Omake 02 – "Heh, poking someone means..." [Rewrite, Finished]

It was late at night, however in the mountain named "Mount Natagumo..."

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Three figures could be seen recently entering the area, all of them running quicker than any normal person could do. They were sporting their own respective haori and such, but all three of them were wearing something similar.

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The Demon Slayer uniform, which mainly consisted of a gakuran jacket and tattsuke-hakama pants. However, all of them had their own tinted version.

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"Tomioka-san, we're finally on a mission together. Isn't that nice?~" Shinobu asked Giyu with her eyes closed and the usual gentle smile she would show to everyone.

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They had just entered the mountain and heard that many of the Slayers assigned to this mission were either injected with venom or dead. This lead to Hashiras being dispatched to come and help the situation since there was even a Lower Moon in this area. A demon that couldn't be handled by lower ranked Slayers.

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Anyway, as for Giyu's reply to what Shinobu said...

"...I'm only here to kill demons."

Giyu replied with the same serene and calm expression he always had on his face.

"But Tomioka-san, as Demon Slayers and Hashiras, we should get along. Isn't that right, Kaze-san?"

Shinobu didn't give up and instead continued to try and make conversation. She even silently hinted for the other person here, which was Kaze, to help her out and to agree with her.

"Mmm... You're not wrong, Shinobu-chan," Kaze replied absentmindedly making what he said sound not as trustworthy.

He was looking at a certain direction, as if he sensed something interesting.

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Seeing that both of them didn't even try to properly make conversation with her, Shinobu decided to think about a question that would make them inclined to speak.

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"Don't you think 3 Hashira's being sent is overkill?" Shinobu asked, hoping one of the two would speak their opinion over it.

The question lingered as the 3 Hashiras continued running.

"Shinobu-chan... That's quite obvious, don't you think so? Even if there was a Lower Moon, any of us could defeat them in all honesty. " One of the them, which was Kaze, answered in an amused and soft tone. The most quiet out of the bunch which was Giyu, just wanted to get things over with and couldn't help but want to sigh.

Kaze then added, "To point out such a thing, did you want praise Shinobu-chan? Perhaps maybe even a pat on the head? Ah, but you've already grown in the blink of an eye. I believe you're already far too old for such a thing, Shinobu-chan."

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"..."

To what Kaze quickly said to her, Shinobu could only stay quiet. Her now "gentle" smile seemed ready to crack at any moment.

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"Shinobu-chan... Don't tell me, you're angry, right?~"

"No, I wouldn't be angry over such a thing, Kaze-san."

A tick mark appeared on Shinobu's head, she continued to "gently" smile while shaking her head to answer Kaze's question.

"That's good, that's good. After all, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, wouldn't so easily and quickly get angry."

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"Since after all, only hot-tempered or immature people do so.~"

If looks could kill, I'm sure Kaze would have died multiple times now. The contrast the trio had with Kaze's wide sly grin, Shinobu's closed eyes and "gentle" smile, and lastly, Giyu's calm and serene face was quite something.

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"But well, Kaze-san, there's just one thing..."

Kaze's face changed into one of curiosity and waited for Shinobu to continue her sentence.

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"Why do you do it to Neesan?"

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"I do wonder.~"

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"..."

'Eh? No response?'

This was the first time Shinobu had ever heard Kaze quiet from a comment, and while surprising, it honestly felt great to her.

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Even Giyu was surprised at a quiet Kaze. After all, Kaze usually had a quick reply to everything thrown at him.

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But before she could relish in such a feeling even more, she turned her head to look at Kaze to confirm if he had really did give up in a battle of words. Unfortunately for the Insect Hashira, Kaze's face had returned to one filled with smugness, his lips forming the same sly grin once more.

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"You already know, Shinobu-chan. But hey, Giyu-kun, do you know what poking means?"

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Hearing Kaze speak, Shinobu's mind immediately went back to the time when she had recently became a Hashira.

As for Giyu, he shook his head and said in an expressionless voice, "No."

But he was rather curious what it meant, after all, the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, would poke him from time to time, not explaining why at all.

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Kaze's grin widened, "Heh, poking means..."

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It was a hot afternoon, with both the Flower Hashira, Kanae Kocho, and the recently appointed Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, being seen in the Butterfly Mansion's garden, and the room that lead to the place.

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Shinobu was currently behind Kanae in a seiza position, fidgeting while looking at her big sister's figure from behind.

