Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Epilogue

=== Epilogue ===

In the afternoon of autumn with a clear sky for the day, on a luxurious hospital bed of a single-patient ward, Genma is feeling sleepy leisurely.

Maybe because it has been a long time since he had a break like this, thus he let his guard down, when he realized it, he felt that someone’s presence is standing beside his bed, Genma quickly hides his startled mind, and opens his eyes with a very solemn expression.

“Hi!”

The intruder bends his lips to smile, as if saying.. “You finally noticed?”

His grown up son appears before his eyes, the inferiority that made Kazuma act according to Genma’s mood four years ago, is long gone, Kazuma uses a very natural way to look straight into Genma’s eyes.

“------ So it is Kazuma.”

“Everything is over.”

A simple and clear report, but there is no better way to put it.

“Is that so------ Sorry for the trouble.”

“Yeah, reflect on it.”

Even though he sounds very arrogant, but unbelievably, Genma does not mind, he even feels comfortable at Kazuma’s calm, natural and equivalent attitude.

“There is a chair there, right?

Kazuma ignores his fathers words, and walks to the window on his own, and sits at the window frame, and takes out a cigarette slowly.

“The hospital ward does not allow smoking.”

“------ I know!”

He says as he lights the cigarette, they are still a pair of father and son that does not match in their speech.

They remain silent for a while, Kazuma looks at the scenery outside, while Genma focuses on the ceiling.

“Do you…… still hate深雪?”

Breaking the silence, Genma threw out this question first. Kazuma places his eyes on his father who continues to lift his head to stare at the ceiling.

“You know all about it?”

This is not a tone that is forcing a reply, as if he wants to observe Genma’s reaction, sounding like a question that is not related to him.

“No, yesterday the clan chief came to visit, I asked a little about it then.

“Yesterday?”

From the visiting hours of the hospital, it should be before defeating Ryuya------ Or even when they are still on their way there. Whether it is because he trusts Kazuma and gang, or he judges that they are no longer in Tokyo. No matter what, his attitude is impressive.

“------I don’t hate her, in recent years, there are a lot of parents that do not love their children! Even though that woman does not love me, but I don’t recall ever liking that woman either, so it is the same for us both I guess!”

He says so easily, the truth does not matter now anymore anyway. “The woman who gave birth to him”------ That is all he knows about 深雪, nothing more, nothing less.

“Is that so…… In that case, I shall ask you under this pretext, are you willingly to come back to this home------?”

“Ah? It is really wilful of you to ask that now don’t you think, old man?”

Kazuma feels very disappointed, he should not be that kind of man that changes his mind and wants to make up just because his abandoned son is now very capable------

“I am not asking you to be a Jutsushi for the Kannagi, but I hope that you will take up the identity of my son, and once again bear the Kannagi name. If saying this would make you happy, I am even willing to kneel down to apologise to you, so, come back!”

Genma stubbornly looks at the ceiling and says this.

Kazuma dumbly opens his mouth, dropping his cigarette onto the floor, he subconsciously steps on it to extinguish the flame.

This is just way beyond his expectations, or you can say he is shocked, that stubborn father of his, is actually willingly to give in to such an extent------

Frankly speaking, he is tempted. But------

“……I cannot do that.”

To Kazuma, this is the only way he can reply.

“I do not hate you, old man, or that woman. But, I just cannot do it.

Four years ago I ran away, and I abandoned everything------ Including the me back then.

That is because I am still just a little kid then, maybe that is still acceptable, but not now. Things that I cannot abandon, and things that I must not abandon, there is too many now, there is no way to start over all over again.”

The one who made the decision to bear everything in the name of Kazuma Yagami, no matter what he gain or lose, to walk down the road with this name is himself.

Unable to pretend all these never happened, unable to forget all, because all these will not allow him to go back under the protection of others.

“That is it, thanks for your good intentions.”

He says easily, lighting up a new cigarette once again.

“------Is that so?”

Unable to see any sign of sorrow, Genma nods his head, silence visits them once more, but this time, it is a period of silence that makes one feel comfortable, unlike the unbearable atmosphere earlier.

Even if he refused to return to the Kannagi family, Kazuma still calls Genma “old man” as usual, accepting his existence, he has not completely let go of everything in the past.

That kind of emotions that is not conveyed through words, both of them knows very well.

That is not a one-sided relationship of a father protecting his son, but both of them recognising each other as a man, forming a relationship on the pretext that they are both equal.

Compared to those built on love and emotions, one with only warm existing, this kind of relationship suits the two of them more.

“So, I shall be going now.”

After finishing his second cigarette silently, Kazuma stands up.

“What do you intend to do from now on?”

“About that, maybe staying in Japan for the moment is not a bad idea. After all, I had the pleasure of enjoying such an exciting event the moment I came back to Japan.”

“Is that so?”

A short response. Still as thick-skinned, but it is not bad once you get used to it, but, it is common to want to change someone’s attitude.

“Good bye! You are pretty old already, don’t push yourself too hard.”

After leaving this taunting sentence, Kazuma disappears from the window located on the tenth storey.

“Hmph, that kid……”

Watching the curtains sway with the wind, Genma gumbles.

His intention may be to scold him, but the smile by his mouth now totally ruins such an intention. Without realising it himself, his tone is just the same as Jugo’s “this stubborn daughter……” [From chapter 2 end of part 1, the dots appeared in a different location, don’t ask me why] .

The cold wind blows in from the open window. Even though it is very comfortable now, but his body is likely to feel cold very soon!

“Opening that window and not closing it, damn kid.”

Still unable to stand up by himself, Genma scolds Kazuma as he ponders in his heart whether to bear the cold wind until he catches a cold, or to give up and press the bell for a nurse.



Looking up at the window of the tenth storey, Kazuma shows a smile with bad intentions.

“Don’t catch a cold, old man.”

After saying that, he turns his back against the hospital and walks out, with no intended purpose, that is how it has been since the past, and that shall be how it will be from now on.

(Let’s just find a house to stay in first!)

The wind blows as it wishes, that back view of that man that hums a song meaningfully, steps out with quick steps and leaves slowly.