Kenichi wanted to stall for time, so he said to the village chief, "I want to say a few more words to Mitsuko. After all, Mitsuko and I have a relationship of more than ten years. It's not something that can be served so easily."
After saying that, Kenichi wanted to go back inside.
But the village chief stopped Kenichi: "No! Get Katō Mitsuko out right now!"
"Then I'll go in and call Mitsuko out."
The village chief showed no intention of moving aside, and instead said firmly, "Shout right here!"
Kenichi was sweating profusely as he pondered what to do next.
"Katō Kenichi, you're stalling for time, trying to drag it out until night, right? Demons are afraid of the sun, you have no intention of giving up on Katō Mitsuko! I'm asking you one last time, let Katō Mitsuko out."
Kenichi shouted towards the door, "Mitsuko, don't come out! No matter what happens, don't come out!"
Several villagers joined forces to cover Kenichi's mouth.
Mitsuko wanted to get out of the house, but was stopped by Miyako.
Mitsuko stared at the tightly closed door: "But Father..."
Miyako hugged Mitsuko tightly, looking at the sky outside, not letting Mitsuko leave: "Mitsuko, trust your father, just wait a little longer, just a little longer and everything will be alright."
...
"You think this is the end of us? Light the torches!"
At the village chief's command, dozens of people in the crowd lit their torches.
Kenichi roared with a ferocious expression, "Mitsuko and Miyako are still inside! This is murder! This is murder!"
The village chief sneered, "Murder? We're killing demons! Since you're helping demons, you're their accomplices! You deserve to die!"
With a wave of his hand, the village chief threw dozens of torches onto the houses.
Flames instantly engulfed the entire house.
Kenichi gritted his teeth in anger, and a trickle of blood flowed from between his lips.
Kenichi struggled and broke free from the villagers' restraints, braving the flames to rush into the house.
Several villagers tried to stop Kenichi, but the village chief stopped them.
"Since they want to die, then let them die together! Let this fire burn the demons to ashes!"
Kenichi rushed into the house.
The room was now filled with thick smoke, making it almost impossible to open one's eyes.
"Mother! Don't stop me, I'm going to kill them!"
At this moment, Mitsuko's mind was filled with hatred, and he wanted to kill those aggressive villagers.
But Miyako held onto Mitsuko tightly, preventing her from leaving.
"Mother, they've pushed us so hard! I don't care if they want to kill me, but they want to kill Father and Mother, and we absolutely cannot forgive them!"
Mitsuko broke free from Miyako and was about to rush out when Kenichi slapped her hard across the face.
Mitsuko covered her cheek, looking at Kenichi with confusion: "Father...why..."
"Mitsuko! Anyone can kill, but you cannot. If you kill someone, you will truly become a demon."
"If becoming a demon is the only way to kill, then I'd rather become a demon!" Mitsuko, who had never talked back to Kenichi before, did so for the first time today.
Kenichi gripped Mitsuko's shoulders tightly: "Mitsuko, you must always remember that you are not a demon, you are a human being, you possess humanity."
"All I want is for my parents to be by my side! If I have to watch them die protecting me, I'd rather give up my humanity!"
Mitsuko stubbornly refuted Kenichi.
Kenichi stared blankly at Mitsuko in front of him.
Suddenly, Kenichi laughed, a very happy laugh: "Mitsuko, you've really grown up. You're right. You're showing the best of humanity now. I was always worried that if you killed someone one day, you would become a heartless demon. Father underestimated you."
Mitsuko looked at Kenichi with surprise and delight: "Father, you agree? Then let's leave here with Mother right away!"
But Kenichi remained unmoved.
Mitsuko looked at Kenichi in confusion: "Father?"
"Mitsuko, it's not the right time yet. The sun hasn't set yet, and you've grown up. It's time for you to go out and explore. Your mother and I are getting old and don't want to move around anymore."
A bad feeling welled up in Mitsuko's heart, and he vaguely guessed what Kenichi was thinking: "Father, Mother, I'm fine. We're a family. We must go together!"
Kenichi and Miyako nestled together, looking at Mitsuko with relief: "After the sun sets, Mitsuko, you should leave here. Your father and mother can't stay by your side forever. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path."
Sobbing uncontrollably, Mitsuko grabbed Kenichi and Miyako's hands, wanting to take them with her.
"Mitsuko, promise us you won't become complacent with your power. Having gained superhuman strength will lead you down a much more difficult and arduous path. Don't be lost; you'll have more and more companions, so even if we're not by your side, you won't be alone."
"I promise you, I'll agree to anything you ask, please, come with me! I can't lose you!"
Mitsuko knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, begging Kenichi and Miyako.
"Mitsuko, we will accompany you in another form. We will watch you get married, have children, and find all happiness. It's time for us to go find your brother. Your brother must really want to reunite with us..."
Kenichi and Miyako suddenly stared blankly ahead: "Sōta, did you come to pick us up?"
In Kenichi and Miyako's field of vision, their son, Katō Sōta, appeared behind Mitsuko.
"Sōta, you must have been waiting for a long time. We should have come to find you much sooner. I'm so sorry for leaving you all alone for so long..."
Sōta appeared in front of Kenichi and Miyako, and clasped their hands together in his palms.
Sōta said guiltily, "Father, Mother, I should be the one apologizing for leaving you so early. Fortunately, Mitsuko is here to accompany you in my place."
Kenichi and Miyako looked at Sōta tenderly: "The two things we are most proud of in our lives are having such outstanding children as Sōta and Mitsuko as our children."
"I am also very proud to be a child of my father and mother, but it is a pity that as the older brother, I cannot protect my younger brother... I am really a derelict older brother."
Sōta looked apologetically at Mitsuko, who was still pleading, wanting to comfort her but unable to.
"Mitsuko won't blame you. Mitsuko is so kind and gentle."
"Yes, I hope that in the next life, I can be brothers with Mitsuko again, so that I, as the older brother, can always protect him."
"We definitely will. We are family and will never be separated. Sōta, let us say our final goodbyes to Mitsuko."
Kenichi took out a necklace from his pocket and handed it to Mitsuko: "Mitsuko, this is your brother's necklace. I've kept it all this time, intending to give it to you when you come of age, but it seems that the opportunity is gone."
Mitsuko accepted the necklace with trembling hands.
"Mitsuko, it's time to say goodbye. Sōta has come to pick us up. We will always be with you. Sōta and I believe that Mitsuko will find happiness. We're leaving now."
Kenichi and Miyako, being two ordinary people, couldn't breathe at all in this smoke-filled room.
In the very end, Kenichi and Miyako remained nestled together, their eyes closing forever with smiles of blessing.
Mitsuko clutched his chest in agony, wanting to scream but unable to utter a sound. He collapsed to the ground as if all his strength had been drained, staring blankly at the corpses of Kenichi and Miyako.
The sun finally set outside, and rain began to fall without warning, extinguishing the raging flames of the house.
It seemed as if it was crying for the Mitsuko leaves.