“Akaza, listen listen! Mitsuri said-” Y/N opened the door, only to see the eerily quiet and empty room.
'Oh. Right.' Her expression gloomed. 'I forgot… he… left…'
She exasperatedly shook her head, slapping her cheeks to focus. 'Come on, get over this! You can't stay depressed forever!'
It's okay to be sad.
“Not when you have important things to do.” Y/N mumbled. “If I let my emotions get the best of me, I will hurt someone again like last time.”
… Let me change subject, then. Uh- That rainbow weirdo, it's been a while since he last appeared. Are you not worried?
That much was true, after that night when Y/N was forced to change her strategy to handle Douma, he did not appear again for the next three days.
Obviously, she felt quite conflicted about it. Though she was very much glad for the break, at the same time, she couldn't help but being scared of why he wasn't coming anymore. Maybe he's planning something? Or maybe he finally got bored and gave up on her? (she really hopes it's the last one)
No matter what the reason could be, all she could do is pretend that everything was fine. Y/N couldn't even fathom anyone discovering that Akaza left, after she literally had all the trouble of going to a trial and being kept in house-arrest at the Ubuyashiki's main house.
Actually, the fact that she went through of all that to keep Akaza only for him to leave without saying a word made her angry on a whole other level, she can't even imagine how embarrassed she would be if someone found out!
God, what if Sanemi found out?! He would rub it so much in her and everyone's faces about how right he was-!
Y/N cringed, shuddering. 'I'm killing myself if Sanemi finds it out.'
Please refrain from that, I would rather not have to revive you for such a stupid reason.
'Too bad, I know you would do it anyway.'
…. Of course, I would.
.
.
.
“Good job, Y/N, Tanjiro! You can pass on to the next hashira!” Mitsuri smiled at them.
“Really?!” Y/N beamed in response, approaching her happily.
“To be honest, I was planning to hold you down here for as much as possible.” Her expression suddenly darkened. “.... But my walls and floor wouldn't be able to take it for much longer.”
“... I-I'm sorry-” Tanjiro shyly mumbled an apology, he knew he was the one to blame for this.
“I know Tanjiro, you're going to miss the leotards a lot.” One of the swordsmen approached him, gently resting his hand on his shoulder with a knowing look.
“I'M NOT-” He exclaimed back, his face exploding in red. Will he be forever known to these people as a pervert?
“Oh my, oh my!” Y/N hugged herself while giggling playfully. “I can keep wearing it if you like it so much!”
“I DO NOT!” Tanjiro exasperatedly turned to her, he looked like he was about to cry again.
“Y/N, I think he suffered enough, refrain from teasing him for a while.” Mitsuri awkwardly said while scratching her cheek, even though it was necessary for the training, she felt slightly bad for Tanjiro since she was the one who made everyone wear the leotards in the first place.
“I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry-” Tanjiro blankly mumbled with dead eyes, a swordsman approaching him to wave his hand in front of his face and receiving no response.
“Guess I went too far?” Y/N curiously approached him. “Anyway, we will be leaving! Hope to see you again soon, Mii-chan!” She nonchalantly grabbed Tanjiro's collar, dragging the boy with her.
“Y/N, before you leave, you remember what I told you, right?” Mitsuri suddenly spoke-up, making Y/N stop and look over her shoulder.
“What you told me?”
Mitsuri smiled gently at her. “You should always choose the dream that makes you the utmost happy.”
'..... There she goes, making me doubt myself again.' Y/N thought, staring blankly at her.
“H-huh?” Mitsuri's face started to heat as she put her hands on her cheeks. “I will get all shy if you keep staring at me so intensely like that! I-It's getting a bit hot here, right?”
Y/N smiled at her, though it was barely a grin, it was a small and melancholic one. “Thanks Mitsuri, I will remember what you said.” And she left, together with the still dead inside Tanjiro.
“…. Y/N…?” Mitsuri whispered, frowning. Did she say something wrong?
The swordsman sadly watched them leave. Their main source of entertainment (And income thanks to all the bets) was now gone.
Y/N yawned as the two walked side by side, stretching her arms as she nonchalantly asked : “By the way, who's the next hashira?”
“Obanai.” Tanjiro smiled at her. “And after Obanai... I think it was Sanemi and Rengoku next.”
'Ugh. Not Sanemi.' Y/N held back to not sigh in real life. 'At least Rengoku will be there too, guess since he's alive this time they are sharing training methods?'
They reached Obanai's area, he was waiting for them outside with a not so much happy expression. “Tanjiro Kamado, Y/N L/N, I've been waiting for you!”
Tanjiro smiled happily, exclaiming excitedly : “I'm looking forward to-”
“Shut up or I'll kill you.”
“Huh?”
Obanai approached them with a menacing aura. “I heard about both of you from Kanroji, She says you had quite a lot of fun in training!”
