"Actually... it wasn't that bad."
Kanzaki Kumo averted his gaze, not daring to look into Kanae's eyes. The affection in them was too tender, too intense, leaving him momentarily at a loss.
"'All right,' 'not bad'-sure enough, whenever it comes to yourself, Kanzaki-kun, you always answer with something vague like that. You're not honest at all."
With a touch that was gentle yet irresistible, Kanae turned Kanzaki Kumo's face back toward her to meet her eyes.
"Is it because we're just too hopeless to share your burdens, Kanzaki-kun?"
"Of course not, you..."
Seeing Kanae look on the verge of tears, Kanzaki Kumo instinctively panicked. But before he could put his words together, Kanae covered his mouth with her hand again.
"All right, I was only joking. I'm not blaming you, Kanzaki-kun. But the next time you run into danger, you can't treat me like a burden and make me leave. I fought Senior Sabito to a draw a few days ago, you know."
At that, Kanae gave Kanzaki Kumo a proud wink.
Though her tone was as casual as if she were discussing something perfectly ordinary, her eyes were resolute, just as they had been when she first told Kanzaki Kumo she wanted to learn a Breathing Style.
Kanae knew that although Kanzaki Kumo kept those things buried inside and wanted to shoulder them alone because he feared they would get hurt, their lack of strength was also a possible reason.
Kanae still remembered the battlefield left behind after Kanzaki Kumo's fight with Akaza. A battle that terrifying was not something they could take part in at all. Even if they staked their lives, they could do no more than briefly hold the enemy back.
Kanzaki Kumo would never allow such pointless sacrifices, especially among the people around him.
But