Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey

Chapter 75: Scumbags

[Seiji's POV]

(2 months later)

"That looks good on you,"

Hello, I am a scumbag. You can beat me anytime if you are capable and make sure to tell your daughters to stay away from me.

"Does it? I was not sure dark blue would suit me." Kanae said with a small smile that looked more genuine than wider smiles.

Her dark hair fell gracefully from her head, they reflected the silver light of the moon. They had a curly nature, unique in thier own right and luscious.

She wore a dark blue Yukata that perfectly accentuated her curves, revealing her flawless shape. Yet she did not look slutty, she looked divine, like no man was deserving of her.

The scent of flowers would hit my nose whenever the breeze came. It was not any perfume, it was just her natural scent. She was so pristine and her beauty almost seemed fantastical.

As a person who perceived much of the world with sight alone, I could only stare at her like a fool. She had the beauty of a thousand sunsets.

She twirled around to give me a good look, she basked under my eyes. She was a flower and my gaze was water, she grew more confident and beautiful the longer she got my attention.

"I was right, you look stunning," I said again.

In the two months that have passed, Kanae continued to pursue me. I knew what she doing, and I knew what she wanted, but I didn't stop her. I allowed her to work her magic on me and now I was enchanted.

I continued playing the dense protagonist because I didn't want to lose that feeling. The feeling of being loved and needed.

And now, we were on a date. Well, none of us had acknowledged that it was a date or courtship but we were going to a festival together. There was no other way to describe what was happening between us.

"You look handsome too," she said, returning my compliment and I looked at the reflection in her eyes and saw what she was seeing.

A man with purple hair that covered his ears. He looked more mature than his age due to rigorous training and the hardship he had been through.

A handsome face framed two remarkable purple eyes that looked godly. He stood at the height of six feet and he wore a purple Yukata with flower patterns.

That was me.

...

Only me.

That was the only thing her eyes saw, they did not reflect anything else.

"Let's go, we want to reach the festival before it gets too crowded,"

It was early August and we were celebrating the Summer Festivals. We gave the excuse that we were on a joint mission to guard the people at the festival so we had nothing to distract us at the moment.

It was just me and her.

Kanae grabbed my hand with her soft hands. It was strange for a swordman to have such soft hands but I didn't question it.

I let her drag me to where she wanted. I let her do as she pleased like I had been letting her do these past two months.

We went to the town which was decorated with many lights and lanterns. The place was full of life as the residents and many others from neighbouring villages had come to celebrate the Summer Festivals.

Some came to set up food stalls and games while others just came to enjoy the festivals. Families laughed and played games while couples walked around hand in hand.

We were amongst the couples.

We enjoyed the evening as much as we could. The festival was already beautiful and memorable but what made it even more precious was that we had each other to share the moment.

I was able to fulfil my duty as a man and bought anything Kanae could ever want. I bought her apple candies and we tried many of the foods that were on the food stall.

We also played the games there.

"How are you so good at this?" Kanae asked me with a giggle when she saw me scooping out four goldfish in a row with the paper spoon.

It was the result of Water Breathing and perfect movement.

But I said, "It's because you are watching me and I have to impress you,"

She laughed. It made me happy that I could make her laugh. Seeing her laugh made me feel better than if I were the one laughing.

"That makes no sense," she said to herself.

I could read everything that came out of her lips and even the words that only reached her throat. Because since the beginning, I had never truly looked away from her. My eyes were addicted to her.

"You have no idea what a man can do to impress a beautiful woman," I said, "And I'm with the most beautiful woman,"

She smiled with red on her cheeks.

Did you think that was corny? Well, I'd probably think that too but here's a secret, there was nothing corny in love.

Whatever you said, even if it was the most recycled flirting sentence on the internet would sound like the most romantic thing ever.

Because a woman in love makes everything perfect. Even if you said the corniest shit ever, her mind would perceive that on the same level as Shakespeare's masterpiece.

People often misunderstood and called love blind but it was not. Instead, it just made everything seem perfect. It fixed all flaws.

It did not matter to her the words I said. It was me who said it and she loved me. And that just made her love every word I said.

"Do you want to try it?" I asked and she said yes.

She took a new paper spoon and tried to catch but she failed miserably. She tried many more times but she failed each time. In the end, I had to hold her hand and guide her so that she could catch some for herself as well.

