Soma had never considered himself the same as the other demons in this world.
That belief had existed deep within him from the very beginning.
It was true in the past.
It was true now.
And it would remain true in the future.
So Nezuko's worry that hunting demons might upset him was completely unnecessary.
Still, the fact that she even worried about something like that proved how much she cared about him. If someone truly did not care about another person, they would never bother thinking about their feelings or concerns in the first place.
And now, Soma could clearly feel Nezuko's affection toward him.
But someone like Nezuko would never love as purely and single-mindedly as Kanao did.
If one day she were forced to choose between what she believed was righteous and Soma himself, then kind-hearted Nezuko might not choose him in the end.
Kanao, however, would never hesitate.
That was the true difference between Kanao and Nezuko.
For some reason, the thought made Soma think of the word loyalty.
Incomplete loyalty was no different from absolute disloyalty.
…
Once Nezuko understood that Soma truly did not mind her hunting demons, she finally relaxed completely.
After that, excitement and nervousness quickly filled her heart instead.
She felt a little eager about her upcoming demon hunt, yet at the same time, she was afraid and lacking confidence.
Can I really do this well?
Will I be able to kill a demon cleanly and decisively?
Will my performance satisfy him?
One thought after another filled Nezuko's mind.
Soma, however, paid little attention to what she was thinking.
With a light push off the ground, he leaped upward and shot toward the top of a tall tree nearby.
Standing high above the forest, he looked into the distance.
Even in the pitch-black night, everything before his eyes remained perfectly clear. He could see unbelievably far.
Yet he still found no trace of another demon.
"Did you find one, sir?"
After Soma jumped back down from the tree, Nezuko asked nervously.
"No."
Soma shook his head.
Clearly, the demon from earlier had only appeared by coincidence.
"Looks like we'll have to lure one out instead."
Curiosity appeared on Nezuko's face.
"Give me your hand," Soma looked at her as he spoke.
Truthfully, he had always been curious about Nezuko.
In the original story, she was the first demon who had transformed yet managed to overcome a demon's instincts. She was completely different from all the others.
Hearing his words, Nezuko did not think much about it and obediently held out her hand.
Soma drew his blade and directly sliced across her wrist.
"Mm—!"
Nezuko let out a soft cry of pain instinctively.
Her beautiful eyes stared at Soma as a faint mist gathered within them, carrying a trace of grievance, as though she could not understand what she had done wrong to upset him.
"Human flesh and blood are extremely tempting to demons," Soma explained calmly. "Hungry demons can rarely resist that temptation. And if the person possesses rare blood, the attraction becomes even stronger."
Especially rare blood.
To demons, merely smelling its scent was enough to make them intoxicated.
As the wound opened, crimson blood dripped slowly onto the ground, and the scent of it spread through the air.
As a demon himself, Soma could immediately smell how unusually alluring it was.
Looking at Nezuko standing there with blood flowing from her wrist felt almost like staring at the most delicious feast imaginable. For a brief moment, an intense urge surged through him, making him want to devour her whole.
"So her blood really is different…"
Feeling the impulse rising within himself, Soma could not help sighing inwardly.
With his current constitution, he had long since overcome a demon's instincts, yet even he felt such a strong reaction.
If other demons smelled this scent, resisting the temptation would be almost impossible.
After waiting for a while without seeing any demons appear, Nezuko quietly asked,
"Will a demon really come after smelling the blood?"
"Just wait," Soma replied calmly.
A demon's sense of smell was usually extremely sharp. Once they caught such a scent, they would never willingly let it go.
…
The moonlight was dim, and a cool breeze drifted through the forest.
Soma, Kanao, and Nezuko—one demon and two humans—continued waiting quietly together.
From time to time, Nezuko looked into the distance. This was her first time hunting a demon, and her heart was filled with both nervousness and excitement. Her uninjured hand gripped the hilt of her Nichirin Sword tightly.
Not long afterward, Soma suddenly raised his head and looked toward the distance.
Nezuko immediately followed his gaze, but at first, she saw nothing at all. Confused, she was just about to ask him when she finally noticed a figure rapidly moving through the forest beneath the faint moonlight.
Rustle… rustle…
As the figure leaped through the trees, branches shook violently, creating loud crashing sounds in the darkness.
Using the moonlight, Nezuko finally saw the demon clearly.
Its skin was bluish-green, its face twisted and savage, with sharp teeth glinting coldly beneath the moonlight.
For a moment, the sight reminded her of the first time she had met Soma.
Back then, he had looked just as terrifying.
But after slowly getting to know him, she realized he was actually gentle and kind.
These demons, however, were clearly different.
"It's coming," Soma reminded her quietly from beside her.
Judging from its appearance, it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary demon. Nezuko had trained extremely hard during this period, and with her remarkable talent as a swordswoman, she was even beginning to catch up to Kanao little by little.
Dealing with a normal demon like this should not be difficult for her.
"Haa…"
Nezuko tightened her grip around the hilt of her blade.
She was nervous.
But also excited.
"Go on," Soma said once more.
"Mm!"
Nezuko nodded firmly.
With a quick step forward, she rushed to meet the demon head-on.
The demon immediately stopped moving and stared at Nezuko before shifting its gaze toward Soma and Kanao behind her. Naturally, it also noticed the irritating aura coming from the Nichirin Swords in their hands.
Clearly, these people were Demon Slayers.
The realization made the demon cautious.
Still, seeing that the other two had no intention of stepping forward while only a young girl approached alone, it quickly assumed these humans were not planning to use the Demon Slayer Corps' usual tactic of surrounding their prey.
Ordinary swordsmen were generally no match for demons.
But those Demon Slayers were shameless. Whenever they hunted demons, they almost never fought alone.
These so-called righteous protectors of humanity only knew how to bully their enemies with superior numbers.
Nezuko held her blade tightly as she stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"I am Nezuko. Please... please give me your guidance!"
The girl's sudden politeness left Soma momentarily stunned.
Come on, this is demon hunting, he thought helplessly. A fight to the death, not regular training.
Even Kanao widened her eyes slightly in surprise.
If it had been her, she would have already rushed forward and cut off the demon's head with a single strike. There was no way she would act like this.
Even the demon itself was dumbfounded by Nezuko's behavior.
Then it burst into loud laughter.
"How adorable," it sneered. "But I bet you taste delicious."
As it spoke, the demon unconsciously licked its lips.
The scent coming from the girl before it was unbelievably tempting. If it devoured her, its strength would definitely increase tremendously.
Still, before eating the cute little girl, it had to consider the other two people standing behind her.
No… wait.
One of them seemed to carry the scent of the same kind.
That immediately confused the demon.
Why was a human standing together with a demon?
And why weren't they attacking him?
At that moment, Nezuko also realized her earlier behavior had probably been inappropriate.
Embarrassment appeared on her delicate face as she bit down lightly on her lip. Tightening her grip on the sword hilt, she pushed off the ground and rapidly charged toward the demon.
Under the faint moonlight, the girl's hair fluttered behind her in the wind.
...
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