"After all, I am a demon."
With a soft sigh, Soma slowly closed his eyes, as though waiting for Makomo to bring the blade down upon him.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Only the occasional crackle of wood burning in the hearth remained, along with the differing breaths of the two people in the room.
Soma's breathing was very calm.
Makomo's breathing, however, had become hurried and uneasy.
The girl held the blade in her hands, looking at the man before her, who had closed his eyes and seemed to be waiting for her to cut off his head.
At this moment, Makomo was completely lost, helpless and at a loss.
Even without Soma's explanation, Makomo could never truly be ruthless enough to cut off his head.
Let alone now…
after hearing everything Soma had just said.
"Kill me. You do not need to think so much. After all, no matter what, I did something Makomo cannot forgive. That truly was my mistake."
"These mistakes are something I cannot make up for, nor do I have any way to make up for them. Perhaps only death can completely end all of this. It can be considered my payment for the mistakes I once made."
He spoke in a low voice, raising his head on his own and exposing his neck, waiting for Makomo to bring down the blade.
Clatter.
The blade fell from Makomo's hand again.
Clearly, no matter what, Makomo could not bring herself to cut off his head.
In fact,
at this moment, an overwhelming sense of guilt rose within Makomo's heart.
She only felt that she…
had been far too cruel to Soma.
Why had she come to question him? Was becoming a demon really Soma's fault? All this time, it seemed she had never thought about what Soma had once suffered after becoming a demon, nor what he had endured.
She clearly knew that all demons in this world became bloodthirsty monsters the moment they turned into demons.
Only Soma had overcome everything.
Among so many demons, why was Soma the exception?
She had never considered that.
It seemed she was just like most people. She had only seen that Soma was extraordinary, but had never thought about what he might have experienced behind it. She had only seen the surface and never imagined what kind of despair he had faced after becoming a demon.
He had once been human.
Then he had become a monster who fed on his former kind, tormented at every moment by the urge and desire to devour those who had once been his own.
What kind of pain was that?
After becoming a demon, Soma probably had to suppress those thoughts every moment.
Not only did he have to face the instinctive desires of a demon, he also had to face the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen hunting him down without reason.
As a swordsman, Makomo knew how most swordsmen viewed demons. No one considered whether a demon ate humans. No one considered whether a demon might be different.
They only believed that if it was a demon, it should be killed.
Soma had suffered precisely that kind of unreasonable and brutal treatment.
What a desperate situation that must have been.
It was true that Hiroshi Furukawa was not wrong to hunt evil demons. It was true that Soma had cruelly killed Hiroshi Furukawa.
But the fault did not lie with Soma.
The root of that mistake clearly lay with Muzan Kibutsuji.
It was Muzan Kibutsuji who had caused the source of all this wrong.
So why had she been so heartless as to place that blame on Soma?
How could she do such a thing? How could she do something so cruel to Soma?
Especially now, seeing Soma look so disappointed and lonely, Makomo felt both guilty and heartbroken.
"I… I am sorry."
Almost all at once, she threw herself into Soma's arms and wrapped both hands tightly around the man's waist.
"I am sorry. I did not think that much. I did not mean to…"
At this moment, Makomo wanted to say many things.
But when the words reached her lips, she did not know what to say.
Right now, Makomo's heart was filled only with guilt, and with heartache for everything Soma had once suffered.
In fact, at this moment, she completely let go of the matter of Hiroshi Furukawa being killed by Soma.
She had also completely let go of the fact that Soma was a demon.
So what if he was a demon? Was being a demon Soma's fault?
The source of all this wrong clearly lay with Muzan Kibutsuji. So why should the blame be placed on Soma, forcing him to bear all of it?
Soma opened his eyes and looked at the girl who had thrown herself into his arms, constantly saying sorry. He reached out and gently placed his hand on her head.
The girl's hair was beautiful, soft and smooth, wonderful to the touch.
"What do you have to apologize for, Makomo?"
He lowered his head, his gaze gentle, and his voice was very soft. ""I have never blamed you. Not even a little. This is my own fault. You don't need to feel this way, and you certainly don't need to say sorry to me."
"No…"
Makomo hurriedly shook her head. "This is not your fault. Becoming a demon was never your choice. Killing Hiroshi Furukawa was not what you wanted either. All of this was Muzan Kibutsuji's fault. For you to have come this far, you have already endured too much. You have already surpassed so many people…"
The girl raised her eyes, her tone full of heartache. At this moment, those eyes were also filled with gentleness.
Right now, Makomo truly regretted what she had been thinking during these past few days.
Why had she suddenly become so pained and conflicted the moment she learned that Soma was a demon?
How could she begin blaming him simply because of his identity as a demon?
Just as Soma had said, if she stood on his side, how could she place the blame on him?
"I am sorry. I am so sorry. I should not have, after learning that you were a demon…"
Makomo spoke full of self-reproach, regret, and even pain. But before she could finish, Soma had already leaned down and lowered his head.
The girl's moist, softly gleaming lips, still in the middle of speaking, were suddenly sealed.
Makomo's eyes widened at once, and a vivid blush bloomed across her pretty face.
