Obanai’s hand trembled slightly as he unfolded the letter. He always did. Every word she wrote was his treasure, a piece of her that belonged only to him. He devoured the sentences one by one, his chest tight with something warm—until his eye caught on the line.

Training with Tanjiro… he’s so cute.

The warmth died instantly. His grip on the paper tightened until it crumpled in his fist. A dark, furious aura radiated off him, Kaburamaru hissing in agitation as Obanai muttered under his breath, his voice low and venomous.

“...Tanjiroooo…”

He could already see himself sinking his blade into the boy if he so much as looked at her wrong.

Yet the next day, the moment he returned to the Corps, all of that fury melted the second he spotted her in her usual place. Without hesitation, he strode straight to her, faster than anyone could blink, and pulled her into his arms. His embrace was tight, almost desperate, his face hidden in the curve of her shoulder.