Encounter with Tamayo

As Hane pondered the brief lives of mortals, sparse footsteps sounded from within the bamboo grove. A tall figure and a short figure emerged.

"What are you looking at?"

A gentle voice sounded beside Hane's ear.

Hane turned and saw a dignified, elegant beauty dressed in a kimono watching him with curious eyes. A half-grown boy stood beside her.

Though the girl looked only sixteen or seventeen, petite and lovely, Hane saw through her age at a glance. She was old enough to be his grandmother.

Tamayo was somewhat puzzled as well. Centuries ago, Muzan Kibutsuji had turned her into a demon with his blood and controlled her. Later, during one of Muzan Kibutsuji's crushing defeats, she broke free of his control. In the years afterward, she had worked tirelessly to become human again and kill Muzan Kibutsuji.

She had originally come here tonight in search of a special medicinal herb, but she had not expected to encounter an unfamiliar man in this desolate place.

The moon hung high in the dark night. If she had been an evil demon, this handsome man with his unusual aura would likely already have died in a demon's jaws.

Tamayo's clear eyes stared fixedly at Hane. She did not know whether it was an illusion, but the longer she looked at him, the more she felt that something about him was drawing her in, making it difficult to look away.

His deep eyes seemed to contain endless knowledge. A single glance made her feel as though she might fall into them.

A sudden roar interrupted Tamayo's daze.

"Lady Tamayo, please stay away from this man! Any man wandering around in the wilderness in the middle of the night is no good person!"

Yushiro watched as his Lady Tamayo had not taken her eyes