Hearing Tendo's curse, Giyu tilted his head in confusion. Was it really appropriate to say such things now?
After thinking it over, he realized there was some truth in what Tendo said, so he turned to Tanjiro and said:
"I***"
Tendo: "???"
His mouth twitched, almost cracking open. He sighed discreetly and said, "Let's go; this place isn't suitable for lingering. I want some peace!"
"Oh!"
"Who is 'peace'?"
"Get on the boat!" Tendo shot Giyu a glare. Thankfully, he knew this guy's personality and had a good temper; otherwise, it would be hard to find a reason not to hit him.
"Okay!"
Tendo and Giyu paddled the boat, while Tanjiro sat dazed, unsure of what she was thinking.
Witnessing her parents' death would inevitably take time to accept.
The raft slowly moved forward, and gradually, the pure moonlight pierced through the cave's darkness, allowing the three to see the light of day again.
Standing on the raft and looking out, the moonlight spilled over the water, creating a silver glow, the scene as beautifully dreamlike.
"Look, the three of them are coming out!"
"Yeah, doesn't that mean the monster is dead?"
"That's great!"
"Heroes, they are the heroes of Fish Scale Village!"
The villagers on the shore had not returned; they had been anxiously waiting outside the cave.
Seeing this, the village chief's tears flowed freely. Thanks to these two boys from outside the village, he had not made a grave mistake.
Amidst the crowd of villagers, Tendo and Giyu returned to Fish Scale Village.
In truth, the villagers were not bad; they were just too frightened.
They were fortunate to have encountered the two; otherwise, they would have become murderers.
Upon returning to the village, the entire village held a bonfire party by the sea for the two.
After the fierce battle, Tendo was starving, eating heartily while boasting with the villagers.
While some rejoiced, others were sorrowful. As the entire village sang and danced joyfully, Tanjiro sat alone by the sea, seemingly detached from the world's happiness.
A cold breeze brushed past the girl's sorrowful eyes, and in her peripheral vision, she saw that aloof young man.
"Are you alone?" Giyu asked a pointless question before sitting down beside her.
"Yes!" Tanjiro nodded, not criticizing Giyu. She pointed at the lively party and asked, "Aren't you going over there?"
"That's for you all."
"I don't like crowds!"
After their brief exchange, the two fell silent, letting the wind blow.
After a while, Giyu finally spoke, his tone calm:
"You are very lucky!"
Saying this to someone who had just witnessed her parents' death was quite insensitive.
"Not really!" Tanjiro calmly retorted.
"Yes!" Giyu insisted, "At least someone avenged you. When my sister was killed by a demon, I could only watch her die, unable to do anything."
Upon hearing this, Tanjiro's body trembled. She finally understood why Giyu had said that.
Indeed, at least she had someone to help her take revenge.
The sadness in her eyes faded, but it was deeply buried within her heart. Soon after, a faint smile appeared on her delicate face as she said:
"Thank you for comforting me!"
Giyu: "???"
In truth, he had come here partly for the peace and partly to comfort this girl who shared his sister's name. What puzzled Giyu most was that he hadn't even begun to offer his comfort yet.
It seemed he hadn't even had the chance to express the idea that "those who dwell in the past cannot grasp the future."
"By the way, I actually broke the other twenty-four shrines."
Upon hearing this, Giyu's expression darkened. "I knew it wasn't me; they just wouldn't believe me."
"By the way, what was your sister's name?"
"Tomioka Tanjiro."
The moment she heard the name, Tanjiro's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. So it was because of the shared name.
However, that moment of disappointment was fleeting. Suddenly, she hugged Giyu tightly and softly said:
"You've been killing demons; you've actually been avenging your sister all along, haven't you?"
Ripples surged in Giyu's deep eyes, and Tanjiro's words were like a warm ray of sunlight, piercing through layers of fog and illuminating the deepest corners of his heart.
So I've been avenging my sister all along!
This was the perspective of an observer, and Tanjiro was Giyu's observer.
Just as Tendo had guessed, Tanjiro's words might have more impact than anyone else's.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
A few light coughs sounded, and Tendo appeared at an inopportune moment. He thought Giyu had run away, but unexpectedly, he found him here with this girl.
Caught in the act, Tanjiro's mind went blank, white steam rising from her head. She hurriedly stood up, her face flushed, and without looking back, she distanced herself from the scene.
Halfway through, she stopped, turned to look at the two, and asked:
"Can I join your organization?"
"It's very dangerous; you could die at any moment!" Tendo made a face like a demon, his tone eerie.
"It is indeed very dangerous!" Giyu agreed.
"Then... I'm not afraid; it's okay. After all, I'm the only one left at home." Tanjiro's determination solidified. She had long wanted to see the outside world, but this time, she wanted to see Giyu's world.
Tendo glanced at Giyu and said, "Thunder Breathing isn't very suitable for her; Water Breathing is easier to learn. Since she has made up her mind, I don't mind."
Passing the question to Giyu, Tendo quickly made his escape. "I'm off to eat some delicious food, see you later!"
Giyu ignored Tendo and kept his gaze fixed on Tanjiro.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes!"
"Then I will write a letter to my master. Come with me!"
"Okay!"
The next day, before dawn, Seiken pecked awake its master, its method of waking up particularly effective.
Tendo glared at Seiken with resentment, saying irritably, "Blade, I***"
"Shut up!" Seiken violently interrupted. "This time out, I've assigned you twenty tasks; you can't rest until they're done!"
"How many?!"
Tendo's eyes widened in disbelief. Even the production team's donkey wouldn't do this!
Taking advantage of his master's daze, Seiken unleashed a pecking attack, and Tendo covered his forehead as he set off.
"Stupid bird, just you wait!" he cursed while chasing after it.
After dawn, Kuwajima informed Giyu about Tendo's departure.
At the entrance of Fish Scale Village, Tanjiro was saying goodbye to the villagers one by one, with the village chief being the most reluctant. He had watched her grow up.
"Tanjiro, are you really leaving?"
"Village chief, I'm going outside!" Tanjiro hugged the village chief and replied, "Don't worry; I can take care of myself, especially with Giyu around!"
Having made up her mind, the village chief no longer tried to keep her. He walked up to Giyu, took his hand, and said earnestly:
"Little brother, I entrust Tanjiro to you!"
"Okay!" Giyu nodded, completely unaware that the village chief was speaking as if he were marrying off his granddaughter.