Aoi Kazama lowered her head in defeat. Fine, no rush, she told herself. I'll have plenty of chances later anyway.
Ever since the mission started, Aoi had been "accidentally" running into Kyojuro Rengoku every single day.
Aoi: "Good morning, Rengoku-san!"
Aoi: "Rengoku-san, do you know what I'm 'thirsting' for right now?"
Kyojuro: "What would that be?"
Aoi: "Your 'guardian-sip'!"
Kyojuro: "Hahaha! Guarding our comrades is the primary duty of the Hashira! I shall provide you with plenty of guardianship as well!"
As he spoke, he reached out and gave Aoi's shoulder a heavy, encouraging pat—the sheer force of it nearly made her knees buckle.
Aoi: "..."
Help. He missed the point. Again.
She looked at Rengoku's face, which was practically glowing with righteous energy, while her internal self was currently curled in a fetal position, screaming into the void.
Refusing to give up, she took a deep breath and stepped closer. Her eyes sparkled with the desperate determination of someone who had nothing left to lose. "Rengoku-san, do you know what my favorite kind of 'sweet' is?"
Kyojuro tilted his head in deep, serious thought. "Strawberries? I recall the ones served at the Master's banquet were exceptionally sweet!"
Aoi gritted her teeth, forcing the words out one by one. "Not even close—it's you, my 'sweet-heart'!"
The moment the words left her mouth, a very faint cough sounded from directly behind her. Aoi's entire body went rigid. Slowly, she turned her head.
There, standing under a nearby tree, were Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke. Their expressions were... a colorful variety of shock.
Tanjiro's eyes were wide, his jaw twitching slightly.
Zenitsu was crouched on the ground, clutching his head and wailing. "Aoi-chan, you've changed! You used to only smile at me! Now you're saying such sappy things to Rengoku-san! My heart is breaking!"
Inosuke just stood there, shouting at the top of his lungs, "What does that even mean?!"
Aoi wished she could spontaneously combust and ascend to a higher plane of existence. "It's not what it looks like!" she stammered, her explanation descending into pure gibberish. "Listen—let me explain! This is... this is training terminology! Yes! It's specialized training vocabulary used to boost morale!"
Even Tanjiro gave her a look that screamed I-don't-believe-a-word-of-this.
Aoi: "..."
Please, someone, just take me away.
Under the confused and judging gazes of the trio, Aoi spun around and bolted.
She charged forward with her head down, her mind a chaotic blur. One second she was thinking about the ticking clock on her system mission, the next she was replaying everyone's horrified faces. She wanted to find a hole to crawl into and never show her face again.
In her haste, she didn't notice the person walking toward her.
THUD!
Her forehead slammed into a solid chest. The impact was hard enough to send her stumbling back two steps, her nose stinging with a sudden, sharp ache.
"Ugh..." Tears welled up in Aoi's eyes as she clutched her forehead.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she blurted out, trying to scramble past and keep running.
But a hand reached out and gently caught her wrist.
The hand was cool to the touch, but the grip was steady—firm enough to stop her, yet careful not to hurt her. Aoi followed the arm upward and locked eyes with a pair of familiar, lake-blue eyes that were as calm as still water.
It was Giyu Tomioka.
He looked down at her reddened forehead, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. "Where did you hit?"
Aoi's face flushed a deep, violent crimson all over again. The mortification and frustration she'd been running from felt completely exposed the moment she met his gaze.
She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, stuttering, "I-it's nothing! I just bumped into you, it doesn't even hurt!"
Giyu didn't say anything. He simply let go of her wrist and raised his hand, his fingers lightly brushing the spot she was covering. "It's a bit red."
At that moment, the voices of Tanjiro and the others drifted toward them, mixed with Zenitsu's crying and Inosuke's shouting. "Aoi! You're running too fast! Wait for us!"
"Tomioka-san! Block them for me, please!" Aoi cried out, and before he could respond, she took off again.
Giyu watched her sprinting figure, his head tilting in confusion. He remained standing there in silence until the trio reached him. Then, he shifted his body slightly, wordlessly blocking their path.
Aoi didn't stop until she reached a secluded area where no one was around. After catching her breath for a long time, she raised a hand to rub her still-aching forehead. As the memories of the last ten minutes replayed in her mind, her cheeks flared up again.
She crouched down, hugging her knees and burying her face in her arms. In her heart, she cursed the system a thousand times over. What kind of garbage mission is this? It's bad enough I have to say ten cheesy lines, but I have to do it in front of an audience?! It's total social suicide!
[Ding—System has detected that the host has successfully delivered 7 valid pick-up lines to the target. Mission progress: 8/10. Please continue to work hard! Reward: Rejuvenation Pill. Penalty for failure: Obliteration.]
Aoi: "..."
She snapped her head up and bared her teeth at the empty air. "You stupid Dog System! Do you have any idea how much I've suffered just now?!"
"Why are you always so noisy?"
Muichiro Tokito's voice drifted down from the treetops.
Aoi followed the sound and looked up. Muichiro was sitting on a branch, his uniform jacket fluttering slightly in the breeze. His clear, mint-green eyes were watching her quietly, like two unruffled pools of water.
Muichiro hopped down from the branch with effortless grace. He walked up to Aoi, his gaze lingering on her red forehead for a moment before he spoke. "I was watching the clouds. I heard you crouching here and cursing for a long time."
Aoi: "..."
She honestly felt like dying. Wait—so the entire time I was ranting at the system out loud, he heard everything?!
Muichiro didn't seem to notice her distress. He simply tilted his head and continued, "The 'System' you mentioned... what is it? And 'pick-up lines'... what are those?"
His tone was flat—no curiosity, no interrogation. He was simply asking about things he didn't understand.
Aoi opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. She couldn't exactly tell him that there was a system in her head that issued life-or-death missions, could she?
Right then, the mechanical voice rang in her head again:
[Ding—WARNING! Disclosing information about the System to anyone is strictly prohibited. Violators will be obliterated!]
Aoi shuddered. She waved her hands frantically. "I-it's nothing! I was just talking nonsense! You misheard me!"
Muichiro stared at her for several seconds. His clear eyes held no emotion, yet Aoi felt as though he were looking right through her.
He didn't press her further. Instead, he reached into his uniform and pulled out a small, pale pink candy, holding it out to her.
"This. It's sweet," he said, his voice as calm as ever.
Aoi blinked, stunned, and instinctively took it. As her fingertips brushed his cool skin, she quickly pulled back, whispering, "...Th-thank you, Tokito-san."
Muichiro looked at her puffed-out cheeks—looking for all the world like a squirrel that had just stolen a nut—and the corner of his mouth curved up in an almost invisible smile. Then, just as quickly, he returned to his usual tranquil state.