Obanai and Tanjiro locked gazes, their expressions tightening as they simultaneously drew their Nichirin Blades, flashed behind Zenitsu, and glared daggers at him.
"What did you say?"
"Uh, n-nothing, nothing at all, I was just joking."
For a fleeting second, he felt as though he saw Granpa Kuwajima weeping across the River Sanzu, crying about what a tragic death he had suffered.
Cold sweat drenched his entire back, and Zenitsu laughed awkwardly as he kept backing away.
Obanai and Tanjiro exchanged glances and nodded, reaching a tacit mutual agreement. We definitely have to keep a close eye on this brat. If he dares to try and peek, I'll slice his head off without a moment's hesitation.
Yet that unspoken accord shattered the very next second.
"Tanjiro~" Mitsuri came running over, pulling him straight into her embrace. Two towering peaks bobbed back and forth right in front of him, instantly making him dizzy.
Mitsuri extended a carefree invitation, "You should join us too."
"Ah? I'd better not, it's not really appropriate for a guy like me." Instantly, Tanjiro felt a surge of intense killing intent rise behind his back, akin to a venomous snake coiling and preparing to strike in the dark.
It scared him so much that he immediately broke free and retreated step by step.
"I said, you are not allowed to be intimate with Mitsuri!" Obanai's heavy grudge practically consumed Tanjiro whole.
"Obanai, you coming too?"
In an instant, Tanjiro felt a weight lift from his heart, and all the pressure vanished like smoke in the wind.
Obanai quickly turned his back to everyone, lowering his head as he fidgeted nervously.
"I, um, well... no, this isn't right."
"Oh, alright then, we'll go on ahead." With that, Mitsuri took Nezuko and left.
"Um... if later on, what if...