Seated first on the left, Tetsuhiro answered calmly, "Because Zenitsu is kind~"
"Huh? Kind? You mean kindhearted?"
Kuwajima asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
"People can be born good, but they can also be born evil, especially in chaotic times." Rather than answering directly, Tetsuhiro began talking about something else.
"Once, there was a little boy who had lost both his parents. He survived by stealing, eating grass roots, and drinking muddy water. Then one day, a kind monk took him in, and he lived happily in a dilapidated temple with other children who had lost their parents."
Kaigaku's heart lurched. Stealing? Muddy water? Taken in by a monk?
"You all think this child was both pitiful and fortunate, don't you? But!" Tetsuhiro looked around, casting a glance at Kaigaku's slightly stiff expression.
"But the child refused to change his ways. Instead of cherishing what he had, he went back to stealing whenever the monk was away. So the other children drove him out of the temple."
"Oh dear~ Wouldn't a child that young run into a demon out there?"
"He was just a child. Perhaps he went astray again because he had no parents to guide him."
"Those children went too far, too. They should have waited for the monk to return and let him decide."
"They all had hard lives. How can you expect children without parents to know the right thing to do?"
"That's true..."
Everyone sighed with regret.
Tetsuhiro continued, "The boy hadn't gone far when he ran into a man-eating demon!"
"What? Then he was done for!"
Tetsuhiro asked quite seriously, "Why don't you all guess what that boy did?"
Tengen answered immediately, "What else could he do? He was doomed. He could only run or fight for his life."
"Nope~"
Mitsuri