Chapter 124: Kanao and Nezuko
What was Kanao's daily life like?
When she was first brought back to the safety of the Butterfly Mansion, her routine was simple and nurturing. She would sit quietly with Hanako to learn how to read, absorb essential life skills under the gentle guidance of Shinobu and Kanae, and, most, learn how to actually be a child by playing with Akira.
Everyone residing in the Butterfly Mansion silently agreed on one particular observation. Compared to Kanao, a certain young man seemed to enjoy the playtime process entirely too much.
Akira, naturally, denied this with a straight face. I have no idea what you are talking about, I did no such thing, stop talking nonsense, he would insist whenever the older girls teased him.
As the undisputed darling of the Butterfly Mansion, Kanao's standard of living was exceptionally high. Her food, clothing, and daily activities were carefully cared for. A small, shaded clearing in the back mountain had even been specially designated and cleared out just to build a simple playground for her.
It featured a smooth wooden slide, sturdy swings, a seesaw, and various other custom-built facilities. If it were not for the strict limitations of space, Akira would have undoubtedly found a way to construct a full-sized carousel or a Ferris wheel just to see her smile.
However, Kanao almost never visited that playground by herself. She would only walk up the mountain path when Akira had the free time to take her there.
For Kanao, the actual games they played were entirely irrelevant. Having Akira by her side was the only thing that truly mattered.
If she had her way, she would have happily stayed wrapped in his arms all day, doing absolutely nothing and going nowhere at all. However, Kanao possessed a sharp intuition. She could feel that Akira was genuinely happy when they played together. Since her playing made him smile, she would gladly play.
As for the times when Akira was busy, particularly during his intense physical training, Kanao would quietly stand at the edge of the courtyard. She would watch him sweat profusely in the training ground, her eyes gazing unblinkingly at the figure that had long been deeply imprinted in her young heart. She tracked his every fluid movement, observing the occasional confused frowns or joyful expressions that crossed his face as he perfected a technique.
She would just stand there, perfectly still, and keep watching.
On the days when Akira was away from the Butterfly Mansion on missions or for other reasons, Kanao would slip into his empty room. She would sit quietly in his space to space out, letting the familiar atmosphere comfort her, sometimes even bringing her personal diary to read.
It was a small journal she had started keeping the moment she learned how to write properly. It contained no deep secrets or grand tales, only the quiet, precious little moments she had spent with Akira. Even the fond memories from the days before she knew how to hold a pen were carefully recorded from memory.
Originally, Kanao believed her future days would simply continue like this, peaceful, quiet, and deeply reassuring.
She even harbored a quiet thought that in the future, when she grew just a little bit older, perhaps she could take a different place by his side. After all, she already had several older sisters paving the way.
But that innocent illusion shattered one night. When an unconscious Akira was suddenly brought back to the Butterfly Mansion by Himejima Gyomei, Kanao experienced a harsh awakening. She realized that these seemingly peaceful days were not naturally peaceful at all. It was only because of Akira, because of Kanae, and because of the relentless sacrifices of the Demon Slayer Corps members that this small, fragile world of peace was maintained.
From that night onward, Kanao became even more well-behaved.
She completely stopped asking Akira to take her up to the playground. Instead, she would actively refuse whenever he offered to take her, intentionally stepping back to allow him more time to train and perfect his sword forms.
Kanao could feel a distinct shift in him. Ever since he woke from that coma, Akira had become burdened with a quiet, lingering anxiety. Even when they did visit the playground, she knew he wasn't truly happy. He only wore a happy smile on the surface to comfort her.
That kind of practiced smile could easily fool the others, but it could never fool Kanao. After all, she wore the exact same empty smile whenever she faced strangers.
Conversely, she noticed that during his grueling training sessions, Akira's heart could finally find a brief, genuine moment of peace. In those moments of physical exertion, he could temporarily discard his heavy distractions and focus his entire mind solely on the perfection of each strike.
