The sun was setting, the world immersed in darkness.
Soma carried Kanao Tsuyuri on his back as they walked out of the cave. Gentle moonlight fell over them, and he couldn't help raising his head to look at the beautiful full moon hanging in the dark night sky.
Kanao did the same, tilting her head up to look at the moon.
In the family she had been born into long ago, she had also looked up at the night sky many times and seen the same moon. Back then, she had felt nothing in particular.
But now, the moon somehow looked especially beautiful.
"Let's go, Uncle," Kanao said softly.
She lowered her gaze, leaned against Soma's back, and rested her head against his neck.
Her breathing carried a faint warmth and moisture, brushing against his ear and making it itch slightly.
"Alright," he replied.
He stepped forward and quickly headed in a certain direction.
With the powerful physical strength of a demon and extremely sharp night vision, Soma could move very quickly even across steep mountain terrain.
The scenery on both sides rushed past them.
In the darkness, Kanao's pink-purple eyes sparkled brightly.
"Uncle…" Kanao tapped his shoulder.
Soma stopped and turned his head to look at her.
"There's a flower over there."
Kanao pointed to a blossom growing on a piece of blue-gray stone. It was a flower she hadn't picked earlier during the day.
Although Soma felt it probably wasn't the Blue Spider Lily, he still walked over, picked it, and tasted it.
Just like the many flowers he had tried during the daylight hours, his body felt no special reaction.
Clearly, it wasn't the flower he was looking for.
"Is it the flower Uncle is looking for?" Kanao stared at him, her eyes filled with expectation.
"No," he said, shaking his head.
Hearing that answer, Kanao lowered her head a little, looking somewhat discouraged.
Seeing this, Soma reached out and lightly tapped her head, smiling gently.
"There's no rush."
"Mm," Kanao responded quietly.
...
The Nichirin sword flashed cleanly across the demon's neck.
The girl's slender figure landed lightly on the ground. Crimson blood dripped from the blade of the Nichirin sword she held. She breathed heavily, but behind her fox mask, her eyes shone with exhilaration.
"Incredible," said Hiroshi Furukawa, panting as well.
He looked at the demon's corpse lying on the ground with admiration.
Their group had searched for a long time before finally finding this demon. After a fierce battle, Makomo delivered the final strike, cutting off its neck and completely killing it.
As its head was severed, the demon's body began rapidly disintegrating, releasing a foul stench into the air.
"Was this the demon that devoured that family last night?" Makomo asked through gritted teeth. She looked at a small pellet drum hanging from the demon's waist—a child's toy. It reminded her of the tiny skeleton she had seen earlier that day.
This toy had belonged to a child, a child this monster had cruelly slaughtered.
"Yes. This should be the one responsible for yesterday's massacre." Hiroshi stepped on the disintegrating torso and picked up the small drum, nodding after a careful inspection.
"So... everyone's mission is complete then?" Makomo said, feeling a bit happy.
But soon she felt a hint of reluctance.
Fighting together with everyone and exterminating demons side by side had felt wonderful. Now that Furukawa had completed his demon-hunting mission, he would probably be leaving soon.
Furukawa looked at the demon's body slowly dissolving on the ground and shook his head slightly.
"It's good that we killed a demon… but this isn't the one we were originally hunting."
"It's not?" Makomo asked in confusion.
"Yes. Although I never saw that demon's face, I did see its back once. This one is clearly much bulkier. And it's nowhere near as cunning as that one."
As he spoke of that demon, Furukawa fell into thought. "I have a strange feeling… that demon was a bit unusual."
Under her fox mask, Makomo tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
"Ordinary demons can't resist the craving for human flesh. Eventually, they always emerge to attack people to satisfy their hunger. Once they commit murder, they leave a trail. By following those trails, we can always find and slay them."
Hiroshi Furukawa tightened his grip slightly on the hilt of his Nichirin sword. "But the demon we've been chasing—after tracking it for so long—we've never once seen it devour a human."
As he spoke, frustration appeared in Furukawa's eyes.
"At first, we were still able to follow some of the traces it left behind and roughly determine its direction. But as time passed, those traces became harder and harder to find. And since it never devoured humans or revealed its whereabouts, we've now completely lost its trail."
"It has never eaten humans?"
Under the fox mask, Makomo showed clear surprise. She knew very well that no demon could resist the urge to eat human flesh.
"Yes. It's hard to imagine," Furukawa said through clenched teeth.
"Or perhaps it did attack humans during this time, but we just never discovered it."
Then he shook his head again.
"According to information passed through the Kakushi, there have been no missing persons in the nearby areas, no unusual deaths, and no missing corpses either… So this demon likely hasn't attacked humans during this time."
"It's unimaginable that a demon could endure for so long."
At this point Furukawa bit his teeth, clearly unwilling to accept it. "This demon is obviously different from the demons I've encountered before."
Under her fox mask, Makomo tilted her head slightly in confusion. "If this demon truly never eats humans, wouldn't it be almost impossible for us to find it? We'd hardly ever know where it is."
"That's pretty much the case," Furukawa sighed.
"As long as these demons hide somewhere remote at night, who could possibly discover them?"
But he soon shook his head again. "Still… it's impossible. No demon can resist the craving for human flesh forever. There's no way one could never attack humans."
"Then… could a demon like that really exist in this world?" Makomo asked, her curiosity suddenly piqued.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible." Furukawa answered almost immediately, his tone extremely firm.
...
In a quiet little town.
Kanao Tsuyuri knocked on the door of a house.
Just like before, when the homeowner came to the door, the girl politely asked:
"Excuse me, is there a charcoal-selling family nearby with the surname 'Kamado'?"
Soma stood not far away, already accustomed to disappointment.
"Are you trying to buy charcoal? Their charcoal is indeed very good quality," the elderly woman asked in confusion.
Then she suddenly saw the man who had been standing some distance away appear right in front of her, startling her.
Soma walked closer, trying to steady his emotions. His voice unconsciously carried a hint of excitement.
"Where is the Kamado family located?"