Tendo Feiyuzhen squatted low, his face inches from the debt collector's ear. He wore a thin, terrifying smile that didn't reach his eyes—a gaze that promised an end much darker than a mere wound.
"Do you believe me now?" Tendo whispered, his voice a chilling rasp. "If only your neck were as stubborn as your mouth. Now, you have a choice. Apologize to her... or die in this filth."
The man's mind went blank. The arrogance that had fueled his life as a predator vanished, replaced by the primitive urge to survive. He looked at Tendo and saw not a child, but an apex predator who viewed his life as an inconvenience to be cleared away.
Tendo reached down and gripped the hilt of the Nichirin Blade. With a swift, practiced motion, he drew the steel from the man's thigh.
The debt collector erupted in a cold sweat, his body jerking from the white-hot agony, yet he didn't dare make a sound. He scrambled through the mud, dragging his useless leg until he was kowtowing at Shinobu's feet.
"Young Miss! I was wrong! Spare me!" he shrieked, his forehead hitting the cobblestones with a wet thud. "I'm a dog! I'm a son of a bitch! I'm not even human! Please, don't let him kill me!"
Shinobu watched the display with a mix of shock and disgust. For years, people like this had hounded her and her sister, profiting from their misery and threatening their very lives.
"You scum," Shinobu whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of years of suppressed rage. "You deserve to rot!"
Tendo's hand tightened on his hilt. In this era, demons weren't the only monsters, and he was more than willing to do a bit of "pest control" for the sake of the girl in front of him. Sensing the shift in the air, the debt collector's fear reached a breaking point—he sat in the mud, weeping and shaking so hard he lost control of his bladder.
Just as Tendo prepared to swing, Shinobu's small hand clamped onto his wrist.
Their eyes met. Tendo saw her resolve—not a desire for mercy, but a desire for him to remain untainted. "Forget it," she said softly. "Let's just go."
They stepped out of the dark alley and back into the amber glow of the streetlights. Shinobu stopped and turned, bowing deeply to Tendo.
"Thank you. Words can't describe what you've done for me today," she said, her voice sincere and steady. "I know a thing or two about medicine. If you are ever in need of a healer, I am in your debt."
Tendo quickly helped her up, his heart doing a frantic dance against his ribs. "It was nothing, really! Don't worry about it!" If I charged Shinobu for help, I'd be lower than that guy in the alley, he thought.
"By the way," Tendo asked, trying to sound casual, "I'm carrying a blade. Most people find that... well, terrifying. You aren't afraid of me?"
Shinobu looked at him, her soot-streaked face breaking into a smile. It was a genuine, brilliant expression—like sunlight piercing through a storm. "You helped me. Why would I be afraid of someone like you?"
Tendo froze. The world seemed to blur around her. "I'm Tendo Feiyuzhen," he managed to say, straightening his tattered clothes. "But you can just call me Zhen."
"Hello, Mr. Tendo. I am Kochou Shinobu." She smiled again, though her expression quickly shifted to one of duty. "I have to get back. My sister is waiting for her medicine."
Panic flared in Tendo's chest. Wait, no! If she leaves now, I might never see her again! He couldn't follow her—that would be creepy. He couldn't just walk away—that would be a tragedy.
Think, Zhen! Think!
In a moment of "brilliance" born of pure desperation, he decided to play his trump card.
"OW! AGH! MY STOMACH!"
Tendo doubled over, clutching his midsection and let out a wail that would have made a professional actor jealous. He collapsed against a nearby wall, his face twisting in "agony."
Shinobu spun around, her eyes wide with concern. "Mr. Tendo? What's wrong?"
"I... I think I ate something... ugh... it's like a sword in my gut!"
"Come with me," Shinobu said, her doctor's instincts taking over. "We have medicine at my house. I'll take a look at you."
Just then, the dango shop owner appeared, breathless, carrying a massive sack of colorful sweets. "Young man! You forgot your Sanshoku Dango!"
Tendo's eyes widened at the sight of the food, but he caught himself just in time. Dango is temporary. Shinobu is forever!
Shinobu looked at the mountain of sweets in the bag—enough to feed a small army. Her eyes narrowed. "No wonder your stomach hurts. Eating this much sugar is practically a death wish, Mr. Tendo."
"I... I was going to share!" Tendo groaned, though he felt a little sheepish.
"Your stomach ache is well-deserved," she said sternly, but she let him lean on her shoulder for support. "Can you walk? Or do I need to find a cart?"
"The faster the better!" Tendo chirped, then immediately remembered his role. "I mean... ow. Yes. Faster. Please."
As the two figures disappeared into the night, supported by one another, the alley fell silent. But from a dark corner near the dango stall, a tall, motionless figure watched them go. His eyes were cold, and the air around him seemed to drop several degrees.