Obanai went to his place, trying to think of what he could do to keep Sanemi and Giyuu from falling apart.

He paced around, trying to come up with a plan, only to find himself becoming increasingly frustrated.

"I should've done something sooner..."
He grumbled.

"Maybe, I should talk to Tomioka...? No, that'd be a waste of time."
He shook his head, trying to think of something better.

"Maybe... I should meet up with Uzui as soon as I can, so I can get the misunderstandings fixed... and I can meet Tomioka after..."
Obanai paused, a disgusted look on his face.

"But I don't want to talk to Tomioka..."
He sighed.

"I should tell Kocho and Kanroji about this tomorrow..."

He nodded to himself, having made a decision.

"Alright, I think that's the best I can do right now..."
He stared out at the starry night as it snowed.

"Why the fuck am I doing this anyway? For Shinazugawa...? Ugh! This is so annoying..."
He shook his head helplessly, walking to his bed and sitting down quietly.

"Need to settle this down tomorrow itself... Otherwise it'll be way too late."
He rubbed his eyes with frustration, laying back quietly.

I hope tomorrow's a better day...
He took a deep breath in, closing his eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep.

___________________________________________

The next morning, Obanai woke up early, having slept fitfully. He quickly got dressed and headed out, determined to meet up with Shinobu and Mitsuri to talk about his last conversation with Sanemi.

"Today's the day..."
He muttered to himself as he walked.

"Hopefully, everything goes according to plan..."
He made his way to the Butterfly Mansion, hoping to find the two women there.

Upon arrival, Obanai did find the two together, engaged in a friendly conversation. Shinobu smiled at Mitsuri, quietly listening to her silly talks as they conversed.

Kocho-San's so patient with me! Kyaa!! She's so adorable!
Mitsuri blushed softly as she squealed.

"Um... Excuse me for interrupting."
Obanai muttered, hesitating a bit before stepping into the room.

Both Shinobu and Mitsuri looked up as he entered, both greeting him warmly.
"Iguro-San! Good morning!"
They called out in unison.

"Good morning..."
Iguro looked at the two, a slight, disappointed look in his eyes.

Shinobu felt alarmed at that look, and knew something was wrong. She looked around sneakily, turning back to Obanai.

"We should probably head outside. Tanjiro or the others might hear us..."

Mitsuri nodded in response, and the three stepped out, walking through a forest, far away from the Butterfly Mansion.

As soon as they reached a snow-covered clearing, they stopped and the two women faced Obanai.

"Did it work? Did you talk to Shinazugawa-San? How'd he react?"
Shinobu asked almost immediately, her voice filled with hope. Mitsuri leaned in eagerly too, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Obanai took a deep breath before speaking.

"Yes, I talked to him... He's really hurt, and he's thinking about pulling back from Tomioka..."
He paused, his expression sombre.

"We need to do something before it's too late..."
He added, swallowing hard.

Mitsuri's face fell, her heart aching at the news. She looked at Shinobu, seeing the same concern reflected in her eyes.

"Wh-What can we do? We can't let them fall apart!"
She said, her voice filled with determination.

Obanai looked at the two of them, sighing out.

"First, I think we should talk to Uzui... Then, we can figure out what to do with Tomioka..."
He suggested.

"But Uzui's not back yet, is he?"
He questioned, wondering when Tengen would arrive.

Mitsuri's face brightened up all of a sudden.

"Don't worry at all! When I met Rengoku-San this morning, he said that he'll be back anytime soon!"
She smiled excitedly.

"...And maybe all of this would be settled today itself!"
She looked at Shinobu and Obanai, her eyes shining with hope and determination.

Shinobu's expression lightened, a small smile returning to her face.

"Well then, let's make a plan for when he returns... I'm sure we can figure something out together..."
She said, her voice filled with renewed confidence.

"Mhm!"
Mitsuri nodded eagerly, her spirits high.

Obanai's face softened at her enthusiasm.
"Alright, then... Let's wait for him to come back. Once he does, we'll talk to him immediately."

Mitsuri clapped her hands together, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yep! That sounds perfect! I just know everything's gonna work out super duper amazing!"
She said, her optimism radiating through her words. Shinobu chuckled softly, shaking her head.

She bumped her shoulder against Mitsuri's, smiling wide.
"Calm down there, Kanroji-San!"

Obanai couldn't help but let out a small, genuine laugh at Mitsuri's enthusiasm.

"I really hope you're right this time, Kanroji..."
He said, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I really do..."

"I'm totally right this time, Iguro-San! Trust me. Once this is settled, we'll invite everyone to the festival with big, happy smiles on their faces!!!"
Mitsuri said confidently, her eyes sparkling with determination.

Festival? What is she talking about...?
Obanai thought, tilting his head to the side cluelessly.

Shinobu's eyes twinkled with mischief as she watched their exchange.

"Well, well, well... Look at you two, all smiles and optimism! It's almost sickeningly sweet!"
She teased, her tone playful yet fond.

Mitsuri giggled, her cheeks flushing slightly at Shinobu's teasing.

Obanai blushed a little too as he looked away, a hint of annoyance in his look.

"Sh-Shut up... It's nothing."
He muttered, trying to maintain his gruff demeanor despite the warmth spreading through his chest.

Shinobu chuckled lightly, clearly enjoying Obanai's reaction.

Mitsuri just giggled, completely oblivious to the undercurrent of emotions

"Aw, don't be grumpy, Iguro-San! You're always so serious and grumpy, but when you smile, it's super cute!"
She said, reaching out to poke Obanai's nose playfully.

Shinobu burst out laughing at this, holding her stomach as she laughed.

"Cute? Kanroji-San! You're just something else!"
She tried to hold her laughter in as she covered her mouth.

Obanai gently pushed Mitsuri's hand away, his face reddening further.

"Kanroji... You... stop it."
He murmured. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of embarrassment and warmth churning within him.

"Hm?" Mitsuri tilted her head to the side innocently, clueless of what the two were on about.

Shinobu giggled softly, her hand resting on Mitsuri's shoulder.
"Oh yes, Kanroji-San! Listen to him, stop before he evaporates!"

She continued to laugh, pointing at Obanai's red face.

"Evaporates?"
Mitsuri repeated, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She looked between Shinobu and Obanai, failing to understand what they meant.

Obanai huffed, his face still flushed.

"You two... Just... Shut up..."
He muttered, looking away with a scowl. He could feel their eyes on him, and it made his heart race even more.

"L-Let's just wait for Uzui to be back, okay?"
He said, trying to change the topic.

"Okay!" Mitsuri chirped, still not quite understanding but deciding to let it go.

Obanai sighed in relief, silently thanking Mitsuri for her obliviousness. Shinobu smiled at Mitsuri before turning to Obanai, a playful smirk on her face.

Obanai glanced at Shinobu, who gave him a knowing smirk. He looked away quickly, his ears heating up.

Why are they so... fuck! Kocho can see right through me...
He thought, swallowing hard.

Iguro-San gets flustered easily... How adorably funny!
Shinobu chuckled to herself softly, a faint blush spread on her cheeks.

She finally decided to have some mercy on Obanai and changed the topic.

"So... what should we do until then? We don't even know when Uzui-San would be back..."

That's when they heard a voice uproach them from behind.

"What's up guys?"

...

...What?
The three turned around almost immediately, their eyes widening.

"...Talkin' about me?"

___________________________________________

OOH LALA!!!

Iguro's got beef with you Tengen, you ruined his best friend, chihuahua's life 😔👉👈

Sorry for the late update, too many festivals coming up in my country😔

Here, 🍩🍪🥛✨

I love you so take care of yourself honey!🌸

<3