Being sold by her parents—such a cruel act—would be unbearable for any child, wouldn't it?
Yet the girl spoke of this reality in a calm voice, seemingly feeling no sadness at all about being sold by her parents.
Soma could not understand. He couldn't grasp the reason and his gaze naturally fell on the girl. Perhaps, he thought, she was merely pretending to be indifferent, putting on a calm front, deliberately acting as though she wasn't upset.
But the truth seemed to be that the girl really had no emotional reaction to the cruelty of being sold by her parents.
It was hard to imagine what could have happened, what experiences could have shaped her into this way.
Soma didn't know how to comfort the girl before him. He simply reached out and gently stroked her head. At that moment, the girl slightly squinted her eyes, a rare expression of enjoyment appearing on her face, like a small dog hoping for comfort from its owner.
"Can you tell me about your past?"
Soma hesitated before speaking. He didn't know much about her history—only that she was a hungry, pitiable girl, sometimes forced to scavenge at night to find something to eat.
Although uncovering her past might reopen old wounds, he truly wanted to understand what had caused her to become the way she was.
The girl, obedient as ever, began recounting her past.
Her story came out haltingly, mentioning which days she was beaten and what she endured. By the time she finished, Soma had a rough understanding of her past.
She was born into a very poor family, the eighth of eleven siblings, often abused by her parents. If she cried, or if her parents were in a bad mood, her father would kick her, and when her mother was around, she would drag the girl by her ears and press her head into a water tub. Several of her siblings had died directly under her father's violence, and she had survived only by living in constant fear and clinging to life.
Every day had been filled with hunger, sorrow, emptiness, and pain. But one day, after hearing the sound of a rope snapping in her mind, those feelings—sorrow, pain, emptiness—began gradually fading, little by little.
After listening, Soma fell silent. He couldn't believe there could be such cold-blooded, cruel parents in the world.
At the same time, her past made him look at her with some doubt.
He had long felt a strange familiarity with the girl's pretty pink-purple eyes. She reminded him strongly of a female swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps. At the time, he had suspected that she might be Kanao Tsuyuri.
He had even asked her name back then, only to learn that she didn't have one. Being the eighth child in her family, she had been called "Kohatsu." Plus, her frail appearance was very different from the grown-up beauty Kanao Tsuyuri would later become, so he had only thought she was a girl with pink-purple eyes like Kanao, not Kanao herself.
But now, hearing the girl recount her past, Soma carefully recalled what he knew from the background information in Demon Slayer. Before Kanao Tsuyuri was taken in by Kanae Kocho as a "Tsuguko," she had a very tragic past. Her painful childhood had shaped her into a silent, reserved girl, unable to express her feelings. Even later, when facing the death of her adoptive sister Kanae Kocho, she felt deep sadness but could not cry.
Her early experiences also left her without a strong sense of self or independent judgment. She was not good at thinking for herself, and even when faced with decisions, she only remembered Kanae Kocho's method of flipping a coin to decide.
Eventually, she met Tanjiro Kamado. Under Tanjiro's guidance, she gradually began to listen to her own inner voice and started acting according to her own will.
Unconsciously, Soma's gaze returned to the girl.
The frail girl, thin as skin and bone, had, after a few days of nightly feeding, gained a bit of color in her face.
"Look up. Let me see your face," Soma said softly, looking at her.
Though she didn't understand why he wanted to look at her, she obediently did so, her pretty pink-purple eyes meeting his gaze.
Her small face, usually gray and dull from neglect, now carried a hint of healthy color thanks to the recent nourishment. Her features were still very delicate, hinting at a refined appearance in the future.
"If only her cheeks had a bit more flesh…"
He imagined for a moment and could already picture her delicate beauty. Clearly, she was a natural beauty, destined to become truly beautiful as she grew.
With her current facial contours and those same pink-purple eyes, Soma's vision of her future gradually merged with that of Kanao Tsuyuri.
If nothing unexpected happened, this girl before him would one day become Kanao Tsuyuri, a future Demon Slayer Corps warrior.
"Keep eating."
Seeing her still trying to keep her head up obediently, Soma lightly tapped her head.
The girl obediently lowered her head and ate the rice in small bites.
Soma sat nearby by the fire, watching the flickering flames, lost in thought.
If he did not intervene, this girl would indeed become Kanao Tsuyuri, walking the path of a Demon Slayer. And he, this demon before her, might one day become her target.
This was meant to be the girl's future.
He turned to look at her, and at that moment, she raised her head. Her pink-purple eyes shone with a crystalline light—the only time those once vacant, emotionless eyes ever glimmered was when they looked at him.
"If I were a demon, would you be afraid of me?"
Suddenly, he asked. If she knew his true identity, would she still rely on him like this?
"What's a demon?"
The girl looked confused, puzzled: "Why would I be afraid of uncle?"
Soma couldn't help but chuckle softly. Clearly, the girl understood nothing.
He smiled, rose from the fire, and walked over to her. He reached out, gently placing his hand on her head, stroking it softly.
"Shall I give you a name?"
The girl closed her eyes slightly, feeling the warmth of his rough hand on her head, and hearing his voice, she instinctively opened her eyes.
"Will I also have a name?"
"Yes."
Soma gently continued to stroke her head. "From now on, you'll be called Kanao Tsuyuri."
"Kanao Tsuyuri,"
The girl murmured softly, as if committing this name to her heart forever.
...
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