When the sun sets
and night falls,
it becomes the time when demons roam.
At this hour, demons come out to search for food.
After hiding in a cave the entire day, the demon stepped out, took the hand of the human girl, and headed toward a distant town.
...
In the remote town at night, there were almost no lights. Every household had its doors tightly shut.
Soma held the hand of Kanao Tsuyuri as they entered the town and walked toward a house that still had a faint light inside.
Soon they arrived at the tightly closed door.
In the past, if he wanted to ask the homeowner something at night, he would often have to break in and cause quite a disturbance before achieving his goal.
But now…
He looked at the obedient Kanao standing beside him and gently patted her head.
Kanao took a small breath, then ran lightly to the door and knocked softly with her small hand.
After the knocking sound, faint footsteps could be heard inside the house.
Someone inside looked out through the small door opening. Seeing that it was a delicate and beautiful little girl, the person finally opened the door slightly.
"What family are you from, little girl? Why are you knocking at this hour?"
The homeowner was an elderly man. Although he still looked somewhat cautious, seeing that it was a child made him relax a little.
"Grandpa, my uncle and I came to visit relatives, but we can't find their home. We wanted to ask you for directions."
Kanao spoke clearly, just as her uncle had instructed.
The old man leaned out and saw Soma waiting not far away.
When Soma noticed the old man looking at him, he nodded slightly.
However, his pair of crimson eyes made the old man tighten his grip on the door a little.
Still, when he looked back at the cute girl, he hesitated and didn't close the door.
"Tell me the name, let's see if I know them."
"Their surname is Kamado. Their family sells charcoal. The father is named Tanjuro Kamado. He has a son named Tanjiro Kamado and a daughter named Nezuko Kamado…"
Kanao repeated everything exactly as her uncle had told her earlier.
The old man thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"There are a few families in town who sell charcoal, but none with the surname 'Kamado.' I've never heard of someone named Tanjuro Kamado here either."
Hearing that the man didn't know them, Soma felt a little disappointed.
But he had already grown somewhat used to it.
He waved to Kanao.
Following her uncle's instructions, Kanao politely said,
"I'm very sorry to bother you, Grandpa."
After saying that, she ran back to her uncle.
Soma took her hand and prepared to head to the next place.
Watching the man and the girl walking through the night together, the old man hesitated before calling out to them:
"It's very dark outside at night, and it's dangerous. If you don't mind, you can rest at my house tonight. Tomorrow—"
"No need. Thank you very much." Soma nodded slightly and led Kanao deeper into the darker night.
So late at night and still walking around… aren't they afraid something might happen?
The old man shook his head and closed the doors and windows again.
...
Walking through the night, Soma glanced at Kanao.
Having her by his side made asking questions much easier. Even if one household refused, asking a few more would eventually work.
In the past, when he knocked on doors alone at night, he never received such treatment.
Most of the time, he had to resort to force.
And without realizing it, things would often escalate, wasting a great deal of time.
But now, the thing that consumed the most time was simply traveling.
"Let's continue to the next place."
After leaving the town and making sure no one was around, Soma lifted Kanao onto his back.
His speed immediately became much faster.
"Uncle, was the way I asked just now okay?"
"It was very good. If your uncle had asked, they probably wouldn't even have opened the door."
"Did I help you, Uncle?"
"Yes."
"Then… that's really great."
In the pitch-black night, the girl's cheerful voice could be faintly heard.
...
In the mountain wilderness, a campfire crackled.
A simple wooden rack had been built over the flames, supporting a small hanging pot. The savory aroma of cooking food wafted from the pot. Under the flickering light of the fire, a girl wearing a short kimono with plum blossom patterns crouched beside the pot.
Makomo lifted the lid slightly and checked inside.
"It's almost ready. Everyone will be able to have a hot meal in just a moment," She spoke to the swordsmen gathered around the campfire.
"Actually, we brought some dry rations. We could just eat those," one swordsman said with a smile. "There's really no need to go through all this trouble."
"That won't do. Only if you eat well will you have the strength to work."
Behind her fox mask, the girl shook her head.
"Besides, back at Mount Sagiri, I'm also the one responsible for cooking for Senseiand everyone. Though… I'm not sure if it suits your taste."
As she spoke, she turned her head. Her beautiful eyes looked at everyone through the mask. "But even if it doesn't taste good, you all still have to eat it!"
"Haha! Of course we'll eat it," one swordsman joked. "Even if Miss Makomo made poison, we'd drink every drop."
"How could I poison everyone?"
Seeing that the food was ready, Makomo began serving portions to everyone.
On the cold night, after swallowing the steaming food, everyone felt warmth spread through their bodies.
After distributing food to the group, Makomo packed the remaining portion into a small container and sat beside the fire, quietly eating small bites.
Furukawa Hiroshi came over and sat beside her with his bowl.
"Luckily Miss Makomo helped cook tonight. Otherwise we'd all be chewing on cold, hard rations."
"It's nothing. It was just a small thing," Makomo replied.
"Besides, everyone worked very hard all day. I followed along but didn't really help with anything. Being able to cook for everyone is already good enough if you don't mind."
"How could we mind? And your cooking is really delicious." Furukawa Hiroshi shook his head in admiration, but his expression soured as he thought of their progress. He sighed. "Unfortunately… we still haven't found that demon."
Makomo tilted her head and looked at him.
"Could you tell me more about that demon?"
Because of the mask, Furukawa Hiroshi couldn't see her face.
But those eyes—clear and beautiful like stars—made him momentarily dazed.
He quickly turned his head away.
"That demon is extremely hateful," he said. "Cruel and murderous, and especially good at disguising itself."
"In the hands of that demon, we've already lost one member of the Kakushi and one official swordsman. These days we've been tracking it continuously…"
"Then I hope we find it soon, so we can sever its head with a Nichirin Sword." Makomo clenched her fist slightly.
Furukawa Hiroshi couldn't help secretly glancing at the girl.
Her slender and graceful figure… her dark hair…
For a moment, a pleasant fragrance drifted through the air and reached his nose, sending a strange tingling sensation through his heart.
He hurriedly stood up and walked away to another spot.
Makomo looked up, confused by Hiroshi's sudden departure. She had wanted to ask more questions about the demon.
She wasn't sure if it was just an illusion under the moonlight, but she thought she saw the tips of his ears turn quite red.
...
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