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The walls around her were thick and cold, enveloping her in a type of loneliness that ate away at her.
This was all that Kanade had known. Stone walls and a small room. She had memorised every centimetre of the tower, from the mossy cracks to the fraying carpet that she would glide her feet over to feel some sort of feeling.
She knew everything about this tower. How cold it got in the middle of frigid winters, or how she could sometimes see meteor showers every few years or so, or how she felt sick every time she walked past the mirror nailed into the wall, because that reflection of that pale haired girl was the entire reason she was stuck here.
It was her apparent beauty. If she had the courage and stared long enough at her reflection, she could see what made her so beautiful. The silky smooth hair, her delicate hands, her fair, porcelain skin. Factors that contributed to her beauty. Such beauty should be celebrated, right?
Yet prophecies said other wise, that it would be the demise of the kingdom, that she would curse those who met her eyes and wreak havoc on the kingdom.
(Part of her yelled that all of that was utter lies. She was weak from lack of exercise, she was sixteen years old and could not remember ever being outside.)
Kanade longed for a regular life. A life where she could run barefooted through emerald fields where the grass would tickle her ankles, where she could walk the village streets and buy fresh, hot bread from the stalls, where she could pick flowers until her thumbs grew sore with blisters.
Kanade wanted to feel, she wanted to touch the stars and breathe in Spring air, she wanted to sit around a table with a frosted cake in front of her while people celebrated her birthday, she wanted to laugh with friends as they exchanged gossip, she wanted to lay in the embrace of her parents.
Right, her parents. She had never known them. She’s never seen her father, but she had heard his voice and the music he made, plucking his maple guitar and spinning strange yet pleasant melodies. She enjoyed it when he’d sit by the barred door of Kanade’s room and just play and sing for her, sometimes she’d find herself humming along softly under her breath. Those times had become less frequent, she can’t remember when her father last visited her.
Her mother on the other hand, she had seen a few times, three or four if she remembered correctly. Frosted white hair and cold hands, her mother always had a look of fear and disgust whenever she walked in. She’d put up a strained smile and tried to talk to Kanade, she stopped trying to make a relationship after the fear had gotten to her.
Kanade was lonely, Kanade was numb.
Some nights Kanade will lay in bed and just stare at the wooden framing of the roof, at the tiny, stifling room, at the mirror on the other side of the room that she had recently covered with an old dress in her wardrobe, mulberry purple and ripped.
Kanade wished she was free. Yet not all wishes could be granted. Not even the stars that she stared up at each night could help her with her fate.
-
Sometimes Kanade sings her dads song, the one she heard ages ago.
Sometimes she can’t remember the rhythm, sometimes she forgets part of the melody. Sometimes she can’t remember what her father sounds like.
She still sings, because the lullaby brings her a bit of closure, tells her that there is someone out there who willingly sits against the hard-backed door of Kanade’s prison and strums a guitar until their fingers grow sore and sings until their voice goes hoarse. Kanade knows that someone exists, all the evidence lies in the little song she hums.
It’s simple, it isn’t anything extraordinary, yet it meant the world to Kanade.
Kanade sings, and it keeps her sane.
-
Kanade awoke with a rattling at her window. The noise clattered in her bones and shook her. It wasn’t often that she heard those loud noises, especially at her window.
What could it be? The wind? An owl? A thief?
(Kanade knew that even if the thief were desperate, they would never approach her window.)
Kanade slipped out of bed and padded across the floor. When she made it to the window, she had lifted a trembling hand up to the lace curtains, she could see a figure outside, what was it?
In a swift movement, Kanade reluctantly flung the curtains to the side. She came face to face with a stranger, some person fiddling with the lock of her window, pink strands flying into their face and their tongue stuck out in determination.
When the person noticed her, their eyes visibly widened in shock. A muffled yelp could be heard on the other side, yet it was drowned out my Kanade’s shriek.
Kanade’s mind was in a lighting fast debate. On one hand, there was some person trying desperately to break into her space, rudely interrupting her sleep, yet Kanade was entranced. Entranced at the sheer determination of this person to climb up a steep wall and pull at her windows despite knowing their fate. Was this person new to town? Did they not know anything of her?
Maybe it was the way they glowed in the faint moonlight, or how their deft fingers had quickly gone back to fiddling with the lock, or maybe it was the gnawing loneliness in Kanade’s stomach. Whatever it was, it had possessed her to open the window, barely missing the person’s face, and let the stranger in.
