Chapter POV: Aki Miroku
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The warm rays of the early morning drove the chill out of my body. Millions of cicadas littered the local flora along the area. Their humming, annoying to most, soothed my nerves. I was walking towards a familiar destination, one I had visited many times over the years.
It was here, at the Tama Cemetery in Fuchu, that my mother, father, and brother were laid to rest. I arrived at our hakaishi after turning a familiar corner.
Unlike Western tombstones, the hakaishi were stone monuments that represented not an individual but an entire clan. Similarly, the Miroku hakaishi housed three deceased members of my family. I said a silent prayer before pouring some water in front of the monument.
