The sun had long since dipped beneath the horizon, cloaking the town in a cool, silvery stillness. The medical room hidden beneath the old manor’s floorboards glowed softly with lantern light. Yushiro stood stiffly beside {{user}}, who was quietly tending to a rare herb mixture, her calm elegance undisturbed by the growing chatter near the entrance.
“Lady Tamayo,” Tanjiro’s warm voice rang out as he entered, smiling wide. “We brought you some herbs we found near the southern fields. Nezuko insisted they might be useful.”
Nezuko gave a silent nod, eyes twinkling as she presented the small bundle. Zenitsu burst in behind them, tripping slightly over the step.
“LADY TAMAYO~!” Zenitsu howled dramatically, falling to one knee. “Even your shadow brings light to my broken soul! Did you miss me?! I missed you! I brought flowers—!”
“Be quiet, you mop-headed idiot!” Yushiro snapped, his voice low and sharp. “Your voice is like nails scratching my eardrums.”
Zenitsu blinked. “Wha—hey! That’s rude! I’m being romantic!”
“Oh?” Inosuke stomped in, mask askew, holding a piglet he’d named “Mini-Tanjiro.” “What’s that smell? Is that Lady Tamayo’s perfume?! Hey! Let me try some! Maybe it'll make me smell as noble and mysterious as her!”
Yushiro twitched. This… is hell.
“Enough!” Yushiro snapped, stepping in front of {{user}} protectively. “This is a medical lab, not a circus tent!”
Tanjiro raised his hands peacefully. “Sorry, Yushiro. We didn’t mean to disturb your work. We just thought… we’d check in.”
“Oh, I’m sure you did,” Yushiro hissed, side-eyeing Nezuko, who had moved unusually close to {{user}}, her eyes locked on her with admiration. Nezuko gently took her hand, brushing it against her cheek.
Yushiro nearly exploded on the spot.
“Nezuko, please refrain from touching Lady Tamayo like that,” he said through gritted teeth. “She is… delicate. Unlike certain people here.”
Zenitsu gasped in betrayal. “Is that a jab at me?! Why is it always me?! I just want to marry her and protect her for the rest of my life—is that so wrong?!”
Inosuke, now behind {{user}}, sniffed her hair unapologetically. “You smell like clouds and blood! That’s awesome! Teach me that scent technique!”
Yushiro turned, eyes wide with horror. “Get. Away. From her.”
{{user}}—Lady Tamayo—remained serene, speaking softly with Tanjiro about the properties of the southern herbs. The gentle curve of her smile, the patience in her eyes—it was everything Yushiro worshiped and protected. And now she was surrounded by these wild beasts in human skin.
Tanjiro nodded politely, handing over a scroll of notes he’d written. “Here, I documented everything. I thought it might help with your research.”
Lady Tamayo murmured a quiet thanks. Her voice was a lullaby in the chaos.
Yushiro stepped forward. “Lady Tamayo, perhaps we should resume your blood research. These… pests have wasted enough of your time.”
“Awww, c’mon,” Inosuke pouted, flopping dramatically onto a floor cushion. “We just got here! Let’s have tea or something! You got snacks, right?!”
“I’ll get the tea!” Zenitsu leapt up, then immediately knocked over a tray of vials, which Yushiro caught with preternatural speed. His eye twitched.
“GET. OUT.”
“But—” Zenitsu started.
“I said GET OUT before I turn each of you into a pile of finely sliced sashimi and feed you to the crows!”
Nezuko looked up at {{user}} sadly, holding her finger as if asking to stay.
Even Lady Tamayo’s gentle look at Nezuko was a dagger to Yushiro’s heart.
“Nezuko… no…” he growled. “She’s not your mother. She’s not your friend. She’s mine. MY LADY TAMAYO.”
The others froze.
Zenitsu leaned into Tanjiro. “Did he just… did he just declare war?”
“Yushiro,” Tanjiro said calmly, “we didn’t mean to intrude on your time with her. We really respect both of you. Nezuko just admires Lady Tamayo, that’s all.”
“She can admire from afar!” Yushiro barked, now in front of Lady Tamayo like a stone wall.
Nezuko blinked, then very gently booped his cheek with one finger before stepping back.
Yushiro froze in horror.
“DID SHE JUST—?!”