𝙺𝚘𝚌𝚑𝚘 𝚂𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚋𝚞
After such a bold line, an expressionless Tomioka stared at me, who was anything but expressionless or calm.
"M...mother?" I stuttered, completely stunned. I looked at the floor for a second, waiting for my face to cool down from my second-hand embarrassment. After the initial shock wore off, I began to think more rationally. 'There's no guarantee that both of us will survive to the end. Besides, don't I still have to avenge Kanae and everybody else.' A subtle frown began to form on my face, notifying the ever-so clueless Tomioka about my doubt.
His hand reached out to mine, a cool and reassuring feeling overcoming me. He intertwined his fingers with mine, looking into the sky as he spoke. "I know it's wishful thinking, and I don't know how possible this dream of mine is." His grip tightened on my hand, but not hard enough to cause any physical pain. "But... is it really so bad to dream?"
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After going through all of the formalities of the mission, we finally reached my house completely exhausted. I staggered in, jumping into my futon as soon as I slid open the doors to my room. As I was beginning to undress, a strange rustling noise came from my closet.
"Who's there?" I asked sharply, getting ready to knock some sense into a pervert. A sheepish Mitsuri emerged from the closet, wearing some of my clothes. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked, raising a fist. My clothes were just about to burst on her, her bust being substantially larger than mine. 'I wonder if Tomioka likes them bigger...'
I slapped my cheeks at the very thought. 'When did I become the type of woman that cares what men think about her.' I couldn't feel down for long, as watching Mitsuri sheepishly take off my comically undersized clothes was hilarious. After changing into her regular attire, we began to talk as usual, confiding in each other with our secrets. All of my worries drifted away, as we lost ourselves in our conversations, dreams, fantasies, and hopes.
It was when the conversation began to slow down that I remembered Tomioka's proposal, the memory of it alone causing my body to warm up. 'Should I tell Mitsuri about what Tomioka told me?' I hesitated for a while, debating whether or not to keep it to myself. 'If I tell Mitsuri about it, I could get some feedback from my closest confidant. But then again, this is an important matter I must make alone in the end.'
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𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚘𝚔𝚊 𝙶𝚒𝚢𝚞
Instead of heading back to my humble abode, I decided to visit Urodaki's house, the place where I honed my blade and lost my heart. I hadn't seen the old man in ages, but his teachings and words never left my mind.
Snow began to fall along the path I was taking, painting the floor a pure white, only my footsteps tainting the snow. I hurried my pace, aiming to reach his dwellings before nightfall. The bitterness of the cold bit at my nose and eyes, causing them to sting and burn. Picking up my pace even further, I reached my destination in no time. A wake of nostalgia and comfort instantly washed over me as I looked upon the land before. A small house stood in front of me, one which I would never forget as long as I lived.
"Giyu?" The door opened, revealing a man with white hair wearing a demon's mask. 'This voice... this strict yet gentle voice. Oh, how I longed to hear this voice again.' I knelt down, bowing my head before my master.
"Lift your head and come in, boy." The old man gestured me in, placing me in front of the pot. We sat across from each other, the smell from the boiling cauldron filling our noses. Just as always, there were two extra cushions placed on both sides of the pot. Even though they couldn't have been used in ages, they were dustless as if they were used daily.
We sat in silence, neither of us willing to speak first. The fire beneath the crackling pot was our only source of light, a mellow orange cast onto our faces. Once bubbles began to build form near the edges of the pot, we both lifted our bowls up. I grabbed the ladle, pouring the steaming soup into his bowl first. Almost instinctively, I moved the ladle to serve Sabito but caught myself before spilling the soup on the ground.
Serving myself, we both said our words of thanks and began to eat. The aromatic fragrance wafted throughout the air, the smell I came home to after a grueling day of training for years.
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"Just 100 more!" The orange-haired kid smiled as he gave words of encouragement. Sweat ran down all of our faces, but he was able to smile through the pain.
I fell onto the floor, dirtying my knees and hands. Makomo bent over, wiping the filth and grime off of my face with a handkerchief. After a few dabs, she helped me onto my feet and we all descended the mountain together. The conversation was mostly made up of my two dear companions, but I enjoyed listening instead of contributing.
When we reached the hut by the bottom of the mountain, the soup Urodaki was making just finished. We took our respective seats on the floor and as the newest member of the family, I poured the food for everyone.
That's how most of our days passed by, having fun while undergoing intensive training for the Final Selection.
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We finished the meal silently, both of us making sure not to leave anything behind in our bowls. Setting down his bowl, Urodaki was the first to initiate the conversation.
"What brings you here today? You seldom come over to visit." He spoke in a quiet tone, a gentle and reserved voice that one wouldn't expect from a battle-hardened man.
I didn't answer the question immediately, instead taking the time to decide on whether or not to tell him the real purpose of my visit. After a few seconds of thinking, I decided to answer him truthfully.
"I came here today to get your blessing for my marriage. We're not married yet, but I know we will be one day." Cutting straight to the chase, I awaited an answer from the man who I respected most. The man who took me in and raised me as his own son, the one who taught me everything I know now.
"Giyu," He paused for a moment, thinking over his words. "I'm glad you found meaning in your life." He looked down at the floor before continuing. "But I can't give you my blessing."
Ah yes, I am not dead. Or not yet at least. I've really had no motivation to do anything, so I delayed this chapter a lot, which I am very sorry for. Once again, I have to thank each and every one of you who read this fanfic and leave comments for me to enjoy.
After the barrage of tests and homework crammed into a one week window before winter break, all I wanted to do was play Valorant and Genshin. Accepting my procrastination, I can't promise when I'll update this next, but it will probably be within the next 2 weeks?????
AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU ALL FOR READING AND SUPPORTING THIS BOOK!
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