Chapter 69: Night Talk
After dinner, the house grew quiet.
Kanae's parents, Hanako and Sawaki, excused themselves, and Shinobu tactfully led Kanao back to their room. The gentle clearing of the space left only Kanae and Akira to face each other in the lingering silence of the dining hall.
Though Akira had rehearsed a thousand things to say on the long journey back, he now found his mind utterly blank.
Should he say "sorry"? An apology, without any action to substantiate it, felt hollow—almost insulting. As if two simple words could erase the weight of the past.
Should he say "thank you"? What Kanae had done for him, the silent support and unwavering belief she offered, was far beyond the reach of a simple expression of gratitude.
And what of the other path? To let go of everyone else, to devote himself solely to her? Akira couldn't. He couldn't betray Makomo's memory, nor could he excise the other people who had carved out a place in his heart. In that moment, his conscience and his greed were locked in a bitter struggle.
Perhaps he should try sweet words of love. But flowery, empty phrases would be an insult to the girl before him. And as for the words of true, unvarnished sentiment… Akira didn't know how to voice them in a way that would be worthy of her devotion. A girl like Kanae was someone he wouldn't have even dared to dream of, yet here she was, a tangible, stunning reality right before his eyes.
"Pfft~"
After a long, charged moment, Kanae's light laugh shattered the heavy atmosphere. She could see it all in his eyes—the deepening guilt, the internal war he was waging—but she could also feel the immense weight of his care for her.
For her, that was enough.
While Akira was still dazed by her sudden laughter, she had already closed the distance between them. She leaned gently against his shoulder, her presence a soft, warm comfort. Tilting her head, she met his gaze and raised a hand to gently stroke his face—a face that was younger than her own, yet had been stripped of its boyishness by the harsh realities of battle, leaving behind a stark maturity.
"Akira-kun," she began, her voice a near whisper. "Everything I do… it isn't to burden you with conflict or guilt. I much prefer your usual self—so brilliant and full of life."
Her voice was like a soft spring breeze caressing the surface of a lake, sending gentle ripples across the still waters of Akira's heart. He found he didn't dare to look directly into her eyes; the deep affection shimmering there was an ocean deep enough to drown him completely.
Closing his eyes, Akira's voice came out raspy and strained. "I… Am I really worth your…"
Before he could finish, his lips were gently covered by Kanae's small, warm hand.
"Akira-kun," she said, her tone now incredibly serious, her gaze unwavering and determined. "In matters of the heart, as long as I believe it's worth it, then it is."
She was just that sort of person—impossibly gentle, yet possessing an unbending core of persistence. It was the same resolve that made her cling to the "Akira-kun" honorific, the same resolve that drove her to join the Demon Slayer Corps against all odds. When it came to her feelings, she was no different. She had recognized the truth of her own heart and now poured everything she was into it.
"Whew—" Akira took a deep, shuddering breath and exhaled slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing.
Only then did he find the courage to truly meet her gaze.
"Kanae." His voice was clear again, his composure returning.
"Yes?"
"Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"
"Hmm…" She studied his expression for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't."
"I want to lock you up," he confessed, his voice low and intense. "Right here, in the Butterfly Mansion. Keep you here until I've killed every last demon in this world. That's the only way I can be absolutely certain that you'll be safe, as long as I'm alive."
He wasn't joking. The thought had been a dark, recurring obsession. He, more than anyone else in the Corps, understood just how terrifying the demons truly were—or rather, how monstrous Muzan and his Upper Ranks were.
Even now, with all his strength, he was only confident he could fight Upper Rank Six to a standstill. Against Upper Rank Five or Four, he might escape with his life, provided he wasn't ambushed. But that was the limit. As for Upper Rank Three, Akaza, Akira had developed techniques specifically to counter him, yet he still lacked the confidence for a direct confrontation. His only chance would be to rely on his speed to flee, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed.
Against the even more terrifying Upper Rank Two and Upper Rank One, his chances of escape were practically nonexistent unless their encounter happened to be moments before dawn. Akira, who had so often felt a quiet pride in his power, now found himself hating his own weakness.
"But you wouldn't actually do that, would you, Akira-kun?" Kanae's gentle voice pulled him back from his dark thoughts.
A faint, weary smile touched his lips. "Yeah… I can't bear to imagine how a butterfly would wither if it lost its freedom. And I certainly couldn't stand to see you become a shadow of yourself."
He met her eyes, his own filled with a new resolve. "So, I've made another decision."
"What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Starting tomorrow, I'm going to train you to your absolute limit. Until your strength reaches the point where you can kill a Lower Rank demon single-handedly, you are not to even think about going on a mission alone."
In his original plan, Akira's goal for Kanae's special training had been to make her strong enough to survive an encounter with a Lower Rank. Now, that goal had changed: she had to be able to kill one. Reaching that level of power meant that even if she ran into an Upper Rank—with the sole exception of Kokushibo—she could likely stall for time until he arrived to help. After all, Douma rarely fought seriously, Akaza refused to harm women, and the likes of Hantengu, Gyokko, and the Gytaro siblings weren't strong enough to instantly kill a Kanae who possessed Hashira-level combat power.
"Eh? But…" Kanae, having learned a Breathing Style, knew exactly what it meant to be strong enough to slay a Lower Rank on her own. She could already feel the mountains of sweat and endless hours of training that would be required. She wasn't afraid of the hardship, but she knew such a long period of intense training would be an even greater burden on Akira. She still remembered how utterly exhausted he had been after training Makomo for just half a month. This would take far longer.
"It's settled," Akira stated, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Alright…" Kanae relented with a soft sigh.
Just as Akira often found it impossible to persuade a determined Kanae, she, too, found it difficult to sway him once his mind was made up. All she could do was resolve to grow as quickly as possible, to reach the goal he had set for her, and lighten his burden in the only way she could.
But those were worries for tomorrow.
For now, both of them simply wanted to cherish the quiet peace of this moment, leaning against each other, for just a little while longer.
Their tranquility was inevitably shattered when a certain tactless crow swooped down, cawing insistently for Akira to begin his nightly patrol.
Akira shot the bird a glare that could have curdled milk. You'd better sleep with one eye open from now on!
I'm just carrying out my mission… Ink Shadow seemed to squawk back nervously.
Under Akira's nearly murderous gaze, the crow's wings flapped so furiously they became a blur, carrying it instantly to the safety of a tree at the edge of the courtyard. It didn't dare fly farther; its mission, after all, was to accompany him on patrol.
"Go on, Akira-kun," Kanae said, gently pulling away from his embrace. She straightened the collar of his uniform with a fond smile. "We still have plenty of time in the future, don't we?"
"Yeah," he agreed, his expression softening as he looked at her. "You should get some rest, too. Don't expect me to go easy on you during training tomorrow."
"I'll be ready," she promised, her eyes sparkling.
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