Editing Kaze no Stigma:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

=== Part 4 ===

It was already around two in the morning by the time Kazuma reached his hotel. His steps were somewhat heavy after having to deal with three battles in one day.

But he still could not rest yet. The wind brought a strong scent of fire.

''(Kannagi again? When will they ever learn......)''

Even though it was troublesome, Kazuma had no intention of running away, as the enemy was waiting by the main entrance of the hotel. Kazuma walked straight to the source.

Perhaps the enemy sensed Kazuma approaching. The thin little shadow sitting beside the flowerbed turned his head.

Due to the darkness of the night, Kazuma was unable to see the person’s face clearly, though he could make out a very small figure. The power he possessed was weaker than Ayano's, but on a different level compared to Shingo and Takeya.

''(......? Was there such a person in the Kannagi family......?)''

The shadow approached the doubtful Kazuma without warning. His face was lit up by the streetlights, revealing that he was younger than expected. A child, around ten or eleven years old, walked up to Kazuma.

He was wearing beige shorts with a duffel coat. His feet were fortified by ankle boots. He was wearing clothes that were casual, yet well made.

His cute face that one may mistake for a girl gave off a gentle, yet mature aura. The youth looked just like a well brought-up little master.

The youth seemed tense as he nervously watched Kazuma, who returned his gaze with suspicious eyes. After staring at each other for a few seconds, the young boy opened his mouth slowly.

“Frankly speaking, I don’t really believe it...... But if you are here now, then does that mean that father lost?”

''(Father...?)''

Later on, whenever Kazuma would recall this scene, he would feel really stupid. However, right now he could not understand what this youth meant, so he asked directly,

“......Who are you?”

The youth’s eyes instantly became very strict. He seemed to be angry, but because of his cute face, he was not menacing in any way.

“Are you saying that seriously? ...Nii-sama”

“'Nii-sama'...? Ah, you're Ren!”

Kazuma clapped his hands and called out his younger brother’s name, who was apparently twelve by now.

''(Oh yeah, I have a brother.)''

Though, if he had said that out loud, Ren would probably have looked down on him forever, so Kazuma forcefully kept his words inside his mouth.

“You sure grew! It's been ten years since we last met, right?”

"......I don’t think it has been that long!"

Ren answered strictly.

“Is that so? But it should have been about four years since we last saw each other, right? After all, I don’t recall seeing you when I left.”

“Yes, you left home without saying a word.”

“Oh...... Ahh...... Sorry about that......”

Ren’s voice seemed even more serious. Kazuma could only reply with an embarrassed smile.

The reason why Kazuma forgot about Ren was not because he was heartless... Or rather, not ''just'' because he was heartless.

Unlike his elder brother, Ren was born with exceptional flame powers, so Genma had high expectations from him. Genma was apparently worried that Kazuma’s uselessness might have been passed onto Ren, seeing as how he tried to separate them as much as possible.

The two brothers probably met less than once every half a year. Even so, the pure <!--term used is純真: virtuous, pure, innocent, chaste, guiltless--> Ren threw aside his father’s intentions and looked up to Kazuma wholeheartedly.

Kazuma, however, could not help but harbor complex feelings towards his talented brother. Despite that, he could not hate the cute, smiling boy who was unaware of those feelings and so remained attached to him.<!--"That" refers to Kazuma's complex feelings.-->

Even though this was not the outcome Genma wanted, Kazuma and Ren were a pair of close brothers.

......So in the end one could only call that heartless.

“Ah...... so what are you doing here?”

Kazuma asked, pulling himself together.

Ren suddenly became serious, looking straight into Kazuma’s eyes.

“I...... I am here to persuade you.”

“......Oh~”

Kazuma grumbled and walked off, leaving Ren behind.

“Nii-sama!?”

“First, let's go into my room! It's been a really busy day, and I'm drained.”

After guessing the reason for his fatigue, Ren’s expression became clouded. He silently made himself determined to bring Kazuma back.

Ren ran slowly while following Kazuma, who had already reached the room.

Ren lightly sat down on the edge of the sofa. He was not being wary, though. The sofa was way too soft, and he was worried that if he sat down in the middle, he would have been buried within.

Kazuma was sitting in front of a teacup, and Ren was in front of a mug filled with honey and hot milk. However, neither of them touched their cups. They were looking at each other as though trying to find out what the other was thinking.

“Back to the topic. Why did you come here?”

“......Huh? That is because......”

Kazuma raised his hand, stopping Ren from asking the same question.

“I know the reason. But why? Kannagi Genma made his move, so why did you still come here? Normally, you wouldn’t expect him to lose against me!”

Genma would never lose, that was common knowledge in the Kannagi clan. Ever since Juugo lost a leg in a traffic accident, Genma was undoubtedly the strongest practitioner in the Kannagi clan.

They were probably thinking that right now, believing Genma would bring back a badly wounded Kazuma very soon!

However, Ren, despite being someone who believed in the strength of his father more than anyone else, did not seem to feel that way. And that meant.........

“What do you know?”

