Chapter 60: A Young Girl's Thoughts
On the morning of the Final Selection, Kanzaki Akira arrived at the base of Fujikasane Mountain.
He hadn't been particularly busy lately, and with his exceptional eyesight and speed, Kagaya had assigned him to be one of the proctors for this year's trial. This required him to arrive earlier than the participants, giving him time to survey their general positions and better help the assessment to come.
However, someone had managed to arrive even earlier than he had.
"Hinaki, Nichika. It's been a while."
The chief examiners for this trial, Ubuyashiki Hinaki and Ubuyashiki Nichika, were already standing on the gathering platform.
The curse marks on Kagaya's forehead had become difficult to conceal. To prevent the unsettling sight from affecting the public image of the Demon Slayer Corps' master, he was no longer suited to preside over such occasions. The duty of chief examiner had therefore fallen to his twin daughters, who had only recently turned six.
"Mr. Kanzaki, it has been a long time," Hinaki and Nichika said in unison, bowing slightly to greet him. Their movements and tone were perfectly synchronized, though their words seemed to lack a certain vitality.
"There's no need to be so formal, is there?" Akira said, shaking his head with a helpless smile as he looked at the twins, whose every gesture seemed cast from the same mold. He had never been fond of such excessive etiquette, especially since he was on good personal terms with their father.
In fact, with the Butterfly Mansion not being far from the Ubuyashiki Estate, he would occasionally drop by for a visit. Back then, while the girls were always polite, they weren't as unnervingly still as they were now.
The two sisters didn't respond to his words, merely maintaining their polite, practiced smiles.
From a very young age, they had been taught to remain mindful of their image in public, to avoid any unnecessary words or movements, and to keep their expressions carefully controlled. As this was the first time the sisters were independently responsible for the Final Selection, they were adhering strictly to their mother's teachings, even though no one else was present.
Seeing that his attempt to lighten the mood had no effect, Akira simply began walking toward the path that led into the wisteria forest. He couldn't hold anything against two six-year-old girls. With his sharp observational skills, he could see that their stiff expressions were a clear result of nervousness, which was precisely why their every move felt so formulaic and rehearsed.
Just as he reached the entrance to the path, a voice called out from behind him.
"Xiao Yun?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Akira immediately turned. Makomo was standing at the edge of the platform, a few stray wisteria petals drifting past her. The delicate purple blossoms made the young woman, her eyes already curved into a gentle smile, look even more radiant. She was at that age where the innocence of a girl was beginning to blossom into the grace of a young woman; simply standing there, she was a beautiful sight to behold.
"Makomo?"
"Are you also a proctor this time?" they both asked at once.
Pfft.
"Haha."
The nearly simultaneous questions hung in the air for a moment before they looked at each other and broke into genuine laughter.
Come to think of it, Akira hadn't seen Makomo in a while. During his last two visits to Mount Sagiri, she had been away on missions. He never expected to run into her here, of all places.
"I was promoted to Kinoe a few days ago and had some free time, so the Master assigned me to be a proctor," Makomo explained, walking briskly to his side. "I just didn't expect my partner to be you, Xiao Yun."
"Partners for our first mission, and now partners for our first time proctoring," Akira mused aloud. "Could this be considered fate?"
"It truly is fate," she whispered.
Makomo leaned forward slightly, looking up at him. The unconcealed tenderness in her deep green eyes sent a ripple through Akira's heart. As he spoke, his gaze drifted away for a fraction of a second.
He was a greedy man, he knew, but one who was cursed with a conscience. The greed made him unwilling to let go of anyone who stood by his side, while the conscience left him unsure how to respond to such pure, undiluted affection—whether it was from Makomo before him, the absent Kanae, or...
Seeing his reaction, a smile touched the depths of Makomo's eyes, though it was tinged with a hint of disappointment. She could tell that she held a place in his heart, that he cared for her deeply, but... she also knew she wasn't the only one.
"Kanae will be in this Final Selection, you know," she said, pushing that sliver of disappointment deep into her heart and proactively changing the subject.
"..."
Akira looked at Makomo, who was now winking at him with a playful smile. He remained silent for a moment before playing along with a sigh. "I knew I couldn't talk her out of it."
During his last visit to Mount Sagiri, he had tried to persuade Kanae to wait until next year's Final Selection. Her Flower Breathing was not yet refined, and her own strength was only slightly greater than Makomo's had been a year ago. More, she lacked a sufficiently powerful, explosive technique to handle a true crisis.
But based on what Makomo just said, his persuasion had failed.
"Kanae has always been a very independent person," Makomo noted. "She's usually easy to talk to, but when it comes to certain things, she can be incredibly stubborn." Having spent several months living and training together, she had come to understand her good friend quite well.
"..."
Chatting as they walked, the two of them entered the trial area of Fujikasane Mountain. The familiar environment, shrouded in the perpetual bloom of wisteria, brought a sense of nostalgia to them both.
A year ago, they were just newcomers participating in this very trial. A year later, one was already a Hashira, and the other had reached the rank of Kinoe, not far from becoming a Hashira herself.
'But... if it weren't for Xiao Yun, I might have... stayed here forever...'Makomo thought, turning her head to look at Akira. The disappointment she had suppressed earlier began to dissipate.'Just being able to stand side by side with him like this is already a blessing. He shines so brightly... how could an ordinary girl like me ever hope to have his light all to myself?'
Even though...
"What's wrong?"
Akira's concerned whisper sounded in her ear, pulling her back from her thoughts. After stepping out from under the canopy of wisteria, Makomo had frozen in place. Her eyes seemed to be looking at him, but her gaze was distant and unfocused.
"It's nothing," she said, shaking her head gently, choosing not to pour out the complex emotions swirling in her heart. "I just remembered that a year ago, when we walked this path, we were still just newcomers."
Although Akira could tell that was only part of what she was thinking, he didn't press her. He simply nodded in agreement. "True. A year isn't a long time, but it isn't short, either."
He gestured ahead. "Let's go. We should find a suitable place to wait for them to come in."
"Mhm."
They soon found a high vantage point with a good view of the forest below. Settling in, they continued their quiet conversation, waiting for the Final Selection to begin.
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