Pretending to Be Sick

Hiruma crouched down and leaned close to the debt collector's ear. With a smile that did not reach his eyes, his words bristled with thorns.

"Do you believe me now?"

"If only your neck were as hard as your mouth!"

"Either apologize to her, or die!"

Hiruma's words were like a demon's whisper. The debt collector's mind went blank. He knew this kid would definitely kill him. He was no ordinary person.

His former arrogance vanished without a trace. He chickened out.

Hiruma smiled and patted the debt collector's shoulder, then pulled out his blade and flicked the blood from it.

The moment the blade left his thigh, the debt collector broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, yet he stubbornly held back every sound.

Hiruma made way for him—a path to survival. But whether he lived or died was now in Shinobu Kocho's hands.

The debt collector crawled before Shinobu Kocho and gritted his teeth as he forced himself to kneel.

"Big sister, I was wrong. Please spare me!"

"I'm begging you, please spare me!"

"It was all my fault. I'm a son of a bitch. I'm not human!"

He slapped himself while kowtowing, humbling himself to the very bone.

Watching the scene before her, Shinobu Kocho was somewhat at a loss. After years of drifting from place to place, this was the first time she had encountered someone kneeling and begging for forgiveness like this.

She truly hated people like them. They forced decent women into prostitution, lent money at usurious rates, and committed every evil imaginable.

Even dying a hundred times would not be enough to atone for them.

"Scum like you, human trash—you should just die!" Shinobu Kocho roared, as though she were crying out all the suffering she had endured over the years.

Hearing that, Hiruma drew his blade. In this era, there were plenty of scumbags besides Demons. He did not mind cleaning some up.

Besides, people like this were not worth protecting at all.

The debt collector despaired. He had beaten people to death before, but when it was truly his turn to die, he was terrified. He did not want to die, and he was so scared that he wet himself.

Just as the Nichirin Blade was about to fall, Shinobu Kocho grabbed Hiruma's hand.

Their eyes met. She did not know why a stranger had helped her, but she did not want a good person to stain his hands with filthy blood because of her.

"Forget it. Let's go!"

A moment later, the two left the alley.

Shinobu Kocho gave Hiruma a deep bow and said sincerely,

"Thank you. I can never repay such kindness with words alone!"

"I know a little about medicine. If you ever need help, just ask!"

Hiruma hurriedly helped Shinobu Kocho up with a faint smile. He did not think it was a big deal.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it!"

If helping Shinobu required repayment, he would be a complete bastard.

"By the way, I'm carrying a sword. Aren't you afraid of me?" Hiruma casually asked. After all, the owner of the Saisai Dango stall had seemed quite frightened.

Shinobu Kocho answered directly. This was the real her now—a straightforward girl.

"Because you helped me, I'm not afraid!"

"By the way, what's your name?"

Hiruma straightened his clothes and looked into Shinobu Kocho's eyes as he spoke in all seriousness.

"Tendo Hiruma. People close to me call me Hiruma!"

A smile as brilliant as spring flowers blossomed across Shinobu Kocho's dirty face. It was like sunlight piercing through clouds, warm and bright, as though it had illuminated the whole world.

That smile left Hiruma stunned. It was truly beautiful.

Of course, such a smile was rare. Perhaps because life had been harsh, or perhaps because of her personality, Shinobu Kocho rarely smiled in her daily life.

"Hello, Mr. Tendo. My name is Shinobu Kocho!"

"Thank you so much for helping me!"

At that moment, Hiruma's heart leaped with joy. He had finally exchanged names with Shinobu. What a wonderful first step.

"It's nothing. I just saw injustice and drew my sword to help. I wanted to help, so I did. Miss Kocho, you don't need to feel burdened by it at all."

"Then let us part ways here. I need to go home and brew medicine for my sister!"

Shinobu Kocho smiled again. This was already the second time that year she had smiled at someone other than her sister. In her eyes, Mr. Tendo, who helped others without asking for anything in return, was truly a very good person.

Hearing that, Hiruma visibly panicked.

He needed an excuse to stay by Shinobu's side. If he followed her, he would definitely be treated as a pervert.

The moment that thought appeared, he immediately cut it off.

He had worked so hard to leave a good impression on Shinobu.

What should I do?

What should I do?

Seeing Shinobu Kocho about to leave, Hiruma panicked even more.

What if I stab myself? That would definitely work. Shinobu comes from a medical family, and doctors save lives.

Ahahaha!

I'm a genius!

Before Shinobu Kocho, the usually calm Hiruma had actually entertained thoughts of self-harm. He really was hopeless.

So, he chose to pretend to be sick. When it came to acting, it was practically second nature. To avoid the old man's training, he had long since perfected feigning illness.

"Owwww!"

"It hurts! My stomach hurts so much!"

Hiruma was a man of action. He clutched his stomach and let out agonized cries, his expression making him look as though he were about to die.

Sure enough, upon hearing him, Shinobu Kocho turned back. Her concerned voice filled Hiruma's heart with delight.

"Mr. Tendo, what's wrong?"

"Maybe I ate something bad. All of a sudden, I just..."

"Ow, it hurts!"

"Come to my house. I remember we have painkillers at home. I'll examine you when we get there."

Shinobu Kocho supported Hiruma. On one hand, it was because he had helped her; on the other, it was out of a physician's sense of duty.

At that moment, the owner of the Saisai Dango stall came running over with a huge bag of Saisai Dango.

"Sir, you forgot your dango."

At the smell of them, Hiruma nearly broke character in an instant.

But there was no need to think about it. Delicious food was absolutely less important than Shinobu.

Saisai Dango: So love can disappear, can it?

"No wonder your stomach hurts. This looks like enough for ten people, doesn't it?"

Looking at the huge bag of Saisai Dango, Shinobu Kocho took it and nodded. The owner promptly made a swift escape.

"Mr. Tendo, my personal advice is not to overeat, especially sweets!"

"You brought this stomachache upon yourself!"

Shinobu Kocho's professional habits kicked in, and she became stern as she spoke with a serious expression.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"I definitely won't overeat again, so let's eat these dango together!"

"Mr. Tendo, does your stomach not hurt anymore?" Seeing the lively Hiruma, Shinobu Kocho breathed a sigh of relief. When his stomach had suddenly started hurting, she had truly feared it was some acute illness.

If that had been the case, they would have had to go to the hospital.

"Owwww!"

"It hurts so bad!"

Hiruma immediately slipped back into character, even making his voice sound much weaker.

"Let's hurry to your house. I need painkillers!"

"Oh, okay!"

Shinobu Kocho involuntarily quickened her pace and asked softly, "Will walking this fast make your pain worse?"

"It's fine. The faster, the better!"

"Okay, okay, hang in there a little longer!"

Shinobu Kocho supported Hiruma as they slowly left the area, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.

However, in a dark corner not far away, a figure stood silently, watching Shinobu Kocho and Hiruma all along.