By the age of three, Nobu had become diligent. And it is not surprising, he grew up in an environment where everyone extols the contribution to work, so he will grow up with an understanding of what fatigue, exhaustion, muscle pain are. Kurose taught him literacy and reading at first, he in turn diligently absorbed information all the time and learned very quickly, but his sister's defiant behavior often hindered his development.
They grew up and worked together, even though Kurose's callous nature was not always beneficial, that's how she grew up, Nobu in turn is very sensitive to changes around him. Often Kurose was too harsh towards the blond boy.
- Uaaaa... - Nobu was hurt from the fall, it seems someone ran up and pushed him. Kurose heard her brother's crying and went to him, but did not help.
- You can continue to cry, or you can just get up, shake yourself off and move on. Grandma needs help. - After Kurose's words, he stopped crying, as if he realized something. Probably, he realized the futility of crying. His gaze changed.
Old Teruko was finding it harder every year, but she didn't complain. Working to feed two little bloodsuckers was something she was willing to sacrifice a part of herself for, although surprisingly, they weren't as demanding as their peers. If she hadn't taken them under her wing, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life. Since her daughter had died in childbirth, there was no point in staying in this village, but something stopped the old woman from moving back to the lands of Himura. She thought the children would be able to understand the world better here. "We can live here for a few more years, and then we'll see better."
...
"Do you still have that book of old fairy tales lying around?" asked Teruko's friend.
- This is not just a collection of fairy tales, there are many instructive things written there, describing the Sengoku era. - The old midwife knew that Nobu was eavesdropping on them, and she specifically wanted to interest the child, to encourage him to read it, at least so that he would ask.
Eavesdropping on the conversation between the stranger and Teruko, Nobu became interested in the so-called fairy tale. What was so instructive about it? He didn't know such books existed, and he had only recently learned to read.
Having made his way into Teruko's room, the boy discovered an old drawer with a book in Japanese
Collection of Fairy Tales: Shinto. Published in 19...*slightly erased*...
He wanted to notify his grandmother about this and almost did. She came in and gave permission, only warning that the book was very old and had been passed down from her mother.
Nobu thinks he's stumbled upon a real treasure!
He began to read each passage carefully, trying to leave everything behind him, as if there was no one in the room at all. He read it for quite a long time, since he was still a child, but he picked up many Japanese words from this book. The whole book was fascinating, until he came across a dark chapter in the middle of the work - about
"I wonder how many quirks he has?" Nobu thought to himself, for some reason believing that quantity was better than quality.
He was also interested in Yemitsukuni, in Japanese mythology the underground kingdom of eternal darkness. Nobu interpreted the word darkness as something invisible and unseen, dark. A certain invisible world, not visible to the average person. There were also a couple of deities (Kami), but he remembered Amaterasu the most, who was depicted very brightly, shining - this is how they described the star that shines in the sky. He remembered it.
Nobu began to think more and more about the book, to analyze it, although he did not even know the meaning of this word. From there he learned a lot, including improving general literacy, but his interests manifested themselves in his own way - he came to new and frightening conclusions. The world is not what it seems. He will try to understand the world and the souls that inhabit it in his own way.
-Grandma, who are Oni?-asked Nobu.
- Where did you hear about this?
- I read it in a book. Is it someone scary?
- These are evil spirits, demons. In fiction they are shown as horned, big and scary, with big clubs, but here's what I can say, they really exist, just not in the form described.
- ... - he felt terrified, imagining them in his head.
- They are different, but they all have a very similar bad character that has a detrimental effect on a person.
-Are they strong?- Nobu asked after a few seconds of silence.
- At least, that's how it seems to everyone. So be obedient and listen to your grandmother and Kurose. - Perhaps this method was trying to instill fear in an innocent child, but it was effective enough to protect him from self-will. However, it only inspired interest, Nobu realized that ancient people described many events very colorfully, on the verge of artistic, through metaphors. There is no god Emma, and
Nobu didn't cause any problems for grandma and Kurose, or at least he tried. There were a couple of incidents with the local kids. However, not everything was so smooth, in addition, Teruko began to fade and cough more often because of the dust in the field. Teruko's quirk is animal control, she could subdue and control several animals. In the usual way, these tamed animals live near her house, reproduce and give meat, and she could summon them.
Support and bonus content: patreon.com/Verrix