A Chat at the Grave

The two quickly climbed into the carriage, and the driver immediately lashed his whip furiously, leaving the horse bewildered at being whipped so early in the morning.

Horse: Seriously? It's bad enough that you don't feed me properly and make me graze on my own, but now I can't even sleep?

For the first time across his two lives, Kanzaki Kumo saw such a human expression on a horse's face.

The carriage raced along. The driver could not spare a thought for whether Kanzaki Kumo could stand being jolted around inside; all he wanted was to get away from that nerve-racking village as quickly as possible.

Only after leaving that eerie village far behind did the driver finally relax, and the carriage returned to its normal speed.

Thanks to their early departure and that initial burst of speed, they reached their destination considerably earlier than the expected arrival time of near nightfall.

Judging by the sun's position, it was around three or four in the afternoon.

The carriage slowly entered the town. Kanzaki Kumo looked out the window at the familiar streets, feeling somewhat wistful.

In just over half a year, he had gone from an orphan living on the kindness of the temple's monks to a well-dressed boy with considerable fighting ability.

Thinking about it, perhaps Kaigaku deserved some credit. After all, if he had not knocked Kanzaki Kumo's past-life memories out with an incense burner, Kanzaki Kumo would probably have been reincarnated again by now.

Kaigaku: So? What the hell do you mean by getting the Ubuyashiki Family to deal with me?

Kanzaki Kumo: Oh, I'm just rewarding you with a chance to start life over. No need to thank me. Hmm, you might not come back as a human, after all.

Kaigaku: You ¥@¥#%

As Kanzaki Kumo amused himself with this little exchange in his head, the carriage reached the town center and slowly stopped.

The instant the fare was settled, the driver turned and left, forgetting even to say goodbye. Clearly, this trip had given him quite a fright.

Unlike the driver, who had been left psychologically scarred by the fright, Kanzaki Kumo was not afraid at all. Instead, he wanted to return to that village for another look after paying his respects.

Since he had spent a night in the village without anything happening, that at least suggested the danger lurking there was not particularly great. Kanzaki Kumo was currently struggling to find a suitable opponent to practice against, so naturally he wanted to try investigating on his way back.

With his current mastery of Thunder Breathing, unless he ran straight into one of the Twelve Kizuki, escaping would be easy even if he could not win.

After all, his primary reason for choosing Thunder Breathing was its speed, which would help keep him alive.

He had not told anyone else that reason, though.

Otherwise, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who had a somewhat playful, boyish streak in private, might not have said anything about Kanzaki Kumo's thinking, but Jigoro Kuwajima would definitely have made sure he experienced a complete childhood.

Shaking his head to dispel his jumbled thoughts, Kanzaki Kumo stepped forward.

Kanzaki Keizan was buried on the other side of town, not far from the temple where Kanzaki Kumo had once lived. While passing through town, he picked up a few things for his visit to the grave.

His annual visits did not need to be particularly elaborate. They were mainly a chance to chat with the grandfather who shared no blood relation with him, tell him about the past year, ease the loneliness in his heart, and recall the warmth of the past.

This year, though, things were a little different.

He had a master who genuinely loved him and someone he could exchange letters with. His heart was no longer lonely.

Holding his supplies and approaching Kanzaki Keizan's grave step by step, Kanzaki Kumo kept seeing that wrinkled face, always wearing a loving smile, flash through his mind. His nose still stung despite himself.

He blinked a few times and steadied his breathing. Only after holding back his tears did Kanzaki Kumo continue forward.

He had come to share good news with his grandfather this time. He could not start crying the moment he arrived, as he had in previous years. His grandfather would worry about him on the other side.

Now strong and healthy, Kanzaki Kumo walked considerably faster than before and soon reached the familiar grave.

Some weeds had grown in front of it. Kanzaki Kumo casually drew his Nichirin Blade and swung it a few times, clearing a small patch of ground.

Jigoro Kuwajima: You little brat, you dare use my precious Nichirin Blade to cut weeds?! Just watch me... Oh, fine. Don't do it again! Hmph!

Looking at the blade, which had not picked up even a trace of grass juice, Kanzaki Kumo sheathed it while imagining how Jigoro Kuwajima might react.

He laid out the offerings he had bought and lit the incense. After kowtowing a few times before the grave, Kanzaki Kumo moved forward, leaned against the simple headstone, and began recounting what he had seen and experienced over the past year.

"Now I've got a master who loves me, a friend I can joke around with, and a whole set of skills. I can make a good life for myself now. You can stop worrying, right...?"

"Don't worry about me running into danger when I go out slaying demons, either. Your grandson is talented, you know. I won't get beaten up that easily. Besides, don't you think I know to run if I can't win? I'm really fast at running away now. I guarantee you wouldn't even be able to see me clearly."

"If you don't believe me, I'll show you."

As he spoke, Kanzaki Kumo stood up, walked to the clearing in front of the grave, and took his stance.

"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."

An incandescent streak of lightning flashed past, and he was already more than ten meters away.

The First Form, which had once nearly driven him into an obsessive dead end, now came to him effortlessly.

In the blink of an eye, Kanzaki Kumo returned to his original spot and leaned against the headstone, looking up at the sky.

"Well? Couldn't see me clearly, could you? Isn't your grandson amazing?"

"..."

Kanzaki Kumo stayed leaning against the headstone, talking on and off as though he were really chatting with someone. When he got carried away, he even stood up to demonstrate the movements of various sword techniques.

In this unusual state of mind, his mastery of Thunder Breathing's six forms deepened further without even Kanzaki Kumo noticing.

Only when night fell and the winter chill in the air grew stronger did Kanzaki Kumo slowly stand.

"All right, I'm leaving. I'll come see you again next year. I'm doing well now, so you can stop worrying. Stop showing up in my dreams every few days... okay? After today, I'll be thirteen. I can take care of myself..." With his back to the headstone, Kanzaki Kumo still could not help choking up.

"Tch, this winter evening wind is cold and dry, and it's carrying sand, too. It's making my eyes hurt. I'm off, I'm off. See you next year."

In the darkness, the evening wind scattered the last wisp of incense before the small grave with its offerings. Even the moonlight seemed to sway in the wind. In the haze, there really seemed to be an aged, kindly face watching the boy's receding figure with warmth and relief. But a moment later, that face vanished again, as though it had merely been a fleeting illusion born of the shifting light and shadows.