[center][h1]TENKO MARIA THOMPSON[/h1][/center]
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"G-Guen-san? What are you doing here?" Tenko stammered as she saw Guen leisurely taking a bath at the onsen, as if there was no standing order to bring her into custody to possibly be executed.

She, of course, had heard about how she snapped after the death of her fiancé. A Demon Slayer going rogue to the point of what she did was a huge deal, considering their policy on keeping their existence secret. No normal person without being able to use breathing technique would be able to go on a killing spree as Guen did, after all.

The problem was even more exacerbated by the fact that she was a Hashira, the highest-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Losing a fiancé would certainly be a cause for grief, a deep one. But if the rumours were true, that was no excuse to slaughter innocents. Even if she only killed the yakuza members, they were still people who might have repented for their sins. The only times when killing is permitted were in self-defence or when they have no other options, such as how Tenko saw the act of slaying a demon.

And such was the case with Guen. Tenko would rather that she make amends rather than be executed. Still...if she really went on a rampage the way she did indicated that she was not in a good mental headspace, and possibly unstable, so they should tread lightly here.

"Guen-san...umm...I'm glad to see you're okay, but—"

As Tenko was in the middle of her reply, Guen turned to Miyuki and provoked the young girl, before Miyuki shouted back in vehemence.

"Guen-san, Miyuki-chan, maybe you two can—"

Ignoring Tenko, Miyuki attacked Guen—or at least attempted to—before the Hashira deftly avoided her attacks, before strangling Miyuki with her towel. Immediately, a chilly wave of bloodlust filled the onsen. An intense feeling of being frozen in place, as if standing in a calm yet deadly wintry land covered in permafrost.

At that moment, faced with Guen's intense bloodlust, even for a split second, her mind couldn't help but wander to the unsavoury rumours about Guen. Filled with worry for Miyuki, she moved. At the same time, a man rushed into the onsen, carrying a katana.

Tenko's eyes briefly glanced at the man. The Rumble Hashira. She never met him personally, but she had heard of him. After a brief grateful nod at the man, she turned back to Guen.

"Guen-san, please...release Miyuki-chan, and we can all talk things through. There's no need to get into a fight here."