"You have no choice. You have no other choice."
Soma patted Tanjuro Kamado on the shoulder and spoke softly. It sounded like he was talking to Tanjuro—but in truth, he was also talking to himself.
He was already a demon.
There was no turning back now. Whether he was a good demon or a bad one didn't matter. In the eyes of humans, a demon was still a demon.
Perhaps there were kindhearted people in this world who believed demons and humans could coexist.
But most people wouldn't think that way.
A demon… was simply a demon.
"Have another drink."
Soma poured another cup of sake and handed it over to Tanjuro.
"Alcohol is a wonderful thing. Once you drink it, you can forget a lot of things—at least for a little while."
Tanjuro took the cup and downed it in one gulp.
"Cough... cough..."
Maybe it was his illness acting up, or maybe the liquor went down the wrong way. Either way, Tanjuro suddenly began coughing violently. Perhaps some of the drink had splashed into his eyes, because they quickly filled with tears.
Soma returned to his seat by the campfire, sipping his own cup as he watched him.
"At least you can still drink," Soma said. "You can taste it. You can get drunk and forget things."
He paused for a moment.
"But me? I can't taste anything anymore. And no matter how much I drink… I can never get drunk."
"Are you really… not going to harm my family?"
After another sip, Tanjuro asked the same question again.
"I won't."
Soma answered calmly. When he saw Tanjuro about to ask again, he raised a hand to stop him.
"No matter what I say, you won't truly believe me. So why keep asking?"
"If I don't ask… I won't feel at ease."
Soma let out a faint breath. "And if you do ask, you won't feel at ease either."
Just then, Kanao brought over a large bowl filled to the brim with stewed chicken. Soma took it and silently ate a big bite. Even though it tasted like nothing to him, he still kept eating.
Seeing her uncle start eating, Kanao sat down beside him with her own small bowl and began nibbling quietly.
Tanjuro watched the scene in silence.
Then he suddenly grabbed the sake jug straight out of Soma's hand and began drinking from it directly. His tears mixed with the liquor as he swallowed it down, leaving only bitterness behind.
"…Maybe I should trust you."
After taking a long swig, he lowered the jug.
Soma looked up at him with an amused smile.
"Trusting a demon… that's pretty funny."
"Haha…"
Tanjuro burst out laughing.
"Like you said—what other choice do I have?" he replied. "What am I supposed to do, kill you? And even if I did… would that really protect my family?"
"It wouldn't."
Soma said it simply.
He opened his mouth and swallowed the chicken drumstick Kanao had just held up to him. Even though he couldn't taste a thing, seeing the girl's eyes curve into a crescent-shaped smile when he ate it made the moment feel… oddly satisfying.
"Exactly."
Tanjuro quietly watched the peaceful scene in front of him—a human and a demon sitting together like family.
It was nothing like the cruel demons described in the stories passed down through his family.
After another sip of chicken soup, Soma gently patted Kanao on the shoulder.
"Go and bring the person at the cave entrance inside to warm up by the fire. It's too cold out there."
"Mmm!"
Kanao immediately took another bite of the drumstick, stuffing her cheeks full before heading toward the cave entrance.
Sure enough, someone was standing outside.
A boy with dark crimson hair and red eyes. There was a very noticeable scar on his forehead. He looked bright and warm—someone who naturally put people at ease.
Tanjiro had just stopped walking when he saw the girl step out of the cave.
Growing up deep in the mountains, he rarely saw girls from outside—let alone one this beautiful and delicate. Tanjiro scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly a little embarrassed.
"Uncle says you should come inside."
Kanao only glanced at Tanjiro once before turning away without hesitation. Whenever she was even a step away from her uncle, she felt a lingering sense of unease.
"Your uncle is...?"
Tanjiro had wanted to ask something, but Kanao had already turned around. All he could see now was the girl's graceful back as she walked away, the butterfly hairpin in her black hair fluttering lightly as if it might take flight at any moment.
He scratched the back of his head, hesitated for a moment, and then followed her inside.
Once he entered the cave, the flickering firelight revealed the interior clearly. Tanjiro blinked in surprise.
The cave had been renovated remarkably well. It didn't look like a natural shelter at all—it felt more like someone had carefully turned it into a proper dwelling.
He had never expected something like this to exist so close to his home.
Before long, Tanjiro noticed his father sitting by the campfire.
Seeing his father drinking alcohol, Tanjiro's face immediately changed. Alarmed, he hurried forward, ready to stop him.
"Let your father drink," a voice said suddenly. "He's about to die anyway. After that, he won't be able to drink anymore."
The abrupt words froze Tanjiro mid-step.
Slowly, he turned around, his eyes already reddening.
"My father is fine… He's not going to die."
His voice trembled, almost breaking into tears.
"You already know the truth yourself, don't you?" Soma said calmly. "Why keep lying to yourself?"
He looked at the boy in front of him.
Just like the boy he remembered from the story.
But this Tanjiro was still far from the person he would become in the future. He lacked that steady weight, that unyielding resilience. Right now, he was just a green, inexperienced kid—emotional, unsteady.
"No… no… he won't die."
Tanjiro shook his head wildly.
Soma didn't argue further. Instead, he simply pointed at the campfire.
"Come warm yourself."
Even with tears in his eyes, Tanjiro walked over and sat down beside his father, watching him drink.
"Have a drink with your father," Soma said as he poured another cup and handed it to Tanjiro. "It might be the last chance you get."
Tanjiro accepted the cup blankly.
He stared down at the clear liquid inside it, then slowly looked up at his father, hoping—desperately hoping—to hear him say that none of this was real. That the illness would pass. That everything would be fine.
Tanjuro Kamado lifted his head.
His eyes had already grown dim, the life in them fading more with every passing moment.
His gaze fell on the Hanafuda earrings hanging from Tanjiro's ears—the symbol passed down to the head of their family.
Slowly, he raised his cup.
"Drink."
"Father… I… I've never had alcohol before," Tanjiro said quietly.
"Drink," Tanjuro replied softly. "It's alright. You're grown up now."
Tanjiro lifted the cup.
Before he even realized it, tears had already begun streaming down his face.
Tanjuro watched him silently.
There were so many things he wanted to say…
But what could he possibly say?
In the end, he simply lifted his own cup and drained it in one gulp.
Tanjiro had no choice but to do the same.
He tilted his head back and swallowed the drink.
"Cough! Cough!"
It was his first time drinking, and the moment the liquor went down, Tanjiro burst into a fit of coughing.
Tanjuro watched his son quietly as he struggled to catch his breath.
After a moment, he slowly reached out and gently patted Tanjiro on the shoulder.
"The road ahead…" he said softly, "…you'll have to walk it on your own."
The boy didn't dare lift his head. His body trembled.
Tanjuro turned to glance at the demon sitting by the fire. Then he lowered his gaze again to his son, still sitting there with his head bowed.
He could feel it clearly now—his life slipping away, growing weaker with every breath.
He sank back slightly, grabbed the sake jug, and took another deep swig. Then he filled his cup again and raised it toward the demon across the fire.
He drained it once more.
Then he laughed loudly.
"I've had my fill of sake…
…It's time to rest."
The dying man laughed and laughed, until his breathing slowly came to a stop.