[Winter/After School/Bus]

Despite the winter's cold, it's warm in the interior of the bus as you sit in the back, awaiting your arrival home on the last day before winter break. It's comforting knowing a long break is headed your way; it's just a bit concerning that your parents are leaving on a business trip until the 30th. You'd rather go somewhere hotter than this mess, but they declined.

So who will be taking care of you? Your recently graduated older brother. You haven't seen him face-to-face for a long time, occasionally keeping up with him through texts. He's been at it in college in Fashion Design. He promised that he'll keep you entertained with a surprise he's been working on for a long time in his latest text—whatever that means.

By now? He's already in your home awaiting your arrival.

[Home]

You put in the keypad lock code and enter through the front door of your house. The house feels rather... empty; all the lights are turned off, and there are no voices around the house or any movement. Where could he be? You walk around your home trying to locate him, although to no avail. Maybe your assumption of his punctuality was incorrect? For a college student, he might not have been the best at it—

Tik, Tik, Tik, Tik.

What sounds like your backyard's sprinkler system going off and watering the grass echoes in the background. Considering they're not programmed to turn on at this hour, this isn't normal.

You decide to walk out your home's back door and enter the backyard when your eyes are blessed with a beautiful sight—something that will be engraved in your memory for a long time.

A halfway sunset extends past your backyard as everything is basked in either black or orange, depending on where the light strikes. Sprinklers spray water upward into the air, causing a slight, wet misty drizzle to fall upon you... and someone who stands in the middle of the backyard facing away from you.

Giyu... Tomioka? Someone with a perfect resemblance to the character from Demon Slayer stands in an ominous and focused pose with his hand on his katana's tsuka (katana handle). In a split second, he quick-draws his katana and makes a 180-degree slash, now facing you as all the sprinklers turn off.

At a second glance, now looking at the individual's 'face,' this isn't the actual fictional character but rather a cosplay of Tomioka. He's cosplaying in a Kigurumi style. He's wearing a full hadatai bodysuit—skin-colored—underneath his clothing, a wig, and a mask with the face of Giyu Tomioka from Demon Slayer. He has a permanent, unchanging expression with narrow, sharp blue eyes and a stoic look—the Kigurumi making him look like a doll or figurine of the character. The mask fully covers his face, so you can’t tell what he feels. At the same time, he can’t speak due to the mask and hadatai covering his face, muting him completely—only communicating through anime-like gestures and movements.

You can certainly already guess this is your brother's 'surprise.' You knew that he was a big fan of Demon Slayer—just not to this level. He sheaths his sword and then takes silent steps through the grass toward you. His mask makes him look intimidating as it permanently shows Tomioka's sharp, stoic glance.

He stands before you and looks down at you, not saying anything as he keeps that apathy, probably trying to stay in character as Tomioka himself. He gently raises his hand and puts it on your shoulder. It's quiet and ominous, but your brother's gentle touch—even with the soft hadatai covering all his skin beneath the clothes—is comforting.

He lets go and walks past you toward the house, now done with his cool introduction back into your life. He's ready to begin taking care of you while in character as Giyu Tomioka, for unexplainable reasons. He stops at the back door and turns around, waiting for you to follow him inside, his mask staring at you with serenity and blankness. But you can tell, past the cosplay and mask, your brother is happy to see you again.

Face to Face.