"Yōsen."
After the answer, both sides seemed to be waiting for the other to speak first. Neither of them was good at expressing themselves, so silence fell again. They looked at each other once more. Yōsen felt that the ten-year-old girl in front of him was somehow similar to him. The melancholic emotion in her purple, grape-like eyes made Yōsen want to understand. He stepped over to her side and, to Kanao's slightly puzzled gaze, sat down without a word. The night was still long, and Yōsen decided to talk to her.
"Why… do you flip a coin?"
Kanao's fingers traced the coin, recalling when she was first taken in by her master and older sister. At that time, she seemed to have given her master quite a headache.
"Sister! This child isn't normal! She does whatever she's told, and if you don't tell her to eat, she won't!" A somewhat childish Shinobu said to Kanae.
"Oh my, oh my~" Her black hair was adorned with green and pink butterfly hair ornaments on either side, and she wore a rainbow-colored haori. Her purple eyes gleamed with tenderness.
"It's alright. Kanao is so cute anyway."
"Sister!"
Kanae knelt in front of Kanao, took out a coin, and spoke in a voice like warm spring sunshine.
"Kanao, when you're alone, use a coin to decide~" She gently placed the coin in Kanao's small hand.
"When Kanao finds a boy she likes, you'll change too."
Yōsen watched Kanao lost in thought. Her unchanging expression now held a smile; it seemed to be a good memory. Yōsen didn't disturb her, waiting quietly.
But later, her older sister died. She was severely wounded on a mission. By the time her master arrived, the demon had already fled to avoid the sun, leaving only her older sister lying in a pool of blood. From then on, her master changed, slowly becoming like her older sister, both in her smile and her personality. The mementos her older sister left behind weren't many: the rainbow-colored haori, the Flower Breathing technique, and the green and pink butterfly hair ornaments.
Such a good person died like that, yet she couldn't even cry for her. At that time, she was filled with regret. Her older sister had always been fixated on humans and demons coexisting peacefully, feeling sympathy for demons who were once human. Now, Kanao thought, at least for her older sister's ideal, she should try to understand it herself. Seeing Yōsen waiting patiently, without a hint of impatience, "Perhaps this demon really is different," Kanao thought, and finally said,
"Aside from orders, I make decisions using this."
Isn't using such a method to decide things a bit too hasty? Will he truly not regret it in some choices? Yōsen lowered his gaze, lost in thought.
Never mind. Because he didn't care, he could only rely on this method to decide. If he encountered someone or something he truly cared about, he wouldn't bother with this.
Yōsen thought for a moment and then said, "When you… meet someone important… perhaps you will change."
Upon hearing this, Kanao's eyes widened slightly. He said the same thing as her older sister. This demon, like her older sister, was a gentle person. Kanao clutched the coin in her hand. At this moment, her desire to confide her hidden feelings reached its peak.
"When I was little, I was often abused. Every day, I endured violence and hunger. If I cried, I would be beaten even more severely. Later, my family became poor, and I was sold to human traffickers…"
Yōsen was a good listener. He listened intently to Kanao's narration, without interrupting or disturbing, simply sitting steadfastly by her side.
"Later, I met my master and older sister. They gave me a name, clothes, and food. My older sister and master are both very good people, and I respect them greatly." For Kanao, during those dark, hopeless days where she could see the end at a glance, Shinobu and Kanae were like a guiding light, reigniting her hope for life from a state of indifference. They also made her understand what love was.
"When my older sister was 17, she died in battle during a mission. My master changed after that; she became more and more like my older sister."
"Everyone was sad and grieving at my older sister's grave, but I… couldn't cry. I was afraid of crying…" Kanao couldn't hide her sorrow; her eyes were red, but no tears would come.
Shinobu's older sister passed away? He had never heard her mention it. So, the personality she now displayed was an imitation of her older sister. His closest relative was killed by a demon, yet even so, Shinobu tolerated him. Why did he become a demon? Such a repulsive creature. Yōsen, who was usually indifferent to everything, actually felt a sense of disgust towards his current self.
Yōsen looked at the night sky. The moon was covered by clouds, and the sky looked so dark. Why should demons, creatures that can only appear in the dark, exist in this world? They cause others to lose their families and lives. What do they treat life as? Why do they trample on it so wantonly?
For some reason, Yōsen felt an inexplicable anger in his heart. Having lost his memories, why did he feel such unusual emotions about this? He closed his eyes, calming himself down. Yōsen looked at Kanao, remembering Shinobu patting his head earlier. When the three people in the temple were treated that way by him, they would be very happy. Although he didn't quite understand the meaning, Yōsen extended his right hand and gently stroked Kanao's black hair. Would this make her a little happier?
Seemingly startled by Yōsen's sudden movement, Kanao looked at him blankly. His clear blue eyes seemed to possess a magic that gradually calmed Kanao's emotions. Seeing that the other party had improved, Yōsen withdrew his hand.
It seems patting someone's head can make them happy. Understood!
"Thank you."
"It's truly good… to meet… such good people. It's truly… fortunate."
"Mm."
It's truly wonderful.
To be able to meet her older sisters.
Kanao showed her first smile since Yōsen met her. It was very similar to Shinobu's smile. Did their older sister have such a smile? She must have been a very gentle person.
The figure that often appeared in his mind after losing his memory, Yōsen thought, was perhaps a very important person. Did he also have such experiences like Kanao? Did she also save him? Were the constantly appearing voices reminding Yōsen not to forget? How could he forget?
Yōsen's desire to recover his memories grew stronger.
…"Thank you for talking with me."
"It's alright."
"I… should go."
"Have a safe journey."
Yōsen nodded. Although some time was delayed, Yōsen was also very glad to have talked with Kanao. He jumped out of the Butterfly Mansion, took a few last glances at the house, and then left without looking back.
It was now the time for demons to appear. Having been taken care of by the Butterfly Mansion for many days, and thinking of Shinobu's tired appearance, Yōsen wanted to help ease her burden as much as possible. At the same time, Yōsen wanted to see if there were any other demons in the same situation as him.