NABC Page 121
Page 121
The human traffickers clearly didn't realize the seriousness of the problem and remained arrogant.
"Nonsense! Do you even know who I am? How dare you run wild on my turf! Pay up the money right now, or I'll kill you!"
"WTF!"
With a roar, Ryosuke twisted his waist and lashed out with his right leg like a steel whip!
With a muffled thud, the human trafficker was kicked into the air and crashed heavily onto the bridge.
He knelt on the ground, clutching his swollen face, all his teeth knocked out, and he wailed incessantly.
"who are you?"
Ryosuke stepped forward and looked down at him condescendingly: "Do you even know who I am?!"
The human trafficker was beaten until he saw stars and was trembling so badly he couldn't speak.
No matter the era, those who traffic people deserve to die!
Ryosuke took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw his sword.
In public, the Demon Slayer Corps' swords are only used to kill demons, not humans.
This is both a rule and a constraint.
However, the Ubuyashiki family has a strong foundation, making it extremely easy for them to deal with a human trafficker.
Ryosuke raised his hand, and the hummingbird landed.
After giving a few instructions, the hummingbird quickly flew away.
Soon, two hidden figures arrived and bowed to Ryosuke.
"Lord Mingzhu!"
Ryosuke pointed to the human traffickers on the ground, his tone indifferent.
"Take this guy to the local government office, tell them that this is someone the Ubuyashiki family wants to deal with, and tell them to take good care of him. I don't want to see him do anything wrong again."
The two men, understanding the unspoken message, escorted the human trafficker away.
Whether they are sent to the government to be tortured or wronged, it doesn't matter.
His fate will be far worse than death.
After all, humans have extensive experience in tormenting their own kind.
After dealing with everything, Ryosuke went to find the Butterfly Sisters.
Under a large tree on the street corner, Kanae wiped the dirt off the girl's face with a handkerchief.
"You guys!"
Ryosuke smiled helplessly.
Shinobu Kocho made a face and spoke with a grin.
"Mr. Ryosuke is so capable, how could he not handle a human trafficker!"
Kanae looked up, her expression apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ryosuke, I'm sorry to have troubled you again."
"a piece of cake."
Ryosuke waved his hand, his gaze falling on the dirty little girl: "What do you plan to do with this girl?"
Kanae held the girl's hand, her eyes filled with pity.
"Now that we've bought her, we can't let her stay on the streets any longer. Let's take her back to the Butterfly House; she looks so pitiful."
Upon returning to Butterfly Dance, the Butterfly Sisters immediately got busy.
They boiled hot water, washed away the filth from the girl's body, and changed her into clean clothes.
Throughout the entire process, the girl remained unusually quiet, neither crying nor making a fuss, neither resisting nor cooperating, letting them do as they pleased.
Then, the two men trimmed her messy hair.
The girl's true appearance was revealed; she had bright pink eyes and was very cute.
"This child...is so obedient."
Kanae sighed softly.
She cupped the girl's face in her hands and asked softly, "Tell me, what's your name?"
The girl shook her head and uttered her first words.
"I don't have a name."
"How about I give you a name?"
Kanae pondered for a moment, then gently stroked the girl's hair: "From now on, can you be called Kanae?"
Kanao nodded, accepting the name.
When it was time for dinner, the restaurant at Butterfly House was quite lively.
The Shinazugawa children, Makomo, and some of the team members who were recuperating gathered together.
Kanao sat with the other children, and the lively ones sat next to her.
She was eating with relish, and after a few bites, she noticed that Kanao next to her wasn't moving. She nudged her with her elbow.
"Hey, why aren't you eating? The food here is delicious! Come and try some!"
Kanao just stared blankly, without making any move.
Even though her stomach was growling with hunger, she still didn't pick up her chopsticks.
He scratched his head, assuming she didn't like it, and ignored her, continuing to eat.
Shinobu, who was observing from a distance, was about to step forward when Ryosuke stopped her.
"Let's take another look," Ryosuke said in a low voice.
When the mealtime was over, Hikaru took the untouched food away from Kanao.
The girl just stared blankly, without stopping her.
As Ryosuke had predicted, things turned out exactly as he had anticipated.
Kanao has no independent consciousness at all, like a puppet that will not act without orders.
Even when she felt intensely hungry, she forced herself to endure it and couldn't bring herself to eat.
Shinobu Kocho and Kanae were heartbroken to see this.
"This girl, she..."
Shinobu's voice trembled slightly.
Ryosuke continued, "It must be because she suffered long-term abuse and neglect that she closed herself off, lost her autonomy and sense of self-determination. Now she is just an empty shell without a soul."
After speaking, Ryosuke thought of Kanao's background.
Kanao was born into a poor family with eleven siblings, and she was the eighth child.
Her parents did not name her and treated each child equally.
If you accidentally cry, your father will kick you and step on you, and your mother will grab your ears and push you into the water vat.
This experience also gave Kanao a strong dynamic vision.
Small transparency and small spectrum.
She can predict the other person's next move by observing their subtle movements and angles.
Because if you don't see your father's fist clearly, you could very well be hit in a vital spot and die.
This ability stems from a tragic experience.
Kanao's siblings died from their parents' violence, and she has always lived in fear.
At that time, she felt hungry, sad, empty, in pain, and lonely every day.
Ever since she heard the sound of a rope breaking in her mind one day, she has been unable to feel any emotions.
She felt no sadness even when her parents sold her to human traffickers.
Even though Ryosuke didn't say it outright, the Butterfly Sisters roughly guessed what it was.
"I can not stand it any more!"
Shinobu Kocho couldn't bear to watch any longer.
She placed the warm food in front of Kanao.
Kanao stared blankly at Shinobu Kocho.
Hunger kept creeping in, but she still didn't move.
Kanae stepped forward and embraced Kanao, gently comforting her.
"It's alright, Kanao. It's safe here. No one will hit or scold you. You can eat, play, and do whatever you want here. But you also need to learn to take care of yourself."
Ryosuke also softened his voice.
"Here you are free. Try to do whatever you want, and eat when you are hungry."
However, Kanao became confused by the ambiguous commands.
She began to break out in a cold sweat and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Kanae pondered for a moment, then took a copper coin from her sleeve and placed it in Kanae's palm.
"Kanao, look."
Kanae pointed to the copper coin and patiently explained.
"From now on, whenever you don't know how to decide, flip this coin."
"If it's facing up, it means you can do it; if it's facing down, it means you can't do it."
"How about letting it help you?"