"Shinobu!?(?'?'??)?" Tendo's voice elongated, his face brimming with uncontrollable joy, his heart racing as if it would leap out of his chest.
His eyes sparkled with confusion, as the scene before him felt too dreamlike.
"What's wrong?" Shinobu Kocho smiled, her eyes crescent-shaped, resting her chin on her hands, her purple eyes sparkling playfully as she said:
"Surprised, aren't you? Unexpected, right?"
"Hehehe!"
Tendo nodded; this was something he had never dreamed of. Once he calmed down, he smiled and pointed at himself, reminding her:
"But can you get off me first?"
"Of course, I quite like this way of interacting, hehe!"
"Hmm?" Shinobu tilted her head in suspicion, quickly realizing that she had been leaning on Tendo in a rather ambiguous manner.
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Shinobu screamed as she got up, as if scalded, hurriedly scrambling off Tendo.
She lowered her head, not daring to meet Tendo's eyes, her face already burning red from her cheeks to her ears.
Tendo had always known; he was deliberately not saying anything, such a mischievous guy.
The more Shinobu thought about it, the angrier she became, and she immediately kicked Tendo, puffing up her cheeks as she scolded:
"Perverted scoundrel!"
Tendo innocently poked his fingers, blinking in confusion.
What just happened?
Shinobu glared at him and said, "Wait a moment!"
"Oh, oh, oh!" Tendo nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then sat up straight, resembling the most obedient child in kindergarten.
Shinobu skillfully climbed down the ladder, and moments later, she climbed back up with a golden haori.
"Here you go!" Shinobu pouted, looking just like a little hamster hoarding food, clearly still bothered by what had just happened.
Tendo took the haori, which was embroidered with triangular rice ball patterns, and the right corner had the character "Tendo" stitched in black thread.
The only flaw in this haori was that the stitching was a bit clumsy, making it look somewhat odd.
"Shinobu, what is this?" Tendo was puzzled.
"I embroidered it; it's my first time making one, so if you don't like it, just forget it!" Shinobu said nonchalantly, but her expectant eyes couldn't hide her desire for praise.
As soon as she finished speaking, Tendo draped the haori over himself; it fit perfectly, and he revealed a genuine, radiant smile, saying:
"Thank you, Shinobu! I can wear this haori for a lifetime, hehehe!"
"I love it!"
"Truly, Shinobu, not only a medical genius but also a skilled girl!" Tendo gave a thumbs up, feeling like he could wag a tail if he had one.
"Glad… glad you like it!"
This sudden compliment made Shinobu beam with pride, though she still pretended to be indifferent.
Suddenly, a wooden sword whizzed past the eaves, striking Tendo on the head, followed by the old man's scolding voice.
"Tendo, what are you doing shouting on the roof in the middle of the night?"
"Do you want to tear the house down?"
"Get down here!"
After scolding his disciple, the old man turned his gaze to Shinobu, his expression softening visibly, and his tone lightened considerably.
"Shinobu, the wind is strong on the roof; come down!"
"Don't let that kid fool you!Tendo: (;一_一)
Is the old man's double standard so blatant now?
That night, Tendo slept with the haori, his smile never fading.
As dawn broke, Seiken flew from the distant sky, skillfully knocking on Tendo's window before landing beside him.
It pecked at Tendo's forehead, silently completing its wake-up service. Tendo sat up, rubbing his forehead.
Seiken shot Tendo a disdainful glance and urged, "You're too slow; they've all gone on missions, useless master!"
"Am I the master or are you?" Tendo muttered, but he knew that "they" referred to his older brothers.
Don't those two need to rest at night?
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! There's a demon in the seaside town!"
Seiken kept urging, and Tendo quickly donned his uniform, threw on the haori that Shinobu had sewn for him, grabbed his sword, and dashed out of the house.
The old man and Shinobu were waiting outside. The old man handed Tendo a large bundle filled with food for the journey.
"Stay safe, know your limits!"
Once Tendo was sent off to carry out his mission, the old man began to worry; he knew all too well how dangerous demon-slaying could be.
But birds must grow up and spread their wings; all he could do was trust his disciple.
"Tendo, do your best!" Shinobu smiled brightly, her gaze fixed on Tendo, "I'll be waiting for good news from you at headquarters!"
"Mm!"
"I'm off!"
Seiken led the way, and Tendo followed closely behind; only through real combat and death could a powerful swordsman be forged.
For his first mission, Tendo was filled with confidence; his goal was to take down Muzan.
...
In Fish Scale Village.
At sunset, the tide rose, and layers of waves rolled at the sea's edge, sparkling in the light.
This coastal fishing village was Tendo's destination. At this moment, our protagonist, having finished all his provisions, was languishing under a coconut tree at the village entrance.
"Can someone give me something to eat? I'm starving to death!"
"Truly, to set out on a mission only to die first; am I really going to starve to death before I can kill Muzan?"
Under the fiery sunset, a girl carrying a fish basket hurried toward Tendo, guided by Seiken.
The girl wore faded clothes, and having never seen a talking crow before, she didn't want anyone to starve at the village entrance, so she followed along.
"Eh?"
"There's really someone here!"
Seeing Tendo, who looked starved and was seeing stars, the girl turned to Seiken and asked with a smile:
"Is he your master?"
Seiken disdainfully turned its head away from Tendo, speaking in a cold tone, "I don't know him; I just happened to pass by."
The girl unloaded her basket and handed Tendo the leftover rice balls.
"Here's some food; thank you, kind person!"
Tendo's eyes lit up, and he quickly devoured the rice balls, though it wasn't quite enough.
He immediately handed the girl a stack of money, saying, "Hello! I'm a traveler passing through; are you from this village?"
"A traveler?" The girl looked puzzled, "What brings you to Fish Scale Village?"
"If you're fleeing from disaster, you should leave immediately!"
"It's not safe here lately; goodbye, traveler."
The girl returned the money to Tendo, thinking a few rice balls weren't worth that much.
She said a lot, but Tendo only cared about three words: "Not safe."
Not safe was right; it meant there really were demons here.
"Seiken, keep watch; I'm going into town for a good meal, hehe!"
"It's Seiken, you useless master!"
Seiken glared at the disappearing Tendo, feeling utterly speechless.
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