“Kukuku! I'm sure you wouldn't know it, but ME and Mitsuri have already made plans for OUR future together!” Y/N said, smiling like a villain. “Watch from afar as I take her away from yoAAAUGG-” He harshly punched her stomach.
“SHUT UP-”
“You bitch! Sore loser!” She exclaimed with an strained voice, hugging her stomach while trembling. “I am SO telling Mii-chan on you!”
“I WANT TO SEE YOU TRY-” He was about to attack her again, but Tanjiro exasperatedly butted in :
“The training! What about the training? Why don't we get inside??”
“Humph.” Obanai harshly turned away from them and started to go inside.
“And your snake is mine now too!” Y/N exclaimed, lifting her arm to show the animal curled up on it.
“GIVE IT BACK!” Obanai walked back to them in quick steps and grabbed poor Kabamaru away, once again turning and leaving them behind.
“Nooo! My snakeeeeee!” Y/N dramatically cried as she and Tanjiro followed him.
“It's MY snake! MY SNAKE!” He angrily screamed back at her.
“You don't understand the bond we have!” She cried.
“What bond?! I RAISED HIM!”
Taniiro blankly watching them fight the whole way inside. Somehow, they seemed surprisingly close?
“Also!” Obanai glared at them. “I won't go easy on you like Kanroji did!”
'From the very start, he totally hates me!' Tanjiro thought, smiling nervously.
As they went inside, the vision they saw was quite… surprising.
There were wooden pillars everywhere, on the walls, on the floor and even the ceiling, but more surprising than the pillars was the fact each one had a person tied up to it with a rope. They were all crying and trembling in fear.
'Is this an execution chamber?' Tanjiro sweat-dropped.
“Hellooo! I'm Y/N! Are you okay up there?” The girl poked one of the people glued to the ceiling with a branch, totally unbothered.
'Why is she just introducing herself to them like nothing is wrong?!'
Tanjiro turned to Obanai : “Did these people commit some sort of crime?”
“Yes… that's right.” Obanai's expression got scarier. “The crime of being weak! The crime of not learning! The crime of being a pain in the butt! And the crime of irritating me!”
“Really?” Y/N stopped poking the person and turned back to Obanai while smiling blankly. “Are you sure this is legal?”
“Is the police here?”
“No?”
“Then it's legal.”
'Uh-oh! This is bad!' Tanjiro cried.
And so, the horrible training began.
It basically consisted of running around the pillar filled room while swinging the sword and evading Obanai's attacks, the problem was accidentally hitting the people bound to the pillars, even though they were using wooden swords, it would still hurt a lot.
The worst part is that Iguro's attacks weaved in between the poor corps members, because of his style, his attacks bent in a strange way.
Obanai's sword somehow evaded all the pillars and hit Tanjiro, making him fall to the ground in pain. “GAAH!”
'He has a wooden sword just like me, so why does it bend so much? His attacks slither through narrow openings just like a snake, but what makes it even harder is… I can her their voices when I aim between them-' Tanjiro thought.
“Please, please!! Please! Please! Please-!”
'Please don't hit us!' I can hear them, and it breaks my heart!' Tanjiro cried, his hand shook with nerves like never before. 'If I'm not incredibly accurate, it will be a disaster!'
After Tanjiro finished, he tiredly walked over to Y/N completely beat up, one of his eyes was purple, and he had a huge bump on his forehead.
“You next.” Obanai coldly said, pointing to Y/N. “Come here.”
In response, the girl raised her hand and made a question : “If I go there, are you going to beat me up?”
“Definitely.”
“…. Okay, then I'm not going!” She smiled brightly.
Obanai was shocked, he never expected someone to just straight-up refuse. And so, without knowing how to react, they both stood there in an awkward silence for some seconds.
“...Can she do that?” One of the people attached to the pillars commented to the other beside them.
“What did you say?” Obanai glared at her, finally speaking up.
“Why the hell would I go there to receive a beating?” Y/N argued back.
“If you don't come here in the next five seconds, you're going to become a pillar too.” He coldly said. “One-”
“OKAY OKAY! I'm going!” She ran up to him.
The training truly was brutal, it was supposed to play with your feelings, but…
“Okay, I'll attack right nooow...” Y/N approached her sword to one of the poor bound people.
“NOOOO!”
“Just kidding!” She retreated. “Or aaaam I??” She approached the sword to the person again.
“AAAAH!”
“STOP TORTURING THEM! THAT'S MY JOB!” Obanai hit her head with the sword.
“AAGH!” She crouched while grabbing her head. “This hurts, you fuck-” he hit her ankle this time. “OW!”
And just like that, the first day of training ended. Y/N didn't really have many bruises in the end, did Obanai actually hold back the strength of the hits with her?
“That was so scary! I'm relieved I didn't hit anyone!” She said, smiling brightly as she and Tanjiro left.
“Are you sure you're being sincere?” Tanjiro sweat-dropped. Well, at least she seemed to be enjoying herself…?