KAEI YEAR 3 (1850)
Good morning, Zenji-san.
Top of the morning.
Wow, you look even more beautiful today.
Are you off somewhere special?
Oh, you flatterer!
Howdy, Zenji! I see yer full of beans this morning.
Right back at you, sir!
Come pay us a visit again after work, will you?
I'll consider it.
Welp, back to work.
SUGAYA
GENERAL STORE
Pardon me, boss. Sorry I took so long.
Is this the guy?
Mm-hmm.
You handle the rest.
Fill him in on all the details.
The name's Zenji! And I'm a clerk here at Sugaya.
I am known as Jinya.
Okay, nice to meet you.
Let's cut to the chase. How much did the boss tell you?
Jyuuzou-dono told me about his foster daughter that he loves very much.
And that he fears her life is being threatened by a demon, which needs to be slayed.
That's about it.
He didn't tell you anything more specific?
Well, here's the deal. You're going to be the bodyguard for his daughter Natsu who's turning 13 this year.
The boss constantly dotes on her because she's the apple of his eye.
But about three days ago,
she claims to have seen a demon standing outside her window that repeatedly said, "return my daughter to me."
"Return my daughter to me"?
Yep. So, basically, the demon wants to kidnap Lady Natsu because it thinks of her as its daughter.
Zenji!
You better quit slacking!
Or I'm going to tell Daddy!
Apologies, milady!
Are you this "bodyguard" my dad hired?
Pretty young, aren't you?
I am known as Jinya.
Skip the introduction!
You can just leave.
Hold on, let's not be hasty!
This guy is obviously just a scam artist who leapt at the chance to make some easy money!
Well, your father picked him out personally. I doubt he's a scam artist.
Be quiet, you!
I hate the idea of a ronin for a bodyguard.
So we're not going to pay you anything, got it?
Now hurry and kick him out.
Huh?!
Shucks, what an awkward family! They're not the most sociable!
I'm sorry.
Pardon, milady.
Zenji?
What are you doing? It's the middle of the night!
Well, seeing as how you chased your own bodyguard away...
I thought that I might be a surprisingly good repellent. You know, to keep the demons away.
Zenji...
Yeah, whatever. I bet you think that I just lied about the whole thing anyways!
Shucks...
I knew it.
Not even my dad believes me.
Why else would he hire some shady ronin? It's obvious.
I think you've got the wrong idea.
The boss cares for you wholeheartedly and always has your best interests in mind.
I can guarantee that much.
But you know I'm not really his daughter...
Return her.
What's wrong, milady?
It's here! Help me!
What do you mean?!
Return my daughter to me!
No way...
This can't be real!
Zenji!
Stay in your room, milady!
Return my daughter to me!
D-don't worry about a thing, milady!
Return my daughter to me!
What is your name?
Return my daughter to me!
Return my daughter! Return her!
H-holy crap!
It's gone.
Milady! Are you okay?
Aren't you that ronin from earlier?
Now then. How much will you pay for my expertise?
Is it dead?
When demons perish, they vanish in a white mist.
That's the only way I've ever seen them truly die.
Are you saying what I think you're saying?
It will be back.
I wonder about that demon...
Thanks for saving my butt yesterday!
You said the demon would be back, right?
I hate to ask, but you could stick around again tonight?
Of course.
Zenji-dono. If you don't mind, will you tell me a little more about Natsu-dono?
Why her?
"Return my daughter to me." That demon's words have me curious.
Oh, I see.
Well, Lady Natsu's actual parents are part of the boss's extended family.
They passed away, though.
I get why you're worried, but rest easy.
She's no demonspawn.
Because there's no way in hell the boss would have adopted her if she was.
Hm?
His wife was killed by a demon, ya see.
Then his son ran away and was never seen again.
The boss blames it all on the demons.
He loathes them for stealing his family and ruining his life.
So I know he'd never bother raising Lady Natsu
if there was even the slimmest chance that she was a demonspawn.
Fair enough.
Natsu.
Is everything all right with the bodyguard that I hired?
Yeah.
I heard he was a ronin, but he doesn't seem like a bad apple.
Besides, I trust your judgement.
Thanks for looking after me.
No thanks necessary. Any good parent would do the same in my shoes.
Say, Father?
What made you hire that man?
Lately, there have been rumors of demons prowling around Edo.
But at the same time, word has spread of a man who can slay them with a single sword.
And is he that ronin?
Yes.
He'll slay any demon, as long as he gets paid.
His reputation proceeds him.
And I know him to be trustworthy.
So there was no better choice for your bodyguard.
Then you believed me about the demon, huh?
Scary stories come in many forms, from firsthand accounts to folktales and beyond.
Like the chimimoryo, the ghost of the willows,
the dish mansion, the ogres, and the cow head legend.
But those made-up horror stories don't scare me at all.
I can't help but feel bad for the boss.
His wife gets killed by a demon, and then his son is kidnapped by a she-devil.
Yeah, but he clearly thinks his son will come back.
That's why he adopted a girl instead of a boy.
The most terrifying thing in life is always the truth with no exaggerations.
Hey, you need to stay inside, milady.
What are you doing here, Zenji?
Well, I'm waiting for my chance to shine and make up for yesterday!
Just kidding.
Whatever, it's not like I care.
Ouch...
Can't you see it in your heart to forgive me?
Maybe, but only if you take me somewhere fun.
Then I'll forgive you.
All right! I can deliver on that, easy peasy!
Hey, do you have a name?
It's Jinya.
Jinya, huh? Then I'll start calling you that.
My dad seems to have a high opinion of you.
So I guess I'll put my faith in you, too.
You seem very fond of your father, Natsu-dono.
Obviously!
He took me in and gave me a home!
