The Sword of Kaigen

by M.L. Wang

You learn over time that the world isn’t broken. It’s just… got more pieces to it than you thought. They all fit together, just maybe not the way you pictured when you were young.”

listening never made any man dumber, but it’s made a lot of people smarter.”

And Misaki somehow understood why he had given her that last opening. If she truly wanted to kill him, then he was alone. He was willing to stand and fight, but he would rather die than do it alone.

🥹

Setsuko’s eyes passed over Misaki’s tangled hair, her borrowed hakama, and the black sword at her hip. If she was able to infer what had happened, she didn’t pry. Instead, she lifted a hand and poked a finger into Misaki’s cheek—into her dimple. “Welcome back, pretty girl.”

Peek girlhood 🥹