In moments like this, when words were no longer spoken with the mouth, but passed quietly from heart to heart, Kagerou always felt the urge to light his kiseru.
The slow burn. The drifting smoke. The brief pause it gave him to organize feelings that refused to line up neatly.
But this was not a place for smoke.
Not when Kagaya was here. Not when Amane was beside him. Not when five pairs of young eyes lingered nearby, even if they pretended not to listen.
So Kagerou endured it.
Instead, he shifted his gaze away from Kagaya, toward the garden, unchanged since the first day he had set foot in this estate. The same stones. The same trees. The same quiet that never judged, never rushed.
"…You know I'll always be here for you, right?" Kagerou said at last, his voice low, steady. "You're not alone in this world, Kagaya. So don't try to carry everything by yourself"
He let out a soft breath.
"That's the promise we made. You help me, and I help you. Simple as that." A faint grin tugged at his lips. "And look at you now. You've got Amane… and five unbelievable little children. With just one paddle, you've already surpassed the entire Rengoku family. How do you even manage that? Seriously how?"
Kagaya chuckled.
A quiet, genuine sound.
"…You're drifting off topic, my friend," he said, his smile returning as his gaze followed Kagerou's toward the garden. "But you're not wrong"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"What is there for me to fear, when all of you are still with me?" Kagaya continued. "Perhaps the long absence of new Hashira narrowed my vision. Made me feel as though something was chasing me"
A pause.
"Thank you for waking me up, Kage-kun"
Kagerou turned back to him, blinking once.
"What do you mean? I'm just here to complain," he said with a crooked smile. "I didn't do anything special"
Kagaya laughed softly.
"Yes. You came here to complain," he agreed. "Something that only you and you alone are allowed to do"
Then, gently:
"So please… keep coming here to complain. Alright?"
"Ahaha~" Kagerou waved a hand lazily. "I'll do it as much as I want"
"Ahem!" Amane cleared her throat, her expression perfectly calm.
"Rengoku-san," she said politely, "I am his wife. Please find another partner for emotional support"
The silence was shattered.
Kagerou froze.
"…That's cold, Amane-san"
Kagaya let out a helpless laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly, while Amane turned her face away, just enough to hide the faintest hint of satisfaction. The quintuplets, sensing that the mood had completely lifted, quietly resumed their play, though a few restrained giggles slipped through.
Kagerou leaned back on his hands, staring up at the sky above the engawa.
"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about," he muttered. "I come here to be sincere, and I get stabbed in the back"
"You exaggerate," Amane replied smoothly.
"I do not," Kagerou shot back immediately. "You two are always talking about partners... this partner, that partner, asking when I'll settle down, with whom, where, why." He waved a hand in frustration. "Like… is it wrong to be single? It's normal at my age. Kagaya is the weird one"
He jabbed a thumb toward the man beside him without looking.
"This is why I'm too lazy to come here. Once again... I am normal, okay?"
"…Are you?" Amane asked gently, amusement lacing her voice.
"I AM!"
Kagaya's smile softened as he listened to them bicker.
For a brief, fleeting moment...
There were no demons.
No deadlines.
No fear of the fire going out.
Just people.
And for Kagaya Ubuyashiki, that was enough.
---
After that, they talked a little longer, not deeply. Just enough.
They spoke of small things: Akari's ryokan, passing rumors, lighter topics that didn't carry the weight of demons or futures yet to be decided.
Eventually, it was time.
"Alright," Kagerou said as he rose to his feet, stretching slightly. "I've spent enough time here. If I stay any longer, the boys will start thinking something's happened to me." He waved a hand dismissively. "No need to see me off"
"I won't," Kagaya replied calmly.
"Please be careful on the road, Rengoku-san," Amane added. "We won't see you off"
"Bring something next time you visit us, Uncle Kage," Kiriya said.
The four girls nodded in perfect agreement.
"…You guys…" Kagerou muttered, looking at them one by one with a wounded expression. "I'm leaving!"
He turned and walked away.
Watching his retreating back was a man who, to the entire Corps, was a leader… a pillar… a symbol to be revered.
But to Kagerou...
He was simply Kagaya.
A friend.
Kagaya smiled faintly, then slowly withdrew his gaze from Kagerou's back.
"…Stop by often, my friend," he murmured softly. "Trust me. I need it"
"I will," Kagerou replied without turning around, his voice carrying back just as quietly.
Soon, his footsteps faded into nothing.
Amane shifted closer to Kagaya, lowering her voice.
"Oyakata-sama… may I ask you something?"
"Ask anything you wish, Amane"
"…What is it that makes Rengoku-san so special?"
Kagaya didn't answer immediately.
His gaze lingered on the drifting clouds above, ever-changing, never the same for long before he turned back to her.
"…I believe Kage-kun has the power to change things," he said softly. "I don't know why I'm so certain of it. I simply felt it the first time I met him." A gentle smile touched his lips. "It's as if he was sent into this world to alter its course"
"That," he added, "is the second reason"
Unnoticed by either of them, the quintuplets had already gathered close, listening intently.
"…Then what is the first reason, Father?" Kiriya asked.
"The first reason?" Kagaya repeated.
He turned to his son, his smile widening just a little.
"He is my friend. That is the first reason"
Then Kagaya lifted his gaze back to the sky and spoke, barely above a whisper...
"…He is my only friend"
--------
#A/N: "With these two chapters (61 & 62), I wanted to explore something I don't often see in other fanfics (I think?) Kagaya is portrayed as emotionally safe rather than distant or untouchable. Someone who can be leaned on, not just revered from afar. I tried to show his warmth, his openness, his fears, and the quiet strength in the way he connects with others, instead of placing him as a figure who seems impossible to reach. I feel like I managed to convey that, but what do you guys think?"