The stranger just stared in amusement, a baffled expression painted across their face. Nonetheless they hauled themselves in through the small gap and fallen onto Kanade’s floor.
“Ack!” They cried out, sitting up and rubbing their chin, “Uh, thanks for letting me in? Didn’t really expect that—“
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Kanade interrogated, pointing an accusatory finger at the stranger.
“Woah! Slow down!” They brought their hands up and waved them defensively, “I’m Mizuki Akiyama! I’m not from this town.”
As she thought. No one in this town would even spare a glance at this tower.
Mizuki Akiyama had pink hair, a muted colour that sprung into round coils at the end of their hair, they had charming, swirling rouge eyes and a mischievous tip to their smile. Something about this stranger had instantaneously enchanted Kanade, something about their aura, their energy that filled the small room. Kanade had never wanted to know someone more. She was fascinated.
“I’m actually here because of a rumour I heard from a friend,” The stranger, Mizuki, continued, “She used to be a knight here before leaving, but she told me about you! You interested me, so I decided to visit you. Let’s say the rumours are definitely true, you’re like, the prettiest girl I’ve seen!”
Hearing the innocence in their tone, the way they put it so simply, Kanade felt flustered by the compliment, no one had ever put her beauty so simply like that before.
“So if you’ve heard the rumours,” Kanade replied, almost whispering at that point, “haven’t you heard of my curse? Haven’t you heard of what will happen if you look at me? If you even talk to me?”
“Yes.” They simply replied with, a serious expression now replacing the carefree one they had earlier.
“You know if you talk to me your life will be full of misfortune and death?” Kanade reiterated, emphasising her points.
“Yes, I do.” Mizuki smiled, cherry lips pulled into a warm smile that sent shockwaves ricocheting down her body.
“Then why?” The questions swarmed in Kanade’s head, a flurry of racketing thoughts that filled her brain, her hands were sweating, she looked at Mizuki with pleading eyes.
“Because, I don’t believe that ‘cursed’ bit.” Mizuki said in return, standing up and dusting the dirt from their pants, “Do you think you’re cursed?”
Kanade paused, contemplating. Was she cursed?
Because really, she never had concrete evidence that she was cursed, it was just ingrained into her mind over and over again by the people who came in and out of her life.
How was she meant to know if it was the truth without ever being near anyone? And yet how was she meant to prove her curse was real without hurting anyone in the progress?
“I…don’t know.”
“Have you ever hurt anyone? Killed anyone? Endangered someone? Insulted someone?”
“…how am I meant to do that when I’ve never interacted with anyone?”
“Well, to me, it sounds like a fib your parents made up to make your life miserable and hide away something that could overpower them. They’re either scared of losing you to some greedy middle-aged men or that you’ll garner more attention than them, both bad for them.”
“What I’m saying is, you’re probably not cursed, and even if you are, I wouldn’t care.”
“Why?” Kanade shook violently, never had she considered that all of this was a lie, that she was just a prisoner for no reason.
“I wouldn’t care because even if you brought me misfortune, you’re beauty and personality from what I’ve seen these past few minutes is enough for me to sacrifice a little of my wellbeing just to see you.”
“You don’t even know me, why are you being so nice?” Kanade whispered, tears gathering in her eyes, threatening to fall in any second. She hadn’t cried in ages.
“Does anyone truly know you? Or is all they know of you rumours?”
Did anyone know her? Did anyone know that she stared at scattered constellations at night to ease her loneliness? Did anyone know that she spent her days singing and reading story books brought to her? Did anyone know that she was just a poor, suffering girl and not a beautiful monster?
“I don’t know.” She choked out, lip trembling, legs growing weak.
“Then let me be the first.” Mizuki firmly declared, “If no one has the heart to get to know a girl as pretty as you, then I’ll be the first. You don’t have to be alone.”
Kanade crumbled. She slumped down into a pile on the floor, knees giving up on her. Mizuki gasped in surprise and kneeled next to her, gangly knees hitting the floor.
Kanade cried, she cried tears of bottled emotions and salted resentment. She cried anger, she cried sadness, she cried longing.
Hesitantly, Mizuki placed a steady hand on Kanade’s back and rubbed slow and deliberate circles. Kanade gasped softly, the touch was electrifying, tingling down her spine. She leaned into it, desperate for it.
