that was really a downer ending, even more so than the previous story. I did like it, though, especially this part: これは成長の物語ではない。 何も終りはしないし、変化も、克服もしない。
Unrelated but I have a question, since a quick google search didn’t give me anything. What is a 炷門? I understand that first kanji has a connection with 坐禅, especially since it shows up just after, but that’s it.