For now she knew how reality was. She knew her place. And she would never do anything dishonest again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Daki was kicked out by Haku, she thought, I can do this myself! 

So she booked some cheap hotel to stay in while she found a job. 

Hah, now I have to WoRk! You happy, Tanjiro!? She thought as she arrived at the hotel. 

"OI! Lady, get over here and check in already!"

Yeah, she didn't book a super fancy hotel. This hotel.. was more like a motel. It was small, nasty, and smelly. But Daki had to live with it. It was all that she had.

"Uh, excuse me? My husband owns a big company, so have some respect, sir!" Daki lied as she felt exasperated by the rude manner of the employees.

The front desk guy rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. I don't even care, lady, now get signed in so I can have my f***ing break!"

"AH! DON'T YOU DARE CURSE AT A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN LIKE ME!" Daki cried, "YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS THAT I'M RICHER THAN YOU BROKE TRASH!"

"Really? If you were actually that rich, you wouldn't be staying at a S***** hotel like this one." The guy sneered.

"UUUUUUGHHHHH! JUST GET ME A ROOM ALREADY!!" Daki wailed at the tip of her lungs. A few bulky guys in the corner who were playing shogi (Shogi is basically the Japanese version of chess) turned to look.

"What are you guys staring at? STOP LOOKING!" The woman yelled at them. Unfortunately, the guys were not even a tiny bit startled. They stared back at Daki with their teeth bared and their daunting glares.

"AH!" The female yelped and turned back to the employee at the reception desk, "Daijobu!" She checked in and got her room key. Then she started towards the elevator.

Room 509...

When she opened the door of her room, she screamed. The main room was disgusting. The bed was gross and small, and the surroundings were super uncomfortable.

"EEEWWW!! DISGUSTING!" But it was all she could afford. 

"Is this a prison cell or what!?" Daki yelled, "Ugh! Hmph! Just you wait, stupid f***ing motel, when I become super rich, I'm going to sue you guys!" 

Yeah, growing up in a rich family, marrying someone with much fortune, and now this room... it was a lot to take in for this woman. Especially since she was spoiled all her life. 

Suddenly, something crawled over her feet. Something soft and furry...

"N-Nani? W-What was that..." She looked around and saw... a mouse.

"AHHHH! MICE!" 

It had been a few months. Daki tried out for several jobs, but none of them wanted her. Finally, she got a job at a fancy restaurant which needed more workers.

There, she encountered her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Daki tried to seduce him into dating her again. But after she failed miserably and annoyed Kanao, the restaurant owner gave her a warning because he couldn't bear to fire anyone anymore.

Within another month, Daki rented an apartment. It wasn't big or luxurious like her previous homes, but it was better than that dreadful motel she was forced to live in.

BEEP! BEEP! BEE- SLAM!

"UGH!" Daki screamed as she got up and stretched. 

Through the windows, she could see that the sky was gloomy and bleak. The clouds looked as if they would start pouring any minute.

D*mmit! Daki thought. She hated rainy days, because she had to walk to work in the rain. She wasn't used to it, because normally she'd ride Tanjiro's limousine or the train wherever she went.

But the restaurant was only ten minutes away. What was the worth in riding the train? Sometimes it'd appear later than estimated and you'd be late for work.

So Daki had to use her legs as a way to get to work. 

She got up, showered, put on her uniform, used all the skin care products and makeup she had left, put on a piece of jewelry that Haku once gifted her with, and did her hair.

Her enterprise had a strict dress code- or to her, it was strict. You couldn't wear your hair down: Ladies were required to keep their hair in a bun. You could only wear one piece of jewelry that isn't too noticeable. 

Worst of all, you couldn't wear any detectable makeup, such as eyeshadow! The only makeup options were slightly tinted red lipstick or a small amount of mascara. 

Of course, Daki took in all those options and tried to look as normal as she normally would, like when she was with Tanjiro or Haku.

