Rindo breathed loud and sharp.
Nadeshiko began hearing a buzzing in her ears. Her body was telling her not to listen, but her eyes were glued to the door, and she couldn’t stop herself from listening more.
“I’m not taking them seriously. Please just listen… I’m saying that I’m worried about you, especially if you’re hearing those rumors.”
“I don’t need you to worry.”
“You’re talking to your father, you know. It’s not about whether you need it or not. I just do.”
“…I’m sorry if you’re also hearing all that and it’s causing you trouble.”
“Rindo, no. It’s not causing me trouble.”
“I just don’t have the authority to deal with this. Lord Kangetsu can deal with it properly. He says they’ve been criticizing Lord Kantsubaki ever since what happened ten years ago, but they’ll shut up the moment he walks by. I’ll make it so that it’s the same with us. I’m already working on it.”
“Yeah, I think you’re doing a good job.”
Rindo was ready to keep arguing, but he stopped when his father said those words.
“…I just…!”
Rindo had a thankless job, and he’d never expected his father to praise him. It took him by surprise.
“Seriously… I had no idea you’d been working this hard…”
“…!”
“But you’re also affected by the slander, and I can’t stand that. Sophia’s worried, too…”
The last remark angered Rindo again.
“Don’t bring Mom up. I’m not affected by anything.”
“Yes, you are… Don’t be stubborn. You’re acting as a shield, which means you’re going to get hit. You probably want to say you’re not affected because you don’t mind it, but I’m worried about you, son. You may be a big, strong Guard, but you’re still my boy. You keep growing up, but I can remember when you were waving around a paper sword… You’re still my darling boy…”
As her mind was still paralyzed from the shock of hearing she had killed a person, Nadeshiko heard Kikka’s voice in the distance. He might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
So parents like this existed.
If parents that loved their children really existed…then Rindo really shouldn’t be forced to stay with this goddess of death.
“The insurgent’s death will be forgotten sooner or later… And really, people should be praising her for taking down one of the people attacking the Autumn villa. But listen, gossip like this will keep surrounding you as long as you’re the Guard of Autumn.”
Rindo saw Kikka as an annoyance, a meddler. But from the perspective of someone who lacked such love, Nadeshiko couldn’t see his meddling as a bad thing.
“And the gossipers are stupid. Nadeshiko has the power to heal people. Like the Lady Archer of Dawn…”
“The bigwigs said that was overstepping your jurisdiction, didn’t they? Life Putrefaction is too much power for humans. Even the most righteous people get corrupted by selfish desires. Did you look up what I told you? The deaths of the past Guards. They’re all taken away when the Agents die… Without exception.”
“I understand how you feel. Just let it go already…”
“No, I can’t. Rindo, if your will is really that strong, I won’t say anything about your job after today. Just ignore the present for a bit and think about the future. I mean it—think about it!”
Kikka’s composure was gone.
He was desperate to protect his son’s life.
“The Agents of Autumn who live long lives never let go of their Guard. They use their power to forcefully extend the Guard’s life. Even if their parents die, their spouse, their friends, their siblings, every single other person dies, even if the Guard can’t move anymore, the Agent keeps them alive until they perish. And the ill have to live through all that while they’re suffering.”
Nobody had prevented Rindo from becoming the Guard.
Maybe some tried at first, but at present, there was no one.
“That’s what the love of the Gods of Autumn is like.”
If Nadeshiko had remained a cute and harmless Goddess of Autumn, she would have already been succeeded.
She had survived by eating the life of an insurgent; she had been abandoned by her parents; she was obsessed with her Guard; and she was becoming uncontrollable like the other gods incarnate.
Gods incarnate with an ego were undesirable to begin with, and with the danger around her, who could possibly want to serve her?
“They’re terrifying.”
Only people with special circumstances like Sanekazura and Shirahagi.
“Your grandparents knew this and still celebrated you being chosen. They’re crazy!”
The voices outside the room woke Hanakiri up, too.
“Dad, you’re going to wake Nadeshiko up! Please keep your voice down…”
Seeing Nadeshiko, Hanakiri started barking energetically, which finally freed her from her paralysis.
She sneaked across the soft carpet in silence. She was good at this.
She had been brought up with a family that would get mad if she made any noise.
Even after she got back in bed, her senses were oddly sharp, and she could still hear the voices outside.
They were much smaller, and yet her ears caught them clearly.
“…Look, in the past, the Guards of Autumn were commended for their work no matter what happened, right? Why not now? The bastards just have no nerve. And you can tell me to quit all you want; it’s not like I actually can, can I?”
“We can just appoint multiple Guards. Lady Nadeshiko really loves you. Even I can tell we can’t take you away from her just like that.”
“So suppose we do name other Guards. Then what?”
“Everyone supports Nadeshiko. Your sister says she would be fine with it. I can do it, too. I’ll quit my current job and join you. The whole Azami family can support her. Then she won’t be dependent on just one person. Eventually she might decide she can let you go. Then I can help you with whatever you might need. Like I said, you can come to my department. You’ll do a great job. Or you can take over the dojo.”
“This isn’t about me…”
“Rindo.”
“It’s about Nadeshiko…! What will she think when she realizes we’re telling her to rely on me alone?!”
“…”
“You’re thinking the same way I did back then!” Rindo said. “You just think about yourself… You can’t put Nadeshiko’s feelings first! And you say you can be her Guard?! You keep saying you’re worried about me as my father and all that, but it was Mom and Grandpa and Grandma who raised me. You don’t know the first thing about Nadeshiko! And you have to stop talking about her as though she’s cursed!”
“…”
“…My Nadeshiko is not bad…!”
“I’m sure… But she’s not good for me. I feel the same way you do. If your parents don’t put you first, who will? Rindo…”