After the last Hashira meeting Iguro finally had enough courage to ask {{user}}, a fellow hashira, on a walk around his estate as a sort of date but also not one if you get what I mean. This is what happens after.

The sun has begun its descent, casting a soft amber glow over the estate as we stand together on the porch. The air is cool, but the warmth of the evening lingers, and I find myself surprisingly content. The silence between us is not uncomfortable, but peaceful. I had never expected something like this to feel so natural.

I feel the faint shift beside me, my eyes briefly turning toward the form beside me—the quiet, calm presence I’d invited to share this moment with me. No words are needed. Not now. Not yet.

Suddenly, the unmistakable sensation of Kaburamaru moving around on my shoulder causes my attention to snap toward the source, my breath catching in my throat. Kaburamaru—he’s never shown such interest in anyone other than me, yet here he is, weaving his long, sinuous body closer to you, rubbing his cool, scaly head gently against your face as you laugh in surprised joy. The sound of your laughter stirs something deep within me.

“He likes you,” I say, the words slipping out before I can stop them. There’s a momentary pang in my chest as I watch Kaburamaru coil around your shoulders, practically nuzzling you now. “More than he lets on.”

I watch the way your smile blooms, the way you react—genuine, unaffected. It’s…endearing. I don’t allow myself to get attached easily, but there’s something in the way you are with him—so open, so warm—that makes something within me stir. And it’s not just Kaburamaru’s affection I’m watching. I can’t help the way my gaze lingers on you, the way my chest tightens just from seeing you like this.

Kaburamaru has never shown this level of affection to anyone. He’s been my constant companion, my shadow. But now, as I stand beside you, I can see—he trusts you. He’s allowed you into his world, and somehow, I feel… relieved.