“Let’s show your mother how much you’ve grown already.” Munisai gestured for his daughter to come closer and stand beside him in front of the square glass compartments attached to the wall.
“...”
“I’m sure she’ll be glad to see the woman you are becoming.”
Jun nodded, then silently took a few steps forward and only stopped when she was in front of a specific glass compartment standing at around neck’s height.
Lawkey trotted slowly behind her without saying anything.
As he came to stand next to her, he looked at the wall full of glass compartments positioned side to side, and on top of each other. Only a slight edge of a wall separated them from touching.
Following her gaze, he figured out which one she was looking at.
It was one that was wide enough to house a sword he recognized. Except the one in front of him wasn’t a replica like the one he had seen in the Sword Purifying Room, but the real and genuine article.
A picture of a woman smiling was in the middle, right next to some violet and lavender flowers.
And behind them, a gray urn took most of the space. It hadn’t been just big, but it had some design on it, making it stand out.
A name was written in the middle. Although he couldn’t read very well, Lawkey could still make out the letters.
“Tori Kage.”
“That’s right.” Munisai got closer as Lawkey mumbled out loud, stopping just behind the two children, “That’s my wife, Jun’s mother. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”
“Eh? Do I have to?” Lawkey regretted his words the moment they left his lips.
He wasn’t accustomed to the Kage Clan’s culture, he had quickly realized this. But directly talking to a dead person’s ashes, especially one he didn’t know, made him a bit anxious.
Then he looked at Jun, who stood glancing at him expectedly from the side. Her blue eyes were practically lighting up.
“I-i’m Lawkey…” The boy cleared his throat, turned to the glass compartment and said hesitantly while looking at the picture of the smiling woman inside, “Nice to meet you…?”
“Pfft!”
“?!”
Lawkey was taken aback as he heard the old man behind him suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, I’m just kidding, kid.” Munisai said as he gently slapped him on the back, “Lighten up!”
“Hey!!” Lawkey cried out, then noticed Jun to the side covering her mouth while looking away from him, clearly chuckling to herself, “That’s not funny!”
“It was a little funny. You were shaking!”
“Your daughter was about to cry and you’re doing this!”
“Jun is well aware of the rules.” Munisai asserted, “If we come here, we have to make sure to show a smile. Isn’t that right?”
“Otherwise, mom would get sad.” Jun answered as she turned back with a slight smile, “We have to show her that we are happy too, even if we cry here.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“...” Lawkey couldn’t find a comeback within him. They got him good this time, but he simply didn’t want to interrupt this moment.
“Now go ahead, Jun.” Munisai patted his daughter on the head.
“Mother, as you know, today marks my 12th birthday.” Jun started, “Things are well, and we recently took in a homeless puppy, I mean freeloader.”
“Hey! You’re still saying all that now?!” Despite not wanting to interrupt, Lawkey couldn’t hold in his frustration. It almost felt like he had to voice it to lighten up the mood more.
“Anyway!” Jun simply moved on, not paying him any heed.
“Don’t ignore me!”
“Mother, rest assured that we are in good health, and keeping up with our training.” Jun kept going, but then felt a slight pressure on her head.
“Jun, I think she would like to hear about you, don’t you think?” As his daughter glanced up at him, Munisai smiled softly at her, encouraging her to open up more.
“...” Jun hesitated for a moment, then continued, “I have many friends, old and new. Except for some problems, I very much enjoyed having fun with them today.”
“...” Lawkey stood in silence, noticing a slight shift in the tone.
“Mother… I… I am sorry for not coming to visit as often.” The birthday girl continued to address her mother as tears welled up in her eyes, “I’ll do my best in the future to live up to your expectations.”
Munisai pushed his lips together in a slight smile. Despite his daughter’s crying, he was glad she was voicing everything on her mind.
To the two, these visits almost served a similar purpose to the Cleansing of the Spirit Principle, practiced through the Sword Purifying Ceremony.
“Thank you, mother.” Jun began to wipe away her tears with her palms, “Thank you for saving me and dad back then… We wouldn’t be here without your sacrifice… but…”
Jun paused, then managed to let out before breaking down.
“Everyday… I wish… you were still here…”
Munisai crouched down slightly beside his crying daughter, putting an arm over her shoulder. Before he could say anything to her, she quickly turned to him, digging her teary face into his chest.
Munisai didn’t say anything. He just gently patted her on the back as Lawkey watched.
After a while, Jun managed to calm down as Munisai stood in front of the two, their backs now to the glass compartments on the wall.
“Here you go, treasure it well.” Munisai said as he handed his daughter a small gift.
“I-isn’t this…?” Jun looked in astonishment as she held the badge with an emblem on it showing the Kage Logo.
“She would want you to have it. Now that you have made such impressive progress on your training, she would be proud. Carry it proudly.” Munisai spoke with a gentle smile.
“But… I already got the ribbon…”
“That was from me, this is from your mother.”
“...thank you.” Thinking of nothing else to say, Jun eventually relented and accepted the two gifts.
To the side, the boy watched as the birthday girl held the new badge close to her heart, the corners of her mouth gently curling up.
“Now.” Munisai turned to Lawkey who raised an eyebrow at being targeted, “This is for you too, kid.”
Lawkey looked down at the hand his new mentor was reaching out with, and saw a similar badge to the one Jun received on it. They weren’t the same shape, Jun’s was more square while his was more oval, but they both had a golden edge with the Kage Clan Emblem in the middle. They didn’t feel like they had been embroidered, but more so crafted, due to the metal-looking texture.
“Why are you-?”
“You are now part of the Kage Clan.” Munisai cut in, “Not only because you have the same Shadow Manipulation Sign required, but because this is now your home. Understand?”
Lawkey looked at it, not sure how to feel about it.
This old man… Did he know I was thinking of leaving? Lawkey thought to himself.
Then he reached out his hand and took it without a word.
Beside him, a smile formed on Jun’s face, but she quickly hid it.
“With that, this is settled.” Munisai straightened his back while supporting himself with his crutch, “Let’s head home now.”
“But… What about aunty?” Jun asked, hesitating for a bit.
“Don’t worry, I caught her up on everything before you arrived.” Without waiting or looking back, Munisai began to walk away.
Jun looked back to the glass compartment, her eyes landing on the one right below her mother’s.
Lawkey followed her line of sight again, and noticed a similar glass compartment to the one he had just seen. A picture of a young cheerful woman, some golden flowers, and a similar urn that read “Terumi Kage”.
The only big difference was…
“Huh? Why is there only a sheath here? And why is it…?”
“That’s not a story fitting for the occasion.” Munisai immidiately brought the topic to an end before it even began, “Let’s go eat some Dango, courtesy of Her Majesty and the Commander to celebrate as well. Make sure to thank them properly next time you see them, Jun.”
“I will, dad.” Jun muttered while holding her fist in front of her chest. She quickly lowered it and followed along.
Taking one last glance at the two pictures, Lawkey turned his feet and began to trot behind them as well.
Ever since he had walked into the hall, he had felt an overwhelming feeling within him.
As if something was constantly trying to communicate with him.
A strong presence pulling on his soul.
He had hoped it would be {her}… but in the end, nothing came.
“...”
Just before walking out of the hall, he took one last glimpse inside.
“?!”
And then he heard it, a chilling and cold voice…
No, a distorted and warped voice…
No, an echoing and hollow voice…
He couldn’t tell exactly, it was perhaps all these things, and more.
All he did know was that it carried a weight beyond what he could have ever imagined.
Its screams and wallows whispered repeatedly in his mind.
{{{SAVE US!}}}
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]