Chapter 65: Cloud and Butterfly
"Shinobu."
Hearing Akira call her name, Kochou Shinobu paused mid-stride. She glanced back at him over her shoulder for a single, fleeting moment before turning and continuing on her way.
That one look was enough to make all the words Akira had prepared die in his throat.
It was an expression he had never seen on her face before. The foundation was anger—anger directed squarely at him—but within that storm was a maelstrom of other feelings. There was frustration at her own wavering resolve, layered with a hint of loss and a touch of bitter grievance. There was hesitation, uncertainty, and even, buried deep beneath it all, a faint, almost imperceptible trace of joy. The collision of these emotions settled into an eerie, unsettling calm in her eyes.
Shinobu marched straight up the stairs, heading for her bedroom. She pushed the door open and, without looking back, tried to slam it shut behind her. The force she used was considerable, a clear outlet for her pent-up feelings.
But the door didn't close.
Still refusing to look back, Shinobu pushed again, increasing the pressure. A fine sheen of sweat beaded on her brow as she strained against the unyielding wood, but the door refused to budge. After a few deep, frustrated breaths, she finally withdrew her hand and walked into the room alone.
Akira followed closely, entering the room and gently clicking the door shut behind him.
"In your heart, what are we to you? Me, my sister, Makomo, Kanao... what are we, exactly?" Shinobu walked to the window on the far side of the room, her back to him as she stared out at the bright, sunny sky.
"The people I am willing to risk my life to protect," Akira answered without a shred of hesitation.
"Heh..." A small, dry chuckle escaped her lips. "I thought you would say 'lovers'."
After that single, brittle laugh, Shinobu finally turned to face him directly. Her eyes had cleared somewhat; the turbulent, suppressed emotions had receded slightly in the wake of his straightforward answer. The man before her was infuriating, but at least he wasn't spouting sweet nothings and convenient lies.
Akira couldn't know what she was thinking. He simply met those now much clearer violet eyes and spoke in a steady, measured tone. "Between us, while there is affection and moments that make my heart flutter, we haven't reached the point of calling it 'love' yet. Right now, it's more my one-sided greed and your indulgence."
He took a quiet breath before continuing. "But that doesn't matter. You, me, Kanae, Makomo—we all still have a very long time ahead of us. I will use that time to show you that I'm not just greedy for you all, but that I have a sincere heart. And you can use that time to witness my feelings for yourself."
"What about Kanao?" she pressed.
"She's still young," he said firmly. "For now, at least, I truly see her as a younger sister."
"Well said." A hint of playfulness, the likes of which had never graced her features before, curled the corners of Shinobu's mouth into a faint, challenging smirk. "So, if in the future, one of us becomes unwilling to indulge your greed, would a greedy man like you be willing to let go?"
"No."
The answer was immediate, blunt, and absolute.
"Ha. How honest."
"In my experience, the greatest danger in any relationship is deception, regardless of the motive."
Across the span of the room, they looked at each other in silence. Finally, Shinobu turned her face away, her gaze returning to the world outside the window.
"I hope you keep your word... Now, would our esteemed Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps please leave this young lady's room and allow her to be alone for a while?"
Though a hint of her usual mockery had returned to her tone, her voice had regained its fundamental clarity. Seeing this, Akira said no more and quietly let himself out of the room.
'It's too early to be talking about these things,'Shinobu thought, hearing the almost inaudible click of the door.'We'll just have to see how it goes...'
Though their conversation had been brief, the chaotic storm of thoughts in her heart had calmed considerably. The warring emotions now sat quietly, no longer clamoring for attention, waiting for her to sort through them, to understand them one by one. Eventually, she would use those thoughts and feelings to piece together a mirror, one that could truly reflect her own heart.
This would take time. A very long time.
And as it happened, time was something she—and all of them—now had in abundance.
...
Leaving Shinobu's bedroom, Akira took a moment to adjust his own emotions before turning and running, his destination Mount Sagiri.
At that same moment, from a second-floor window in the Butterfly Mansion, Kanae and her mother, Kochou Hanako, watched his rapidly receding figure. While Akira and Shinobu had been talking, Hanako had learned the full story from her eldest daughter.
Once Akira's silhouette had become too distant to see clearly, Hanako turned her gaze to the young woman beside her, a daughter who had already grown to be nearly as tall as she was. The gentle, mature aura surrounding Kanae was becoming more deep by the day. A constant tenderness softened her eyes, especially when she had been watching that retreating back, and a peaceful smile remained on her lips.
"Do you regret it?" Hanako asked softly.
"Why should I regret it?" Kanae withdrew her gaze from the window and looked at her mother, her expression perfectly serene.
"He's probably going to find Makomo now," Hanako said, her tone laced with a hint of indignation on her daughter's behalf. "He left without even coming to say a word to you."
"Akira is very smart," Kanae replied, unperturbed. "Before, his feelings for us clouded his judgment, so he didn't see through my acting with Makomo. But he must have figured it out by now. So, he will express his feelings in his own way."
"And his way of expressing his feelings is to put you last?" Hanako's voice grew even more indignant.
"It's because I am always here at the Butterfly Mansion, while Makomo is not. I will be following Akira for special training soon, while Makomo has to go on missions," Kanae explained with unshakable calm.
"Don't you feel wronged?"
"If you mean am I jealous, then yes, a little," Kanae admitted. "But it hasn't reached the point of feeling 'wronged.' If we're being honest, the one who should feel the most wronged in all this is Makomo. Besides... Akira probably won't let me feel wronged."
Ever since the night he had saved her, his figure had been etched into her heart.
But she had never asked for anything. She was content to simply watch over the brilliant youth, her affection a quiet and gentle presence in his daily life. When he trained, she prepared cool tea and fresh towels. When he returned from a mission, she helped organize his affairs. When he needed help, she offered whatever she could.
Originally, when she noticed Makomo's budding feelings for Akira, she had resolved that simply accompanying him in silence would be enough.
But as time passed, he began to respond. A few words of thanks here, a quiet inquiry about her well-being there. An occasional joke that made her laugh, or a small gift brought back just for her after a long journey. With every small gesture, she found she couldn't control her desire to draw just a little closer.
Then, he had respected her wishes, not only supporting her desire to learn a Breathing Style but actively encouraging her to create her very own. Her yearning to be near him became even more urgent.
And now, she had achieved her goal.
Therefore, she didn't feel wronged. There was a tiny prickle of jealousy at the sheer scale of Akira's greed, but she knew, with a certainty that settled deep in her soul, that if he weren't so greedy, she might never have had a chance to get close at all.
Right now, she was actually more concerned about Shinobu's state of mind.
"You..." Hanako sighed, letting her facade drop. "I hope so, then."
As someone who had lived a full life, she was actually far more open-minded than she let on. Her previous words were merely a test, a way to probe her daughter's true thoughts. This daughter of hers was indeed kind, perhaps a little too good for her own sake. All she could do now was hope that the greedy young man would not betray this deep affection.
Still, judging by his willingness to be so open and honest, the future didn't look too bad at all.
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