After a hot bath, necessary after an entire morning of training, I could finally feel my muscles relax.
Water ran down my face, washing away some of the exhaustion… a temporary peace.
Temporary, because five seconds later three crows burst through the bathroom window like winged projectiles.
"MISSIOOON!"
"Craa! Craa!"
They flew so fast they nearly knocked over the wooden bucket beside me.
Tsubaki smacked her wing against my head.
Hotaru tried to land on my wet shoulder and slipped.
Kuroha seemed to notice the situation I was in, landing on the window, but she tried to ignore it, giving mission details anyway.
─── ◆ ───
And so, an hour later, I was sitting on the veranda of the Butterfly Mansion, with the sheath of my new katana on my lap and a small white handkerchief in my hands.
The cloth had floral embroidery on the edges, and in the center, two letters stitched with extreme care:
A & D.
My parents' initials.
I was trying to tie the handkerchief to the sheath in an elegant way, but every time I thought I got it right, it fell.
I sighed.
"I just want it to look… decent," I murmured.
Behind me, in the corner of the veranda, three black figures stood with their heads lowered, facing the wall like criminals reflecting on their sins.
My crows.
Kuroha trembled with silent indignation.
Tsubaki looked like she was being unfairly punished.
Hotaru seemed on the verge of tears.
And all of them were grounded.
"Reflect on your actions," I said without looking at them.
As if she understood, Kuroha let out a suffering "craaa."
That was when light footsteps echoed, and Kanae appeared.
Clean, having just taken a bath as well, her hair neatly arranged, wearing a warm smile, and… a confused expression upon noticing the trio of shame.
She blinked once.
Twice.
Then covered her mouth to hold back laughter.
"U-Usan…? W-why are they… like that?"
Without lifting my gaze from the sheath, I replied:
"They invaded the bathroom while I was bathing."
That was it, she couldn't hold it anymore.
Kanae laughed so much she had to lean against the wall, a tear slipping from her eye.
The three crows shrank even more, as if the laughter itself was an additional punishment.
When Kanae finally recovered, she approached and crouched beside me, observing the disaster that was my attempt at tying the handkerchief.
"Let me see," she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, still smiling.
"You're trying to tie this without wrinkling the fabric?"
"And without letting it fall," I added.
"I see… May I try?"
I hesitated.
For a moment, my fingers brushed over the initials on the cloth. A & D.
"…You can."
I handed her the sheath and the handkerchief.
Kanae took the fabric gently, more carefully than I expected, and her eyes rested on the initials for a few long seconds.
She didn't say anything, but the change in her expression was clear.
With calm hands, she began folding it, positioning it, adjusting it into place.
That was when another presence appeared on the veranda.
"I brought lunch—"
Shinobu stopped completely when she saw the three crows facing the wall.
"Pfff—"
And she broke down laughing, nearly dropping the food containers she carried on a tray.
Unlike Kanae, Shinobu didn't hold back at all.
Kanae started laughing again at her sister's reaction, and after another glance at the crows.
The three crows trembled.
When the two finally regained composure, Shinobu set the food down safely, we sat right there on the veranda to eat.
There was silence for a while, a good silence, calm and familiar.
Shinobu was the one who broke it.
"Usan… I've always wanted to ask…" she pointed to my waist.
"Why do you wear a bell?"
Kanae stiffened slightly.
"It belonged to my younger sister."
My voice came out naturally, but the tightness in my chest was unavoidable.
The memories clawed at me.
The sound of the bell echoed in my mind for a moment, that cheerful chime that now carried weight.
Shinobu lowered her gaze.
"I'm sorry. I didn't—"
"It's fine." I interrupted her with a faint smile.
"Really."
I raised my right wrist, showing the bracelet of colorful stones.
"This belonged to my middle sister. I helped her gather the stones by a river near our cabin…"
I touched the kusarigama, pulling it slightly to show the handle.
"The handle used to be from a small axe."
"A gift from my father."
"It's been passed down among the men in my family for generations."
My fingers brushed over the handkerchief now perfectly tied to the sheath, Kanae's flawless work.
"And the handkerchief… was a wedding gift from my grandmother to my mother."
"She carried it everywhere…"
The two sisters exchanged a look.
A heavy look, filled with complicated memories.
My three crows slowly approached me.
They climbed onto my lap without saying anything.
Just staying there.
I ran my hand over each one of them, gently peting their feathers.
Kanae then began to speak, after exchanging a glance with Shinobu.
"Our parents…" she started, and her voice faltered for a moment.
"Were devoured by a demon right in front of us."
"The Stone Hashira saved us...."
"And we promised… we promised we would become demon slayers."
Shinobu continued.
"We lost everything… We only had each other."
"And now we have Kanao too, and the little ones from the Butterfly Mansion…" Kanae smiled, though her gaze was distant.
"Our family keeps growing…"
I took a deep breath and told my story, not all of it, not the one from another life.
Only the part from this world.
The change that was coming, the big city we never reached, and the night of the wolves all blended together in my mind, followed by the demon's arrival, the awakening of my powers, and the moment I buried my family.
Kanae and Shinobu listened without interrupting.
Kanao appeared midway through the conversation, drawn by the voices.
She sat beside them, listening to everything with her usual calm eyes, though there was a quiet curiosity within them.
The two then shared their own stories, including how they found little Kanao.
The sun slowly set, painting the veranda in warm colors.
Those three, Kanao, Shinobu, and Kanae, had always carried their pain alone, so as not to burden each other.
And now… they were sharing it with me, and with one another.
Kanao didn't speak, but her presence was enough.
At some point, the two sisters cried.
A soft, but deep cry.
Kanao, even without fully understanding, let a few tears fall as well.
I didn't cry...
But my chest felt lighter.
As if that moment had stitched something inside me back together.
I looked at my purple sword beside me.
My gaze drifted over the handkerchief tied with care, the bell at my waist, the bracelet on my wrist, the handle of my kusarigama, and finally the crows resting quietly on my lap.
And finally, I thought:
'I'm ready.'
Even with all the weight, the memories, and the pain… I was ready to move forward, truly.
Ready for my first mission.
Ready to live in this world.
And ready to honor every piece of my story, and theirs, on the path ahead.
─── ◆ ───
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