[Demon Slayer: The Gentle Man]

When Tanjiro woke up, there was a familiar ceiling above his head, and the unique smell of Butteriya's medicinal herbs wafted from his nose.The faint scent of wisteria came in from the window, somewhat similar to the smell of the man lying beside the bed.

The moment he saw Kaneki, the light kiss that landed on his forehead before he fell into a coma, and the words Kaneki said appeared in Tanjiro's mind, and his face flushed all of a sudden.

It's over, it's over, he heard it!What to do!

When Tanjiro was flustered and didn't know what to do, the person lying beside the bed moved his fingertips, as if he was about to wake up.Tanjiro quickly lay down under the quilt, pretending that he was still awake.

Kaneki opened his eyes, straightened his body, and Tanjirou's back was clearly reflected in his dark gray eyes.He lowered his head, put it close to Tanjirou's ear, and chuckled lightly, the enthusiasm that Tanjirou had finally suppressed was out of control again.

"Okay, Tanjirou, wake up, it's time for you to drink the medicine." Kaneki took the cup of medicine that had been drying for a while from the table next to the bed, and patted Tanjirou on the back lightly.

Tanjiro's back trembled, he swallowed, and "woke up".Kaneki handed over the dried medicine very naturally, the strong smell of the medicine occupied Tanjirou's sense of smell, he drank the cup of medicine in one go, and he became sober.

On the tree outside the window, the chirping of cicadas and insects come and go, converging into a summer movement.In the ward, Tanjiro was leaning against the head of the bed, and he looked at Kaneki sitting at the end of the bed from time to time.Jinmu sat there, his raven was perched on the rail at the end of the bed, it had just reported a new task and was enjoying Jinmu's caress.

Shindou Marutarou rubbed his head in Kaneki's palm contentedly, and after a while, it flapped its wings vigilantly and flew up, and looked around the ward—— Kaneki's stepson, Kamado Tanjiro, was using a terrifying Eyes fixed on it.

Marutarou suddenly remembered that a few days ago, after exchanging information with Otozu Usui Tengen, Nobuya told them gossipingly, "The stepson of the first-class soldier, the soldier named Kamado Tanjiro, He has a different mind from the teacher-student relationship to the first-class soldiers who teach him."

Now, it swears by the brightest and most beautiful feathers on its body that what the gossiping raven is telling the truth.

Marutaro, who flew away in desperation, escaped unharmed and returned to the place where the ravens exchanged information. He found the worms he had hidden and stuffed them into the haystack where the ravens usually stayed, thanking them for saving their lives.

The raven that flew away was like a fleeting smoke in the air, and quickly disappeared from Kaneki's sight.He turned his head to look at Tanjiro, the red-eyed boy was a little unaccustomed to his direct gaze, tilted his head slightly, glanced at him secretly from the corner of his eye, his pupils turned to the other side, and then turned back to observe his reaction.

Kaneki remained silent, and Tanjiro's heart tightened even more.

For the feelings hidden in the bottom of the heart to be known by the person you like, it is undoubtedly a torture for the crush.Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, lying on the cutting board, extremely confused.

Tanjiro is now on that cutting board, fidgeting, waiting for the outcome of the trial.

"...Tanjiro, do you have anything to say to me?" The voice of that person was almost exactly the same as his own, Tanjiro thought belatedly, analyzing what Kaneki said just now in his mind.What did he want to say?All the time, there was only that one sentence.

"I like it." Tanjiro clenched the sheet under his hands, lowered his head, and whispered the word.

Those white hands that belonged to Kaneki rested on Tanjiro's shoulders, his voice sounded in front of him, "Tanjiro, speak louder, I didn't hear you."

Tanjiro let go of his grip on the sheet, buried his face in Kaneki's shoulder, and greedily breathed in his breath.

Many images flashed through his mind, Kaneki lying in the snow when he first saw him; Kaneki who followed Tomioka-san to leave for their safety; Kaneki who taught him fighting skills; catching and losing balance in the yard his golden wood;  …

When did you fall in love with Kaneki?Tanjiro himself couldn't explain it.

He is now leaning against Jin Mu's arms, his heart is beating like it is about to pop out, and all he thinks about is holding Jin Mu himself. He has never been in touch with this kind of feeling, and he is instinctively afraid.What are you afraid of?He didn't understand either.

No, he understands.

He was afraid that Jin Mu's care for their siblings was fulfilling his promise to his mother.He was afraid that after Jin Mu knew his feelings, he would show a disappointed expression.He was afraid of being rejected by Jin Mu, so a shake of his head and a disappointed look in his eyes were enough to make him fall into the abyss.

"I like you."

Still said it.

The moment Tanjirou said those words, his whole body went limp, breathing heavily, his throat tightening.

He was waiting for the judgment, for the knife that was about to fall.

There is no way out.

Kaneki sighed and let go of him.Tanjiro stood there stunned as if struck by lightning, looking at Kaneki's calm black eyes, the feeling welling up from the bottom of his heart was ten times bitterer than the medicine he just drank.

"Tanjiro, can you confirm what kind of liking you have for me?"

The knife stopped just before the lamb's neck.

"If you like me the same as you like others, I will still be your family in the future."

The knife was away from the lamb's neck.

"answer me."

Lamb replied firmly, "It's not the same! I like Mr. Jinmu! It's the same feeling that my father likes my mother! It's the feeling of wanting to be with Mr. Jinmu!"

The lamb jumped off the chopping block.

Kaneki pulled the little lamb into his arms and gave the result of the trial.

"Then let's be together."