Chapter 15: The night breeze blew, the leaves rustled, as if the departed were whispering their thanks.
Kanae Kocho stood quietly in place, her Nichirin Sword already sheathed.
Tatsu stood not far away, watching Kanae's back, his heart sinking slightly.
Although he knew Kanae trusted him, the words of that evil demon were truly too malicious.
Curses like this, which strike directly at the weaknesses of human nature, are often the easiest to leave shadows in one's heart.
After all, the paths of humans and demons are different; this is a deeply ingrained concept that has existed for thousands of years.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to break the oppressive atmosphere, wanting to explain that he would absolutely never do such a thing.
But before he could speak, Kanae had already turned around.
On her face, there was not the slightest hesitation, not the slightest doubt, and certainly none of the fear that the evil demon had hoped to see.
What remained was the same gentleness like water, and a smile as bright as the sun.
"Tatsu," Kanae called out softly, "don't pay any mind to what that demon said."
She walked with light steps to stand before Tatsu, looking up slightly to meet his blood-red demon eyes, "I trust you."
"I have seen with my own eyes the effort you put into restraining your desires, and the firm look in your eyes when facing temptation. You are not like them. You have your own principles and your own pride. And..."
Kanae suddenly covered her mouth and giggled, her eyes curving into crescents, "Mr. Tatsu is actually even more witty and humorous than the average person, and you even snatch the last piece of ohagi to eat just like a child. How could such a cute demon be a bad guy?"
Tatsu looked at the girl before him, her smile as beautiful as a flower, and the stone hanging in his heart instantly dropped.
In this world filled with slaughter and hatred, being able to receive such unreserved trust was, for him as a demon, such a luxury and such a salvation.
This was not just trust; it was a bond where lives were entrusted to one another.
Tatsu took a deep breath, hiding the emotion in his eyes, and then put on his usual cynical smile.
"Oh my, Miss Kanae, you trust me so unreservedly that it puts a lot of pressure on me."
Tatsu deliberately put on a troubled expression, spread his hands, and said half-jokingly, "What if... I'm just saying, what if. What if one day I really have a lapse in judgment, or am so hungry that I lose my mind, and I really betray your trust and want to eat a human? What then?"
"After all, that guy wasn't wrong—a demon's instincts are terrifying, you know? Maybe one morning you'll wake up and find me drooling right by your bedside."
This was originally a somewhat dangerous topic. But Tatsu said it so openly, with a bit of teasing, a bit of testing, and a bit of frankness.
Upon hearing this, Kanae Kocho did not get angry, nor did she panic. She reined in her smile, and her expression became extraordinarily serious.
Her purple eyes gazed deeply at Tatsu, as if to see into the depths of his soul. The night breeze blew her long hair, and a few strands brushed against her cheek.
"If that day ever really comes..." Kanae's voice was very soft, very gentle, yet carried an unquestionable resolve, "and if Tatsu truly cannot control himself and attacks a human..."
Her hand gently rested on the hilt of her blade; the movement was no longer filled with killing intent, but instead carried a sorrowful solemnity, "Then, I will certainly cut off your head with my own hands."
"Then, I will commit seppuku to atone for my sins. Because it was I who chose to trust you, and it was I who brought you by my side. If innocent people are harmed because of my misjudgment, or even if you fall into becoming a man-eating demon... then all those sins will be partly mine."
"Therefore, I will accompany you to that world to atone. Whether it be hell or the underworld, I will not let you bear it alone."
Tatsu stared blankly at Kanae. He had thought she would say, "I will kill you," or that she would say, "I will stop you." But he never expected that the answer she gave would be "to live and die together."
What a heavy promise, and what a gentle cruelty. She was telling him: Your life does not belong to yourself alone, but is also connected to my life. If you fall, it means you have also killed me.
The weight of this trust was stronger than any chain, and deeper than any vow. Tatsu felt his throat tighten. He looked at the girl's beautiful face, and a conviction he had never felt before surged in his heart.
He must absolutely not betray her. He must absolutely not let that beautiful Nichirin Sword be stained with her own blood.
"...I really have to hand it to you." After a long time, Tatsu smiled bitterly and shook his head, the red light in his eyes becoming exceptionally soft, "To ensure you don't have the chance to commit seppuku, it seems I'll have to try my damnedest to eat human food. Even if it kills me, I can't let myself have any thoughts about eating people."
He paused, put away his joking tone, and said solemnly: "Rest assured, Kanae. As long as I still have consciousness, as long as I am still alive, I will never put you in a difficult position."
Upon hearing this, the seriousness in Kanae's eyes instantly melted away, and she revealed that gentle, healing smile once again. "Mm, I believe Tatsu can definitely do it."
The two smiled at each other; the heavy topic from just now seemed to drift away with the wind, but that bond of life and death was deeply carved into each other's souls.
After dealing with the demon, Kanae did not rush to leave. She turned around and looked at the grass not far away. There, a head lay quietly, eyes wide open in death. It was Masashi's head.
Not far from the head was a skeleton that had been gnawed until it was incomplete. A once vibrant life was now reduced to cold remains.
The light in Kanae's eyes dimmed, revealing a trace of deep compassion. She walked over slowly, ignoring the dirt and blood on the ground, and gently crouched down.
She reached out with her fair hand and carefully lifted the head. Masashi's eyes were still wide open, frozen with the despair and fear from before his death. It was a longing for life, a resistance to death, and a worry for the person he was waiting for.
"I'm sorry... we came too late." Kanae whispered, her voice tinged with a sob. She reached out and gently closed Masashi's eyes, "Please rest in peace. The demon that harmed you has already received the punishment it deserved. Your pain has ended."
Following her actions, Masashi's originally twisted and contorted face seemed to become a little more peaceful. Kanae stood up and carefully placed the head next to the skeleton. She looked around, and her gaze fell upon a sunny hillside.
"Tatsu." She turned to look at Tatsu behind her, her eyes filled with a plea, "Let's... bury him together, shall we? It's too cold here, and it's not safe. At the very least, let him be laid to rest in the earth, so he won't be disturbed by wild beasts again."
Tatsu looked at Kanae's compassionate demeanor and sighed in his heart. This was Kanae Kocho. Even when facing the corpse of a stranger, she could not turn a blind eye to the departed. Her gentleness was not only for the living but also the final respect for the dead.
"Alright." Tatsu nodded without any hesitation, "I'll dig the hole, you go find some stones to make a marker."
He stepped forward and, using the strength of a demon which far exceeded that of a normal person, dug with his bare hands under the tree. Soil flew, and a new grave quickly took shape. The two worked together to place Masashi's incomplete remains into the pit, then covered it with handful after handful of soil.
There was no coffin, no funeral, only the cold moonlight and two hearts praying sincerely. When the last stone was piled onto the grave, Kanae pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and softly chanted scriptures to deliver the unfortunate soul.
Tatsu stood quietly to the side, watching the girl praying devoutly under the moonlight. He suddenly felt that this long and boring life as a demon seemed to have become no longer so unbearable because of the presence of the person before him.
The night breeze blew, leaves rustled, as if the departed were whispering their thanks. In this cruel world, there were still people willing to give their all to protect that little bit of warmth.