Ren tried his best to fight back against those eyes that seem to see right through him.

“I know some rumors, from some occult website in Europe.”

Users of magic, a technique of ancient times, were actually very progressive when it came to using something so extremely convenient as the internet.

The website Ren found was one of those that practitioners used to exchange information.

“I heard them saying...... The 'Contractor' is Japanese......”

Kazuma widened his eyes slowly. Ren, witnessing this reaction, gathered up his courage and told Kazuma his assumptions.

“I have no proof. But...... I am very certain... that it is you, right? The only Contractor verified to exist in history...... That is you, isn’t it, Nii-sama?”

“You are wrong.”

Kazuma answered in a dull manner. He stopped Ren, who was about to speak, and continued talking.

“Not the only one, there is at least one other. I think we both know this very well.”

“So... You are indeed the......”

Ren looked at Kazuma in awe, realizing his indirect answer.

“No matter, this kind of thing isn't important. Let's get to the main topic!”

Kazuma placed one leg over the other comfortably and held up his cup.

Ren sat upright, using his youth-like, straightforward mouth to speak openly.

“So let me ask you, are you the Fuujutsu practitioner who has been killing Kannagi practitioners these last couple of days?”

“I didn't do it.”

Kazuma answered in a very straightforward manner as well.

“I said that to everyone I met, but no one believed me. Why?”

Even though he knew that Ren knew the reason, he kept it to himself. Perhaps that was a very wise decision!

“If that is the case, why don’t you come back to explain yourself!? At this rate, the whole Kannagi clan will become your enemy soon!”

“......Do you still not get it?”

Hearing Kazuma's calm reply, Ren glared at him with strict eyes...... but he still wasn't very taunting.

“No matter how strong you are, against the Kannagi clan......”

“Our old man seemed to have said the same thing! Even though he's in pretty bad shape now, no thanks to me. Ayano can't even be considered a worthy opponent. Those in the branch family are nothing. Therefore, I shouldn't lose as long as I don’t fight against the clan chief.”

There is no way Ren could rebut against Kazuma's confident words.

Perhaps for the sake of his brother, who seemed ready to cry, Kazuma turned down his tone.

“......I understand that what I'm doing is very silly. To fight just because I can win is pretty much proving that I'm an idiot. If I just head back and say hello, the clan chief will probably forgive me just like that. But...... I have no intention of giving in to the Kannagi clan in any way anymore.”

Kazuma stopped halfway, flushing some red tea down his throat. The sound of the cup being put back onto the coaster was abnormally clear.

“After so long, I no longer hate the Kannagi family. Even though I am now much more powerful than all of those who bullied me in the past put together, I don’t intend to take revenge and put myself at their level. However, that doesn't mean I've forgotten all the things that they did to me, nor the painful scars left in my heart. In order to overcome the weakness in myself, I gave up on the Kannagi name. Therefore, I shall not give in to the Kannagi clan in any way. I vow upon my name of Yagami to never give in.”

His tone was much calmer than his words suggested, yet his unwavering determination was clear.

Ren could only choose to remain silent, obviously unable to touch Kazuma at all.

“Though it is a very stupid determination! After all, it won't hold forever.”

“......What do you mean?”

Ren asked, surprised.

Kazuma replied naturally,

“The Kannagi clan will be exterminated soon. I saw one of the enemies today, and he is way beyond Ayano's level. Plus, our old man doesn't seem like he can recover in time!”

Despite being the one who gravely wounded Genma, Kazuma didn't seem like he cared at all.

“You...... How can you even say such a thing!? Nii-sama, aren't you part of the Kannagi family too? Is it fine to you even if your family members die!?”

“That's none of my business. I am no longer a Kannagi, nor do I have any family members.”

Kazuma clearly answered the questions, even though Ren was shouting out in shock.

“Don't get the sequence wrong, Ren. I didn't abandon the Kannagi family, the Kannagi family abandoned me.”

“That is...... But......”

“So can you still say that I'm obliged to do anything for the Kannagi clan?”

Ren was unable to say anything. Kazuma's words were very true, after all, and Ren had no right to ask for help either.

But if he were to give up just like that, it would defeat the whole purpose of coming to find Kazuma.

Kazuma had to be persuaded somehow, but Ren could not say anything. Kazuma was emotionlessly looking upon him.

Ren lifted his head, revealing pitiful eyes that sought help.

“......Wu......Wuwu...... Wahh...... Wuwu......”

Under the consistent staring, Ren finally began to sob.

“Hey hey...... Why are you crying over such a trivial matter? Now it seems as though I'm the bad guy!”

Perhaps lacking the self-awareness of a bad guy, Kazuma spit out a rather brainless line.

Ren just continued to weep, unable to reply. In this speechless period, only his sad weeping echoed.

“......Damn it......”

Kazuma was the first to give in. He grabbed a towel by the side and tossed it to Ren, sighing.

“Stay here for tonight! Use that to wipe your face, and go to sleep quickly. Tomorrow...... I will send you back.”

“......Nii-sama!!”

