tanjiro thought as he kept being silent
"At least say hi you idiot." Genya snapped at his friend. Tanjiro shook his head as he got up.
"I'm going for a walk.." Everyone just stared at him as he walked away from them.
"What's up with him?" Inosuke questioned as Genya sighed. Aoi slapped him
"Pay more attention."
"No."
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Tanjiro walked through the courtyard quietly as he waited for lunch to finish. As he paced back and forth, someone came up behind him.
"Boo."
Tanjiro turned around to see Zenitsu behind him smiling. Tanjiro returned the smile
"Hey, Zenitsu. Where were you?" Tanjiro questioned as he cocked his head
"Retaking a test.." He said as Tanjiro's mouth formed an ah. They both walked around the campus quietly.
"So.. why are you here?"
"Nothing important..." Tanjiro said as he tried dodging the question.
"How is it with Nezuko?" He questioned, anxiously
"Don't avoid my question."
"..."
"..."
They both stayed silent as the bell rang.
"Uh, I'll see you tomorrow.." Tanjiro said as he walked away
"We have a game today... You idiot." Zenitsu muttered as he sighed to himself. 'I guess he found out.. I mean she doesn't remember him..'
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Genya and Kanao walked down the halls together after lunch. He kept talking despite Kanao being very quiet. He decided to leave Kanao at her math class and soon enough, they reached Kanao's classroom. Although he was hesitant at first to have her be in this class alone, (Tanjiro was also in that class) he knew that Sanemi would take care of her.
The two walked into class to see Sanemi looking through his cupboard. Kanao walked over to her seat in the back near the window and sat down. Genya sighed
"I'll be off now.. Bye, Kanao. Bye 'Nemi. Have fun." Genya said as he walked out of his brother's classroom. Sanemi looked over at the door and waved as he got up. He sighed as he walked over to his desk carrying paper. Kanao stared at him and looked back outside as she saw a certain redhead talking with someone. She was deep in thought until someone was frustrated when trying to talk to her.
"Earth to Kanao!" She turned and saw a certain raven head looking at her.
"DON'T YOU YELL AT HER!!" Sanemi yelled over as Murata jumped at the sound of his voice "Yes, sir...." He mumbled.
"..." Kanao only smiled as he sighed.
"What were you looking at?" He asked as he looked over at where she was looking. Murata only stared in shock as he saw what was happening in the courtyard. 'So she finally told him.. didn't she?' Murata thought as he saw the scene unfold
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"I'm still sorry for playing with your feelings, Tanjiro..." Ozaki bowed down in front of him as her hair fell down her face. She felt guilty for hurting the boy who probably loved her... Though, Ozaki hoped that they could still be friends despite what she did to him. She told him about how she only dated to win a bet. She kept the fact that she actually likes him a secret since she thinks that he will be better off with his best friend. Tanjiro ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed.
"It's alright, Ozaki.." He sheepishly smiled as she sighed in relief. 'Thank goodness that he didn't get heartbroken... I do think that it was better off ending things with him.' She looked up at him,
"We can still be friends, right?" she asked as he nodded. "I have to get to class now, thank you, Ozaki." he walked away as he walked to his own class. They both walked their separate ways as tears fell down her cheeks. 'I still love you...'
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As Sanemi wrapped up his math lesson, he gave them all a worksheet to finish. Half the students sighed in annoyance at the worksheet which had around 60 problems. Sanemi went to his desk and scrolled through his phone. As minutes passed, the class had gotten louder and it annoyed the hell out of him
"You all, be quiet or I'll assign more questions." He said as a vein popped from his head. The noisy students just stared at him in silence as they gulped. Kanao, unfazed, got up and walked over to his desk
"Sorry to ask, Sanemi-sensei... do you have any snacks... I didn't eat anything..." Kanao whispered as Sanemi nodded while opening the bottom drawer where there were snacks filled inside. Kanao grabbed a bag of chips and some gummies. "Thank you..." Kanao whispered as she bowed once again while walking back to her desk. Some students stare in annoyance bickering to themselves about how it wasn't fair that he treated her differently.
"If you're going to say something, say it in front of me." Sanemi loudly said as he gave a glare at the students who were talking about Kanao. They went silent and started working on their worksheet. He gazed over at Tanjiro and Kanao as he looked down at his phone again. The two sat next to each other and usually they'd be talking so much during his class that he snapped at the two; Everything was different.
Kanao kept staring at him as he tried hard to revert his gaze from Kanao. One thought that filled her mind was her questioning herself about who he was. 'Why can't I remember him...' She thought to herself as the bell penetrated her thoughts. She quickly packed her things as she watched Tanjiro leave the class with one of his friends, she only sighed as she grabbed her bag. As she walked out, Sanemi called out to her.
