"Huh, weird. You're early."
Kanata is almost sixteen when he meets Death for the first time. He's sent to another world to wait until his time is up, but the existence of demons isn't making it easy.
This is the story of a swordsmith, of a demon sla...
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No one else survived, but the two Ubuyashiki kids find the survivors coming back in a group.
More specifically, Sanemi has Kanata on his back (that isn't a broken foot, that is a smashed foot—) and Makomo in his arms, the girl slumped heavily over his shoulder, unconscious. Aoi trudges along with all of their swords, broken and intact, as well as Kanata's bag and broken mask.
They hike all the way back up Mt Fujikasane, Sanemi and Aoi arguing the whole time about unfair loads, gender roles, and comparing injuries and contribution and shouting at each other about it.
"We all know you're making me walk because you're too weak to carry me, too," Aoi says. Dryly.
"Fucker, is that a challenge?" Sanemi grumbles, "Fine. Ignore my broken ribs. Ignore my concussion. Ignore my heavily bleeding GUT. Climb the fuck on."
"No."
"THEN SHUT UP."
"Be quiet! Makomo's going to wake up! She cut off the demon's head, she deserves to rest!" Aoi yells right back.
"I'd have cut it off faster than she could, I'm obviously stronger!"
"Yeah, which is why you were stuck holding off those arms the whole time."
"She only got the opening because I DISTRACTED IT—"
"Oh SHHH!!! SHUSH! Look what you did, Kanata woke up!"
-
The end of the Final Selection finds Kanata sitting by the Torii with the two Ubuyashiki children, waiting for their ride. The others have left already, hoping to get back home before the sun sets.
Even so, Kanata doesn't need to go home to Swordsmith Village. They're coming to collect ores, and they're going to get briefed by Oyakata-sama about the Selection results so they know better how to forge the swords.
Kanata's better off waiting.
So, he settles on watching the two Ubuyashiki kids play temari with Kanata's newly assigned Kasugai Crow, occasionally watching them bow in apology as the ball so much as rolls too close to him. But they're not avoiding him either. They are very entertained by the existence of a very unresponsive human being.
But well, call Kanata a toddler, but it's very interesting to watch them kick the ball back and forth. Put him in front of this on loop, he'll be the quietest baby in the world.
