Mutual Redemption

Hearing Hiruma swear, Giyu tilted his head in confusion. It probably wasn't good to say something like that right now.

But on second thought, everything Hiruma said had to have a reason, so Giyu said to Tsutako:

"I ***"

Hiruma: "???"

The corner of Hiruma's mouth twitched. He nearly broke down on the spot, but he let out a subtle sigh and said, "Let's go. We shouldn't stay here long. I need some peace and quiet!"

"Oh!"

"Who's Peace and Quiet?"

"Get on the boat!" Hiruma glared at Giyu. Luckily, he knew this guy's personality well enough and had a good enough temper that he could still find a reason not to hit him.

"Okay!"

Hiruma and Giyu rowed the boat while Tsutako sat there blankly, no one knowing what she was thinking.

Having witnessed her parents' deaths with her own eyes, she needed time to accept reality.

The raft slowly drifted forward. Gradually, pure moonlight pierced the darkness of the cave, and the three of them saw daylight again.

Standing on the raft and looking out, they saw moonlight spill across the water, forming a silver glow. The sight was dreamlike and beautiful.

"Look, the three of them came out!"

"Yeah! Does that mean the monster is dead?"

"That's wonderful!"

"Heroes! They're the heroes of Fish Scale Village!"

The villagers by the shore had not gone home. They had waited anxiously outside the cave the entire time.

At the sight, the village chief wept with joy. Thanks to those two young men from outside the village, he had not made an irreparable mistake.

Surrounded by the villagers, Hiruma and Giyu returned to Fish Scale Village.

The people of the village were not bad people. They had simply been too afraid.

They had been fortunate to encounter the two of them. Otherwise, they would have become murderers.

After returning to the village, everyone specially held a bonfire party by the sea for them.

After that huge battle, Hiruma was starving. He ate to his heart's content while bragging with the villagers between bites.

Where some rejoiced, others grieved. While the whole village sang and danced in celebration, Anxia Niaozi sat alone by the sea in a daze, as though none of this world's joy belonged to her.

A cold breeze brushed over the girl's sorrowful eyes, and the aloof young man appeared in the corner of her vision.

"Are you alone?" Giyu asked a pointless question before sitting beside her.

"Yeah." Tsutako nodded. Rather than make fun of Giyu, she pointed at the lively party and asked, "Aren't you going over there?"

"It was held for you."

"I don't like crowds."

After that brief exchange, neither of them spoke again, letting the wind blow over them.

After a long while, Giyu finally spoke in a calm tone.

"You're very lucky."

Saying that to someone who had just watched her parents die was an extremely punchable thing to do.

"I'm not," Tsutako calmly refuted him.

"You are." Giyu stressed, "At least someone avenged you. When my sister was killed by a demon, all I could do was watch her die. I couldn't do anything."

Tsutako's delicate body trembled. At last, she understood why Giyu had said that.

That was right. At least someone had helped avenge her.

The sorrow in her eyes faded, though in truth, it had merely been buried deep in her heart. Then a faint smile appeared on her pretty face as she said:

"Thank you for trying to comfort me!"

Giyu: "???"

Actually, he had come here partly because it was quiet, and only then because he wanted to comfort this girl who shared his sister's name. What confused Giyu most was that he had not even started comforting her yet.

It was as if he had not even said what Hiruma had told him: "Those who dwell on the past cannot grasp the future."

"Oh, right. I was the one who smashed the other twenty-four shrines."

Giyu's face darkened. "I told them I wasn't the one who smashed them, but they refused to believe me."

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

"Tomoka Tsutako."

The moment she heard that name, Tsutako's eyes shook, and her heart skipped a beat. So it was because they shared the same name?

But that flicker of disappointment vanished in an instant. She suddenly hugged Giyu and said softly:

"You've always been killing demons. You've actually been helping avenge your sister all along, haven't you?"

Waves stirred in Giyu's deep eyes. Tsutako's words were like a warm ray of sunlight piercing through layers of mist and illuminating the deepest corner of his heart.

So I had been avenging my sister all along!

That was what it meant for those involved to be confused while onlookers saw clearly. Tsutako was Giyu's onlooker.

Just as Hiruma had guessed, perhaps Tsutako's words worked better than anyone else's.

"Ahem, ahem!"

A few coughs rang out as Hiruma appeared at the most inappropriate time. He had thought Giyu had run off, only to find that the brat had run over here to flirt with a girl.

Caught in the act, Tsutako's mind went blank. Steam practically rose from the top of her head as she hurriedly stood up, lowered her crimson face, and fled without looking back.

Halfway there, she stopped, turned to look at the two of them, and asked:

"Can I join your organization?"

"It's dangerous. You could kick the bucket at any time!" Hiruma made a dying face, his tone ominous.

"It really is dangerous," Giyu agreed.

"Th-then I'm not afraid. It's fine. I'm the only one left in my family anyway." Tsutako's resolve hardened. She had long wanted to see the outside world, but this time, she wanted to see Giyu's world.

Hiruma glanced at Giyu and said, "Thunder Breath doesn't suit her very well. Water Breathing would be easier for her to learn. Since she's decided, I don't mind."

Having tossed the problem to Giyu, Hiruma fled at lightning speed. "I'm off to eat some delicious food! See you!"

Giyu ignored Hiruma and stared fixedly at Tsutako.

"Have you thought this through?"

"Yeah!"

"Then I'll write to my master. Come with me!"

"Okay!"

Before dawn the next day, Saber pecked its owner awake. Its wake-up method was especially effective.

Hiruma stared resentfully at Saber and said irritably, "Blade, I ***"

"Shut up!" Saber violently cut him off. "I took on twenty missions for you this time. You're not allowed to rest until you finish them all!"

"How many?!"

Hiruma's eyes widened. He could hardly believe his ears. Even a production team's donkey wouldn't be worked that hard.

While its owner was stunned, Saber unleashed a Pecking Breath attack. Hiruma clutched his forehead and set off.

"You damn bird, just you wait!" he cursed as he chased after it.

After daybreak, Kansaburo told Giyu that Hiruma had left.

At the entrance to Fish Scale Village, Anxia Niaozi said goodbye to the villagers one by one. The village chief was the most reluctant to see her go; he had watched this girl grow up.

"Tsutako, are you really leaving?"

"Grandpa Village Chief, I'm going outside!" Tsutako hugged the Village Chief and answered, "Don't worry. I can take care of myself, and besides, Giyu will be there!"

Since she had made up her mind, the village chief no longer tried to keep her. He walked over to Giyu, took his hand, and said earnestly:

"Young man, I'm entrusting Tsutako to you!"

"Okay!" Giyu nodded. He completely failed to realize that the village chief was speaking as though he were marrying off his granddaughter.

PS: I might be getting a recommendation at one hundred thousand words, so the next chapter will be posted after midnight. Please understand—after all, the author needs to eat.

Love you all, mwah! (?′ 3`)?