Chapter 500. A Spirit Like Silver: Shirogane Miyuki
"Half-demon..."
Previously, all of Inuyasha's attention had been focused on Kikyo, but he suddenly grew quiet. He gazed at Jinenji, his eyes dimming slightly as he drifted into unknown thoughts.
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「"Hello? Is this Jinenji's house? Someone is injured, and I've come to get some medicinal herbs..."」
「As Shirogane Miyuki spoke, he clearly noticed a flash of resentment in the eyes of Jinenji's elderly mother.」
「But unlike her, Jinenji—who looked simple and possessed a voice and personality to match—had no objections. He spoke with a warm heart: "Oh, an injury? What kind of injury is it? Tell me, and I'll help you pick the right ones."」
「The moment he spoke, the sense of pressure brought on by his massive physique vanished instantly. Shirogane immediately felt that this was a kind, trustworthy person.」
「"I don't know the specific injury, but her body is ice-cold with no temperature, and she seems very weak."」
「Using medicine blindly without knowing the illness is a major taboo. Thus, Shirogane never intended to do so from the start; he only wanted to get some tonics that could nourish the blood and vital energy. Even if they weren't strictly necessary, they wouldn't be harmful or counterproductive.」
「Understanding his intent, Jinenji nodded innocently. "Oh, okay. You sit here; I'll go pick them."」
「Shirogane sat down carefully, holding his breath not far from the elderly mother. He asked tentatively: "Um... I heard from the villagers that one doesn't need to pay for herbs from your home. I wonder why that is?"」
「"Heh!"」
「The mother's displeasure intensified. She let out a cold laugh, staring chillingly at Shirogane. She seemed to think he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, mocking her, which made her quite angry.」
「Shirogane knew at a glance that he was disliked... In this situation, he wouldn't get any answers.」
「So, he stopped speaking. After receiving the herbs from Jinenji, he offered a sincere word of thanks and left quickly.」
「However, Shirogane did not simply leave for good. After rushing back to the Village Chief's house to ask the Chief's wife to help brew the tonic, he grabbed his school bag and hurried back to Jinenji's home.」
「"...Those people just want to bully us, to bully poor, honest folks like us. I'm fine for now, but once I'm dead, how will you survive, my son?"」
「Her tone was filled with sorrow; the elderly mother sighed deeply, her outlook on her honest son's future entirely pessimistic.」
「The sound of Shirogane's hurried footsteps put her on guard. She stopped talking and stared at him like a total stranger. "What are you back for? Is it not enough that you've finished exploiting us?"」
「"No, it's not that. Um, sorry." Shirogane immediately shook his head. He pulled a bag of potato chips from his school bag. "I've come to show my gratitude."」
「Both the mother and Jinenji were stunned.」
「Shirogane tore open the packaging and ate a chip himself first to show his sincerity: "This is a very delicious food. I'd like you and Jinenji to try some."」
「This was something the treasurer, Ishigami Yu, had brought to the Student Council to taste before the transmigration. At the time, Miko Iino had suddenly returned to the room.」
「In a panic, Ishigami had stuffed the chips into Shirogane's bag, pleading for him to keep it a secret—after all, if Iino found out Ishigami brought snacks into the Student Council, she would have scolded him to death.」
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"Um..."
In the Student Council room, Miko Iino glanced at Yu Ishigami, who was gulping and looking quite nervous. "I'll let you off this time. Since it helped the President, I won't scold you. But there's no next time, Ishigami."
Ishigami nodded hurriedly... though he wasn't actually afraid of the "little shorty," being lectured from a moral high ground was indeed quite embarrassing.
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「"Ah! It's delicious."」
「The taste of the potato chips conquered Jinenji and his mother. Won over by this delicious treat, Shirogane Miyuki was successfully accepted and no longer faced such rejection.」
「He sat cross-legged beside the mother and son, introduced himself, and then asked earnestly: "I truly didn't know before why your herbs are free... If you're willing, please tell me, would you?"」
「Shirogane was truly a gentle and sincere person, and this moved the mother.」
「She looked at her son... Because someone had actually thanked him, sat with him, and interacted with him without ulterior motives, Jinenji was actually crying tears of joy. Tears of moved happiness.」
「"It's because this child is a half-demon," the mother sighed and began to explain. "I thought you would understand just by looking at him. Let me explain."」
「"Because demons run rampant, everyone is afraid and full of hatred... Since they can't defeat real demons, that hatred overflows onto anything related to demons."」
「Shirogane was stunned. "You mean, just because Jinenji is the son of a demon, the villagers intentionally take your herbs without paying? They bully you just to satisfy their desire for revenge against demons?"」
「His description and analysis of the situation were even deeper and clearer than the mother's; he saw the whole picture from a single thread.」
「The mother nodded gloomily. "Sometimes they even come to bully this child, hitting him with hoes."」
「"...Could you tell me about Jinenji and his father?" Shirogane asked seriously after a moment of hesitation, wanting to confirm further.」
「And so, the mother told the story. She had once been in trouble in the wild and was saved by Jinenji's father. They eventually married and had Jinenji. Her husband was a good demon who never took a human life.」
「Shirogane wouldn't just take one person's word for it... After listening to the mother, he bid farewell and returned to the village. Through indirect questioning and the unintentional descriptions of the villagers, he completed the puzzle of Jinenji's family.」
「Putting it all together, Shirogane found that Jinenji's family was exactly as the mother said: completely harmless, law-abiding citizens. Not only were they harmless, they even contributed significantly to the village.」
「Alas, the villagers took their anger out on him simply because of his bloodline. It was truly lamentable.」
「Shirogane knew the villagers weren't inherently evil, but if they were to turn toward kindness, they needed someone to guide them.」
「"Jinenji's situation... such a thing, I cannot accept. I absolutely cannot stand by and watch!"」
「With a plan forming in his mind, and feeling the injustice on Jinenji's behalf, Shirogane took a deep breath. His eyes grew sharp.」
「He might not succeed... but let him be the one to begin this guidance!」
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