Kanade was wrapped tightly into an embrace, an embrace that smelled like sweet honey and candied roses. She buried her head into Mizuki’s shoulder. Despite only knowing them for only about half an hour, they had given her more than anyone had given her her whole life. Kanade wanted to fall apart, Kanade wanted Mizuki to pick up her broken pieces and help her.
But Kanade couldn’t possibly burden Mizuki with catastrophes and calamities. She couldn’t.
“You shouldn’t be touching me,” Kanade mumbled, “You’ll be cursed with me.”
“I don’t think I really care.” Mizuki grumbled, tenacity weaving itself in with their words, “Don’t you see how unfair it is? That you can never experience things like hugs and general affection because of some curse?”
“It’s for the best.” Kanade murmured, sinking further into Mizuki despite her words, “Nobody needs to love me.”
“But I do.” Mizuki fired back, “Let me love you.”
Let me love you
Kanade weeped, she weeped for the love she never received, for how simple her life could’ve been if people truly understood her, how Mizuki, despite being a complete stranger minutes ago, was now here, saving her from the dark, cold walls of her chamber.
The walls were cold, but for once, she wasn’t.
-
“How long have you been in here?”
It had been at least an hour since Kanade’s breakdown. Since then, Mizuki had paced around the tower, observing every single possession that Kanade owned. From the hardcover storybooks gifted from the town’s librarian, to the multitude of useless dresses piled in her wardrobe, to the large, looming door that kept her barred in. When Mizuki got bored, they had plopped down right next to an observing Kanade, and the two had gotten to know each other.
Kanade knew Mizuki lived with two others in the forest far away from town. She knew that Mizuki was actually a dressmaker, loving the process of weaving fabric together to make elaborate designs. She knew that Mizuki had a love for pink things like taffy and ballet slippers. She knew that Mizuki was an easygoing, aloof person who just wanted to live life to the fullest with their friends.
“My whole life.” Kanade easily supplied. The moonlight beamed it’s radiance down through the slightly ajar window, pearly white and illuminating the darkness of Kanade’s room.
“…Okay, that is NOT okay.” Mizuki angrily snaps, getting up and staring intensely at the door, “You’re telling me you’ve never been outside? Never experienced having friends? Getting an education? Going to festivals?”
“No?”
Mizuki looks crestfallen, eyes downcast and lips turned downward, “Kanade…that’s so…wrong.”
“…It’s all I’ve ever known. This tower.”
Mizuki is silent, thinking, wondering. They brush their hands against Kanade’s carpet, run it along the floor until it reaches the hem of Kanade’s nightgown, silky smooth. They fiddle with it, the slippery fabric shifting under their fingertips.
“Come with me.”
“Huh?”
“Please come with me, come live with me and my friends, please?”
There came the question. Kanade pondered. She wanted to accept so bad, to take Mizuki’s hand and run away from the suffocating tower she was trapped in and into a new life.
Because Kanade wanted it so bad. She wanted to live a life where she could walk as far as she pleased, walked until her feet were sore and aching and the air could no longer enter her lungs. Kanade wanted a life where she woke up next to Mizuki in a warm bed, with no extra space that Kanade had to fill. Kanade wants to wake up to breakfast made together with friends and activities that Kanade had only ever heard in books. Picnics, shopping, flower picking, baking. Kanade wants it all.
But could she have it? What if she brought bad luck wherever she stepped? What if Mizuki changed their mind?
“How?”
“Well I need to get some stuff, but I’ll return the next night and help you leave! It’s so easy getting to your tower, no one really guards it.”
“Would your friends mind?”
“Not at all! One doesn’t even know about your curse, while the other probably wouldn’t care all that much. Please? Do you really want to live here the rest of your life?” Mizuki pleaded, eyes full of longing and wishing.
Kanade should deny. She should tell Mizuki that really it was okay if she kept suffering, as if she suffered, no one else had to. She was safe in this tower, and everyone else was safe away from her.
But instead, Kanade takes a blind step forward. She reaches out, and hopes someone will catch her, that Mizuki will catch her.
“Okay, I will.”
-
Kanade didn’t want to bid goodbye to Mizuki so soon, but as the sun inched higher across the sky and the orange hues faded to azure ones, Mizuki had to leave or else they’d have to risk being caught by the maid that brought Kanade food, or the guards who would start their early morning rounds around the castle. Mizuki had left with a wave, disappearing from sight with promises to return at midnight.
The hours Kanade had to wait dragged on, her body itched with anticipation, to be able to breathe in the night breeze and touch the coarse dirt beneath the soles of her feet. Kanade was restless, pacing around the confines of her room all day, barely touching her food, zoning out.
