The Heart Knot Untangled

"Tendo, you..."

Looking at Hiruma's eyes, Shinobu Kocho couldn't speak, or rather, she didn't know what to say. Her feelings were very complicated right now.

Besides hatred, there was another emotion that was like a dying seed receiving sweet dew, though she didn't understand that feeling yet.

"Mr. Tendo, why would you do this for us?"

Unlike her sister, Kanae Kocho's heart was filled with more gratitude than confusion. After all, she had dreamt of killing the culprit who murdered her parents.

"I'm just someone who likes to meddle in other people's business. Do what you want to do!"

As a transmigrator, Hiruma's feelings were the most complex. He knew the direction the story would take, knew what these people were thinking, and knew their shortcomings.

Perhaps his mission in this world was to fill that void.

The path to salvation lay within.

Shinobu Kocho took the Nichirin Blade that was still dripping blood. Her hands trembled, and the pungent smell of blood filled her nostrils, making her cough.

But a warm hand held her small hand. It was Kanae. This was what it meant to have an elder sister like a mother.

"Little Shinobu, let's go get revenge!"

"Okay!"

The Kocho sisters' eyes became firm. They walked hand in hand towards the remains of Bakotsu, which had already become a mangled corpse. They no longer had to hide their anger in their hearts.

"To kill a Demon, you must cut off its neck!" Hiruma reminded them.

Shinobu Kocho stood before the Demon that had killed her parents. The scene from the rainy night two years ago flashed before her eyes, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

The rain poured incessantly, and the sky was so gloomy it felt like it would collapse.

A bloodied man stood before Bakotsu, with ruined houses behind him.

The bloodied man clutched a blood-stained kitchen knife tightly in his hand, his eyes filled with determination and defiance. His body trembled slightly, and each breath seemed difficult, as if he would collapse at any moment.

Even though his life force was so faint it was almost imperceptible, he still managed to stand.

Upon closer inspection, one could see more than a dozen deep bloody holes on his body, and blood continuously poured from the wounds.

"Interesting. If you can take another hit from me without falling, I might consider not killing them!"

"Monster, come on!"

The man coughed up blood and laughed. He glanced at his wife and daughters who had already run far away. As long as they escaped, it didn't matter if he lived or died.

He just wanted them to live.

The next second, a spinal whip flew past the man's ear, slicing off his ear in the process.

At the same time, a palm strike pierced his heart.

From a distance, Shinobu Kocho, hiding in her mother's arms, saw this scene and almost cried herself hoarse.

With a mother's instinct, the woman pushed Kanae away, sending Shinobu into her arms.

"Kanae, Shino, live on!"

"Run!"

The spinal whip pierced the woman's chest, and warm blood splashed onto Shinobu Kocho's face. For a moment, her mind went blank.

Bakotsu said with a playful expression, "It seems you're going down. Your wife and daughters are as good as dead!"

However, the man could no longer hear its taunts. He had no breath left, but his arms still tightly gripped Bakotsu's arms, his fingernails digging into its flesh.

"Damn it!"

Bakotsu's face showed a disgusted expression. It forcefully threw a punch, and immense power erupted.

With that punch, the man's body was instantly shattered, half of his body turning into a pool of blood that splashed onto the ground.

Bakotsu looked at the scene with a flicker of disdain and indifference in its eyes.

When it came to its senses, the Kocho sisters had already disappeared. They had escaped, carrying their parents' final hope.

It slowly walked forward. Suddenly, the Kocho sisters' mother's arms wrapped around its legs – a mother's last strength.

The rain grew heavier, as if drowning the entire world. The sounds of tearing flesh and chewing mingled with the rain.

A bloody rain curtain destroyed a happy family of four.

Soon, the heavy rain curtain engulfed the entire world.

However, a sword cut through the rain curtain, and also cut through the past.

Kanae Kocho stood behind her sister, her hands clasped over Shinobu's hands, while Shinobu clutched the Nichirin Blade that was still dripping blood.

Bakotsu was decapitated, its remains dissipating. Its gaze was not on the Kocho sisters who killed it but fell on a spot not far away.

Tendo Hiruma stood there.

With the great revenge taken, the knots in their hearts would slowly dissolve.

The Kocho sisters collapsed on the ground. With a clang, the sword fell to the ground.

"Dad, Mom, we got our revenge!"

In the quiet night, a bright full moon hung in the sky, casting a soft glow.

The Kocho sisters embraced each other tightly, tears streaming down like a broken dam, releasing the pain and anger that had been suppressed for years.

Their bodies trembled slightly, their cries intertwining and echoing throughout the outskirts.

Shinobu Kocho sobbed, "Sis...sister, we...we finally got our revenge!"

Kanae Kocho suppressed her sobs, gently stroking Shinobu's hair, and whispered comfortingly, "Little Shinobu... we got our revenge... You have to smile more from now on... Live on, for Mom and Dad too!"

"Okay!"

"Let's live on together!"

As time passed, their crying gradually subsided, replaced by a sense of relief and peace.

Iguro Obanai watched the scene unfold silently, his eyes fixed on the sisters. He hadn't expected them to be victims of demons.

Demons are truly damnable!

He then looked at Tendo Hiruma, thinking to himself, This guy did this on purpose. Why do I have this strange feeling that he knows something?

Faced with Iguro Obanai's scrutinizing gaze, Tendo Hiruma turned his head away, whistling nonchalantly.

What the heck!

Is that Iguro guy lusting after me?

Did his orientation go haywire because I messed with the storyline?

No, no, that can't be it!

Iguro Obanai: "???"

A now-calm Shinobu Kocho picked up her sword and personally handed it to Tendo Hiruma, smiling at someone other than her sister for the fourth time.

"Hiruma, thank you, you're a really good person, the best person in the world!"

Yes!

Tendo Hiruma jumped up with joy, because Shinobu had finally called him by his name.

He even started thinking about what he'd name their future children.

Shinobu Kocho: "???"

Kanae Kocho: "???"

Iguro Obanai: "He's crazy!"

Kanae Kocho, pulling Shinobu along, bowed respectfully. Their great revenge was all thanks to Mr. Tendo.

"Tendo Hiruma, thank you!"

As she spoke, she was about to pull Shinobu down to kneel, but Tendo Hiruma stopped them in time.

"Let's forget about that. I told you, it's really no big deal!"

After thanking Tendo Hiruma, the Kocho sisters also thanked Iguro Obanai, as he had helped them too.

This sudden gesture made Iguro Obanai a little flustered. He hadn't really done anything.

"I didn't do anything, so no need for thanks!"

"By the way, what are your plans now that your house is also destroyed?"

"I'm like you two; I was also persecuted by demons. I joined the Demon Slayer Corps."

"My plan is to kill all those things from now on!"

"Are you two interested in joining us?"

Iguro Obanai kept Tendo Hiruma's initial intention in mind. He had wanted to bring the sisters along, especially that short, skinny one. So, he decided to bring it up for him.