Makomo turned to exchange a glance with Kanzaki Kumo. After seeing him nod, she hurried toward the courtyard gate.
The double elmwood gate, coated in dark paint, stood half closed. A pair of brand-new iron pull rings hung on it, much like the ones she remembered.
With just a gentle push from Makomo, the gate opened, making almost none of the creaking that most wooden gates in the countryside did.
Although it looked just as she remembered, its quality was considerably better.
Much of the moisture- and insect-resistant paint on her family's old gate had peeled away over time, and the pivot pins connecting it to the wall had not moved this smoothly. Even her mother had needed some effort to push it open.
Yet that gate, sturdy enough to keep out the wild beasts in the mountains, had been torn to pieces by that demon in just a few blows.
Beyond the gate stood a plain brick-and-tile house.
The gray-blue bricks still looked very new, and the roof tiles even reflected the sunlight. Although it looked like the house she had once lived in at first glance, the materials were clearly better.
The door to the house was made of cedar, which was lighter than the elmwood of the courtyard gate and easier to open and close when coming and going.
Moreover, the cedar used here was fresh. As Makomo drew a little closer, its distinctive woody scent drifted into her nose. Though somewhat strong, she did not dislike it.
After all, she had often smelled it as a child. The only difference was that the wooden door at home had already been in use for many years back then, and she had needed to lean closer to catch its scent.
When she opened the door, the main room