SUMMER BREEZE | t. muichiro

𝐭𝐰𝐨

( — TWO ; MY BUTTERFLY FRIEND )

IT took quite a long time to convince my parents. They weren't fond of me — a young eleven-year-old who had just witnessed her best friend's death — going with a complete stranger who had just saved our lives to train. But Akime joined the conversation, and for some weird reason, she took my side.

"Mila will protect us. I know she will." She had hugged my brothers to prove her point, and it only took a pleading look in Neji's eyes and a dead Subaru to convince them.

So now, me and Mitsuri were walking down the markets, looking for something...or someone or somewhere. I didn't know, but she jovially bounced, earning a few stares her way. It was either because of her hair color, or the way her uniform was...very open in the chest area.

"Mila-chan. Over here!" Mitsuri waved, and I followed suit. She was standing near a picket fence, with a black crow perched on top. The shade of its feathers was just like my hair, except that mine was a darker onyx and had some green-apple strands I accidentally colored at seven. "My crow Naki here will lead us back to my estate. We can train there!"

° • ° • ° • °

LUNCH consisted of a huge stack of pancakes and a cup of tea each, and after resting our stomachs, me and Mitsuri headed out to her wide, empty backyard, with only a cherry blossom and a wisteria tree at the gates.

"Hey, Mila-chan!" Mitsuri called out as she handed me a wooden makeshift sword. "How would you like to be my tsuguko and learn the ways of Breath of Love?"

I had no idea what Breath of Love was. I know for a fact that tsuguko meant student, and I was more than willing to accept the offer. But what did Breath of Love mean?

"Of...course?" It sounded like a question, even to me. I guess this was my cue to tell the truth. "I don't know what Breath of Love is, Mitsuri-san."

"Oh, you'll be fine, Mila-chan! That's why you have me with you. Tell me, are you really fast and flexible?"

° • ° • ° • °

AN entire year passed by, and an entire year of training under Mitsuri-san. I'd celebrated my twelfth birthday with my family — who I visited almost every month — and I placed fresh flowers on Subaru's grave as well.

Mitsuri often complimented me on how much I was improving, and lightly scolded me whenever I had a bad habit that stuck up. I was ready for the Final Selection, she said. I also learned how to be gentle, graceful, and quiet, totally unlike my rowdy and loud personality before.

My master also let me borrow her old blade, which was a normal katana with a clover-like hand guard. Not only that, Akime and Mother chipped their money together to buy me a beautiful and light kimono, to help ease my moves in the Selection.

"Survive out there, okay?" Father made me promise, and I obliged without hesitation. I wanted them to see that a child and a girl like me could be strong as well.

I looked at Akime, Koutaro, Neji, and Makki. For a moment there, I felt my confident facade falter. What if I'd bled out to death? What if I got eaten by a demon? No one would be left to protect the Kanata clan. I really had to do this.

"Yes, I will."

° • ° • ° • °

SECOND night in, and I've already massacred about ten demons. It was pretty easy, except for that one hand demon. I had to have assistance from a boy with a kitsune mask and hanafuda earrings, and I parted ways with him after defeating the demon. Or, more specifically, I just flew away.

I stopped when I sensed a slightly invisible presence just a few feet away from me. Obviously, he or she was trying to erase their presence, but what for? Didn't they know I was a human?

A girl with a pink kimono and black hair kept up with a butterfly pin popped out of the bushes, her sword sheath tucked into the waistband of her skirt. There were several butterflies circling her, the insects never bothering the girl. She gazed at me curiously with lavender eyes, and bowed partially. I returned the gesture just as politely.

She took out a coin made of copper with heads and tails written in kanji, and flowers. The girl wordlessly flipped it, and upon seeing the result, she beckoned at me to come closer.

I sheathed my hand-me-down katana and approached her, one of the butterflies resting on my shoulder. The girl handed me a handful of blueberries, which I chewed slowly.

"Who are you?" I practically mumbled. Besides sword skills, Mitsuri taught me how to act like a proper lady, per my request. I was so used to talking quietly and in short phrases that I couldn't come up with full sentences without stuttering.

The girl flipped the coin again, and kept smiling at me like she did earlier. "Kanao."

"I'm Mila."

The silence between us was actually comforting. I think Kanao here took the hint that we needed to stick together, and after consulting her coin — geez, dependent on the coin much? — she let me rest my head on her shoulder as she watched out for demons.

The night went by smoothly, and me and Kanao ended up finding a small pond to wash our faces with. At least, only my face, since I slipped off of Kanao's shoulder and landed splat in mud. It seemed that she could've caught me, but was just as equally as sleepy as I was.

Who knew how long seven nights could drag on?

° • ° • ° • °

"CONGRATULATIONS for passing the Final Selection. It is now time to take your measurements for your uniforms."

Me and Kanao didn't come forward, unbeknownst why to the other slayers, but I knew why, and so did this butterfly girl. We were tsugukos of Hashiras, the strongest slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps. I knew that much from Mitsuri and her talkativeness. I was sure that she had already sent my measurements to the uniform-makers.

After the slayers did so — and after the redhead boy dealt with the scarred slayer bullying the ebony-haired daughter of Oyakata-sama — it was time to choose our ores. There was a baby squirrel that had crawled its way to my arms, and I thought I could use it.

I looked at how the other slayers chose theirs. Kanao was doing her coin flip, the redhead was sniffing the stones, the scarred and blonde slayer choosing randomly. I let the squirrel onto the table, and it chose the ore right next to Kanao's.

"Thank you for helping." I whispered and fed a small nut I found.

At long last, the Selection was over. And I had a new friend: the butterfly, Breath of Flower tsuguko named Kanao.