Don't force me to use my right fist.

Huiyin, the homeroom teacher, walked in from the doorway. She gently touched the forehead of the girl who was still frantically trying to find that familiar figure, putting her into a deep sleep. Only then did she look at the two girls who were looking at her with puzzled eyes.

"I know what you want to ask, and I know where the person you're looking for is, but believe me, no matter what happened to him before, at least for now, he should be safe."

She raised a finger to stop the two girls in front of her who were about to ask something, and Huiyin answered their questions in advance.

"He still has his own destiny to go through, and the history he needs to rewrite."

Chapter 393 Time for a Caring Big Brother

Sawa, of course, had no idea what kind of impact his disappearance would have. He too was gazing at the sky, staring blankly at the corrupted Shikon Jewel he had just acquired.

As long as this thing exists, sooner or later the girl with her dog will come knocking on his door, provided that the background here follows the same path as the anime series he remembers.

Even if no one comes looking for him, Sawa feels that he can take the initiative to go and find that well.

Whether there are people or not is not a problem, as long as there is a well.

"However, to be honest, this thing can only be purified by those two witches."

Sawa did try soaking this thing in milk, but obviously, without a mouth, even the almighty milk couldn't save it.

Fortunately, Sawa didn't expect to use this thing to enhance his body or anything like that. Things that are inserted into the body like this are better off coming from a more legitimate source.

Since it's not something produced by the system, Zuo You wouldn't dare use it carelessly.

After tossing the fragment upwards and collecting it, Sōyū looked up at the sky, which had now transformed into a vast expanse of stars. In the ancient night, without pollution, this sky was clearer than any moonlit sky Sōyū had ever seen.

Although the ambiance at MC was nice, the stars and moon in the sky were all square, which made it lack a certain something.

Saya, leaning against a tree branch, squinted his eyes, wanting to take a short nap under the moonlight, but he heard someone passing by from under the tree.

He returned to the village after dealing with the tree spirit, but instead of going straight to Shibata Ai's house, he chose to lie down on a branch of a large tree near her home.

It wasn't that he disliked the layout of Ai Shibata's house; it was just that, being a bit of a perfectionist, he simply couldn't bear to sleep in such a place for even one night.

Even this branch is a better place to rest than that place.

However, judging from the footsteps of this person, it seems that even wanting to rest here for a while is not so simple.

He turned over and looked at the short-haired girl who had already come to the tree. After lazily stretching, he spoke first before she could.

"I won't ask how you found me yet. I'll just say one thing: don't worry about where I sleep tonight. You know perfectly well that for someone like me, it doesn't really matter where I sleep." Snapping his fingers at the girl, Sawa finished speaking, only then noticing her furrowed brows and her eager expression as she looked at his seat.

"Then I'll answer your question first, Mr. Saya. It's not easy to find something else, but the light emanating from the samurai sword in your hand is just too conspicuous in the night. There's nothing I can do about it."

Pointing to the Crescent Moon Blade that Saya had placed aside, Shibata Ai explained why she was able to find Saya. The strange, enchanted light emanating from it made it impossible to go unnoticed.

"Secondly, I didn't come to ask you to go back and rest, Mr. Saya. It's just that there are some things that are making me feel confused, and I don't know who to talk to."

Looking down at her toes, Shibata Ai herself didn't understand why, when she began to feel lost, the first person she thought of to confide in was Sasuke.

Even with her parents, she didn't know how to express her inner frustrations to them, but if it were Saya, she felt she could speak freely in front of him.

However, compared to the statues that are indifferent to people's troubles, Saya is more enthusiastic about helping people solve their problems.

"I understand, it's the 'Big Brother' segment, right?"

Sōyū snapped his fingers. Since there was nothing else to do, he was happy to offer some advice or guidance to the girl.

Anyway, I'm leaving this village tomorrow, and if I see her again, I might not have the chance again.

Leaping down from the half-lying tree trunk, Sōyū lifted the girl with one hand and then effortlessly hopped back with her.

After rummaging through his backpack for a while, Saya pulled out two slices of watermelon and handed one to the girl before looking seriously into her eyes.

"Let's talk while we eat, okay? Just think of me as a confidant, let me hear what a little guy like you could possibly have to worry about."

Logically speaking, she has already been accepted back by the villagers and returned to her parents' side, fulfilling her greatest wish. Why then does she still seem so preoccupied?

Sawa was indeed a little curious.

After taking the watermelon from Saya, Shibata Ai, who didn't even know what it was, imitated Saya's actions and took a bite. After that, a hint of happiness finally returned to her stern face. She said something to Saya and then continued.

"Actually, I don't know why I have such thoughts, or rather, I feel a little scared of myself for suddenly having such strange thoughts."

The girl took small bites of the sweet watermelon flesh and spoke to Zuoyou in her unique, slightly husky voice.

"I originally thought I wouldn't resent the villagers. Their reason for sending me out as a sacrifice was to continue living on this land, so I do have some resentment. But for the sake of my future, I can endure it."

"But, I can't help but feel hatred for someone I shouldn't be resenting."

The girl, who had clenched her small fists, stopped and glanced at Saya, who had been listening attentively to her story, before continuing to voice her doubts.

"That person helped me, but because he broke his promise afterward, my hatred for him far exceeds that for everyone else. Am I a bad kid?"

Shibata Ai raised her head and looked helplessly at Saya, waiting for the answer from the black-haired boy who had become synonymous with a god in her heart.

"Oh, so to put it bluntly, you just feel betrayed. What's there to blame yourself for? It's human nature. It's precisely because you value the other person so much that you're more hurt by their decision. Isn't that normal?"

