Fireflies and Dreams-Demon Slayer

Epilogue

The man stared blankly at the table as he waited for the boring meeting to be over. He'd much rather be in the forge making something but alas, the company was going to be handed over to him so he needed to be present for all of them.

"Hotaru."
"Yes?" the man lifted his head.

"Do you understand?" it was his father speaking to him,
"Yes. I understand."

His father didn't want to fight it, "Alright. We conclude our meeting here. You're all dismissed." without waiting, Hotaru got up from his seat and bolted from the room.

The suit he was wearing choked him and he wanted to get back into the forge as soon as possible. Even though there's a small factory for kitchen knives in the building, there were traditional forges that were there for the commissions and custom requests.

He went up to his office. It was smaller than anyone else's office but liked it because the windows opened up and it was cozy. The window was lined with wind chimes which helped him relax as he started taking off his clothes to change into a haori and hakama. 

The looseness of the pants and material of the kimono top felt much better than a suit and tie. And he didn't feel out of place with his long hair. After seeing a picture of the man he was named after, and just how much they resembled each other, he wanted to grow his hair out to match him in spirit. 

It felt better this way. Like this was the way he was supposed to be. His hair wasn't as long as his ancestors but still felt better this way.

According to his father, this person was abandoned by their parents in his family and they're actually a secondary line of his brother which he never knew about. A lot of the records hadn't survived of him since he was estranged, but still Hotaru wondered about him.

It said he had married but never had children. His wife was never pictured and she also kept her last name as she was noble. It was a strange legacy to preserve now in the present day but one that he was still happy to carry since it meant that because of him, he could live as he does.

Then he heard people talking outside and casually looked outside to see who was here. He saw a small family of three, a mother, a father, and daughter who was clearly their pride. She was dressed in the most exquisite kimono with her hair done in a bun perfectly with a beautiful golden hairpiece.

From the window, he could see her beauty. Just as she was dressed, she was stunning. She was clearly made to be beautiful and dress just as pretty. It made his heart race thinking about her and how she was wearing traditional clothing as well. 

Something about her felt safe and familiar but it was still so foreign. She turned around which made him quickly dunk under his window to avoid her gaze. His hands rested on the window sill and he slowly peaked to try an catch a glimpse.

The girl was different from her family. They wore normal clothes like shirts and skirts, but she wore kimono. And that alone made him attracted to her.

He hadn't realized that they were staring at each other until she looked away. He wanted to talk to her, even for a moment. He quickly changed his shoes and into his tabi and put on his geta then left.

The wood clacked along the halls as he full speed bolted for the lobby. He ran down the stairs and turned into the lobby where he saw his father speaking to the couple that were outside.

His father whipped around and looked furious, "HOTARU! GO CHANGE THIS INSTANT!"
Hotaru skidded to a stop, "That girl that was outside, who was she?" he asked.

The couple looked at him strangely, "That's our daughter. She likes to runaway so we're unsure where she went. We did mention the forest being connected to this building but-"
"I'll find her for you. I know this area like the back of my hand." he replied, then he took off.