Seventh Moon

New Generation

[Manga Spoilers ahead!]

I was rudely awakened by Nobu jumping on me. "They're here!" was all he said before running off again. After making sure I was presentable, I went to the audience hall and found Rengoku-san with a smaller version of him. Seriously, his son's hair and eyebrows are almost the same as his.

"Hi, Kyojuro-kun! It's so great to finally meet you! I'm Y/N." The sight of him made my chest so warm! It's weird and adorable how he looks too much like his father. I can't really describe Rengoku-san as cute, but Kyojuro sure is.

"You can just call her obaachan. I'm Nobu." This little kid! I flashed a glare his way, and he didn't even look slightly bothered. "What? He's Rengoku-sans son." He didn't see the point of pretending I wasn't his grandma in front of him, huh?

Kyojuro tilted his head before speaking in the loudest voice I've ever heard coming from a child. "Nice to meet you, Nobu-kun! Y/N-san... obaachan?" Rengoku-san laughed at his son's confusion, clearly showing how he didn't explain the situation to him. I mean, telling a child that some never aging demon would be watching over him is a little too hard to wrap your head around after all. "Y/N-chan is okay."

Nobu then grabbed him, acting as if they were close friends already, and took him to introduce him to his sisters. "Wow, Rengoku-san your son is loud!" He laughed at that. He seems to be more relaxed now, maybe seeing his family again did him good. "Sorry about that, Kyojuro is just full of energy. Loud, booming voice included." We chatted a bit about the children, but last night's events took over our conversation.

"Still, the lack of demon involvement means it's out of our hands." It's what I already expected him to say, but I was still a little disappointed. "I know, but it's odd. Maybe a demon is involved, but their blood demon art makes the people go to them." I don't really know much about other demon's abilities, but it's possible one such power could exist. "Maybe. But that doesn't explain why they'd bring along anything they own that is of value. Looks more like the work of thieves." I wanted to say how demons could also be thieves, but the absence of demon scent in those abandoned houses screams impossible.

"I hate to run, but I do need to go to that fishing village. My crow wouldn't stop about it this morning." Rengoku-san stood at that. "Oh, isn't that at the edge of the district?" He nodded; mouth set in a firm line. "I'm afraid I'd have to leave Kyojuro in your hands right away." As if on cue, the children's laughter reached us. "I guess they're all friends now. Don't worry, we'll take care of him. If you need help, just send your crow. I'll go right away."

"That one goes over here." Nobu directed Kyojuro. He's been here only a couple hours and Nobu already had him doing chores. His chores. "If you know how to do it, maybe you should be the one doing it, Nobu." His usual pout on his face now, as he took over the task. It would've worked on me some other time, but right now there is a much cuter kid in the room. "You want some snacks, Kyojuro-kun?"

"Yes, obaachan!" He boomed, following me right away, leaving a whining Nobu behind. "Y/N-chan ~" I said. Really, I prefer that than obaachan. "Okay." He said, walking closer to me and holding on to my hand automatically. "Y/N-chan, why is your house dark? Kiyomi-nee says we're not allowed to open windows." I hummed, thinking it over. How do I explain it to a child? I don't remember Nobu and his sisters asking about it. Maybe they did ask, but they asked their parents instead of me.

"See, it's because the sunlight makes me sick." That seems easy enough for a kid to understand, right? "How?" Was his follow up question. "It burns my skin." Luckily, that satisfied him and we reached the kitchen soon enough.

"Here." Since Wagashi is our family's living, ingredients to make them are always on hand not only at the shop but also at home. I'm not good, but I do know how to make a decent confection.