"You do not need to apologize to me."
It was only a gentle kiss. Soma quickly released her, then looked at Makomo and said warmly, "You don't have to say those things. What matters to me more than that is…"
As he spoke, his eyes gazed tenderly into Makomo's.
"I just hope you can be a little happier every day. That you can smile and enjoy each day, instead of carrying every problem in your heart and making yourself suffer and struggle like this…"
"Seeing you like this right now… it hurts me."
As he spoke, he reached out and gently held Makomo's chin.
"Look at you. How much weight have you lost in such a short time?"
Such simple, caring words made Makomo's eyes well up with tears.
To her, this kind of gentleness was far too devastating.
She even felt that she didn't deserve it at all.
Because just moments ago, she had been holding a blade.
And during these past few days, she had kept distancing herself from Soma, leaving him to endure the loneliness of being neglected by someone closest to him.
She did not even dare imagine how Soma had spent each night over these past days.
Had he sat quietly beside the hearth like this, watching the flickering flames as though nothing had happened?
But what about inside?
His heart must have hurt.
To be questioned by someone so close to him, to be pushed away by someone dearest to him, that feeling…
Makomo bit her lip hard, and tears welled up once again.
"Soma…"
Her voice was muffled, her cheek buried against Soma's chest. "Why didn't you scold me?"
"Why would I scold you?"
Soma's voice was still soft, carrying a faint smile.
"Because I… I've been so cold to you these days. I even…" Makomo's voice grew smaller and smaller.
"Mm."
Soma responded lightly, his hand still gently stroking her hair.
"And then?"
"And then… you should be angry with me!"
Makomo raised her head and looked at Soma through tear-blurred eyes. "You should question me, ask me why I treated you like that, why I would act this way just because you are a demon…"
"Not… not comfort me like this instead. Not tell me you are sorry…"
"Clearly, I was the one who did something wrong. Clearly, I was the one who hurt you…"
Soma lowered his head and looked at her. The faint glow of the hearth fire was reflected in those gentle eyes, as was Makomo's tear-streaked face.
"Makomo,"
he slowly spoke, his voice like a sigh, "do you think I would be angry because of these things?"
Makomo froze.
"I have been a demon for a very long time."
Soma's gaze moved away from her face and turned toward the flames dancing in the hearth. His voice became distant and calm.
"I have seen many, many things."
"Some people wanted to kill me simply because I was a demon. Every day, I had to endure a demon's craving for human flesh and blood…"
He paused.
"They hated me only because of my identity as a demon."
As he spoke, he lightly shrugged, carrying a hint of helplessness.
"I have long since grown used to those things."
His words were spoken very softly, yet they were like a blunt knife cutting again and again into Makomo's heart.
"No…"
Makomo wanted to say something, but Soma gently pressed her shoulder.
"So when I realized you had discovered what I am, yet you only chose to distance yourself from me… instead of looking at me with hatred like the other Demon Slayers, or trying to kill me…" Soma looked back at her.
"I was already content."
"At least, you were not afraid of me."
"At least, you did not treat me as an evil demon that had to be destroyed."
"At least, you were still willing to come back, willing to listen to me speak, willing to… face me."
"For a demon, that is already an immense luxury."
Makomo stared at him blankly, tears sliding down her face in silence.
She suddenly realized that all the conflict, pain, and struggle she had felt these past few days might not have amounted to much in Soma's eyes.
Because Soma had experienced things ten thousand times more painful than this.
He had gone from being human to becoming a terrifying demon, enduring bloodthirsty urges, enduring hatred from others for no reason, enduring suffering for no reason…
Yet he had still survived.
He still kept that gentle smile.
He was still willing to be kind to everyone.
How could she bear to treat such a person that way?
How could she?
"Soma…" Makomo reached up and gently touched his cheek. Her fingertips met his slightly cool skin. "Soma, I promise…"
"From now on, I won't do this again."
"I won't let you bear everything alone anymore."
"I will stay by your side."
"I want to stay by your side."
The fire crackled softly, its orange-red glow falling over them both.
Soma looked at Makomo's serious little face and fell silent for a moment. Then he suddenly smiled.
"All right."
He spoke softly, reaching out to lightly tap the tip of Makomo's nose. His tone became relaxed.
"But there is one condition."
"What condition?"
"Don't lose any more weight."
Soma said it gently.
A deeper mist gathered over Makomo's delicate lashes.
"Look at you. Your chin has become so thin."
Makomo stared blankly at him.
But Soma stood up at that moment and walked toward the kitchen.
"You probably have not eaten, have you? I will make you something."
Makomo silently watched the man's back.
"Soma!" Makomo called out to his departing figure.
"Mm?"
Soma turned back and looked at the girl.
"Put an extra chicken drumstick in the noodles!"
The girl smiled through her tears.
"All right."
Soma answered.
...
After Soma left,
Makomo sat back beside the hearth, hugged her knees, and watched the dancing flames. The corners of her lips curved upward without her noticing.
Outside the window, the night wind howled past, rustling the tree branches.
But inside the room, it was warm.
So warm.
As for Soma being a demon…
What was there to care about?