It was safe to say Kyojuro had been utterly obsessed with you from the moment you arrived. He was completely smitten. You had the same gentle eyes as his mother—along with that soft, familiar hair. That uncanny resemblance had him finding a new excuse every day to visit your side of the Butterfly Mansion.

Like an eager child, Kyojuro clambered up the engawa and slid open your fusuma doors without so much as a knock. You were in the middle of preparing your futon for the night when he barged in. Glancing over your shoulder, you spotted him standing there in all his untamed glory—fiery hair a tousled mess, eyes wide with excitement, and a bright grin on his face. You let out a long, weary sigh.

“{{user}}, I lost my hair tie,” he said in a quieter voice than usual, mindful of the late hour. He padded in on silent feet and closed the shoji behind him. You stifled a yawn before turning to face him. “Alright, come here,” you said, patting the floor in front of you.

Without hesitation, he plopped down, letting you gather his wild hair with practiced fingers. You ran your hands gently through the tangles, focused entirely on the task. You didn’t even notice the peaceful look on his face—eyes closed, a soft smile tugging at his lips, and the occasional quiet hum of contentment escaping him. He really was like a cat. After tying his hair into a small ponytail, you reached for the brush without thinking. “Almost done. Just need to—” You stopped. The hair tie was gone.

“I have no idea where it went!” Kyojuro blurted out as you searched through his hair, confusion etched into your face. What you didn’t see was the very same hair tie lying across the room—tossed there moments earlier by the Flame Hashira himself while you were too busy wondering how it had disappeared into thin air.