"...Very well. Take your time to think this through and inform us as soon as possible once you made a decision." Muzan said, returning to his lab bench with Kokushibou. This signalled that she can go off and have her break. As quiet as a mouse, the young female grabbed her bento before scurrying off outside.

As the door shut behind the female, there was a distant sound of (Y/N)'s school shoes tapping against the concrete ground and just as the sound gradually disappear, Kokushibou began to speak.

"My Lord-" Before Kokushibou could continue, his eyes fixated on his leader. Muzan seemed to be in a daze. He seemed to be thinking, or perhaps daydreaming about something. The corner of his lips inched upwards slightly. The small movement stopped Kokushibou midway. Muzan had never been so... unfocused before. The minor and sudden changes in Muzan disturbed Kokushibou because they cracked the perfect image of Muzan in Kokushibou's mind.

Focused, determined, smart, and unswayed by irrelevant matters. That was who Muzan was in Kokushibou's eyes. A leader that anyone can follow confidently. And Kokushibou, one of the many followers.

However, they all seemed to be destroyed. Utterly destroyed.

'It must be because of that girl...' Kokushibou thought, still staring at his leader who was unaware of Kokushibou's gaze. Muzan had always been observant and aware of his surroundings.

As if affected by Muzan's sudden change in attitude, Kokushibou cracked a small but genuine smile as well.

'Well, I do hope this girl can continue to change my Lord and let him be happier.' Kokushibou only had Muzan. Of course, Kokushibou wanted Muzan to be well.

The two most heartless and emotionless people on the school campus were caught grinning to themselves in this enclosed area, where no one else could capture this moment.

The rest of the Twelve Kizukis had gone off to the benches next to the laboratory where it was heavily shaded. While looking around, (Y/N) noticed how careful the principal had been in designing and building this area. Apart from the ancient-looking infrastructure, there was a high brick wall lining the perimeter of this area. Any open area had at least three sheltered benches being implemented. (Y/N) looked up and saw a translucent netting covering the sunny sky. There was a tall pole at each end of the rectangular area with each end of the netting being tied to the poles.

'The translucent nettings were probably made such that should a Xeroderma Pigmentosum sufferer accidentally comes in contact with the sunlight, the damage done would not be as serious. The sliver of sunlight might also be to brighten this glum area up.'

In the centre of this place, was a big oak tree. The oak tree provided shade enough to cover nearly a quarter of this part of the campus and the tree type must have been chosen deliberately to contribute to the dark aesthetics.

A string of melodious tunes made its way into (Y/N)'s ears, causing the young girl to stop in her track and listen to the unknown musician's masterpiece. It was captivating, to say the least. The seductive music lured (Y/N) closer to its source. Closer and closer, the young female walked quietly towards the oak tree where the music became louder. Careful in her steps, the girl's shoes made no noise against the hard pavement.

Right before the great oak tree, (Y/N) placed her palm on the trunk of the oak tree and felt the vibration of sound flowing through the tree. It felt as if (Y/N) could physically touch and embrace the music. (Y/N) walked around the tree, her palms still in contact with the oak tree and before the young girl could cover half of the distance she was stopped by a confused Nakime who sat at the roots of the oak tree.

The girl had a biwa in her hands. One hand was used to support the instrument and the other held onto the bachi which was used to string the strings. (Y/N), on the other hand, had her left palm touching the tree and her right hand holding onto her bento. In the corner of (Y/N)'s eyes saw another bento just next to Nakime, still tightly secured.

"Your playing is amazing..." (Y/N) managed to mutter out, breaking the awkward silence and although her voice was soft, Nakime could still hear it clearly due to their close distance.

"Ah... Thank you..." Nakime looked down at her biwa before looking (Y/N) back in the eye. "Please take a seat."

(Y/N) did as she was told and sat next to Nakime, on one of the roots of the oak tree. Once again, silence flooded the air around them.

"If you'd like..." This time, Nakime broke the serene atmosphere. "I can play a few more songs for you."

Contented, (Y/N) replied quickly, "Sure!"

𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬シ︎

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 850