Ren pulled the towel away, letting out a cheerful cry. He jumped over the table and directly leaped into Kazuma's chest, hugging him.

''(I knew this was going to happen...)''

Kazuma gently caressed Ren's head, looking at the ceiling.

[[image:Kaze no Stigma vol 01 119.jpg|thumb]]

Even in the past, Kazuma had never been able to refuse Ren's “requests”. No matter how unreasonable, as long as he used his angelic smile to ask and beg, crying if he was refused, Kazuma would still listen to him in the end.

This time was no exception. However......

Kazuma grabbed Ren by the back of his neck and easily picked him up. Ren, who was held up like a little cat, looked at Kazuma with a dazed expression. Eventually, however, he let out a smile across his face.

It was not adoration. Ren was simply overly happy.

Upon realizing this, Kazuma found it even harder to hide his suspicions.

''(Is this kid really twelve? Is it okay to be this cute?)''

Kazuma could not help but fear for Ren's future, but he immediately stopped his thoughts, realizing that something weird could arise.

Kazuma tossed Ren.

Ren spun around once and landed squarely in the sofa.

“Go to sleep!”

“Ehh~~ But......”

Ren seemed displeased at Kazuma's cold words.

“What is it?”

“I want to chat some more! It has been a long time since we last met, after all......”

Kazuma stared at Ren in refusal, but the result was the same as always. Kazuma mentally added this defeat to the hundreds of losses he had against Ren. He had actually already lost count, though he had a vague record at a corner of his head.

“......I get it. What do you want to talk about?”

Kazuma raised the white flag of surrender.

Ren asked timidly,

"Erm... Err... What do I have to do, to be as strong as you, Nii-sama?"

“How would I know the training methods of an Enjutsu practitioner?”

Ren pouted from Kazuma's straightforward answer.

“Besides, you have enough natural talent. There's no need to undergo some weird training, right?”

“That is not true! I am probably the least talented in the main family.”

“......Then what can you say about me, who was abandoned by the family due to my lack of talent?”

Kazuma replied as if he had no other choice.

Agitated, Ren spoke out,

“You are very talented! To practice Fuujutsu to its limits! Compared to Nii-sama, I am still only a newbie. My flames are incomparable to Ayano-nee-sama and father.”

“...The way you compare yourself with the owner of Enraiha or the Divine Flames is a problem in itself.”

“But......”

Ren's expression was filled with anxiety. Apparently, he felt inferior from being among such elite family members.

However, in Kazuma's eyes, the power Ren possessed was not much different from Ayano four years ago. Their difference in power was simply because of Ayano's possession of Enraiha.

As for Juugo and Genma, they were out of the question. Only those with the Divine Flames could be compared to another Divine Flames wielder. Ren was at least ten years too early to feel inferior because of that.

In other words, it was a meaningless comparison. However, even if he said that, Ren was unlikely to accept it. After all, he was lost because of the current difference in power, and failed to see the hope that laid in the future.

“And besides, if you really wish to become stronger, it will happen even if you lack talent.”

In the end, Kazuma decided to frankly tell Ren his thoughts. Kazuma didn't like it much, but there was nothing else he could say.

“You mean, 'there is no Talent that surpasses Diligence'?”

Ren pouted with dissatisfaction.

Kazuma waved it away, saying,

“I won't say something as trite as that. There are barriers that can't be overcome by hard work alone, and there are levels that can't be reached without talent... But if you put your heart into it, you'll be too busy to notice such a thing. So, no matter how ridiculous or impossible it seems, all you can do is work hard at it. If you still can't do it after ignoring all common knowledge and limits and working as hard as you can... Well, you can always just give up then.”

Perhaps Kazuma's words were too strong, as Ren couldn't help but feel afraid.

“Is...... Is that how you got stronger, Nii-sama?”

“Yup, I would be on the brink of death almost weekly!”

“To work so hard like that... Did you really want to take reven...... get back at father?”

Maybe Ren feared that the word “revenge” would be too harsh, as he suddenly began stuttering.

Kazuma could only give a bitter smile to Ren's speculation that deferred so much from the truth.

“I'm really happy that you look up to me so much. But I'm not that powerful. The reason I left Japan was to run away... to run away wholeheartedly from Dad...... and that woman. To run to somewhere far, far away. I didn't want to have anything to do with the Kannagi family anymore. I didn't even think about taking revenge against our oyaji<!--Check if the text really does say "oyaji"--> until he called me.”

“Then, why?”

"About that...... All I can say is that I've had a lot of difficulties!"

Kazuma tried to get his way out of Ren's innocent question, because the content wasn't suitable for innocent kids like Ren.

“A lot of difficulties?”

"Anyway, it was just a lot...... Speaking of which, the last time I was in mainland China, I met the Dragon King......"

"A lot of difficulties......"

“Listen! This happened in Sichuan Province...”

Ren eventually forgot his original question. Without even realizing it, he had become indulged in his brother's stories.

Kazuma let out a sigh of relief deep within his heart as he continued to exaggerate his adventures overseas.