Kanade thought. Kanade thought about how her whole life could’ve been a lie. How she could’ve missed out on a regular childhood just because her parents made up lies and deceit just to ‘keep her safe.’ She resented her curse, she resented her parents, she resented everyone.
But Kanade, is too forgiving. Kanade still smiled at the maids when they dropped off her food, she still tried to wave at the guards who walked a little faster when it came to her part of the castle, even when her mother came to visit for the first time in months, she had smiled and let her in. Because they were all Kanade knew.
By midnight she’d be gone. By midnight all this familiarity would slip between the cracks of her fingers and she’d be thrown into a new world, a world she had never seen.
It was nerve-wracking, but more importantly, it was exciting.
Kanade went back to pacing around her room, making herself dizzy, dizzy, dizzy.
-
Kanade thinks she loves Mizuki.
Despite there having been only a few hours since they first met, Mizuki had flipped Kanade’s life upside down in the span of a few minutes, monumental changes that changed her view of life.
Kanade wants to love Mizuki. Kanade hopes its okay.
-
Before Mizuki arrived, Kanade stood before her draped mirror. The cloth was collecting dust and fading in colour. Kanade lifted a hand and gripped the fabric so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She inhaled. She exhaled.
She whipped off the dress in one swift movement and came face to face with the sickening sight of herself.
Her strands of hair were still somehow immaculately placed, trickling down her back. Her face was still pale and smooth, probably from being inside all too much. She wore her silk nightgown, the sleeves draping over her hands slightly the the garment tumbling down past her knees. The only thing different from last time she looked is that her eyes seemed to have a little bit more of a sparkle, twinkling, glistening.
Maybe it was Mizuki. The escape. Maybe it was the newfound hope Kanade had found.
There was a rattle at the window once more. Instead of jumping in fear, Kanade sprints over with no apprehension and flung open the window to be met face to face with a smiling Mizuki.
-
“So, you want me to jump from here???” Kanade whispered with bated breath. She stared at the distance from her small window to the ground, a distance Kanade much would rather she would not have to leap from.
“You’ll be okay, I’ll go first, then you go and I’ll be down there to support you. Alright? Just follow my lead.” Mizuki reassured, squeezing Kanade’s hand before springing off the wooden ledge. Kanade watched fearfully as Mizuki descended at a pace too quick for Kanade’s liking. She watched as they tumbled down the stone tower and landed safely on both their feet.
Mizuki placed back up and beamed, throwing a thumbs up. Mizuki silently beckoned her down. Kanade looked at the rope tied taut around her thin waist, thick and bristly. Kanade breathed and took one last glimpse of the tower, the tower that had been her prison, the tower she had grown up in. She took one last look before sliding off the ledge herself.
Gusts of wind flew past her, strands of white flying past her shoulders as she got closer and closer to the ground. Kanade could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, it was exhilarating, nothing like she had ever experienced in her mundane chambers.
Kanade feared the worst when the ground got closer, her impending doom imminent. She squeezed her eyes shut, only for her body to jolt and completely suspend in mid air. She peeped one eye open to see Mizuki pulling the other side of the rope taut. She sighed with relief before being let down slowly, untying the rope as Mizuki slung it casually over their shoulder.
“Good job!~” Mizuki cheered, squeezing Kanade’s hand. She could feel their scars and palm lines.
“Thank you.” Kanade breathed in return, leaning on Mizuki as the adrenaline of the fall began to fade away.
“Come on, we have a long journey, we better hurry.”
Kanade just nodded, trailing behind them. Their hand was still clung onto her own. It was warm, pleasant. It made Kanade smile lightly and hum under her breath. It was wonderful.
-
The sun was an indicator of life, a burning crimson ball of heat and warmth that saturated the earth with it’s flame.
It was the signal of morning, the sign of day.
As Kanade watched the peak of sun peak over the hills in the horizon, she smiled, for she knew that this new day brought her fresh experiences and a newly found friend, maybe something even more.
Mizuki had brought a horse-drawn cart, the back being piled with pillows and bags of rice. Although it wasn’t the most glamorous or elaborate like Kanade’s parent’s ornate carriages, it still worked out. It was the best way for them to get back to Mizuki’s house in the forest.
Kanade had rested in the back of the cart as it trundled along rough, dirt paths through foliage and away from town. The cart bumped up and down rhythmically. Kanade had just watched the scenery pass her by with a newfound awe. Everything was so new and beautiful to Kanade, from the green tufts of grass that sprung up, or the fields of flowers they passed, even the crisp air and the bright sky had shocked her.
