The villagers gathered together and went to Mitsuko's house, intending to kill him.
However, when they arrived at Mitsuko's house, no one dared to go inside, fearing that Mitsuko would kill them.
So the villagers gathered at the door and kept hurling insults at Mitsuko.
"Katō Mitsuko, come out here right now!"
"You damned devil! It's all because of you that the village has become like this!"
"Get out here and face your death! You damned devil!"
...
Vicious words came out of the villagers' mouths.
Mitsuko was huddled in a corner of his house, covering his ears to avoid hearing the villagers' foul language.
"Didn't I save you? Why are you doing this to me? Why..."
Kenichi, returning from his outing, went to the clinic and found Miyako. Together they bought some groceries and walked home chatting and laughing.
Just as I was about to get home, I heard a series of noises.
Sensing something was wrong, Kenichi and Miyako quickened their pace and rushed home.
However, upon arriving home, he discovered that the villagers had gathered in front of his house, constantly hurling insults at Mitsuko.
Kenichi and Miyako hurriedly pushed through the crowd and blocked the doorway, demanding, "Why are you in front of my house?!"
"Katō Kenichi, how dare you ask? You secretly kept a demon hidden from us! Do you know that the demon almost killed our entire village?!"
Kenichi firmly retorted, "That's impossible! Mitsuko would never harm anyone! The demon you're talking about could never be Mitsuko."
Kenichi's rebuttal left everyone present speechless.
But if you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.
"Why not? Maybe the demon was brought here by Katō Mitsuko!"
"That's right! It must have been Katō Mitsuko who led this here! Katō Mitsuko must be held responsible for this, he must die!"
Kenichi quietly opened the door a crack, then pulled Miyako into the room and quickly locked the door.
Kenichi and Miyako, not seeing Mitsuko for a moment, anxiously called out, "Mitsuko, where are you?"
Hiding in the corner, Mitsuko looked up, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with confusion as she stared at Kenichi and Miyako: "Father, Mother, I clearly helped them kill the demon, why are they treating me like this? Did I do something wrong?"
Kenichi and Miyako embraced Mitsuko tenderly, comforting her repeatedly: "Mitsuko, you did nothing wrong, they are the ones who are wrong."
Miyako asked Kenichi, "What should we do?"
"We can't stay here any longer; we have to leave."
"But it's daytime now, and they're all gathered outside the house, so we can't leave."
Having learned the whole story, Kenichi thought for a moment and said, "Let me talk to them first. After all, it was Mitsuko who saved them, and they've been neighbors for so many years. Maybe they'll let us leave."
Kenichi opened the door, and upon seeing it open, the villagers took a step back in fear.
However, upon discovering it was Kenichi, they surrounded him again, forcing him to let Mitsuko out.
"Everyone, please listen to me. Mitsuko is not a demon. He just has a strange illness. For the past six years, Mitsuko has not harmed anyone. He has not done so before, he does not do so now, and he will not do so in the future. Please, for the sake of our many years as neighbors, let us leave."
Kenichi pleaded earnestly.
The villagers looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
The village chief stepped out from the crowd.
"Kenichi, Miyako, don't blame us. Even if you can guarantee it, as the village chief, I can't gamble with the lives of the villagers. If you leave, what if one day Katō Mitsuko goes berserk and returns to the village? What will we do then?"
Kenichi bowed deeply, humbling himself, and swore to everyone, "I promise, we'll go far away and never come back!"
Someone nearby spoke up: "Kenichi, let it go. Katō Mitsuko is a child you picked up and adopted anyway. Just pretend this child never existed and adopt another one. Katō Mitsuko is a demon; he's no longer human."
This suggestion was agreed upon by everyone, who urged Kenichi to give up on Mitsuko.
Kenichi raised his head, looking at everyone in disbelief.
We used to be harmonious neighbors, so why won't they even give us a chance now?
Kenichi's eyes were filled with hatred: "It was Mitsuko who saved you. If it weren't for Mitsuko, you would have become food for demons. It's one thing if you're not grateful, but why do you have to kill Mitsuko?!"
The village chief said indifferently, "These are two different things. It is an indisputable fact that Katō Mitsuko is a demon. Moreover, we have not pursued the matter of you and Katō Miyako raising a demon. You should not resent us. If you must hate, hate that your son is a demon."
Kenichi clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Kenichi felt a deep hatred in his heart for the cold-heartedness of these people. Even though Mitsuko had saved them, they had been treated this way.
He hated his own powerlessness even more. If he could find a cure, Mitsuko wouldn't have to suffer such discrimination and insults from these people.
Suddenly.
Kenichi loosened his clenched fist and said to the village chief expressionlessly, "I understand. Please give me one last day. Miyako and I need to accept all of this and say goodbye to Mitsuko properly."
The village chief didn't dare to push too hard; it would be terrible if Kenichi wanted to fight to the death with Mitsuko and the others.
"Alright, considering our years of friendship, I'll give you one day."
Kenichi opened the door and re-entered the room.
When Katō Kenichi entered, he shielded Mitsuko behind him, saying, "Kenichi, you can't do this! Mitsuko is our child!"
Mitsuko walked up to Kenichi, lowered his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Father, they are right. I am a demon. That is the truth. I have already burdened you. Just pretend that I have no son."
Kenichi, his expression sorrowful, embraced Mitsuko: "You will always be my child, and I will never hurt Mitsuko, never."
After hugging for a while, Kenichi said to Miyako, "I have to stall for time. The sun will harm Mitsuko. We'll leave as soon as the sun sets. Miyako, hurry up and pack your things."
The village chief's home.
Several villagers surrounded the village chief.
"Village chief, they're definitely stalling for time. Last night I heard Katō Mitsuko say to the demon, 'When it's dawn, I'll kill you.' It's very likely that demons can't stand the sun. Besides, Katō Mitsuko hasn't appeared in the past six years. She must be afraid of the sun, which is why she doesn't dare to go out."
"We must kill Katō Mitsuko. He must hate us to the core now. If he gets away, he will definitely come back for revenge!"
The village chief looked at the sun outside; it was already four in the afternoon.
It's springtime now, and the sun will be setting around five o'clock.
The village chief's eyes flashed with ferocity as he stood up from his seat: "We're not waiting any longer, let's go to Katō's house!"
The village chief once again gathered the villagers and brought them to the door of Katō's house.
Kenichi left the house and confronted the village chief: "Didn't we agree on a day? Why are you bothering us now?"
"It's time to say goodbye. Now let Katō Mitsuko come out!"
Kenichi glanced at the sky; the sun was already setting, but it wasn't enough.