" Hey Nakime, where's this famous restaurant that you mentioned?" Akaza inquired. The group had changed out of their lab coats and were walking towards the town in their distinguishing Kimetsu no Academy uniform.

"Hmm... Do you remember that one eatery on the fourth floor of this mall? The one that used to sell traditional Japanese food? Well, the previous owner passed the restaurant to his son. The fellow is creative and came up with multiple new dishes through cultural fusion. You see, the son travelled to other countries before taking over, therefore he was exposed to food from other countries. This new and innovative way to promote traditional and foreign food was attractive which caused the sudden spike in customers." Nakime explained as the group went up the escalator.

Once the group reached the eatery, it was clear how crowded it was. There weren't any seats inside at all, yet the queue continued to grow. Upon being greeted by this sight, the group decided to buy takeaway and eat while walking home. Thus while Nakime queued with (Y/N), the others were waiting on a bench outside. Daki, Gyuutarou, Douma and Akaza were trashing each other in a video game while Muzan and Kokushibou were discussing academic-related shit.

In the queue, to not make it awkward between the two in a lively atmosphere, (Y/N) was the first to initiate the conversation.

"Hey, uhh... Nakime?"

"Yes?"

"About the biwa... I enjoyed your performance just now. When do I get to listen to you play again?"

Nakime smiled and answered, "I'm willing to play the biwa for you anytime. Just tell me you want to listen to it and I'll play it. You can even suggest songs for me to play and I'll go back and practice."

"Oh there's no need. I won't dare ask you to play specific songs for me, you're already doing so much by willingly playing for me whenever I want." (Y/N) rejected.

"It's no trouble at all. I don't mind learning new songs and I'm open to new song recommendations. So on the contrary, you'll be doing me a favour."

"Ahh... I see... Alright then! I'll accept your offer."

It was Nakime and (Y/N)'s turn to order. The young owner was busy cooking in the kitchen while his wife was at the register, taking people's orders and bringing food to the people.

"Good evening! What would the two of you like to order?" Asked the wife as she just finished serving another dish. The exhausted woman smiled warmly and prepared her worn-out notebook to take notes.

The group had already discussed what they wanted to eat before queuing to save time. The restaurant was famous for its creative way of transporting katsu curry in pita bread. It's a wonder how a bread that originated from the Middle East can find its way to a dish from Japan.

"Eight Katsu Curry Pita Pockets, please." Nakime smiled and handed the woman a handful of dollar notes.

The lady took the money, her fingers dancing around the register before she handed Nakime her change.

"Thank you, please wait for your number." The woman said and handed a receipt with the designated number on it. Both Nakime and (Y/N) quickly walked off to make space for the next customer.

The chef was quick and in another twenty minutes or so, the little Pita Pockets were done. Nakime and (Y/N) came back with the others' dinners. Before Nakime could hand out the Katsu Curry, Daki and Douma made their first move by snatching their dinners from Nakime, of course after they'd said thank you.

Once the rest all got their dinners, the group decided to go to the school park and walk around until they finished eating before going back to their respective dormitories.

"It's quite late now, so the sun is out. We'll be fine!" Daki had reassured (Y/N) when the girl asked about their condition.

The group circled the school campus once. (Y/N) showed the Twelve Kizuki where her class was since they requested it. I don't know whether it's just me but I think Muzan pulled out his phone to take notes. Take notes of what? I won't expose him.

It was around 10 p.m. when Gyuutarou's big brother instincts kicked in, saying that he needed to bring Daki back for her nine hours of beauty sleep. In Gyuutarou's eyes, this is crucial for his sister's health and skin but Daki? She just goes along with what her brother says because she's tired. After the two chaotic siblings left, the group had died down since Daki and Douma's fighting could no longer be heard. Slowly, the group had dispersed, leaving Muzan with (Y/N). Kokushibou had conveniently 'forgotten' something so he went back to take it but we all know he roots for his Lord. Douma and Akaza also left since it was getting pretty late. With only Muzan and (Y/N), Muzan offered to walk (Y/N) back to her dorm. The girl had agreed.

Once the two had reached (Y/N)'s dorm, (Y/N) thanked her senior one last time before she slipped into the serene dormitory.

"...One moment, (Y/N)." Muzan suddenly blurted out just before the girl had disappeared. (Y/N) stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Yes?"

"About the experiments... Don't let it get to you, alright? I feel like the result is not as important as the knowledge and experience you gain on this journey. That's what's important, alright? Now, go and rest." Muzan was about to go back to his dorm when (Y/N) replied.

"You've forgotten something, Muzan. Other than the new things I learned and the experience, the process is also important because I get to walk on this path with you and the rest of the group. The time I spend with all of you is important too. I think I've learnt something new after spending my time with the Twelve Kizukis, thank you for teaching me the importance of accepting failure and being able to enjoy the process with others. I've said what I needed to say, I'll go sleep now, goodnight Muzan." The girl yawned and walked off.

It was late at night so (Y/N) was more genuine in expressing her feelings. Although the girl had said so much, the only phrase that Muzan had picked up was 'the time I spend with all of you is important'. Is this what people call selective hearing? I suppose it is.

This left the guy red. God thank the dark sky that masked Muzan's flustered expression.

"...Silly girl." Muzan let out a hopeless chuckle before walking back to his dorm. Back at the dorm, Muzan went straight to sleep but from the way Muzan acted, Kokushibou could tell that he was in a rather good mood.

𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬シ︎

•𝑨𝒍𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑴𝒖𝒛𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔.

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