"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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There's something Kanata can't deny when he sees the Kochou sisters.
It's bittersweet. Emphasis on the bitter for Kanata's part. He can't justify this emotion— so he swallows it back down, and sips on his tea. Like he does every other interaction in the world. It's not a rational emotion, so he does not entertain it.
None of them are related by blood. All of them have different last names except the two oldest. And they love each other unconditionally, no matter the paths they've chosen in their life. The butterfly pin ties them together as a family, and they would do anything for each other.
They would mourn, if one of them died.
(That's nice. That's so nice.)
"I don't like the Butterfly Mansion," Rui declares, after visiting once. They left in the night, so Kanata could make it to his next destination by sunrise.
Kanata hums. Rui's allowed to dislike whatever he dislikes— he doesn't need a justification.
But Rui gives one anyway. "Kanata hates it there, right? You hate that place, you don't like that family, and everything there makes you sad. I would kill them all for that, but you wouldn't like that either."
Kanata is very grateful for Rui's self control, but now he's concerned for a different reason.
"I don't hate it there."
"You're lying to me."
Kanata doesn't know what to do about this. He likes them all, individually, that's not a lie. It's not a problem he has with the mansion, or the sisters, or even them being a family.
He doesn't have the words to justify it.
"I love what they have," it comes out, like a voice he doesn't own.
He doesn't acknowledge the person that speaks these words. But it's his voice, from his throat, feelings churning up from his gut, and his brain refuses to deny it.
"I love what they have, because it's so unfair that I wasn't allowed to have it."
No. no, no. Kanata needs to shut up.
"You're nice, Rui. And I'll make sure your life is great. But when I look at them... I just can't take it. Why were they allowed to be happy but I had to—"
He can't control his breath and something in his chest is making his eyes prickle with the desire to scream and cry and that's wrong.
This is stupid. Why is he feeling like this? Kanata doesn't scream and cry and whine about the cruelty of life. This isn't Kanata.