"Kanae said Shinobu won't be home today so she told you to come to our residence to stay for tonight," He said as Kanao nodded. "I'll be there..." She quietly said as she walked out of her math class. For the whole period, something had been bothering her; She tried shrugging off the feeling. It didn't help at all. Maybe it was the fact she watched that one boy and that girl from the window... Maybe she had a connection with him before.
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School had ended and everyone was walking out of school property as some stayed for activities. Aoi had told Kanao to join her to watch the basketball team play basketball. She hesitantly agreed as they both walked to the gym. There were a couple of kids but they were going outside to practice for some other sports.
Inosuke made his way out of the locker room towards them. He and Aoi both started bickering with each other until Kanao saw Tanjiro coming from the locker room with Zenitsu while laughing. She couldn't help but feel sad seeing him happy... Though she didn't remember him or knew who he was, she still regretted something that she hasn't acknowledged. She watched the two make their way toward the basketball court.
"We have a game today," Tanjiro said and Zenitsu started balling his eyes out.
"I told Nezuko it was today!" He yelled through his tears. Tanjiro laughed and managed to calm him down.
"I'm sure she will know when she sees I'm not home," He continued
"I think mom will tell her." Zenitsu looked up at him excitedly, "Do you think I can come over today? I really enjoy her cooking and I don't think grandpa would mind if I stopped by!" He excitedly yelled out as Tanjiro nodded. He pumped his fist into the air as he ran towards Inosuke. He averted his gaze towards Kanao and tripped on the courtyard.
"Zenitsu!" Tanjiro worriedly yelled as he ran over to help his friend. As he ran, he looked over where Zenitsu was staring and also saw Kanao as well. The two stared at each other as seconds felt like minutes; He ended up tripping on top of Zenitsu. Aoi and Inosuke avert their attention toward the two. Inosuke bursts out laughing as he runs over to mock them.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu both got up. While Zenitsu was busy arguing with Inosuke, Tanjiro's face flushed with red as he turned away. He couldn't hide the fact that he was embarrassed in front of Kanao.
Aoi grabbed her cousin's arm and dragged her over to the group. Soon enough, Genya came through the gym doors, out of breath. Everyone turned their attention towards Genya as he ran over to his sister-in-law.
"You... You... You forgot to tell Kanae... about... you... being here..." He managed to say while out of breath. He continued,
"'Nemi... was... yelling at me... for... leaving... you alone." He said while sighing. Kanao stared at him in silence as she started walking out the gym doors. Genya sighed in annoyance as he watched her leave
"Kanao! Where are you going!?" He yelled out. Kanao paused and turned
"Home." Genya's face deadpanned.
"I'll stay with you here. 'Nemi doesn't care, he just doesn't want you to be alone." Genya said as Kanao nodded as she walked towards the bleachers. Tanjiro stared at her as he walked away.
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The game had finished and they were victorious! As people left the gymnasium, the gang got together and started celebrating... without Tanjiro. He managed to score the last score as he ended up spraining his ankle.
"We'll be going now. We wish Tanjiro a fast recovery." Genya said as he walked out of the gym. Shortly after, Kanao also followed. As she was walking, she saw Tanjiro walking slowly out into the courtyard as he ran his fingers through his hair. The moon shined brightly on his face as he stared at the moon. Kanao stared at him as she felt herself blush while watching him. He averted his gaze toward her and only smiled.
"Hey, Kanao." She stayed silent as she walked over toward him. The two both stared at the moon together. Soon enough, Kanao had forgotten about her brother-in-law. She looked over at her old crush and he looked down at her. The two stared at each other and at the corner of his eye, he saw Inosuke, Aoi, Zenitsu, and his sister Nezuko coming.
"Who are you...?" She quietly said as Tanjiro's eyes glimmered through the moonlight. He smiled while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
"Tanjiro, Tanjiro Kamado." He sheepishly said as he saw Genya running towards them. Kanao gave him a soft smile that she usually doesn't give to other people. He blushed as he turned away.
"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" He said while staring at the moon. Genya had heard this and was mad. He didn't want this disease to happen once again. Tanjiro turned towards her and smiled. He sighed
"I'll see you tomorrow..." Tanjiro slowly walked over to his sister who was running towards him worriedly. Genya quickly grabbed Kanao's arm as he dragged her away.
"Let's go!" He sternly said.
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A/N:
Some small info!:
Though Tanjiro now approves of Zenitsu and Nezuko's relationship, he did not like the idea of her dating Zenitsu. After some convincing, he has finally accepted it.