Chapter 491: I love you

The Kusonoki family was one of the ancient families that had existed during an era when the supernatural world was still relatively well known to humanity.

Well, it wasn’t exactly common knowledge to the point where you could turn on the television and hear about demons or angels on the evening news. However, back in those days, it was much easier for people to learn about the existence of angels, demons, fallen angels, and other supernatural beings. Their existence wasn’t as deeply hidden as it was in the present day.

Perhaps that was because those events had taken place a very long time ago. People back then were also much more skilled at recognizing supernatural beings, allowing them to distinguish between humans, demons, and angels without relying entirely on guesswork.

The Kusonoki family was one of the ancient families known for possessing the ability to sense demons. Thanks to that unique ability, they eventually became Demon Hunters, dedicating themselves to identifying and eliminating demons that threatened humanity.

However, the Kusonoki family didn’t operate independently. They served the Ichinose family, which acted as the head family and headquarters of the Demon Hunter Association.

The Ichinose family itself had a long history of hunting demons. They were considered the first family to establish the abilities and techniques used by Demon Hunters, as their bloodline could be traced back to the very first Demon Hunter, who had married a renowned saint.

In the present day, the Ichinose family was practically regarded as the royal family among Demon Hunters. Their position was supported by numerous other Demon Hunter families, many of which had sworn to protect them and follow their leadership.

After all, the Ichinose family wasn’t merely descended from the original Demon Hunter. They also carried the bloodline of a saint, which made their lineage particularly valuable to the entire association. There was even a possibility that someone from the current generation might awaken the power necessary to become a saint themselves.

Naturally, that possibility made the Ichinose family even more important.

As for the Kusonoki family, they were essentially the personal guardians of the Ichinose family, serving as the family closest to them and remaining responsible for their protection.

And that was how things had remained for generations.

After traveling for a while, they finally arrived at the Ichinose mansion.

The mansion had a modern design, with everything built on a single floor. Despite having only one level, however, the building occupied an enormous area, making it considerably larger than an ordinary house. It was the sort of place where someone could probably get lost if they weren’t familiar with the layout, although the fact that only five people lived there made the entire property feel a little excessive.

Those five residents included Hiyori, her older sister, her parents, and her grandmother.

“Welcome back, Hiyori-sama,” someone greeted her as she arrived.

The person who welcomed her was another member of the Kusonoki family, specifically the mother of Yuka and Sena.

“Hopefully, Yuka didn’t give you a scare and managed to drive safely,” she said, turning toward her two daughters. “And I hope Sena didn’t bother you too much during your trip back home.”

“T-They didn’t, so please don’t worry about it,” Hiyori replied, trying to reassure her.

Honestly, the trip hadn’t been particularly peaceful, but it wasn’t as though anything terrible had happened. Yuka and Sena had spent most of the journey bickering with each other, and watching them argue over practically anything had been rather entertaining.

They had continued their little argument all the way to the mansion, making Hiyori wonder whether the two of them ever got tired of talking.

Still, it was kind of funny to watch, and she didn’t mind having their company during the trip. At least their constant bickering had kept the journey from becoming boring, even if she occasionally wondered how they could find so many things to argue about.

After exchanging a few more words with Yuka and Sena’s mother, Hiyori decided to head inside the mansion.

As she entered, she noticed her grandmother walking nearby with the help of a cane. Her grandmother’s knees had grown weak over the years, making it difficult for her to stand or walk without additional support. Because of that, she needed to carry the cane whenever she wanted to move around.

Even so, her grandmother continued doing her best to walk on her own whenever possible.

“Good evening, Grandma!” Hiyori greeted her cheerfully as she approached.

“Oh, Hiyori. How was school today?” her grandmother asked with a gentle smile.

It was a question she asked almost every time Hiyori returned home, and despite having heard it countless times before, Hiyori never grew tired of answering her.

“Yup! It was lots of fun, actually,” Hiyori replied, smiling as she stood in front of her grandmother.

