Kanzaki Kumo was not much of a talker, nor was he particularly suited to telling stories to children. But simply giving a plain account of some of the things he had seen was enough to captivate these children who lived in the mountains.
Even his simple descriptions made Tanjiro's eyes shine, filled with undisguised curiosity and surprise, along with a little longing.
As for the younger children, their eyes practically sparkled as they looked at Kanzaki Kumo.
"Kumo, is everything you said really true? In big cities, even the streets are brightly lit at night, and there are cars that can move without horses or oxen pulling them, and trains that can carry over a hundred people at once..."
"It's all true. If we get the chance someday, I can take you to see them."
At Kanzaki Kumo's words, the children instinctively cheered, but Tanjiro soon came back to his senses amid his delight and thought of a more practical problem.
Those places must be a long way from here, right? That was the question that came to Tanjiro's mind.
He was the eldest son, and with his father growing weaker by the day, he had to shoulder more responsibility and take care of his family. Naturally, he could not travel so far to see those dreamlike things.
As for working hard enough to take his whole family out of the mountains and settle in a big city, Tanjiro did not believe he could manage it. Even now, keeping everyone fed and clothed still depended on his frail father's efforts. On his own, even when he was a little older, he might not be able to change much. At most, he could give his younger siblings a chance to go out and see more of the world.
Still, he did