But still, when she looked at herself, she didn't see the normal Shabana Daki. Instead, she saw a totally different woman, a woman who was much more pristine than the original.

And she hated that. But there was nothing she could do. 

Daki sighed pitifully and headed out.

It was midday. Daki was at the reception desk. She was sitting there with her phone in her hands as she scrolled through Instagram, seeking something interesting that is currently going on in someone's life.

Then she came across a post.

The captions said, "Dressing up as Kimetsu no Yaiba characters! Featuring my girlfriend, Kocho_Kanao!" 

People in the comments were saying, "Kawaii!" or "Kawaii ne!!" But all it did was made Daki feel was jealousy and acrimony. 

That should've been me! Humph! That woman really ruined EVERYTHING! A snarl formed on Daki's face. She realized she was still following Tanjiro. 

She wanted to keep following him, but she knew that if she did, it would continuously notify her about certain posts she didn't want to see... 

Without hesitation, Daki pressed the "unfollow" button. Then she left a comment below.

"I hate this," She typed, "it's absolutely disgusting." 

Just a minute later, she got many dislikes. People were replying, "How rude!" or "Hah, probably just jealous!" or "Oi, the report button is looking pretty fine, isn't it??"

Daki was about to reply in protest, when a scruffy voice called out. 

"Oi, get me my table, Lady. I have a reservation!" Daki looked up and saw a big, bulky guy with an unshaved beard and big eyebrows.

She sat up straight, "Excuse me? Is that how you talk to a pretty lady like me?" 

"Whatever. I don't even care. Just get me my table, whatever your name is. I have a meeting in 'bout half o' hour, so I gotta eat up." The guy rasped through his beard.

"UH!? Excuse me!? Don't you DARE talk to me that way! Where are your manners, sir?" Many people ceased their eating and looked up at Daki. She swore her face was comparable to that of a tomato's. 

"Who are you, my oka-san?" The man snarled, though through his beard, you couldn't really tell, "Nah. Just get me my table!"

"No! You better apologize for being rude to me!" Daki snapped, now ignoring the background customers. 

The man laughed, "I ain't apologizing to some random employee who just humiliated my form of speakin'." 

It was no surprise that Daki got immensely angry for something so small. Loosing her temper, she yelled, "APOLOGIZE NOW, OR I WON'T GIVE YOU A TABLE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE A RESERVATION, YOU UGLY B****!"  

The man stared in disgust. "You really just called me that name, didn't you, you foolish woman?" 

"So what!?" Daki returned the stare, in bewilderment of what she did wrong. Evidently, she didn't think that she said anything outrageous, because in her previous days, she'd regularly lash out at people.

"nAnI!?" Though the woman didn't sense this, the man was clearly offended, "'So WhAt'!? Woman, do you have any dignity at all? Do you not have knowledge of who I am?"

Daki found the way he talked complexing and irritating, so she simply rolled her eyes and responded, "No. Why would I? You're just some random old man who turned up at our restaurant!"

The man's eyes widened. Then he explained, "I need to speak to your boss."

Alarmed, Daki made her objection, "No! Why do you need to speak to my boss? What does he have to do with all this!?" Though she already noticed that she would be fired if this guy made a complaint to the owner.

The man ignored Daki completely and spoke to another waitress nearby. Ten minutes later, the boss arrived at the restaurant with a questioning look on his face.  When he spotted this guy, his face paled.

The man straight up yelled, "Excuse me, but this employee you have here just offended my styles and form of speaking!"

"Ah," The boss replied, "gomen'nasai for the trouble.."

"A simple apology won't do." The customer decided, "I'll need a formal apology from you to know that you are sincere enough."

"Ah, hai sir. What would you like me to do?" Daki was surprised by how the boss acted. She always thought that he had great authority. 

Finally, Daki recognized the man from social media. He was the owner of a huge and successful furniture store, whom Tanjiro sold his designs to long ago.

I-It's really him..?? She thought anxiously. No wonder her boss was acting so cautious.