There were downsides of course, Kanade being cooped up inside for her whole life meant the sun wore her down with it’s constant heat. Thankfully she could just lie down on the cart as she listened to Mizuki hum to themselves and the wheels squeal as they moved forward.
Kanade felt curiosity inch it’s way across her brain, childlike wonder filled her lungs, she was enamoured by the outside world. She wanted to jump up and dance, she wanted to touch everything beneath her fingertips, she wanted to sing and make a song, a song just as beautiful as her father’s.
But for now she just stares, mouth gaping at her surroundings.
She feels a laugh bubble up inside of her chest. It’s airy, melodious, ringing clear and true in the air. Mizuki turned their head to stare at the girl, hair blowing gently in the Spring breeze, head thrown back in faint laughter.
“What’s so amusing Kanade?” Mizuki inquires in a teasing tone, quirking an eyebrow at the curious princess.
“It’s just,” She starts, turning to make eye contact with Mizuki, all sparkling eyes and gooey smiles, “I never thought I’d be able to experience this.”
“Everything is so, new, and pretty. It’s so much more. I can feel everything now, under my fingers. It’s so...so…”
“Wonderful?” Mizuki fills in for her.
“Yeah.” She stares at the wispy white of the clouds above her, “Thank you, so much Mizuki.”
“Eh? What are you getting all emotional on me for—“
“Mizuki you saved me.” Kanade cut her off, clambering to the front of the cart to get as close as she could to Mizuki, “I was gonna be stuck in there until I died, you made me realise how wrong that was, how my beauty although had brought me a miserable life, is also something crucial to me. My beauty is a part of me. Thank you for loving it, it may take me a while to love my own, but I’ll try.”
Kanade leans forward as much as she can before placing a hazy kiss onto the crown of Mizuki’s forehead.
The kiss spoke a thousand words, words Kanade had no idea how to convey, words that she prayed Mizuki could decipher.
Kanade hopes it’s okay.
Mizuki squeaks, grips the reins of the horse so tightly and doesn’t let go, steadies themselves. Because Kanade, princess and supposed heir to the throne, the prettiest girl in the entirety of the kingdom, a cursed child mistreated, had just kissed them, had just spoken her heart to them and placed it into the care of Mizuki. Speechless, Mizuki just hummed in reply before turning back to focus on the road ahead.
Kanade was content. Mizuki was content.
The two had a lot to learn, Kanade especially, but they had each other.
That was enough.
-
“Say, Mizuki.” Kanade mused, voice soft and tired.
They had stopped to rest at midday, the sun blazing hot in the sky now. Mizuki had packed little sandwiches with thinly sliced ham, ripe tomatoes and hard cheese. Despite the lack of flare, it still tasted better than anything Kanade had eaten in the tower.
“Yes, Kanade?”
They were lying in the grass, the tendrils tickling at their faces and the sweet smell of buttercups drifting through sky.
“Why did you save me?”
Kanade stared at Mizuki, the person who ventured far away from home, climbed a tower, evaded guards, and created an escape all for a cursed princess.
Even if Kanade was deemed the prettiest in the kingdom, she would always think Mizuki was prettier, no matter what.
“…what?!”
“Er, well, you basically risked your life for me.” Kanade explains, “You could’ve been found out, you could’ve been executed if the guards found you helping me escape, yet you did it anyway. Why?”
“Kanade.” Mizuki sat up, taking Kanade’s hand into theirs (they had done it too many times to count in that one day), “I don’t care if death takes me, I don’t care if the world was against me, I would do anything to save you from your stupid curse.”
The conviction in Mizuki’s voice scares Kanade a little, brings tears to her eyes. She sniffles, “Even if my beauty is my curse? Even if it scares you?”
The next few moments were a fever dream, something that Kanade couldn’t quite place. It was a moment of pure bliss, where the world stopped turning.
Mizuki crashed their lips against Kanade’s, although a little hesitantly. It was full of loving, tenderness, adoration. It tasted like glacé cherries and sugared roses, like the sun, moon and stars mixed together, it tasted like the entire universe were at the tip of her tongue.
“Your beauty never ever scared me.”
Tepid tears rolled down her face once more, it was more than she had cried in her numbing life, all in one day. She clutched Mizuki’s hand in her delicate fingers. They held back with the same sentimentality, a gesture that words could never compare to.