Why wouldn't I be thankful?
I see. A happy little family.
Jyuuzou-dono seems to care deeply for you as well.
You think so?
Oh, this reminds me of something I overheard.
About Jyuuzou-dono's lost son...
Don't ask me!
I know nothing about his other kid who ran away!
I see.
Sorry if I touched a nerve.
Tell me. Is it possible for a human and a demon to have a baby together?
Yes.
Okay, then maybe I do belong to the demon who keeps coming here...
That demon is not one of your parents.
How would you even know?!
Because I know who that demon is.
We have some history together, you see.
So I know that it didn't give birth to you. Without a doubt.
Really?
I never lie.
Do you know how demons are born?
I mean, that's pretty obvious, right?
They must come from their parents like everybody else.
Or am I wrong?
There are various ways that a demon can be born.
There are times two demons come together to birth one naturally,
but they may also be born after demons rape humans for fun.
However, some demons can be born from nothing.
They can?
Through the sheer power of emotions.
Especially the darker ones.
Bitterness, rage, jealousy, obsession, grief, starvation.
Those feelings seep deeply into people and stagnate until they begin to coagulate.
Then, eventually, they take on a solid form.
Demons who are born from nothing are, in a sense, emotions with a body of flesh.
Tell me your name.
Return my daughter to me!
Not intelligent enough to answer me, eh?
Return my daughter to me!
What are you doing?! Don't just let it sit there!
You want me to kill it?
Absolutely! Just do it!
I was talking to Natsu-dono.
Huh?
Let me ask again. Do you want me to kill it?
Even if I were to cut this one down, it will just come back again.
But why?
You should know.
Because it was your emotions that gave birth to this demon.
It came in response to your wishes,
causing a fuss that made your dear father focus his attention on you.
Oh...
You wanted to be treated like his real daughter.
And suddenly, you're attacked by a monster uttering words that nobody wants to hear.
It's all very convenient.
I see. I get it now.
Because that's exactly what you wished for, is it not?
Please stop!
That's the reason why this demon looks so freakish and ugly.
It will revive shortly after I slay it. Over and over.
This demon will never go away unless you get ahold of your feelings.
How can I do that?! I don't know!
It's very simple. Just tell me to kill it.
I turned a blind eye to the things I didn't want to see.
And kept my vulnerability hidden.
Just yearning to be loved by someone.
But... I didn't believe he felt that way.
I started to imagine my dad might come to really treasure me
if I was attacked by a demon that claimed me as its own.
My heart was filled with those ugly feelings.
And now they've become real.
That demon is... me.
Return my daughter to me!
The one who needs to be killed... is me.
The only thing he's talking about killing is that demon!
Not you, milady!
Even if it was created from your feelings, that's not what matters most!
Trust me on this.
Because I know all about you and your father.
You care for each other, and I have no doubt that he loves you just like a real daughter!
But neither of you is good at using words.
So you've got to come face-to-face and start speaking honestly.
Like a proper family should, ya know?
Zenji...
Kill it!
It's an embodiment of my feelings.
All of the things I've kept bottled up because I was too scared to face the truth.
But that's the old me.
Things are different now!
I'll do my best to change!
So please...
Is it dead this time?
I knew it.
If you were created from nothing but Natsu-dono's feelings,
then you would have ceased to exist the instant she had a change of heart.
And yet here you are.
There was once another woman at Sugaya who had the potential to be a demon.
His wife was killed by a demon, ya see.
The reason this demon keeps saying "return my daughter to me"
was not just due to Natsu-dono.
The lament of someone else had been mixed in.
Return my daughter to me!
The daughter that it speaks of is... the child that Jyuuzou's wife gave birth to.
This is not how I imagined we would be reunited. I'm sorry it has to be this way.
To be perfectly honest, I have no clear memories of you.
Please. At least let me hear your name.
Return my daughter to me!
People must live in the present.
We cannot let ourselves be trapped in the past.
So I ask...
...that you please rest in peace.
Return my daughter to me.
Mother...
Jinya! We can't thank you enough for everything you did.
Right, milady?
U-um, yeah...
Speak up. Or do you want more demons to pay us a visit?
Fine, I get it!
So, uh...
I'll try to be better about things.
But it's going to take me some time to get used to.
Thank you.
Save your thanks. I've already gotten my reward.
This was just another job...
No.
Actually, this was my way of repaying a debt.
Debt?
Living to be a certain age doesn't necessarily make us adults.
But the passage of time can help anyone gain perspective.
When I was a boy, my world was defined entirely by what I saw.
I knew it was wrong to do harm.
But it's possible for things to be hidden beneath the surface of our actions
and I was too young to realize that.
At the time, I was too immature to do anything but run away.
So I wanted to make amends for that.
I don't get what you're trying to say at all.
You should return the kindness your father shows you.
That's the short of it.
I don't need you to tell me that!
Farewell.
Is he gone?
Yeah.
You should've come and said thanks with us, boss!
I didn't think it was necessary.
Since I already knew he would get the job done from the moment I saw him.
Lady Natsu pointed this out earlier, but you seem to have a really high opinion of Jinya.
Is there a reason for that?
Don't ask stupid questions.
Any self respecting parent would have faith in their kid.
Say what?
You better get back to work, sonny.
Or I'm gonna demote you to being a shelf stocker!
Wah! Anything but that!
Gotta go. See you later, milady.
Hold on!
S-say, Father?
Is there anything I can help you with?
What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
Well, I w-was told that I should return the kindness you've given me...
That's nice.
But it's not something you need to worry about.
Listen good. The best way for children to return their parent's kindness is by living long lives.
Father...
That's all you need to do to make me happy.
W-wait, Father! There still must be something I can do to help!