Her grandmother reached out and gently ruffled her hair, smiling down at her with a look of genuine happiness. The familiar gesture made Hiyori feel warm inside, and for a moment, she simply enjoyed being there with her.

Although her grandmother appeared healthy on the outside, the reality was that she had already begun experiencing the early stages of memory loss. She had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and while the symptoms weren’t always obvious to the people around her, the changes had already started becoming noticeable.

Sometimes, her grandmother would forget small details about things that had happened recently. On other occasions, she might struggle to remember something that Hiyori had told her only a short while earlier.

It wasn’t always easy to notice, especially when her grandmother seemed perfectly fine during their conversations. She could still smile, ask about Hiyori’s day, and show the same affection she had always given her granddaughter.

However, Hiyori knew that something was changing, and she couldn’t help worrying about what might happen as time went on.

That was precisely why she wanted to spend as much time with her grandmother as possible.

She understood that there might eventually come a day when her grandmother would struggle to remember more of the people around her, including the memories they had shared together. The thought was painful, even if she tried not to dwell on it for too long.

For now, she wanted to treasure the moments they still had.

If her grandmother wanted to hear about her school day, Hiyori would happily tell her about it. If she wanted to talk about something from the past, Hiyori would listen to her stories. Even if she ended up repeating the same conversation several times, Hiyori didn’t mind.

As long as she could still spend time with her grandmother, that was enough for her.

After talking with her for a little while longer, Hiyori finally excused herself and headed toward her room.

The moment she entered, she looked around briefly to make sure that nobody else was nearby. Once she was certain that she was alone, she stepped inside and switched on the light.

And as soon as the room brightened, the sight that greeted her was enough to reveal a rather different side of her personality.

Dozens upon dozens of photographs featuring a certain person were plastered across the walls.

The pictures had been taken from various angles, and it was painfully obvious that the person behind the camera had captured most of them without the subject’s knowledge. Some showed the person walking around the school, while others had been taken during ordinary moments that most people wouldn’t have considered worth photographing.

Yet, for Hiyori, every single picture was precious.

The photographs covered practically the entire room, stretching across all four walls and reaching so high that some were positioned to the ceiling. There was barely any empty space left, and if someone unfamiliar with her habits happened to walk inside, they might have mistaken the room for an extremely dedicated fan’s private shrine.

Of course, that description wouldn’t have been entirely wrong.

The photographs weren’t the only things she had collected, either.

Sitting among her belongings was a plushie featuring the face of that same person, with the image attached to its head. The body had even been specially tailored to resemble the uniform worn at their school, making the plushie look like a miniature version of the person she adored.

It was a surprisingly detailed creation, and Hiyori had clearly put considerable effort into making sure that it looked right.

And naturally, that wasn’t all.

She had also collected dozens of books filled with photographs of the same person. Some pages contained only a single picture, while others had several photographs arranged together. The collection had grown so large that the books occupied a considerable amount of space in her room.

At this point, calling it a hobby would have been a rather generous description.

Still, Hiyori didn’t seem to find anything strange about it.

She simply placed her bag down as though the sight of her room was perfectly normal, which, to her, it probably was. After all, she was the one who had arranged everything, and she knew exactly where each photograph, book, and other treasured item belonged.

She had spent enough time building this collection that the whole arrangement had become part of her daily routine.

After putting her bag aside, she took out her camera and began preparing the photographs she had taken that day. She had captured several new pictures, and she wanted to print them out before adding them to her growing collection.

Once the photographs were ready, she examined them one by one, paying particular attention to the pictures featuring the person she cared about most. She studied each image with an almost obsessive level of concentration, making sure that she was satisfied with the result before deciding where to place it.

Then, before pasting one of the photographs into a book, she brought it close to her face and smelled it, behaving as though she could somehow sense the presence of the person captured in the picture.

It was an odd habit, to say the least, but Hiyori seemed perfectly content with it.

Afterward, she carefully pasted the photograph onto another page of her book, adding it to the many other pictures she had already collected.

“Kouhei…-kun…” she murmured softly as she looked at his photograph. “I love you.”

Her eyes were filled with darkness as she said those words.