I didn't know if she was pretending to be bad for this specific situation but I didn't think about it. I let her guide me in every situation.

We caught fourteen fish, leaving the stall owner depressed. She said they would be perfect to live in the pond of the flower mansion.

As we left, I tossed some money to the owner to compensate for his loss. He seemed to appreciate that.

We moved from stall to stall, the night was all ours and we spent it together.

"Do you want to buy the masks?" she asked.

And hide your pretty face? "No," I replied.

At last, when midnight came we went to the top of a hill. The main event of the Summer Festival was always the fireworks and we decided to pick a quiet and peaceful place to enjoy it.

We were in high elevation and the colourful town could be seen below. When midnight struck, the first and most powerful firework took to the sky and exploded in a mesmerizing burst of colour.

Then the rest of the fireworks followed.

On that night, even the moon and the stars did not have the spotlight as the bright fireworks overshadowed them with their bright explosion and beauty. But still, it was the woman sitting next to me that made my heart skip a beat.

Kanae put her hand on top of mine and we enjoyed the moment until the end.

When the last firework died in the sky, Kanae turned towards me. Her face was tense and her palm felt a little sweaty on mine.

The time has come.

I knew she would not invite me to the festival just to go on a date. The plan in her mind was always to confess to me by the end of the festival.

Sadly, it would also be the end for us.

Because when she directly confessed to me, I would no longer be able to play the dense protagonist. I would have to confront her feelings and give my answer.

My rejection.

...

I told you right, I was a scumbag.

I acted dumb for as long as I could because I wanted to enjoy her love longer without having to complicate things.

I was taking advantage of her. I was giving her false hope. It would've been better to just reject her feelings from the start.

But I let her try her best only to reject her in the end.

"Seiji..." she began and my eyes released a glow due to nervousness. I slowed down my perception as much as I could to delay the inevitable.

Because I really really like her too. I have known her for three years now and she is one of the most important people in my life.

But her love came too late. Maybe if she loved me before I met Mitsuri, I would gladly fall for her. I would love her with all my heart.

That was not possible now. It was all too late for that.

The idea of having a harem constantly plagued my mind during these two months but I threw away the idea. These girls were special, they deserved to be loved wholeheartedly by someone.

They deserve a man who would love them with all his heart. A man who would only love them.

They didn't deserve to be one of two.

They did not deserve half a heart, half the love.

Neither Mitsuri nor Kanae.

"Seiji, I- I- " she hesitated for a long time.

...

...

In the end, she just gave up, she stopped. A tear fell down her eyes and she smiled. I just stared at beauty in pain, a sunset hidden by clouds.

"I think it's time to leave now," she said instead.

She knew it. She felt it.

The rejection that she was going to get. Maybe it was my eyes or something about my body which was trembling in nervousness. But she knew I was going to reject her so she didn't't confess.

She stood up first and offered her hand. I stared at her in wonder before I reached for her hand.

She pulled me up but she put too much strength. I stumbled forward and her face was buried on my chest. She closed her eyes and took in my scent.

It was then that a single firework exploded in the sky again. It was the brightest firework of the night. I turned my head to look and that was when she said it.

"I love you,"

She didn't mean for me to see it. But I did.

Because like I said, my eyes had never left her. I saw what she said in the furthest corner of my vision.

Why? The question rang in my mind.

She hugged my arm and buried it between her boobs. It was an act she realised I liked very much during the past two months.

Yet I couldn't even enjoy the sensation. She leaned her head on my shoulder and acted like nothing had ever happened. She returned right back to a girl trying to win a man's heart.

Why Kanae...

Why did you allow me to play dumb again? Because I am not going to admit I saw that.

Why are you so stubborn? You know now that I would reject you in the end.

Why do you keep loving me? It's starting to hurt me too.

Why are you making this difficult for both of us?

..

..

A scumbag.

Kanae was a scumbag too, just like me.

She knew she was hurting her sister, she knew that I was in an engagement. She knew that she was making it difficult for me too.

But she wanted to keep on loving me, just like I wanted her to keep on being loved.

I guess we were both.

Scumbags.

.

.

[IMAGE]

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Author : This Chapter has a little more drama than usual. Teenagers in love always lead to drama, Seiji is 16 and Kanae is 18 and neither has experience.

But don't worry, I know what I'm doing with the romance and harem. I won't mess up, 87% sure.

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