"It's finished."
Yoizumi nodded with satisfaction; the birthday present he wanted to give Shinobu was finally complete.
Every day after training, he would accompany Nezuko, and then make time to carve the wooden hairpin.
Yoizumi no longer remembered how much wood he had ruined, but at least Kanzaki Aoi wouldn't be short of firewood for cooking for a long time.
The peach wood hairpin was polished smooth, feeling incredibly lustrous to the touch. At the end of the hairpin, Yoizumi had specially carved a rose.
Caressing the wooden hairpin with his fingertips, Yoizumi imagined Shinobu wearing it.
After a long while, a soft chuckle echoed in the silent night.
Yoizumi's lips curved into a smile as he gazed tenderly at the wooden hairpin in his hand.
Shinobu would look so good wearing it... He hadn't seen her in a long time... Before they parted that day, Shinobu told him:
("Yoizumi, remember to miss me~")
Yoizumi had actually been missing her from the moment they parted.
"Shinobu... I miss you..."
Fortunately, the day after tomorrow...
The day after tomorrow was Shinobu's birthday, and Yoizumi would have a legitimate reason to go see her.
Yoizumi raised his head, gazing at the night sky. Why couldn't time pass more quickly?
He got up and went to Shinobu's room. Yoizumi usually came over to sprinkle fish food for 'Xiao Yang' and 'fugu'. Now, the several goldfish were getting along very well, freely blowing bubbles in the glass tank.
In the most prominent position in the room, the purple rose showed no signs of wilting. Shinobu, who often cultivated precious medicinal plants, had specially prepared a nutrient solution for it.
The rose stem was soaking in water enriched with the nutrient solution, having absorbed ample nutrients.
As Yoizumi approached, he could smell the rich fragrance of the flower.
His slender fingers gently caressed the supple petals, as if he was touching his lover across the distance... "Hey, hey, Murata!" Komi Kata whispered into Murata's ear.
"What is it?" Murata responded, puzzled.
"Don't you think Snow Pillar is in a very good mood today?" Komi Kata glanced at Yoizumi in the center of the training ground. It was still the same unchanging face, but!
Komi Kata saw it! Yoizumi, who always kept his lips pressed together, actually had the corners of his mouth slightly upturned!
"Eh?"
Murata looked over in surprise. Wasn't he the same as usual?
Hiss... Although it wasn't obvious, Snow Pillar did seem to be in a good mood today.
After all... the force of his blows was different. After being beaten for a week, Murata knew this all too well.
"Indeed, the force is much gentler."
"Could it be because we've improved, and Snow Pillar feels relieved?" Komi Kata pondered for a while, stroking his head, and then said.
"Uh... it's not impossible! Hehehe... Uh..." Murata chuckled foolishly, then suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Komi Kata beside him had already turned his head, motionless. Murata stiffly turned to look.
Yoizumi's expressionless face was right before him, and he spoke in a flat, unemotional tone:
"What are you two laughing about?"
"Ah, ah! Sn-Snow Pillar!"
"You two, an additional 500 sword swings. You're not allowed to rest until you're done."
"...Yes..." x 2
Even after the other team members had finished dinner, Komi Kata and Murata were still miserably swinging their swords in the training ground.
Where was the gentleness in this, Tanjirou?!
If Tanjirou were here, Murata would definitely shake his shoulders vigorously and demand an explanation!
"I'm sorry, Nezuko, I can't play with you now," Yoizumi said, picking up Nezuko, who was hugging his leg, with a helpless tone.
"Hmph!" Being held high by her brother, Nezuko huffed in displeasure, clenching her hands into small fists and hitting Yoizumi's head, messing up his golden hair.
"Can we tomorrow? Tonight, I have to go see Shinobu."
Hearing this, Nezuko immediately stopped her actions, blinking her beady eyes.
Going to see Shinobu... Well, that's not so bad.
Her dissatisfaction instantly vanished. She even patted down Yoizumi's hair that she had messed up, then grinned and patted Yoizumi's shoulder, nodding her small head with an air of seriousness.
"Mm-hmm~"
The rapid change in her attitude left Yoizumi stunned.
Indeed, girls' thoughts are so hard to understand... Yoizumi thought to himself... "You've worked hard today, Miss Kochou. Please go rest soon," Tamayo said softly, putting down her pen, having completed the experiment records, which marked the end of today's work. She looked at Shinobu, who appeared tired.
"You too," Shinobu replied with a faint smile, stretching her stiff muscles. Dark circles lay beneath her eyelashes; after days of continuous work, she truly needed a good rest.
She had lost track of time when she got busy, and unexpectedly, a whole week had passed. Fortunately, there had been some progress.
Covering her mouth, she let out a yawn, and physiological tears unconsciously welled up in her eyes. Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her finger, Shinobu bid farewell to Tamayo.
Returning to the room prepared for her by the Master, Shinobu simply washed up and then collapsed onto the soft bedding. Half her face was buried in the plush pillow, and her half-closed eyes, with unclear vision, didn't seem to focus on anything specific.
She hadn't seen Yoizumi in a long time... She wondered what he was doing now...
Ugh...
She sighed softly, feeling weary. Shinobu pulled the quilt tighter around her. It was time to get some rest.
Perhaps... she would even dream of him... Shallow breathing echoed in the room as Shinobu fell into a deep sleep... "Knock, knock, knock."
A knocking sound reached Shinobu's ears in her sleep. She frowned impatiently, then opened her eyes. After a moment, she heard no speaking, so had she misheard?
Shinobu closed her eyes and rolled over.
Just as she was about to fall back asleep...
"Knock, knock, knock."
"?"
This time, Shinobu sat up. Her sleep disturbed, her gaze fixed intently on where the sound had come from.
"Who's there?"
The person outside still didn't respond.
Sleep-deprived and a little grumpy from being woken up, Shinobu angrily got out of bed and quickly walked to the door. She yanked it open, but then froze when she saw who was there.
"Yoizumi?"
When Yoizumi saw Shinobu, he smiled at her. He didn't answer but instead turned his head to look at the night sky as if confirming something.
Seeing Yoizumi, Shinobu's anger from being woken up had mostly dissipated. She didn't understand why Yoizumi wasn't speaking, and following his gaze, she only saw the bright, high-hanging moon.
"You're... Mm..." Before she could finish her sentence, Yoizumi turned back, his clear sapphire eyes shimmering with tenderness. He bent down and took Shinobu's hand.
"Shinobu, Happy Birthday."
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