The man pointed to Daki, his lips drawn into an indignant snarl, "You must fire this ill-mannered woman at once!" 

Daki knew this was coming. But she also knew that her boss couldn't bear to fire anyone, for they were scarcely low on employees. She braced for him to start an argument.

But instead, he turned to her, "If it is what he wants, of course. Shabana, you were being utterly impatient and rude. Therefore, without further hesitation, you are fired." 

The nearby customers broke out in murmurs.

"NANI!?" Daki screeched angrily. She them turned to the commences, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!?" 

Frightened, they went back to eating their food.

Daki fiercely pushed out her chair and slapped her notepad she took orders on down.

"YOU WANNA FIRE ME!!!??? WELL I'LL FIND A BETTER JOB, AND MAKE YOU ALL PAY!!" Viciously, she stormed out of the restaurant.

After that day, Daki gave up on working. She decided that she was going to spend the rest of her life in relaxation and leisure. 

She went shopping and spent all her previous wages on expensive bags, jewelry, makeup, shoes, clothes, etc.

She hadn't felt like this ever since she left Haku's house. It was satisfying and relieving. No more work. No more getting yelled at. No more strict dress codes. 

But because she didn't work much in her preceding days, she didn't know that the worst was yet to reach her.

Daki was out a month later, getting her mail from her post box, when she received a strange notice.

Dear Shabana Daki-sama,

You have not been paying off the monthly rents. It has been two months. To avoid further conflicts, we urge you to please pay the rent by the next week.

Arigatogozaimasu!

Daki frowned. She didn't know why she had to pay it. Her inexperience led her to think of the notice as a scammer's letter. 

She knew from common knowledge that it would be ridiculous to appease a rogue's letter, so she tore it up and tossed it carelessly into the trash bin.

That was a big mistake. A week later, the owner of the apartment she rented showed up at her door.

The owner, whom we'll call "Daisuke", exclaimed the moment Daki opened her door, "Excuse me, are you Shabana Daki?" 

"Hai, who else would I be?" Daki asked rudely.

Daisuke looked taken aback by this woman's rudeness and indignity. He explained, "Due to your heavy procrastination, you must pay off the rent for the last two months you didn't pay."

"And exactly how much is that?" 

"￥574,144, for both the months added up (about $4000)." Daisuke answered simply.

Daki's eyes widen, "N-Nani?? That much?" 

"Hai."

"Humph," Daki huffed, "I'm not going to pay for that! I was just about to use that money to buy the new released Prada bag! That money is part of the share!" 

"Shabana-sama, do you have a job?" Daisuke questioned, "If you do, you could easily earn that money back. Now to avoid further dispute, please hand over the money."

"No! You can't make me!" Daki whined.

"I cannot. But I can kick you out if you do not pay the full prices." Daisuke gave Daki a look of chilling seriousness. 

"Daijobu!" Daki went inside and got out her phone. She used the online payment method. 

"Domo arigato, Shabana-sama. My work here is done. Konbanwa!" And he just left like that!

Daki was enormously angered by the fact that she had to pay monthly rents. She knew she had to start working again, so she got a job as a cleaning worker at the mall. 

Worst job ever. 

Now, she put aside most of her monthly wages for the rent. She had little money left for luxuries and baubles, so she decided to consult with the mall owner.

"Please enter." The owner, whom will be known as "Yamoto-sama", said.

"Konnichiwa, boss-sama~!" Daki said.

"If you have something you wish to ask, please do make haste in doing so. I reckon I'd have at least ten minutes to speak to you before my next meeting." Yamoto-sama explained.

"I know~~! Anyway, I just wanted to ask, can you please increase my salary from ￥600,000 (About $4,181) per month to ￥1,000,000 (About $6,939) per month?? Kudasai~~??" Daki begged.

Yamoto-sama wrinkled his nose, grimacing, "Listen, I know this trick. What was your name, Shabana something... Shabana Daika?- No, Dami- Daki, hai. Anyway, Shabana Daki, seduction doesn't work."