As for Kanae. she was sitting on the engawa, cleaning her Nichirin sword while doing so.

"Neesan..."

Shinobu said, continuing to fidget in her place, a visible blush on her face.

"What's the matter, Shinobu?"

Kanae gently said, now humming a melody while continuing to clean her Nichirin sword as if it was a prized treasure.

"I think I... Like someone..."

Shinobu said, unsure of her own feelings, her face had become even more red as she finally said what she wanted to.

"That's amazing~" Kanae immediately replied, going back to humming while still cleaning her blade.

Silence then lingered for a few seconds, with Kanae stopping her process of cleaning her sword and her humming stopping as well.

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"E-eh?! Shinobu... l-likes someone?"

Kanae said dumbfoundedly, looking behind her and seeing Shinobu nodding, Shinobu's face became even redder due to confirming her big sister's question.

"That really is amazing!~" Kanae said once more, a happy expression on her face while her two hands were joined together and asked, "Shinobu, who is it?"

But before she could finish, Shinobu interrupted her, "W-well before that Neesan, you can't tell Kaze-san about this. I'm sure he would tease me if he was given an opportunity!"

Shinobu then sighed and started to calm down, but started to feel something was wrong when she saw her big sister helplessly smile.

"That's amazing, Shinobu-chan! To think you would grow up to finally find the person you are willing to try romance with.~"

A voice said from behind her, it was evidently playful and teasing. But still, the voice did contain joy for Shinobu for finding so.

"That's what I thought as well, Kaze-san. It really is great, isn't it?" Kanae replied with her usual gentle smile, revealing who the person behind Shinobu was as she decided to look behind her.

As Kanae said, it was the Breeze Hashira, Kaze. Who was the second longest person to be a Hashira among the ones currently. He had a smirk as if he heard everything that had just happened. He was wearing his own tinted version of the Demon Slayer uniform which was under his plain white haori. The haori had the kanji for "Breeze."

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A blush crept onto Shinobu's face while she gently sighed in defeat, "Kaze-san, since when were you here?"

Kaze tilted his head, his long hair swaying in correspondence to the action he just did, "Eh? Does it really matter? Well, I've been here since you started fidgeting about and acting all shy."

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'That's basically since the beginning!' Shinobu thought while her face became even more red due to how embarrassed she was.

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"Anyways... Kanae-chan, Shinobu-chan, I came here since I heard something interesting!" Kaze exclaimed while not minding Shinobu who was now thinking to herself while completely blushing.

"What is it, Kaze-san?" Kanae politely replied, while not minding, or maybe oblivious to what Shinobu is currently thinking of at the moment.

"Apparently, if someone owns a pet, it makes them look more attractive to the opposite sex."

"Really? Is that true, Kaze-san?"

"That's what I only heard anyway... But still, maybe that could help Shinobu-chan with getting close to person she likes. Maybe something along the lines of wanting to get taken care of just like how Shinobu-chan does to her companion." Kaze said so jokingly, not hoping for a serious answer or anything like that.

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"Well... To be honest, I've also wanted to take care of a pet. What do you think, Shinobu?" Kanae said while looking at a more calm Shinobu.

"I wouldn't mind as well, Neesan." Shinobu said while nodding, supporting the suggestion that Kaze had told them.

"Eh? You guys really are willing?" Kaze said in a whisper. It was more of a question to himself than anything. Taking a quick moment to think he then suggested, "How about a dog? They are cute, follow what you say, and even ~~loyal~~ at heart."

Shinobu couldn't help but blush a bit once more when she heard Kaze put more stress when he said "loyal." It made her think about a certain person who she might like.

"Ah, a dog would be nice... But sadly, Shinobu isn't very fond of furry animals, Kaze-san." Kanae said, a helpless smile on her face while saying so.

Kaze who was surprised, asked, "Is there a reason why? Did she get bit by one or something?"

"Yes... I was bit by a cat back when I was younger." Shinobu replied while nodding, while it felt a bit embarrassing to admit, she didn't mind as she knew her elder sister, Kanae would tell Kaze about it anyway.

"Then like I suggested, why not a dog? All you have to do is train them, and those walking ball of fluffs will be on the tip of your hand. Besides... I even brought a friend!" As Kaze said so, a small figure came inside the room.

It was a puppy, a young Shiba Inu.

Matching the puppy's age, it was still quite small. The young pup had a calm and serene expression on their face, and seemed to be well-behaved.

