Chapter 127: Makomo: I Will Take Responsibility for You
Akira was about to speak, but Makomo gently pressed her index finger against his lips, silencing him.
"I'm not saying this to complain," she murmured softly, her deep green eyes locking onto his. "Nor do I want to hear your promises right now. I am simply explaining the basis for my suspicion. And it isn't just that one thing. After all, a single incident could easily be brushed off as a mere coincidence."
"What truly deepened this suspicion for me was Kanao's appearance. While her past is undeniably pitiable, she couldn't possibly be the only child in this world to have suffered such a tragic upbringing. Yet, out of everyone, you just happened to bring back this specific girl."
"Even when it came time for her to choose a surname, you didn't suggest your own. Instead, you specifically recommended the one Kanae wrote down. It was as if that surname—or rather, the full name 'Kanao Tsuyuri'—held some predetermined, special significance to you."
"Then there are the other details. I heard Kanae mention that you specifically instructed Senior Shinjuro's son to bring earplugs on his mission. And, as it turned out, he happened to need them on his very first outing. Normally, that wouldn't mean much, but you went completely out of your way to ask about it later, and you looked visibly relieved upon hearing the outcome. That just isn't right."
Akira opened his mouth to argue, but Makomo shook her head, cutting him off once more.
"Not only that, but your familiarity with the Upper Rank demons is absolutely astonishing. Although you claimed to have extracted that information from Gyokko and Akaza, and the rest of the Demon Slayer Corps believed you without question, that excuse is actually full of holes."
"Setting aside whether two Upper Ranks were truly stupid enough to leak their secrets, just looking at the sheer danger of the situation at the time... how could you have possibly found the opportunity to interrogate them?"
"Gyokko..." Makomo's voice trembled slightly, a noticeable pause breaking her steady tone. Even after all this time, the suffocating memory of that near-death experience left a lingering trace of fear in her heart. "He almost killed me."
"I refuse to believe you were in the right state of mind to extract information back then. If you were truly that calm and in control, you wouldn't have had to risk your own life so desperately to fight him."
"As for Akaza, you know his terrifying strength better than anyone. When fighting an opponent of that caliber, how could you possibly spare the energy to be distracted by an interrogation? Besides, I asked Kanae about the exact duration of your encounter. In such a brief span of time, how did you manage to extract detailed intelligence on almost all the Upper Ranks?"
"Finally, what truly confirmed this suspicion for me were Lady Tamayo and Nezuko."
"I asked each of them for every single detail of their first meeting with you."
"Whether it was with Tamayo and Yushiro, or the Kamado family, you displayed an extraordinary level of familiarity."
"Your past is simple enough, so where did you learn about Lady Tamayo's history? And how did you know about Sun Breathing and Yoriichi Tsugikuni beforehand?"
"Can you explain a little, my dear Sound Hashira? Right here, in front of your grandfather."
Makomo stared straight at Akira. Her gaze was filled with a fierce stubbornness and even a hint of aggression, yet beneath that brave facade lay an unmistakable, trembling trepidation.
Ever since this seed of doubt had taken root in her heart, she had agonized over whether to bring it to light.
A terrifying thought haunted her: what if everything they had experienced together was merely a carefully designed script? What if it was all an elaborate scam crafted by Akira to satisfy his own greed by deceiving the feelings of the girls around him?
Yet, in their daily interactions, his emotions felt so undeniably genuine. He made absolutely no secret of his deep affection for them, just as he made no secret of his possessive greed.
It was precisely because of this slightly clumsy, yet overwhelmingly sincere attitude that the girls around him were more than willing to tolerate his flaws.
But if all of this was just a lie... just a brilliant act put on by the man she loved...
Whenever that dark thought surfaced, a biting chill pierced straight through Makomo's soul.
Especially since she had become an official member of the Demon Slayer Corps, she had faced life-threatening danger twice. Did he know about those dangers in advance? If he didn't, how could all his other instances of impossible foresight be explained? If he did know...
She didn't dare let her mind wander any further down that path.
Kanae had also noticed these unusual signs and shared similar suspicions. The two of them had discussed the matter privately, but ultimately chose different paths on how to handle it.
Makomo chose to confront him directly and demand the truth, while Kanae chose to wait—patiently biding her time until Akira was willing to explain it to them of his own accord.
Thus, this confrontation had finally come to pass.
Looking down into those misty, deep green eyes and seeing the raw vulnerability hidden beneath her stubbornness, Akira slowly raised his hands. He gently cupped Makomo's soft cheeks, leaning in close enough that their breaths mingled in the cool air. The distance between them vanished until their vision was filled entirely with each other.
"Makomo," he whispered, his voice steady and resolute. "I promise you, the feelings between us and everything we have experienced together are completely real. There are absolutely no calculations or scripts involved."
Before Makomo could even process his words, Akira leaned forward and pressed his mouth against hers. Her soft lips carried a faint hint of the winter's chill, contrasting with the burning heat of his touch.
Makomo's breath hitched, her eyes widening in shock. Her entire world narrowed down to Akira's face. Staring into his dark, focused eyes, she saw nothing but her own stunned reflection taking up all the space within them.
Seeing the unreserved sincerity and overwhelming tenderness in his gaze, her rigid posture finally relaxed. She felt his clumsy, youthful, yet incredibly careful movements—treating her as if she were his most precious, fragile treasure.
In that instant, the lingering trepidation in Makomo's heart quietly melted away. Her deep green eyes fluttered shut, and she leaned into his warmth, beginning to respond with equally tentative, youthful affection.
Time seemed to lose all meaning. It was only when the two of them—despite having practiced Total Concentration Breathing for years—finally felt a dizzying sense of suffocation that their joined figures slowly parted.
They stared at each other, chests heaving with slight breathlessness. Recalling the awkward bumps of their noses and their sheer lack of romantic experience, yet feeling the deep, genuine emotion shared between them, both of them broke into soft, breathless laughter.
"Hey, Akira," Makomo teased, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she gave him a playful wink. "That must have been your first kiss, right? Since you gave it to me, I suppose I'll just have to take responsibility for you."
It was clear she no longer intended to explore any deeper into his so-called foresight.
As long as his feelings for her weren't fake, she was more than willing to wait for the moment he felt ready to explain everything else.
Just like Kanae, Makomo now believed with absolute certainty that Akira would never be insincere with them. She would wait until the day he spoke up of his own accord.
However, even though Makomo no longer planned to press the issue, Akira was already prepared to come clean.
In the past, he had been unwilling to share these secrets with the people he cared about, simply to avoid causing them unnecessary worry.
After all, it wasn't exactly a pleasant story to tell.
But seeing how his secrecy had caused Makomo to feel so insecure and harbor such painful suspicions, he realized there was no longer any need to hide the truth.
"You already know about the accident that led to Gyomei and me joining the Demon Slayer Corps," Akira began, his voice dropping to a serious murmur.
"That night, I got into a violent argument with the boy who ruined the demon-repelling incense at the temple. During the struggle, he knocked me unconscious with an incense censer."
"Even though I was only out cold for a short while, I experienced what felt like an incredibly long dream. In that dream, I saw a story unfold about this very world. The only difference was... I didn't exist in it."
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