Shounen Ga Otona: Leer

What do you mean?

The spirit flickered, surprised.

You brought no steel, little warrior.

Kaito’s hand twitched for a sword that wasn’t there. His first thought was of sacrifice—a glorious, bloody end. That was the shounen’s answer. The easy one. shounen ga otona leer

The Whispering Grove was not a place of monsters. It was a place of mirrors. The deeper he walked, the more he saw his own reflection in the gnarled bark, in the still pools of rainwater. He saw the boy he had been—proud, impatient, desperate for a fight. He saw the tantrums. The times he had mistaken violence for strength. What do you mean

“Put down the sword. Let’s go for a walk in the woods instead.” Kaito’s hand twitched for a sword that wasn’t there

“What does the forest need?” he asked quietly.