With a proud expression on his face, Kaze then spoke to the two curious sisters when they saw the puppy, "I met this little fella a few weeks ago all by himself. It started following me and I couldn't help but take him in."

"As for his name, would both of you like to guess? He should remind you of someone,~" Kaze added and waited for their answers.

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"Sorry, Kaze-san... I really don't have any idea." Kanae said while her head rested on her hand.

No matter what she guessed, it seemed all of them were wrong.

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As for Shinobu this entire time....

'Doesn't he... seem familiar to Tomioka-san?' Shinobu thought to herself, looking at the small puppy looking back at her that had a patient look.

For the entirety of the time, that was all Shinobu thought.

"Hm? Shinobu, do you have a guess?" Kanae asked her younger sister who seemed to be spacing out, looking at the puppy with a blank stare.

"Eh? Ah, it's nothing, Neesan." Shinobu replied as she was pulled up from her thoughts.

"Are you sure? It seems like you have a guess." Kanae replied, doubting Shinobu.

"I-It really is nothing Neesan, I swear!"

With a sigh, Kanae says, "Alright, if you say so..."

"Kaze-san, we give up. Could you tell us the puppy's name now?" Kanae added as she looked at Kaze, who had the puppy in his lap. He was quietly spoiling the puppy by gently scratching the little thing and only spoke if Kanae guessed. In response, the puppy had a small smile on the serene face while still looking at Shinobu.

"Both of you giving up so quickly? That's no fun.~ But well, this adorable fella's name is Giyu. He certainly acts like Giyu-kun so I thought of naming him as the man himself."

"Now that I think about it... They really do have the same calm expression on their face!" Kanae replied in surprise, as for Shinobu, she now had a visible blush on her face.

'So his name really is Tomioka-san's...' Shinobu thought embarrassingly.

If she answered "Giyu", she was quite sure that Kaze would catch on about who she liked. In all honesty, she already felt like he knew but decided to just keep a close mouth about it.

"Hey Shinobu-chan,~ why do you seem so quiet? Your face clearly shows you aren't surprised about Giyu's name." Kaze replied with a smile on his face, however he was focused on letting the pup have a good time.

His tone was rather playful, causing Shinobu's already red face to redden even more.

Kaze then adds, "Look, it seems like Giyu likes you. The only thing he had been staring at this entire time was you.~"

Kanae nods and gently smiles at Shinobu, "Isn't that nice, Shinobu? Giyu seems to like you alot like Kaze-san said."

"I-I get it! B-but please, can you stop mentioning Tomioka-san's name already?!" Shinobu quickly replied, as hearing Giyu's name and the word "like" in quick succession, the already flushed Shinobu became even more red.

"Is there a reason why Shinobu? Did you and Tomioka-san fight or something?" Kanae asked, oblivious to the fact that the reason why Shinobu wasn't red was due to being angry, but rather, hearing the person's name who she liked being said multiple times with a term that meant affection was too much for her.

"Ah, don't mind Kanae-san. They will probably reconcile in a few days or so.~" Kaze replied, he was trying his best to not laugh at the current situation Shinobu was in.

With a shake of his head, Kaze then says while looking at Giyu, "This guy seems to enjoy getting poked in certain places. While he might not know what it means, I'm sure he can still feel the affection from the gentle poking. After all, poking means..."

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"...Means you want to be friends with someone." Kaze said, which made Shinobu sigh in relief but confused. While Giyu, nodded his head and whispered a thank you to Kaze for telling him what it meant.

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Kaze then looked at a certain direction and smiled, "I'll be going first. I'll be taking West, alright?" Immediately after that, Kaze disappeared, going to where he could somehow feel a certain coward poisoned.

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As for Giyu, he started moving faster as well, going to a direction where he could sense the presence of someone and their little sister he gave a leap of fate to.

Shinobu followed him, but she still couldn't help but reminisce the time when Kaze told her what poking someone meant a long time ago, that being...

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『 You like that person. 』

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[Word Count: 2454 Words]

A/N: What do you guys think of Kaze so far? He is quite the free spirit, isn't he?

I might not post tomorrow or for a few days, I hope that will be fine with the people who read this.

Thank you for reading!

Random Fun Fact About Kaze #3: It took him 3 months to invent all the forms of [Breeze Breathing.]

His first move was something he already invented before even knowing he had used Concentration Breathing.

Random Fun Fact About Kaze #4: One of the only few people Kaze teases is Shinobu.