to the poison bit. I don't know the design of the Insect Pillar's Nichirin Blade entirely, but she did help me with mine. Wisteria poison, or anything to do with wisteria, was effective against the demons without exception. A specific amount of diluted poison would easily bring weaker ones to their demise, and since I adored Kocho so deeply, I had asked her if there was a way to use poison in my own breathing forms.

There was, of course. My fifth form, Deadly Spores, laced the blade with poison so pungent it weakened the senses of demons. It was comparable to making them drunk, which proved to be a great advantage.

And I was in the bath thinking about all of this. It was a nice soak, easing the tension in my muscles and the pain in my head for having to deal with Tokito. Only dreading the fact I'd have to see him again. But the thought of being able to beat Kanroji's record of finished plates had me in high spirits.

By the time I had changed and dried my hair, both the Flame and Insect Pillars had arrived. Kanroji was mostly keeping them company, but my greeting towards Rengoku was far from held back. Months, I think it'd been since I'd seen him last. I don't think I could go that long without seeing him again.

He was strong, a bright and strong flame that could never go out. Also, a flame that would spoil me.

"Y/n, this is yours!" He had his wide grin plastered over his face while he held out a haori. However, this one wasn't like the others he'd gifted me. This one was crafted with the utmost quality and care, and it was beautiful.

It reflected many of the flowers in the garden, all of them painted on softly. The large thing to note was the lily depiction on the back of it. Its petals spread out onto the back of the sleeves, too. I don't think I could've been any more grateful. "It's perfect, I'm never taking it off!"

Luckily, it was a perfect fit. Kanroji forced the embarrassment of providing her and Kocho with a twirl, but, to be fair, I did feel pretty. Rengoku bought a lot of these things for me, from haoris to jewelry to shoes. It felt never-ending sometimes, but with the salary I had now, it was all wasted on the trips I made to restaurants and emptying their supply of food.

Not long after watching Love and Flame Pillar arm wrestle, with it ending in a tie, and me attempting to but getting beat every time, the other Pillars started to arrive. Most of the food had been set out on the table by the Kakushi, only because if all of it were on there, I think it'd cause a sinkhole, and then be able to fill it up simultaneously.

The Wind Pillar came through, surprisingly. He wasn't into this sort of thing. However, he was friends with Iguro, so perhaps that was it. Himejima, the Stone Pillar, also arrived promptly. The Sound Pillar was unnecessarily late, and Tomioka was even more so. It only made me more anxious about their patrolling duties.

Was it really okay to be having dinner like this?

Finally, as I had expected, the Mist Pillar was last. I heard him explaining he had gotten lost, but, paid it no mind. It wasn't like he was here just earlier. Totally not.

For some odd reason, everyone had avoided the seat next to the Water Pillar like it had the dark plague. So, I took the pleasure of sitting beside him. Possibly to figure out why he was so gloomy.

Then, my own mood turned sour. I couldn't even look up without seeing Tokito right across from me. Seriously, I could see the smug look on Kanroji's face. She totally planned this out.

I was going to strangle her.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

cracks knuckles

word count: 3886

edited 3/28/25