"AH!?" Daki yelled, yet again, enraged, "WELL INCREASE MY SALARY! I HAVE TO WIPE THE DISGUSTING FLOORS AND THROW LEFTOVER TRASH AWAY! I SHOULD BE THE ONE MAKING THE MESSES, NOT CLEANING THEM UP!" 

The boss looked into her eyes solemnly, "I refuse to increase your salaries. Now, I've got to be at my next meeting soon."

"NO!!!" Wailed the woman, "YOU MUST INCREASE THE SALARIES! KUDASAI!!!"

"Have you no ears? I already made it quite clear that I refuse to increase them!" Yamoto spat.

"I WON'T LEAVE UNTIL YOU AGREE!" Daki made her way to the entrance and blocked it.

"A maniac I hired!" The boss gasped. Then he flicked his fingers at two bulky guys behind him, "Bodyguards, kudasai, get this mad woman out of my sight."

On cue, one of the guards grabbed onto one of Daki's arms, and the other grabbed the opposite arm. 

"AHHH!!!" Daki screamed.

"For that, I will, in fact, decrease your pays to ￥400,000 a month (About $2,788)." With that, Daki was taken away from Yamoto-sama. 

After that, Daki knew that she couldn't even afford real luxuries anymore. 

That night, she laid in bed. You must think she was thinking about all that happened today. But really, no remorse glimmered in her eyes, because she was simply plotting algorithms to get more luxuries, without having to pay any amount.

Then she suddenly remembered. 

The mall has lots of shops that have many luxurious things! Daki laughed evilly, Hai. I'll just act like I'm cleaning and steal it when my back is turned to the cameras!

She was wary of them now, for she recalled the last time she was caught stealing the Heart of the Kingdom from Haku.

Oh boy, she thought her life was just getting better!

2 years later

It had been two years since Daki first put her plan into action. Now, she had all the luxuries she wanted, without even laying down a single penny!

Today, she happily got into her clothes and headed to the mall. 

 When she got there she did her normal day's job of cleaning and picking up trash. Finally, the mall closed, and all the stores shut down. 

Now, since Daki was an employee, she had special permission to enter the stores, even at  the shut down hours. 

She explained that she needed to clean up some things, so she stayed behind. 

Hmm... what am I going to steal today?? Oh! One of the jewelry stores had the enormous Pink Star ring. Luckiest of all, the store contained no cameras!

So Daki snuck in. She looked around and spotted the bauble in its massive glass cage. 

Hai, hai, HAI!! Daki's mind screamed as she cautiously lifted the glass protector and removed the ring from the mannequin finger. 

She thought she looked SO good with it on. Daki then stuffed it in her pocket and headed back to her apartment.

But what was waiting for her surprised her. 

At the door of her room, stood a policeman, with two others behind him. 

"W-What are you doing here?" 

"Ma'am, you are under arrest for stealing the Pink Star." The police explained.

"NANI!? You have the wrong person! I didn't steal anything from the mall! I worked there for two years! Kudasai!!"

The policeman smirked, "Haha, very funny." He walked up to her and took it out of her pocket, "Then what's this, ma'am?"

"I-I was framed! I never did that!" Daki tried to protest, but the two wardens behind the main officer locked her hands with handcuffs. 

She screamed and cried the whole way, but soon, she was brought into court. The boss, the store owner, and another worker were there.

"Now that the thief is here," The judge announced, "we shall begin the court case! Let the eyewitness speak!"

The other worker spoke, "As I was leaving, I spotted this woman opening the glass cover of the bauble."

"I WAS JUST CLEANING IT!" Daki snapped in protest. Clearly, she didn't want to admit that she'd actually stolen the ring. 

"Then what did the officer find in your pocket?" The opponent riposted.

"URUSAI!!" Daki's brain stirred up a few clever lies as she turned her attention away from this person and to the gathered-up congregation. 

