"Sorry…"
He wanted to say something apologetic to Kanao Tsuyuri, to explain his behavior just now. But when the words reached his lips, nothing came out.
He simply turned his head and continued staring at the flickering flames of the campfire, lost in thought.
Kanao tilted her head and looked at her uncle in confusion. After watching him for a while and seeing that he was only staring at the fire, she lowered her head again and looked at the chicken drumstick he had given her.
The roasted drumstick still gave off a warm scent. However, because it had fallen to the ground earlier, it had gotten quite dusty. Although her uncle had cleaned it a little, some dirt still remained.
But Kanao didn't mind.
Instead, she was drawn to the aroma.
The girl gently pinched a small piece from the surface of the drumstick.
The outer layer had already been roasted to a golden brown, releasing a delicious smell. She placed the small crispy piece into her mouth.
The taste made her pink-purple eyes curve slightly.
It was delicious.
Very fragrant.
After eating the small roasted piece, her moist tongue instinctively licked the corner of her lips. The good taste made her subconsciously want to share the drumstick with her hungry uncle.
But just as she lifted it—
She suddenly remembered how angry he looked earlier.
Her hand withdrew again.
Tilting her head, she glanced at him slightly, then looked down at the delicious drumstick.
Not being able to share such tasty food with her uncle somehow made the drumstick feel less delicious.
With a hint of dejection, she lowered her head and quietly ate the rest of it.
The campfire burned steadily.
Under the swaying flames, the demon sat silently staring at the fire, while the girl beside him took small bites of the drumstick.
The drumstick wasn't very big, so it was quickly finished.
Afterward, the demon roasted the rice balls, meat pieces, and steamed bun that the girl had secretly hidden, then told her to continue eating them.
Seeing the small stash of food she had hidden being slowly used up made Kanao reluctant.
But once the food filled her stomach, the feeling of being full was comforting.
After finishing, Kanao leaned against the demon and watched the flames of the campfire together with him.
Occasionally, if there was movement nearby, her pink-purple eyes would instinctively glance toward it.
Aside from that, she remained mostly quiet—silent and somewhat blank.
Crackle…
Another piece of burning wood made a crisp sound, snapping Soma out of his thoughts.
He turned his head.
Kanao was still beside him—quiet, obedient, and watching the fire without making a sound.
After looking at the well-behaved girl, Soma glanced around the cave.
Deep inside the mountain cave, aside from their campfire, everything around them was pitch black. Only faint light could be seen at the cave entrance, but it couldn't reach where they were.
He gently patted Kanao's head.
The girl lifted her eyes and tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Don't stay here all the time. Go outside and get some sunlight."
He spoke gently.
Unlike demons, who were suited to darkness, humans needed sunlight. Staying too long in dark, damp places could easily cause health problems.
And Kanao was still very young. Her body was fragile, so she needed sunlight even more.
After hearing this, Kanao nervously grabbed his sleeve, clearly reluctant to go outside into the sunlight.
But humans were not creatures of darkness.
"Go out and get some sun. If anything dangerous happens, run back immediately."
He patted her head again.
Kanao was obedient.
Although she still seemed reluctant to leave his side, she slowly walked toward the cave entrance.
But as she walked, she kept looking back from time to time.
Soma stood perfectly still, watching her walk toward the light—the beautiful, brilliant light that was, to him, a terrifying thing he could never touch.
...
Perhaps because she had stayed in darkness for so long while following the demon, when Kanao Tsuyuri suddenly stepped out into the sunlight, the bright rays made her instinctively close her eyes.
After a while, she slowly began to adapt and managed to open them slightly.
The girl unconsciously stretched out her hand. The warm sunlight fell on it.
It felt warm.
Without realizing it, Kanao turned her head and looked back at the dark cave.
Inside the cave, her uncle had somehow already picked up his Nichirin sword and begun practicing. From time to time, flashes of blade light burst through the darkness of the cave.
Kanao found a relatively clean spot at the cave entrance and sat down. While basking in the sunlight, her gaze occasionally drifted back toward the figure practicing swordsmanship inside the cave.
...
Time quietly passed.
Meanwhile, Furukawa Hiroshi came down from Mount Sagiri to regroup with his companions, looking somewhat disappointed.
After hearing the news that Sakonji Urokodaki could not come to help, everyone fell silent.
"Even if we can't get help from Urokodaki-sama, we can still do it ourselves,"
one swordsman said with a carefree smile.
"Yes, it will just take a bit more time,"
another swordsman added with a grin.
Furukawa Hiroshi looked at his companions, who seemed unconcerned, and forced a smile.
There were things no one said aloud.
The demon they were hunting didn't seem particularly strong, but it was far more cruel than other demons—more cunning, and much better at hiding.
None of them feared fighting demons in battle, nor did they fear sacrifice.
But they feared letting the demon escape from their hands.
That was something that absolutely could not be allowed.
"Alright, everyone keep searching. If we find any clues—"
Furukawa Hiroshi began to speak, but halfway through his sentence he suddenly sensed something and sharply turned his head.
A breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves.
A girl wearing a smiling fox mask with blue flower patterns descended lightly along with the drifting leaves and landed on the ground.
She wore a short kimono decorated with plum blossom patterns and had medium-length black hair. Her figure was light and graceful.
The breeze gently lifted strands of her hair.
Although the fox mask hid her face, one could easily imagine the delicate beauty beneath it.
Such a masked girl, who looked beautiful even at a glance, appearing in the wild mountains made the swordsmen both surprised and curious.
"It's you?"
Furukawa Hiroshi immediately recognized the disciple of Sakonji Urokodaki.
"Hello."
The girl—Makomo—placed one hand lightly on her abdomen, lowered her head, and bowed slightly.
Her voice was soft and airy, clear and pleasant to hear.
"I would like to join you seniors in the hunt for this demon."
Smiling gently, she raised her head. Her delicate and beautiful eyes looked at everyone.
"I look forward to your guidance."
Everyone froze for a moment.
They hadn't expected such a seemingly delicate and beautiful girl to request joining them in demon hunting.
Instinctively, they all turned to look at their leader.
Only then did Furukawa Hiroshi seem to react. Looking at the serious girl, he said with a helpless smile,
"Hunting demons is very dangerous. And it seems you haven't yet passed the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane. You probably don't yet have the ability to deal with those cruel demons."
Makomo listened, then raised her head. From beneath the fox mask, her voice remained gentle.
"It is precisely because I haven't passed the selection yet that I should see those cruel demons."
"I need to face them directly."
"That way, when I take the test at Mount Fujikasane and encounter demons, I won't panic."
As she spoke, Makomo bowed once more.
"Please, seniors... give me this opportunity."
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin