Tamayo looked wretched. Her clothes were tattered, and it was clear they hadn't been washed in a very long time. Her hair was greasy, and her face and hands were caked with dust.
In her mouth, she held a dead hen.
Seeing the young man who had suddenly appeared before her, Tamayo's beautiful eyes widened in surprise. She had never seen such a handsome man, yet he knew her name. For the past sixty or seventy years, she had deliberately avoided all contact with other living beings. Both humans and demons had all but forgotten she even existed.
Judging by his aura, he was undoubtedly human. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't place it.
In all these years, the only humans who knew her identity were Sishu and Yoriichi from back then. Now, more than sixty years later, they should be old men with white hair. No matter how hard Tamayo thought, she could not figure out the young man's identity.
Seeing the frown on Tamayo's face, Sishu knew she didn't recognize him.
"Lady Tamayo, have you forgotten the promise we made so long ago?"
Upon hearing the words "the promise from long ago," understanding dawned on Tamayo. The young man before her was the little boy from all those years ago—Sishu!
Astonished by his youthful appearance after so many years, Tamayo instinctively opened her mouth as if to say something. As she did, the hen fell toward the ground.
"It's best to return this to its owner."
Reaching out, Sishu caught the dead hen in less than a second. Setting it aside, he said softly, "This doesn't seem like a suitable place to talk. Shall we find somewhere else?"
Her mind still reeling, Tamayo nodded and followed Sishu away from the village. After they had left, the sounds of commotion rose from the village again. But when the villagers chased the thief to that spot, they were stunned to find the hen that was supposed to have been stolen. Although they had no proof, a thought inexplicably surfaced in their minds: the thief would probably never return.
Meanwhile, Sishu and Tamayo had arrived in a forest. It was nearly midnight, and there were no signs of human activity. Venturing deeper into the woods, the two found a relatively open clearing and sat down.
"Are you... really Sishu?" Tamayo asked again, her voice laced with doubt. It was understandable; she had never even heard of a human who could remain young after so many decades.
Without a word, Sishu stood up and walked over to a tree.
Crack!
Tamayo heard a sharp sound and watched in amazement as the tall tree was instantly sliced into countless fragments. Each piece was identical in length, width, and thickness.
Though it lasted only a moment, Tamayo had clearly felt the energy. It was the energy of Sun Breathing, radiant and powerful, just like the sun itself.
At that moment, no matter how many doubts lingered in her heart, she had to believe that the young man before her was indeed Sishu.
He gathered the wood fragments, arranged them in a crisscross pattern, and quickly started a fire. Although the low temperature had little effect on him or Tamayo, he was accustomed to the warmth of a fire.
After a glance at Sishu, Tamayo decided against asking any more questions. She was an intelligent woman and understood that Sishu had his own secrets. As long as he continued to hunt demons, he would always be her ally.
"Are you hungry?" Sishu suddenly asked, noticing the conflicted expression on her face.
Growl...
Just as Tamayo was about to speak, her stomach betrayed her with a loud rumble. She hastily covered her belly, her face turning a faint red, though it was hard to tell if it was from the firelight or from embarrassment.
Shaking his head with a slight smile, Sishu stood up and walked deeper into the forest. When he returned a short while later, he was carrying several rabbits. He skinned, bled, and cleaned them, then skewered them on sticks.
Soon, the rabbits were roasting over the campfire. As he adjusted their position to prevent them from burning, Sishu asked, "Lady Tamayo, it has been a long time. What have you been doing all these years?"
Tamayo swallowed, her eyes fixed on the browning rabbits.
After they parted ways in the bamboo forest that night, she had fled to the most remote places she could find, desperately trying to stay hidden from Muzan. She knew perfectly well that once Muzan recovered, he could find her easily. Fortunately, all these years had passed, and Muzan still had not fully healed.
While in hiding, she had faced extreme starvation many times. Whenever hunger threatened to overwhelm her reason, Tamayo would silently repeat the words Sishu had told her long ago: I believe that you will help us defeat Muzan.
In the end, she had conquered her desire for human flesh and had never attacked a human again.
After sharing her story, a somber look fell over Tamayo's face. She clutched her head, her thin body trembling slightly. She had promised Sishu and Yoriichi that she would contribute her strength to eradicating Muzan. Yet, for all these years, she had only thought of escaping his control, never of anything else.
Though she was unwilling to admit it, a shadow still loomed in her heart: her fear of Muzan, the terror of the years she spent under his thumb. It was because she feared returning to that life that she had kept running, unwilling to face him.
Seeing the dejection and despair on her face, Sishu spoke suddenly. "Lady Tamayo, are you afraid?"
"I..." Tamayo clenched her fists, as if wanting to explain. But when she met Sishu's direct gaze, her heart began to pound. Under that look, which seemed to see right through her, she finally nodded.
"Yes, I am afraid. I'm afraid of returning to that miserable life." As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face. "I'm not just afraid of that man... I'm afraid of what I might become again under his control!" The thought of the sins she had committed in the past made her even more reluctant to face the future.
"If you're afraid, then you just need to find someone you can rely on," Sishu said gently, tossing a few more logs into the fire. "Defeating Muzan isn't something that can be done overnight, nor is it something you or I can do alone. If we stand still because of fear and worry, we will never be able to end this suffering. It is precisely because we are afraid that we need companions! It is precisely because we panic that we need someone to rely on!"
Sishu's voice grew stronger, each word driving into Tamayo's heart like a nail. A ray of light seemed to pierce through her, and the walls of fear began to crumble.
"If... if I am willing to atone for my past and fight for the future... will you help me?" She pressed her hand to her lips, her eyes red with tears, enduring the most agonizing wait of her life. She knew she couldn't continue to live so listlessly, but she feared she couldn't persevere on her own. For that, she needed something from Sishu.
A motive. A pillar of support. A glimmer of hope.
A small smile touched Sishu's lips. He moved to sit beside Tamayo and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Of course. Didn't we already promise each other that sixty years ago?"
The moment she heard those words, Tamayo's tears burst forth like a broken dam.
"Waaaaah!"
Burying her face in Sishu's chest, Tamayo began to cry her heart out.
At that moment, Sishu knew. The knot in Tamayo's heart had finally been untied.
-------
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