Anxia Tsutako

The little girl fed Giyu food and water, her movements gentle and her gaze especially tender. She even thoughtfully wiped his mouth, reminding Giyu of his sister.

His parents had died early. When he was young, his sister had taken care of him the same way.

"Once I let you go, don't come back. Fish Scale Village is dangerous. Even if you know how to use a sword, it won't help."

"And, could you please remember my name? I'm going to die anyway."

"If someone outside the village remembers me, it'll be like I've seen the outside world, right?"

The little girl tilted her head up slightly, her eyes full of expectation as she stared straight at Giyu Tomioka. There wasn't a trace of fear of death in her clear eyes. Instead, there was a faint sense of relief.

Hearing that, Giyu was moved. Did that count as going out into the world?

But on second thought, something felt off, so he asked blankly, "Why are you going to die? Do you have some terminal illness?"

"I know a friend whose blood can cure anything. You can try it if you get the chance."

The little girl burst out laughing. She thought this boy was a little silly, but he was definitely a gentle person.

"Then thank you!"

"By the way, my name is Anxia Tsutako!"

Anxia smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. She was happy to have met this boy who looked so hard to get along with.

"Remember my name, okay?"

"I'll come let you go tomorrow night."

After learning her name, Giyu fell silent. He lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly into fists. His body trembled slightly, and his breathing grew heavy, each breath carrying a deep sigh.

Waves stirred in his heart, which had always been calm. He had thought he had let go, but Tsutako had also been the name of his late sister.

Hiruma, eavesdropping from the roof, was dumbfounded. So that little girl was called Tsutako.

And what did Giyu take him for? A cure-all?

Suddenly, inspiration struck Hiruma. He clapped his hands and cried out excitedly.

"Ow! Damn!"

The person who tied the bell had come to untie it.

From Anxia Tsutako's tone, he could basically conclude that the little girl was connected to the demon in the village. After all, she seemed prepared to die in Giyu's place.

Clearly, she had seen how terrifying demons were and believed that one small boy with one sword could not possibly handle that monster.

For ordinary people, that was perfectly normal thinking.

So all they needed to do next was wait and watch. The demon would naturally reveal itself.

"I really am a genius. Please, call me Holmes Zhen!"

In his excitement, he knocked a roof tile loose, drawing Giyu and Tsutako's attention.

"Meow, meow, meow~"

In a panic, Hiruma vividly imitated a cat. Thankfully, he managed to fool them.

By chance, he caught sight of a white demonic figure in the distant bushes. Because he was lying on the roof, the other party had not noticed him.

He quickly lowered himself and did his best to conceal his presence. Though he could not see clearly, he could make out its appearance from its silhouette.

A fish head on a human body.

Giyu had encountered one before, and so had he.

A demon clone.

That thing was watching the ruined temple?

Seeing this, Hiruma's lips curled upward. It seemed he would not need to use Anxia Tsutako to find that hidden Lower Rank.

Hehehe!

Since I spotted you, you're out of luck. My promotion target.

Hiruma could barely suppress the grin spreading across his face. He refused to believe the clone would not return to its main body.

And so, the demon watched the ruined temple while Hiruma watched the demon. The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

But what the demon did next left Hiruma dumbfounded. It tossed a stone toward the entrance of the ruined temple for no other reason than to wake the villagers guarding it.

After doing all that, it self-destructed, turning into a puddle of milky-white blood.

What the hell!

It just self-destructed like that?

Wasn't it going home to find its mommy?

The clone's self-destruction ruined Hiruma's plan. Life really was unpredictable.

The villagers guarding the entrance woke with a start. Seeing that the temple door was half open, they hurriedly stood up.

"Did that kid run away?"

"He shouldn't have!"

"We'd better take a look. Outsiders are rare, and we finally caught a sacrifice."

Inside the temple, Anxia Tsutako panicked. If they found out, there was no way she could save Giyu.

Just then, the door opened. However, the person standing at the entrance was Hiruma.

After each villager received a hand chop to the back of the neck, they peacefully returned to dreamland.

"Hiruma!" Seeing Hiruma arrive, Giyu knew he did not need to wait until tomorrow night. He could leave now, and he was happy.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"You actually let the villagers catch you? What a noob!"

Hiruma straightened the villagers' bodies and strode into the temple. He gave the stunned Tsutako a slight bow and said politely,

"Miss Anxia Tsutako, I am Tendo Hiruma. Thank you for the meal."

"Since you intended to let Giyu go, why did you hide it from me?"

Anxia clutched the hem of her clothes. She had not expected the traveler to follow her. She had only concealed it for his own good. Faced with a monster like that, what difference would one or two more people make?

She could not possibly let them throw their lives away.

"You two should leave!"

Without explaining further, she ran out of the ruined temple without looking back.

Hiruma did not stop her. After all, everyone had their own hardships.

All he could do was kill that demon.

"Hiruma, untie me." Watching Anxia Tsutako run away, Giyu remained as calm as ever and spoke lightly.

"Wait a moment!" Hiruma drew his sword and only cut the rope, leaving the chains untouched.

"There are still chains!" Giyu looked at Hiruma in confusion. Cutting the chains would not be difficult for them.

"No. That demon is too cautious. It refuses to show itself, so we have to go find it." Hiruma slowly explained everything he had seen and heard to Giyu.

After hearing him out, Giyu nodded. "Then the fish-headed human really was a clone."

He looked at Hiruma and asked, "What do we do next?"

"Wait and watch!" Hiruma picked up the hemp rope from the ground and walked toward Giyu with a smile.

"What are you doing?"

"Restoring the scene. Don't worry, I'm good at this. You'll be able to break free when the time comes."

"You're in the open, and I'm in the shadows. That's all."

"Alright!"

Giyu nodded. Before long, he had been tied up like a caterpillar again, except this time he held the knot in his hand and could pull it loose at any moment.

"That girl will come save you tomorrow night. Remember to tell her about our plan." After handling the scene, Hiruma walked out of the ruined temple and reminded him, "I'm going to find a sword for you, idiot."

He had only taken one step before turning back. Leaning close to Giyu's ear, he gave him a few instructions.

"Wouldn't that be a little inappropriate?"

Hiruma patted Giyu on the shoulder and said carelessly, "It's a small problem. I don't care about that stuff."

"Alright, do whatever you want."

Before closing the temple door, he stared at Giyu with a gossiping grin and asked,

"What do you think of that girl?"

Giyu froze for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.

"She's a good person. Very gentle."