Chapter 38

"Father?" Hikaru repeated after Ginryu while cutely tilting his head in confusion.

"Really, Really, Really," Hikari doubtfully questioned, cautiously walking around Yoriichi as if inspecting him.

Yoriichi, on the other hand, stood there stunned in place.

Many questions and emotions were swirling through his mind, and he didn't know where to begin.

"How?" was all that came out from his mouth as his hands shakily tried to touch his daughter Hikari.

Hikari didn't let him and ran to hide behind Ginryu along with her brother Hikaru.

Even if they were just told that this was their father, they were still a bit wary as he was a stranger to them until moments ago.

Yoriichi retracted his hand, which had paused mid-air, and looked at Ginryu as if pleading for him to explain what was going on.

"No need to feel down, they will probably warm up to you after they get to know you," Ginryu said to Yoriichi upon seeing his expression.

"Alright, kids, I need you to go away for a while. I have some important things to discuss with your father," Ginryu said to the twins.

"Hmm," they replied in unison, quietly exiting the room. The twins needed some time for the information to sink in.

As soon as the children left the room and had gone a fair distance away from it, Yoriichi dropped to the floor in a dogeza position.

"Thank you for saving my children," Yoriichi said in gratitude repeatedly slamming his head on the ground while in tears.

He didn't know any other way to express his gratitude and the immense joy he currently felt.

He was sure that these were his children and didn't doubt Ginryu.

The markings and their uncanny resemblance to their mother Uta were enough for him to believe.

Ginryu felt awkward receiving such a level of gratitude, considering he let Yoriichi's wife die.

"Uhm, that's enough. Have a seat," Ginryu said to stop Yoriichi from continuing his display of gratitude.

"Ahem, now that you have met your children. What are your plans from now on? I heard that you were banished from the demon slayer corps," Ginryu said in an attempt to change the topic.

"I didn't know before, but now I will probably hunt demons for the rest of my life as atonement for my brother's crime and the safety of my children," Yoriichi replied.

'Ah, what a Yoriichi-like thing to say,' Ginryu thought.

"Well, I won't tell you what to do but just be around for the kids. I will protect them for now and will remain in this manor for a few years, so sort yourself out within that time," Ginryu replied.

"Now onto the main topic. Do you want to know what happened that night?" Ginryu asked Yoriichi.

He already anticipated the possibility of Yoriichi asking about what happened during the night of his wife's death and what Ginryu was doing there.

Ginryu already had a story prepared mixed with truth and lies.

Yoriichi appeared to have a serious contemplative expression, thinking deeply about what he wanted.

"No," Yoriichi replied after a while.

"Why?" Ginryu asked, perplexed at the reason why.

"I..., I don't know. But I felt like it's best that I didn't know. For now, I will focus on being a father to my children and ridding the world of Muzan," Yoriichi replied.

The answer wasn't quite what Ginryu expected, but he decided not to push and let things be.

"Sigh, onto the next topic. Do you have any plans of reviving the Tsugikuni clan?" Ginryu asked. This concerned the future of the twins.

It was a risky plan that would definitely attract Muzan's attention, considering that Yoriichi's brother Michikatsu would be turned into a demon by Muzan later in the future, assuming if he already hasn't been turned.

It was easier for Ginryu to raise a fallen noble family to increase his future political power than using an already big and established one.

With the help of his associates and money, he could turn the Tsugikuni family into a powerhouse.

"No, I haven't," Yoriichi replied. Ginryu then proceeded to tell Yoriichi about a part of his plans for the clan. Yoriichi listened intently to what Ginryu had to say.

"I do not know why you would do so much for me and my family, and I thank you for your aid, but I will let the children decide their future," Yoriichi replied after contemplating for a while.

Ginryu's offer was a tempting one, but Yoriichi just wanted his children to be happy in whatever they wanted to do.

If possible, he didn't want them to be tangled up in politics, nor did he want them to be involved with demons.

"Sigh, we can end our discussion for now," Ginryu replied a bit disappointed. He realized that Yoriichi was failing to understand that he couldn't keep his children away from demons or politics as long as they were involved with both of them.

"Take some time to think things through, remember they have your blood and most of your abilities too," Ginryu reminded.

"I will," Yoriichi replied, feeling a bit conflicted.

"Ah yes, the children are in the yard, you can meet them there and make yourself at home. You can stay as long as you like," Ginryu added before making his exit from the room.

He had to go meet up with Yin and clean up the mess she probably made.

Utilizing his blood bond with Yin, Ginryu traced her to the outskirts of the castle town where few people resided.

"Sigh, what a mess," Ginryu muttered upon seeing what Yin had done. She could have ended things smoothly but she ended up mauling one of the shinobi. She left the other one alive though barely.

"Did you have to kill so messily," Ginryu muttered in annoyance but Yin just turned her head away as if she did nothing wrong.

She had basically turned one of them to meat paste making it hard to walk into the room.

It was a clever hiding place underneath one of the slum houses.

'Sigh, at least she did it quietly. Doesn't seem like anyone in the area noticed,' he thought.

The other shinobi just lay on the ground unconscious.

'I really need my own shinobi,' Ginryu thought. He always wanted to get one but he didn't really want to share his blood with some random group of people he didn't particularly like.

It was simply a personal preference. This was going to change when he acquired Goemon who currently served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the Oda Nobuna faction.

There was also Hattori Hanzo but he was too loyal to his group currently.

'It's better to have one competent one than many average ones,' he thought.

Slurp!!

"Hey don't lick me," Ginryu grumbled. He had been lost in his inner fantasies, so Yin decided to wake him up.

"Hmmf," Yin snorted at him in reply. Looking at the unconscious shinobi, Ginryu decided to break his neck to silence all witnesses.

He initially wanted to know who they worked for but decided it was going to be a lot of work prying information from a trained shinobi.

But the true reason was that he found it troublesome to carry the shinobi to a place where he would have to torture him for information that may or may not be even important.

It was way faster and easier to silence all witnesses instead.

After ending the Shinobi, Ginryu proceeded to destroy all the books, records, and secret compartments.

It was better to erase the possibility that information was written and stored secretly.