Chapter 77: Before the Grave
The next day, with the Kocho sisters and Makomo seeing them off, Kanzaki Akira set out with Kanae.
Given their considerable strength, they chose to travel on foot, their swift, ground-eating pace serving as both a journey and a form of endurance training. By the time they arrived at the site of Kanzaki Keizan's grave, the sky had just begun to bleed from orange into the deep violet of twilight.
Akira and Kanae walked up to the small, earthen mound, one hand holding the other's, the other carrying offerings for the departed. In shared, quiet reverence, they cleared the weeds that had begun to sprout from the top of the grave. After lighting incense and bowing their heads in unison, Akira gently guided Kanae to sit beside the simple stone marker.
He laid out a piece of cloth on the cool ground, a small consideration he wouldn't have bothered with for himself. But with Kanae beside him, he was more thoughtful. He also found himself reluctant to soil the new clothes he was wearing.
It was a haori that Kanae had spent nearly two months of her spare time hand-sewing for him, a project she had only just completed the night before. This was her birthday gift to him.
The overall design was a clear echo of the butterfly-wing haori worn by her and Shinobu, but it was tailored perfectly to Akira's broader frame. Upon the pristine white fabric, she had woven complex butterfly wing patterns with black silk thread. The edges were then dyed with a soft, ice-blue hue that bled gently into the white, a detail that preserved the simple style Akira preferred while saving the garment from appearing too plain.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned softly into his side, her head resting against him. The usual one-sided chat between grandfather and grandson was postponed. Leaning back against the cool stone, Akira began to softly recount his past—a story he had never told anyone in its entirety.
Even Makomo and Kanae only knew a few vague, scattered details. They had never pried, never wanting to reopen old wounds. And until now, Akira hadn't found the right moment to share it all.
"I was born into a poor family," he began, his voice a low murmur in the quiet dusk. "We often didn't know where our next meal was coming from. Unfortunately for them, I had a large appetite, even as a child."
"So, on my fourth birthday, they abandoned me outside the village."
At his words, Kanae's hand, which was resting on his arm, tightened instinctively. Her eyes, wide with a sudden, sharp ache, were fixed on his profile.
Akira gently patted the back of her hand, turning to meet her gaze with a look of deep peace, a silent reassurance that the sorrow of those memories no longer held any power over him.
"That man… he told me we were going to play hide-and-seek," Akira continued, his eyes distant. "But after I hid, they never came to find me. To be honest, I think I knew even then. I knew they weren't coming back."
He paused, a faint, sad smile touching his lips. "My eyesight has always been very good, you see. I could see that woman, hiding far away, secretly wiping tears from her eyes. I can understand their choice. It's just… I will never acknowledge them as my parents again."
"That's why I took the surname of the grandfather who adopted me. I gave myself a new name. And I moved my birthday to today."
"Eleven years ago, on this day, I fainted from hunger in town after two straight days of failing to beg for food. That was the day Grandpa found me."
"When he was young, he had built a fairly prosperous family estate through his own hard work. But later, fortunes turned, and his wife and children left him. After he found me, he raised me as his own grandson. He kept me fed and warm, taught me to read and write, and in his spare time, he would teach me about the ways of the world."
"A lot of it was hard for me to understand back then, but I remembered every single word. It wasn't until I grew older that I slowly began to grasp what he meant. Grandpa didn't want to cram so much into my head at once, but his health was failing. He knew he didn't have many years left, so he could only do his best to teach me how to carry myself, how to survive."
"On my seventh birthday, Grandpa passed away," Akira said, his voice softening further. "His only worry at the end was for me. He said he felt guilty that he couldn't find a good family to adopt me. He was the one who took me in for three years, who cared for me with all his heart. How could I ever blame him?"
"After he died, I used most of the savings he left behind for his funeral. With the little that remained, I started wandering again. Grandpa's house was in a very good location, and a child like me couldn't have possibly kept it."
"Later, I was taken in by the head priest of a temple. Life wasn't exactly good, but at least I wasn't shivering in rags or starving. That lasted until I was twelve. Due to an accident, I ended up joining the Demon Slayer Corps alongside Gyoumei-san."
"In the Corps, I met another person who took care of me with all his heart—my master, Kuwajima Jigorō. He's a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, endearing old man."
"Then, I met Makomo, picked up Zenitsu… and then, I met you."
He turned his head fully, his gaze locking with hers. "Perhaps my childhood was so bitter and difficult that Heaven decided to compensate me. It let me meet all of you. It let a girl as wonderful as you stay by my side."
"Akira-kun…"
Listening to his story, Kanae's eyes had already rimmed with red. Her pinkish-purple irises, fixed intently on his face, were filled with a deep sympathy that threatened to spill over with her tears. Akira had said more than once that he was lucky to have met them. But hearing his tragic past, Kanae felt that she was the truly fortunate one.
She'd had parents who cherished her since she was a child, a sensible younger sister, a happy family. The one time she had faced true danger, Akira had saved her just in time. And now, the person she loved, loved her in return.
No matter how she looked at it, Kanae knew she was a lucky, happy person. And because of that, she didn't mind that she wasn't the only one who held a place in Akira's heart.
"Now, now. I didn't tell you all this to make you sad," Akira murmured, his voice gentle. He raised a hand and tenderly wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes, a heartfelt smile gracing his lips.
"What I wanted to say is that even though my past was bitter, I'm doing very, very well now. Both you and my grandfather should be happy for the me of today. Being able to meet all of you, to meet people who care for me and love me… that is the greatest fortune of my life. So, just as I've said before, I will risk my life to protect the people around me. That includes you."
"Mm," Kanae hummed, a soft, choked sound. She pressed herself even closer into his embrace, and his arm tightened reassuringly around her.
The rising moon cast a silver light over the landscape, illuminating the two figures huddled together against the slight chill of the early winter evening.
And behind them, unseen, an ethereal, flickering phantom shimmered in the moonlight before vanishing into the night wind, finally at peace.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]