"I ADMIT!" She yelled as loud as her lungs could possibly bear, "I WAS FRAMED!" 

Many from the crowd gasped. 

"How so?" The judge asked in bewilderment. 

"There was a time today, after I cleaned the luxurious bauble," Daki tried as hard as she could to talk formally, "When I took off my cleaner's coat. After I put it on again, it myst- mysteriously felt heavier. However, I just took it as the fact that I was merely hallucinating."

Most were speechless. Even the judge.

Daki wanted to grin so badly her jaw hurt. She couldn't prevent her jaws from parting a little way... she went back to her pitiful look before anyone notice.

"W-Well," The judge explained slowly, "I guess we should consider this case closed. It does sound like a believable event... unless someone has proof that it isn't real."

No one from the crowd spoke. 

"Does anyone object?"

Again, silence. Even the person whom accused her of stealing the Pink Star was speaking no words.

Daki felt triumphal. She felt like she had won. But just then....

"I object!" The doors to the courtroom burst open. A man with cold blue eyes and an icy gaze strolled in professionally with a folder between his stomach and his arms.

"H-Haku-kun?" Daki whispered out loud. What was he doing here?

"What did you say, sir?" The judge looked overwhelmed and exasperated because of this fairly abnormal case.

"I said that I object." He repeated. 

"And why is that?" 

Haku smirked, "Well, this woman used to be my girlfriend. But none of you can guess why we broke up."

Daki drew her lips, "You want to tell them this story? That is the past!" 

The male didn't reply to her. Instead, he continued, "Similar case to this. She tried to steal a piece of jewelry that belonged to my oba-san."

"HE'S LYING!" It was Daki's instinct to say that whenever anyone accused her, "DO YOU THNK A PRETTY WOMAN LIKE ME WOULD STEAL SOMETHING THAT BELONGED TO A POOR OLD OBA-SAN!!???"

This time Haku rolled his eyes, "That's not what you said that day. And it's been two years, yet you haven't grown up. It's common knowledge that beauty doesn't matter in everything." 

"YOU HAVE NO PROOF THAT I DID ANY OF THIS!" Daki's yelled was so ferocious, it was comparable to that of a tiger's.

"Oh, really," That disgusted smirk returned to Haku's solemn face, "I do know that perhaps I do have proof." 

Again, a ripple of gasps ran through the crowd.

"N-Nani?" The judge replied anxiously, "Let's see it then."

"Gladly." Haku stepped up and allowed himself to speak. He then opened the folder.

"Now, let's save my personal business with Shabana for later. I am sure that she has committed not one, but two crimes. Must I speak of evidence? Hai, perhaps I should." He pause for a second and shifted something, "Now, shall we start with the Pink Star?" 

He held out something that looked like... a photograph!? It took Daki a minute to realize what the picture was giving them. It was a picture of her, stuffing the ring in her pocket. Gasping in utter terror, she wondered how he got this image.

"I'm surprise boss-sama didn't call for the security man to check the secret cameras that were placed around the diamond!" Haku held the image up.

The judge was taken aback by how much information this man knew. Even Yamoto couldn't speak.

"THIS IS PHOTOSHOPPED!" Daki snapped, "I DID'T DO IT! THERE WERE NO HIDDEN CAMERAS!!!"

Before Haku could reply her with some smug answer, the judge spoke.

"I suppose the only person who could answer that is Yamoto." He turned to the boss, "Is it true that you planted hidden cameras around the bauble?" 

"Well," Yamoto-sama said as Daki held her breath, "I suppose I did, at the very corners of the rooms.... well, things started going missing, so we purchase hidden cameras before work today..."

Suddenly, Haku gasped, "Yamoto-sama, did you say... that things started going missing?" 

Daki stared in horror. They can't have known about that, too! She felt Haku's eyes burn into her skin for a minute.