Zuoyou finished the melon in his hand in a few bites, and said with that expression on his face.

The melon was quite sweet, but the melon that was troubling the girl had almost no flavor.

So, once you've ascertained the truth, what's wrong with resenting the other person? It's just a human emotion, as long as you don't let resentment cloud your judgment.

Chapter 394 Promise

"Understanding who you hate, why you hate them, and then whether to take revenge or resolve the hatred with them is all your own business."

Zuoyou waved his hand. That was all he could say. The rest was up to the girl to understand. In the end, he didn't even know exactly what had happened. It was already good enough that he could comfort her.

After listening to Saya's words, the girl lowered her head. Although there was still confusion in her eyes, at least she didn't seem to be filled with self-doubt as before.

Just as she was about to unconsciously start munching on the watermelon in her hand, Saya took the watermelon away, leaving only the rind.

"This skin doesn't taste good, here's a fresh one for you."

Seeing that she had never even seen a watermelon before, let alone knew how to eat it, Sawa reached out and patted the girl's forehead before taking out a new one and handing it to her.

"In short, that's all I can say. As for what to do, that's up to you. And I won't be able to support you like I do now after this, since I'm leaving tomorrow."

After wiping his mouth and lying down again, Sawa leisurely hummed an unknown tune and slowly spoke to the girl beside him.

"Mr. Sawa, won't you stay a little longer? And what is the reason you're going to the big town?"

Upon hearing the news that Saya was leaving, the girl, who felt as if the watermelon in her hand had lost its flavor, raised her head. In just half a day, Saya had almost become her guardian angel in the heart of this young girl.

"The reason? Isn't it the same as yours? Just like you want to live with your parents no matter what, I also have my family, people I care about. If I don't go back, they will always worry about me."

Sōyū stretched and said slowly.

"Do gods also have people they care about?"

Turning her head in confusion, the girl couldn't help but ask. That's all.

Sōyū spread his hands. Perhaps in Japan, a place that claims to have eight million gods, he could be considered a god if he wanted to, but he hated it the most when people expelled him from the human race. Why deny his identity? Being human is nothing to be ashamed of.

"But you've never asked me to repay you. Aside from the gods, are there really beings who treat everyone with such kindness and equality?"

Shibata Ai pressed on, because in her heart, Saya was equivalent to a god; otherwise, she really couldn't explain why he was so good to her.

In response, Saya only wants to say that even among the gods there are bad things, and it's not as simple as the girl thinks.

"Because there's no need. I'm already very satisfied that you were able to get me out of there. Besides, do you think I'm the kind of person who needs your so-called repayment?"

Zuo You waved his hand. With this little guy's penniless appearance, what could he possibly expect to get from her?

Saku touched the girl's overly smooth hair once more, then stood up from the tree trunk.

"Alright, it's getting late, you should head back now. I should be leaving tomorrow, and you'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own."

Sōyū took three of the remaining gold beans from his pocket and placed them in the girl's palm, then looked down at her and exchanged a glance.

"Consider this my final reward to you. You can ask your parents to take one to the village chief to exchange for some necessities and food, which should at least improve your life. As for the rest, you can find a place to hide them, or you can give them to your parents to keep."

It's not that Sawa is stingy and willing to give away such a small amount of gold; it's just that, well, as the saying goes, "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Giving too much might actually bring trouble to the family.

"Then, right under this tree, I buried about ten portions of bone meal for you. If there is a famine or a drastic drop in harvest in the future, you can just take one portion out from under here and give it to the village chief."

After Shibata Ai nodded to Saya to indicate that she understood, Saya paused for a moment, tapped his forehead with his finger, and finally spoke the words that had been stuck in his heart.

"Finally, this might be a bit inappropriate for me to say, but how should I put it, people's prejudices are not so easy to dispel. My suggestion is that if you want to continue living with your parents, you might consider moving to a town or somewhere else."

"In short, leaving this village might be the best option for you."

Thinking of those villagers who, even with her backing them up, couldn't hide the resentment and jealousy in their eyes, Sōyū couldn't help but remind her. Perhaps these people weren't persecuting her to prove she was a cursed child anymore; they were simply doing it to elevate their own status and satisfy their ugly desires. In the poorest, most uncivilized villages, once such thoughts take hold, it's not so easy to resolve.

If she had the power to resist like Saya, that would be fine; we could just ignore these things.

But if she is in a weaker position, Saya can't help but worry about her.

But ultimately, these were all just guesses, and it seemed he was overestimating the villagers. He couldn't guarantee that things wouldn't develop the way he expected.

"Leave this village?"

Clearly, what Saya was saying was still somewhat difficult for Shibata Ai, who was just a child, to understand. So she simply looked up at Saya in confusion, and then...

"But if we leave the village, where can our family go?"

Shibata Ai, whose whole family was born and raised in this village, vaguely felt that what Saya said made some sense, but the uncertainty about the future made her lose her courage.

These are things you'll have to consider from now on. Anyway, good luck, and I wish you happiness.

Finally, after patting the girl's head, Sayu spoke gently to her.

"Then, Mr. Sawa, will you come back?"

The girl looked up, her eyes filled with anticipation, but she also knew in her heart that it was almost impossible.

"I think so. At least before I go back, I'll come back to see you once. It's a promise."

Sōyū took the girl's hand and made a promise to her with a serious expression.

Chapter 395 Departure

After escorting Shibata Ai home, Saya returned to the treetop and made do with lying on a branch for a fairly comfortable night.