Kanao did not know how to make him truly happy again like he was before, but she at least knew how to give him the space to feel less anxious and more at peace.
However, perhaps because she had become far too sensible for a child her age, Akira began to feel deeply indebted to her. He felt a pang of guilt over her sudden maturity and wanted to compensate her in other ways.
So, not long after returning from yet another injury, he introduced a new playmate to her.
Yet, the only playmate Kanao actually wanted was Akira himself.
Nezuko was a very kind girl, possessing a naturally benevolent and enthusiastic spirit, while also carrying a quiet maturity far beyond her years.
Akira had sacrificed an immense amount for her family. Although he casually brushed it off, claiming that Tanjuro Kamado's demonstration of the Kagura Dance and his very useful insights into the See-Through World were more than enough payment, the entire Kamado family strongly disagreed.
Nezuko naturally shared her family's deep sense of gratitude.
Therefore, even though Nezuko felt that the quiet girl sitting across from her seemed incredibly difficult to get along with at first glance, she unhesitatingly agreed to Akira's request to become Kanao's playmate.
Initially, Kanao was exactly as Nezuko had judged, distant and difficult to approach.
Nezuko even felt a subtle, almost imperceptible wave of hostility radiating from the smaller girl, though she often wondered if it was merely her own imagination.
But this cold reception did not deter Nezuko in the slightest.
After a few simple, probing conversations, she discovered a reliable pattern. Whenever she brought up any topic directly related to Akira, subtle, immediate changes would appear in Kanao's demeanor.
Whether it was recounting the dramatic story of Akira's first arrival at the Kamado family home, or relaying the fascinating stories he had told them about the outside world, it was always enough to instantly capture Kanao's full attention.
Although Kanao still maintained that polite, somewhat cold smile she reserved exclusively for strangers, a distinct hint of curiosity would spark in her eyes. She even showed a faint touch of eagerness whenever Nezuko deliberately paused her storytelling.
Thus, after several patient interactions, Kanao no longer acted quite so distant towards Nezuko. She would occasionally even respond to the older girl's questions. Even if those responses usually consisted of just a few simple, quiet words, Nezuko considered it a massive victory and obvious progress.
But today, just when Nezuko thought she had finally found a reliable way to slowly get familiar with Kanao and was ready to continue her friendly efforts, their relationship seemed to hit a solid wall. They had progressed from strangers to acquaintances, and then abruptly stopped right there.
Even bringing up topics related to Akira could no longer attract Kanao's attention. The young girl merely sat in front of the Butterfly Mansion's main door, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the dirt road outside.
Nezuko had initially assumed that Kanao simply wanted to wait for Akira to return from his mission and did not want to be distracted by idle chatter.
But when Akira finally walked through the gates, Nezuko realized her line of thinking had been far too simple.
The moment he arrived, Kanao immediately bypassed her and directly asked Akira about the exact topic Nezuko had brought up earlier.
Indeed, why sit there and listen to Nezuko's secondhand retelling when it was infinitely faster to just ask the person directly?
Kanao had actually wanted to do this for a very long time. The only reason she had patiently tried to get along with Nezuko was because of the bright expectation she had seen in Akira's eyes when he first introduced them. He had looked so hopeful that she could make friends with someone her own age, and so Kanao patiently tried to play the part.
After a few interactions, Kanao knew perfectly well that Nezuko was a very good, kindhearted girl. If it were any other time, under any other circumstances, Kanao would not mind spending time with her. Although they would never be as close as she was with the older girls at the Butterfly Mansion, they could still be considered genuine friends.
However, at this particular time, Kanao truly did not want Nezuko to appear.
Because every single time Nezuko came to visit the Butterfly Mansion lately, Kanao would be gently chased away from Akira's bedside and told to go outside and play with her new friend.
But at a time like this, Kanao only wanted to stay right by Akira's side.
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