"H-Hai," The boss began, "for two years, the sellers were reporting missing objects, but I just told them that they probably misplaced them. Finally, we installed those.."

"That's it!" Haku immediately exclaimed, "That's why my brother always saw Shabana at the end of the day in some of the stores when he was on camera duty!"

NANI!? Haku's brother is the camera guy!? Daki suddenly felt that she was in danger. 

A wave of gasps spread through the crowd as eyes stared with a glaring gaze while Daki ducked. The look on Haku's face was a look of evil satisfaction.

"I also have to mention," He looked close to cackling by now, "There is a photograph here of her stealing my oba-san's Heart of the Kingdom!" 

All eyes turned to him as he held out yet another picture from his folder, "Clear evidence, I must say~!" He laughed.

So this is how you get revenge on me? Daki wanted to cry out loud, In a crueler way then death? is it your wish for me to suffer? 

The judge announced, "Let the jury decided now!" 

This was her last amount of hope. She bit her lip as she watched the jury murmur and whisper to each other.

A minute later, one of them spoke.

"We have decided!" This jury woman announced, "That this is a guilty crime of stealing!" 

"Then that it shall be!" The judge turned to Daki, "I sentence you to ten years in prison!" 

"N-NANI!!??" Daki cried.

"Case dismissed!" 

Daki screamed as two police wardens got ahold of her and dragged her away. She was screaming the entire time. 

But this she now realized: She deserved it.

Two days after Daki was sentenced to prison, she sat in her cell, regretting every cruel and vicious thing she ever did. 

I shouldn't have stolen anything! She thought. But regretting didn't do anything now. Her opinion didn't even matter anymore. This was her punishment, and she had to bear it.

RATTLE, RATTLE, POP! It was the policemen, unlocking her cell. 

"Lunch time?" She asked.

"No." He said... or rather, croaked.

Daki gasped in surprise, "Nani? Then what is it?"

"You're being pardoned." 

"NANI!?" Daki shook her head in incredulity, "You must be joking!"

"Nope," the officer said, "it turns out, someone payed a few millions to get you out, so be happy, woman."

Daki had never felt so happy in her life. She ignore the officer's rudeness and started wondering exactly who got her out of prison.

But when she saw the person however, she gasped.

Standing before her, a very recognizable woman, carrying a child of literal image, smiled.

"Konnichiwa, Daki-san." It was her, Kocho Kanao.

"Kocho!?" Daki yelped in surprise. Then her eyes drifted to the baby Kanao was carrying. The baby was a spitting image of someone she once loved... of Kamado Tanjiro.

"Hai, I have come to get you. Now let's get going." 

Today, Daki is eternally thankful to Kanao for saving her from the depths of prison. If you are wondering about what happened, well, Kanao gave Daki a job at their company.

The woman worked harder than ever before, and eventually, she was promoted to a higher status. 

Now, Daki lives in a nice and cozy, but modern apartment.

She is married to a fellow worker from the company. This guy treats her nicely, but doesn't spoil her. 

Daki also has a daughter now, who is a spitting image of her. She and her husband do their best to raise the girl with love and kindness.

She had grown out of her luxuries. She kept a few she treasured the most and sold the rest, for she knew that they meant nothing now.

The woman also returned all the things she stole back to the mall owners. 

She is also a great friend of Kanao's. Daki admired her for being able to forgive others so easily. 

Now, she vowed to never attempt to defy authority until she rose to that level. She would do everything fair and just now.

For now she knew how reality was. She knew her place. And she would never do anything dishonest again.

Author's Note

OMG! WE'RE DONEE! YES!!! 

This is the longest chapter I've ever written in my life (word count at the end). 

Thank you all so much for all your support throughout this journey of finishing this story. We will treasure your votes forever!

(Why does that just sound poetic?)

Anyway, here are some updates: The new story comes out on July 13, 2023. 

Yeah that's it.

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

PLS VOTEE! BYE!!

OXOX, 

EmeraldSapphire

(Word count: 4443 words)