Far away from Si Shu, the main body of Kokushibo opened his eyes. From the moment Muzan had ordered him to find a way to cause trouble for Si Shu, he had been planning the events of this day. It could be said that both Ijiri and the other dojo disciples were nothing more than tools for Kokushibo. The purpose of their existence was solely to attract Si Shu's attention, to use their lives as bait to lure him to this specific place.
This did not conflict with Muzan's order to "cause trouble for Si Shu." In a way, Kokushibo had chosen a rather ambiguous method to execute the command at the very edge of its boundaries. This was also the first time Kokushibo had mixed personal feelings into completing a mission from Muzan. Of course, it would also be the last.
After tonight, he was still Muzan's partner, the Upper-Rank One feared by all demons. After entrusting the Moon Breathing to Si Shu, the last lingering wish of Michikatsu Tsugikuni in this world had been fulfilled. All that remained was Kokushibo.
He glanced back one last time in the direction where Si Shu was, then gave a faint smile. After a few leaps, he vanished into the night.
Meanwhile, Si Shu had already returned to the town. The surviving townspeople were still terrified, worried that the monsters might appear again. Only Si Shu knew that Kokushibo would not be coming back. At the very least, he would not be coming back to this town alone.
Returning to the heavily damaged Soryu Dojo, he saw Tamayo and the others from a distance.
"Is it all over?" she asked.
Si Shu nodded, confirming that it was. After he told them some of the details, the now-awake Koyuki cried out in alarm.
"That huge monster just now was Ijiri?!" The thought of the way he had looked at her made her skin crawl. If Hakuji hadn't told her that the monster had been slain by Si Shu, she would have been left with a psychological scar for the rest of her life.
Just then, Keizo suddenly spoke up. "Miss Tamayo, just now you..."
Although he didn't finish, Tamayo could still hear the panic in his voice. She explained to Si Shu that her identity as a demon had been exposed, then shook her head to indicate that she was fine. When she had first disguised herself to live among humans, she had already mentally prepared for the day she would be discovered. Although she felt a bit sad now, it was still within her range of acceptance.
Si Shu glanced at the wavering Keizo, then at the downcast Tamayo, and sighed. He could understand Keizo's feelings. Not everyone was like him, possessing enough mental fortitude and time to understand a being beyond humanity. After seeing the demonized Ijiri, the average person's mind would form a fixed pattern of thought: demons were all ruthless, cruel, and bloodthirsty creatures. Even if Tamayo was acting like a normal person now, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't suddenly go mad and start eating people one day.
Trust, at times, was just that fragile.
"Pack your things. Let's leave," Si Shu said.
Tamayo nodded and turned to walk toward the ruins. Upon hearing their conversation, Koyuki's expression changed.
"Father! What on earth are you saying? Do you suspect that Mr. Si Shu and Miss Tamayo would harm us?!"
Faced with his daughter's questioning, Keizo was speechless. After his wife's death, his daughter was his only support. As long as his daughter was safe, he didn't care how many rumors he had to endure or what others thought of him. Keizo admitted that he was extremely grateful to Si Shu and Tamayo for saving his daughter's life, and he could never repay the debt of them rescuing him from the threat of death.
But he simply could not bear to see a ticking time bomb stay by his daughter's side.
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Keizo kept his head down, not daring to look directly at Koyuki. And Hakuji, seeing the father and daughter at odds, had a conflicted look in his eyes. He looked back and forth between Koyuki, and then at Si Shu and Tamayo.
Finally, he made his decision.
"I'm sorry." Releasing his grip on Koyuki's hand, an apologetic look appeared on Hakuji's face. He turned and ran toward Tamayo. "Miss Tamayo, I'll help—"
Before Hakuji could finish, Si Shu cut him off, roaring, "Hakuji, you get back here!"
Faced with Si Shu's roar, Hakuji tried to explain. "But, Mr. Si Shu, I've decided. I'm going with you."
"Are you planning to abandon Koyuki and Keizo?!" Si Shu roared again, rushing in front of Hakuji and grabbing him by the collar. "After seeing a scene like this, are you still planning to ignore them?!"
Looking back, Hakuji froze. One was Koyuki, the woman he loved, covered in dust, frail, with tears in her eyes. The other was his master, Keizo, his arms severely injured, with no telling how long it would take for him to recover. In this day and age, this pair's chances of survival were pitifully low.
His heart in turmoil, Hakuji gritted his teeth, his head shaking from side to side, revealing his complex inner conflict. He knew that Si Shu was stopping him from following for his own good.
Seeing the hesitant Hakuji, who didn't know what to say, Si Shu threw him to the ground. Then, he walked over to Keizo. Sensing someone standing before him, Keizo slowly raised his head and saw Si Shu's face.
"Si Shu, I—"
Raising a hand, Si Shu cut Keizo off. "Keizo, I ask you, do you intend to teach all the techniques of the Soryu style to Hakuji in the future, and let him carry its name to greatness?"
Though he didn't understand why he was suddenly being asked this, Keizo nodded seriously without the slightest hesitation. "As long as Hakuji is willing, I will teach him everything I know."
Si Shu nodded slightly and then walked over to Koyuki. "Koyuki, are you willing to stay by Hakuji's side in the life to come, until the end of both your lives?"
She was stunned at first, but Koyuki quickly understood. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked at Hakuji, a resolute expression on her face. "I will. Not just in this life, but in the next, and in all the ones to come, I will be by his side."
With a faint smile, Si Shu finally walked over to Hakuji. "Hakuji, are you willing to inherit the Soryu style, carry it to greatness, and promise to spend the rest of your life with Koyuki?"
Hearing Si Shu's words, Hakuji pounded his chest heavily. "I will definitely do it!"
"Very good." After giving him a few more instructions, telling him some of the demons' weaknesses and how to deal with them, Si Shu suddenly reached out. He gently patted Hakuji on the head, the anger on his face long gone, replaced by a look of relief.
"In that case, I have nothing more to worry about."
With that, Si Shu turned and walked toward Tamayo, who was waiting nearby. After just a few steps, he suddenly paused and, with his back still to Hakuji, said, "There won't be anyone to be your free doctor anymore. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Then, he began to walk again, disappearing into the distance with Tamayo.
The moment he heard those words, Hakuji's tears could no longer be held back. He took a few steps forward and fell to his knees with a thud. He knocked his head heavily on the ground, and a voice filled with guilt, apology, reluctance, and gratitude rang out.
"For everything you've done... thank you so much!"
Without speaking or turning back, Si Shu simply raised his hand and waved. Under the moonlight, he and Tamayo's figures vanished into the distance.
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