On this night, Mei spoke to him of many, many things.
She had so much hidden in her heart—burdens she had carried for a long, long time. She couldn't share them with anyone. She had no close friends among outsiders, and telling her brother was out of the question. If she spoke those words to him, there would be only one result: Gyutaro would fall deeper into guilt, working himself to the bone even more desperately to save money for her.
He would work himself to death, and Mei knew that was simply her brother's nature. So she kept it bottled up. She couldn't let him shoulder any more weight.
But Izumi Kiyowa was different. She couldn't quite explain why, but just looking at him made her feel as though she had an endless stream of words to say. Mei didn't necessarily expect Kiyowa to solve her problems; she was strong-willed and wanted to handle things herself. Yet, if she didn't share these emotions with him, she felt a suffocating tightness in her chest.
She didn't want to tell anyone else. Only him.
Only this night, let the moon never sink in the west.
Mei talked for a long time. She was no longer kneeling beside him; at Kiyowa's insistence, she lay down by his side. They shared a single quilt, though Kiyowa kept nearly his entire body outside of it. The weather was still sweltering, and the floor wasn't cold; it was almost warm to the touch.
She said:
"Do you know where my name came from? My brother gave it to me. Before that, I didn't even have a name. I don't have a father—or rather, I don't know who he was. My mother was a woman of the streets. She had many customers, and it's impossible to say when she conceived me. After I was born, she didn't take care of me for long. Brother said she died of a sickness when I was about three. My name... it's the name of the sickness that killed her.
"As for my brother's name, others gave it to him. He never says what it means, but I asked around later. It's... well, it's an insult. I asked him why he wouldn't change it, but he wouldn't talk. He just told me to stay out of it. To this day, I don't understand why he keeps it.
"And then... are you asleep? Are you still listening?"
Mei's voice drifted over, tinged with a bit of excitement and a hint of uncertainty.
Kiyowa's response came instantly, without a trace of drowsiness. "I'm not asleep. I'm listening. I won't fall asleep until you're finished speaking."
"If you're tired, you should sleep. You've had a hard day, too. Isn't listening to my rambling exhausting?"
"It's not. If I could, I'd like to keep listening forever."
Hearing this, a smile spread across Mei's face.
"I don't have that many things to talk about. Every day is mostly the same. But if you want to listen, I'll keep going. Let me think... Oh! Right! You almost died from the sun today, but do you know how cold the winters are here in Yoshiwara? I'm telling you, it snows so much that the drifts can bury a person.
"Back then, our old home was taken from us. Brother and I had nowhere to go, so we stayed on the streets. He was terrified I'd freeze to death, so he found a tattered straw coat and wrapped us both in it. He held me under that straw coat to keep me warm. It didn't do much—I was still freezing—but I wasn't sad back then. I was actually very happy.
"And another thing... don't look at me now and think I don't care about hairpins. I've already decided which one I want. But I won't tell you. If you know, you might tell my brother, and if he knows I want it, he'll go and buy it no matter what. I don't want him to suffer for it, so I won't tell you. I'll only tell myself."
Mei spoke with a playful giggle. Kiyowa asked softly, "Tell me. I won't tell your brother."
"Really?"
"My lips are sealed."
Mei hesitated for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft laugh and turned over, leaving Kiyowa with only a view of the back of her head.
"I'm still not telling you! Go to sleep! There will be plenty of time to tell you things later. I'm sleepy!"
Watching her turned-away figure, Kiyowa felt a pang of bittersweetness. She wouldn't tell him probably because she suspected he might go out and buy it for her, too. At only ten years old, she already possessed such a clever, considerate heart. He didn't want to just say she was "mature"; he felt that a girl like Mei must have endured a great deal of hardship to become so selfless.
After turning away, a smile lingered on Mei's lips. She didn't know why, but her mood was exceptionally good. Even the "tomorrow" she usually dreaded now felt full of curiosity.
Would a tomorrow with him in it be different?
Lost in thought, Mei eventually drifted off. She was, after all, still a child, and the events of the day had pushed her physical limits.
Kiyowa didn't fall asleep immediately. Listening to the girl's steady breathing, he felt an indescribable feeling slowly growing in his chest.
The night deepened. Moonlight filtered through the tattered window paper, gently illuminating Mei's sleeping profile. She seemed to be having a pleasant dream, as a faint, lingering smile played at the corner of her mouth.
Kiyowa shifted slightly, looking at her back. Her words still echoed in his ears—those whispers that were almost a monologue, yet contained so much pain and sorrow. The origin of her name, the bitter winters, and the tiny, secret dream of a young girl's hairpin.
It wasn't that Mei didn't want to rely on her brother; she didn't dare to. She feared the price of every reliance would be paid for by her brother's exhausted body. But with Kiyowa's arrival, another name had been added to her list of people to lean on. And because of that, she finally felt she could try to speak her mind.
Kiyowa looked at her back and sat up slightly, beginning to circulate Sun Breathing. His desire to become stronger flared up intensely. If he couldn't achieve Total Concentration: Constant yet, he would train the way Tanjiro did—using even his sleeping hours to breathe!
Nearby, perched on a large tree, Rengoku Mujuro saw Kiyowa sitting cross-legged and practicing his breathing. He grinned, revealing a row of bright white teeth.
"Umu! Truly worthy of being my chosen Tsuguko!"
As the sky began to grey and before the sun had fully risen, a lingering mist clung to Yoshiwara.
Kiyowa opened his eyes. He gently tucked the quilt around the still-sleeping Mei and checked on Gyutaro, whose breathing was steady. Then, he slipped out noiselessly.
He intended to find some work to earn food for the three of them.
────────────────────────────────────────
Support me here: https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
Spring Sale Special – 20% OFF!
Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(89 Chapter- Ongoing)
Join the journey and become part of the story!
────────────────────────────────────────