Kanade had permanent grass stains all over on her dress, Mizuki had spare weeds entangled through their hair, the two were dirty and unclean, but the two were free.
Kanade thinks about how different this life is, this life away from the tower. The floor was alive with nature, the air hummed a different tune, a harmonious one, Kanade had seen more animals run past her than she had ever seen people in her life. It was different, unfamiliar, and unknown, yet it was all so beautiful to Kanade.
Beauty, a curse, a blessing.
-
“HOLD ON MIZUKI!” A voice, harsh and incredulous, cut through the peaceful quiet that the two had just stepped into, “YOU’RE TELLING ME, YOU DISAPPEAR FOR THREE DAYS FOR A ‘SMALL TRIP’, NOT TELLING ME NOR MAFUYU WHERE YOU WENT, JUST TO KIDNAP THE KINGDOM’S PRINCESS? YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET KILLED FOR THAT RIGHT???”
Mizuki huffed and glared at the girl, brown locks falling over her face. They sent a reassuring squeeze up Kanade’s hand.
“Maybe if you saw the way they were treating her you’d understand.” Mizuki retorted back, pouting, “They locked her in a tower Ena, A TOWER!!”
“I know FULLY well they kept her in a tower.” The girl, Ena she presumed, grumbled, “I worked in the castle for years Amia!”
“Well then why are you complaining?!”
Kanade hung back, watching the scene unfold before her. Mizuki and Ena were bickering, a rapid back and forth argument. Kanade saw beyond them another girl with an expressionless face, purple strands obscured her eyes. She could see the slight hint of annoyance in the quirk of her mouth. This girl must be Mafuyu.
“I am not! Can’t you see what you’ve done?”
This was what Kanade was worried about. Upsetting Mizuki’s housemates, causing disruption to the life of these three people, just because of her rumours and said reputation. Of course they wouldn’t want a cursed princess in their home.
“Look,” Ena began, sighing into her palms, “I’m not opposed to Kanade staying here, I don’t mind if she stays for a week or for forever, as long as Mafuyu is okay with it. I’m just worried for you okay? You can’t just disappear without telling us anything and return having done some dangerous thing. I’m glad you saved her, just tell us next time okay?”
The air was thick with silence, Kanade felt like an outsider to this situation.
“Aww, Enanan was worried?” Mizuki chuckles under their breath.
“H-Hey! Shut it, I just poured out this speech for you just for you to tease me? I wasn’t even that worried in the first place!”
“Ena almost cried on the second day you were gone.” Mafuyu emotionlessly cut in, staring directly at Mizuki.
“Oi! Of all times you choose to speak!” Ena spat at Mafuyu, who had in that span of time has slowly made her way over to the kitchen and started boiling water for tea, a jar of leaves resting in her palm.
Ena sighed in defeat before turning to Kanade, extending a hand out.
“I’m sorry about the welcome, it was rude of me. I’m Ena Shinonome, I hope you enjoy your stay with us. I promise you we’re all glad to have you here.”
Kanade giggles, taking the hand into her own, “I think you already know who I am.”
Ena smiles, “Indeed I do. Listen, I know they kept you in there for ages, and I’m sorry I never did anything about it. It seemed unfair to me, but as a knight I never felt like I could do anything.”
“Its not your fault.” Kanade affirms, (it was her parents).
“Mafuyu! Introduce yourself!”
The purple haired girl turns her head slightly, curls bouncing, “Mafuyu Asahina, pleasure to meet you.”
Kanade waves back, her cold aura and blunt answers sent a shiver down her spine.
“Well, welcome home Kanade!” Mizuki cheers, waving their ams in a celebratory manner.
Kanade looks around, observes the kitchenette that Mafuyu stands in, the small pots aligned on the walls, the sage-green, ripped couch, the hundreds of picture frames strung up on the wall, pictures of them as children, of distant memories.
Kanade knows she has no place in this home. At least not yet. For now, Kanade will sleep in the guest room, will use the spare set of cutlery, will help with chores as not to seem rude.
But later on she will have room here, they’ll make sure of it. One day the guest room will become Kanade’s room, one day Kanade will have a seat at the dining table, one day she’ll be apart of their outings.
Kanade has a home, where the walls are warm and brown instead of cold and grey. A home where Kanade can roam to whatever distance she pleases. A home where Kanade is no longer lonely.
Kanade has a home, a home for her beauty, a home for her love.