Kanao was not like other girls.
Unlike children who grew up healthy under the care of loving parents, she had never experienced even the slightest warmth from a mother or father. From the very beginning, all she had known was abuse at their hands.
In Kanao's world, the words "mother" and "father" were distant—so distant they barely felt real.
More than that, they were unpleasant words.
Because of her childhood, she had shut away her emotions at a very young age. It was only later that the door to her feelings was pushed open by her uncle—Soma.
For the first time, she felt warmth in this world.
Under his care, Kanao gradually changed. The girl who had once been like a puppet on strings began to develop her own emotions, slowly learning how to express them.
Little by little, she built a world within her own heart.
Even so, the ideas of "father" and "mother" remained difficult for her to understand. She still couldn't grasp why, back then, Nezuko Kamado had cried when her father was about to die.
Perhaps because she had never had such bonds, she never cared about them—and never thought she would.
As for her uncle killing her father, she had always felt it was only natural.
Even now, she didn't think he had done anything wrong, and she never would.
However…
During the peaceful days on Mount Sagiri, she saw something different.
She saw Nezuko, Tanjiro Kamado, and the younger children being gently cared for by their mother, Kie Kamado.
Watching the tenderness Kie showed her children, Kanao slowly began to understand what a "real mother" was.
She envied Nezuko for having a mother who loved her.
But at first, it was only envy.
Until one day, after returning from exhausting training, Kie gently checked her condition. Whenever Kanao was hungry, Kie would quietly prepare extra food just for her. When her clothes were torn, she would mend them with care…
Only later did Kanao slowly realize—
that this gentle woman had quietly shared a portion of the love meant for her own children… with her.
And in that moment, it was as if she finally touched something that had always been out of reach.
Only then did she begin to understand—
what it felt like to be cared for by a mother.
She also began to understand why Nezuko had felt such pain when her father was near death… and why, when Kanao once said, "Wouldn't it be better if parents just died?" Nezuko had reacted with such shock and disbelief, unable to understand how Kanao could even feel happy about it.
If her own parents had been like other families…
then she would have felt the same as Nezuko.
But—
they were not.
…
A few days ago, Shinobu Kocho had already left. The place that used to be hers at night had now become Kanao's.
In truth—
Kanao didn't want to be separated from her uncle.
Before, she had always stayed with him at night, just as she always had. Only by his side did she feel at ease.
But her uncle had told her that things were different now. She had grown up, and she could no longer be treated like a child. They couldn't share the same room anymore.
Kanao didn't quite understand.
But she would never go against what he said.
Still, lying in the room without him, she kept turning over and over, unable to fall asleep.
Without her uncle nearby, nothing felt right.
"It's already late, Kanao. You should get some rest."
Lying beside her, Kie Kamado spoke softly as she watched Kanao tossing in bed.
"I can't sleep without Uncle here."
Kanao's voice was quiet, slightly muffled, as she admitted what she felt.
Kanao liked wrapping her arms around her uncle's waist when she slept. She liked burying her face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent, and waking up to see him first thing in the morning, greeting him happily with a soft "Good morning."
At night, before resting, she would gently say "Good night" to him as well.
So now, in this room without him—where his scent no longer lingered—Kanao felt deeply uneasy.
"Then… how about I tell you a story?"
Kie Kamado reached out and gently patted Kanao's back. "What kind of story would you like to hear?"
"I don't know."
"Then I'll tell you something interesting from around here…"
Kie softly drew Kanao into her arms as she began to tell a story she made up on the spot.
It was simple, even childish—after all, Kie rarely left home and had seen little of the world—but to Kanao, it felt new and strangely captivating. More than the story itself, it was the warmth of being held so gently in a woman's embrace that made her realize something.
So this… is what it feels like to be held by a mother.
Even so, she still missed the feeling of being held by her uncle, still found it hard to adjust, but the gentle warmth of Kie's arms eased some of the unease and discomfort she felt on this first night without him.
Her uncle—Soma—had told her that she needed to get used to sleeping without him at night.
It felt wrong.
But she had to try.
Anything her uncle asked of her, she would do her best to accomplish.
Kie soon finished her little story. Seeing that Kanao was still wide awake in her arms, she gave a small, helpless smile.
"It seems you still can't fall asleep."
"…Mm. Without Uncle here, it's hard."
Kanao sounded a little downcast. "But Uncle said I need to get used to nights without him."
"In that case… would you like to tell me your story? About what you were like before you met your uncle, how you met him… and what happened after."
Kanao hesitated. After a moment, she spoke softly, "Without Uncle's permission, I don't want to talk about him."
She knew that the things about her uncle were important, even secret. He likely didn't want others to know. Even if he wouldn't blame her for speaking, Kanao would never do something he might dislike.
Kie had actually been very curious about him. Hearing Kanao refuse made her feel a bit disappointed, though she didn't show it.
"Then… tell me about yourself."
"My story?"
Kanao murmured the words. This time, she didn't refuse. Facing this gentle woman, she found it hard to deny her request.
Her thoughts drifted back into the past, and she began recounting everything from her childhood.
When she finished, she suddenly felt drops of water falling onto her face.
Confused, Kanao looked up.
The gentle woman's eyes were blurred with mist, filled with tears.
It seemed…
she was crying for her.
"Crying for me?"
Kanao stared blankly at her.
In the next moment, Kie pulled Kanao tightly into her arms, her embrace full of tenderness and care.
"From now on, I'll treat you just like I treat Nezuko Kamado."
At that moment, Kanao felt as though she had become, just like Nezuko, one of this gentle woman's children—held within her warmth, and cared for with the same loving affection.
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin