Makomo understood that today would probably mark a change in her life.
In truth,
she did not really understand much about any of this. Makomo had been an orphan since childhood, and no one had ever told her about such things. Later, she was taken in by Sakonji Urokodaki, but Urokodaki had always been unmarried and did not know much about these matters either.
Besides, as a man, Urokodaki could not possibly have discussed such things with Makomo.
There were girls on Mount Sagiri, but they were girls just like Makomo, and they did not understand these things either.
It was only after talking with Nezuko that Makomo came to understand many things too embarrassing to put into words.
Although everything was difficult to speak of, deep down, she still looked forward to it.
Perhaps she also hoped to make it up to Soma this way. She hoped to use herself to make up for the guilt of having distanced herself from him these past few days, and to make up for the pain he had suffered after becoming a demon.
More than that, she hoped her relationship with him could go one step further.
So,
when their fingers intertwined and they gazed at one another, Makomo looked at Soma before her.
For Makomo, the feeling in her aching body was not pleasant.
But her heart was satisfied.
The discomfort of her body was not good, yet as she looked at Soma before her,
at this moment,
she probably felt that she had become completely his.
Soma also saw the pain on Makomo's face. He saw the cold sweat suddenly forming on her forehead, and her pretty face had gone slightly pale.
"Are you all right?" He asked worriedly.
"Does this mean…"
Although the girl's delicate face was filled with pain, although the pain was far beyond what she had imagined, enough to twist her small face slightly and make mist gather thickly along her lashes,
Makomo smiled at this moment.
She smiled very happily.
"Does this mean I belong to Soma now?"
"…It means we are together." Soma spoke softly and began comforting her gently.
For a girl experiencing such a thing for the first time, the beginning was always difficult. Nezuko had been the same back then. But once she accepted it, perhaps it would bring a different feeling.
At least, after his relationship with Nezuko had changed back then, in the days that followed, Nezuko had always seemed to look forward to such things.
Of course, Nezuko belonged to the type who was eager despite lacking strength. Every time, she would struggle with all her might until her voice was hoarse, only to end up defeated and limp.
Makomo felt that although the pain at this moment was hard to endure, it was not unbearable. Compared with the injuries she had suffered during training and demon hunts in the past, today's pain was nothing at all.
Of course…
the two were not the same kind of thing.
Having already gone through this once before, Soma naturally did not want to make this girl who liked him suffer. He still restrained the impulse in his heart.
But Makomo did not really want him to restrain anything.
Perhaps after the initial discomfort passed, it was no longer so difficult to bear.
Makomo was probably going through that process now.
In fact,
she gradually began to like it.
So when everything ended,
Makomo challenged him again.
But the result
was not beautiful.
In the end, the girl suffered a crushing defeat.
After all, no matter what, Soma was a demon.
A demon had endless stamina and knew no fatigue.
Before such an overwhelming advantage, it was very difficult for a human to have any chance of victory.
...
When the cold wind suddenly blew in through the open door and extinguished the lamplight inside the room,
and when the faint moonlight slipped through the window, revealing the ambiguous atmosphere within,
Kanao, borrowing the dim moonlight, looked at the two people in the room. A complex scent filled her nose, and Makomo's startled cry reached her ears.
Kanao turned her head away.
Before she had opened the door, she had thought Makomo was causing trouble for her uncle. Only after entering did she realize it was Soma who was "bullying" Makomo.
Yet the very same Makomo who was being bullied had tears on her face, but she also looked strangely happy—almost joyful and satisfied.
Although Kanao had only caught a single glimpse, she still saw the seductive flush rising on Makomo's pale cheeks, faintly mixed with satisfaction and happiness.
She had never witnessed a scene like this before.
But somehow…
It did not feel entirely unfamiliar.
Ever since Nezuko had begun occupying her uncle's nights, Kanao had often seen that same change on Nezuko's face the following day.
...
At this moment, Kanao was not quite sure what she was feeling.
But there was probably some sense of loss.
Even some anger.
Perhaps even deep jealousy.
After all, at the very beginning, Kanao had been the one closest to her uncle.
Back then, there had only been her by his side.
She had also been the only person her uncle cared about most.
But gradually,
at some point, more and more people appeared around her uncle.
There were even people who began occupying the time that had once belonged only to her and her uncle.
For example, Nezuko.
All of this
had left Kanao confused and unable to accept it for a very long time.
However, because Kanao understood her uncle deeply, when she discovered that all of this seemed to be what he wanted and what he liked, she silently accepted everything.
She chose to let Nezuko occupy the nights that had originally belonged to her and her uncle.
...
The instant Kanao pushed open the door, Makomo felt an indescribable shame. In fact, when the door was pushed open, she was furious.
After all, if the person who had opened the door had been a man, that would have been something Makomo could not accept no matter what.
Fortunately, it was a girl.
Although she could accept that, she was still unbearably embarrassed.
However, after she saw clearly that the girl was Kanao, much of the anger in her heart vanished at once. Makomo knew Kanao's place in Soma's heart. There was probably no one who could compare to Kanao.
So in the end, facing such a situation,
Makomo only tightly shut her eyes.
As long as she closed her eyes, nothing had happened.
As long as she closed her eyes, there were only her and Soma in the room.
She looked exactly like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
...
The moment Soma realized the door had been pushed open, he was actually very annoyed.
But when he discovered it was Kanao, he became somewhat nervous, and there was even a strange feeling in his heart.
Yet when a person was caught in excitement, many times they could not stop.
Even a demon with a body far beyond human limits was the same.
...
The winter wind blew in through the open door, lowering the temperature of the warm room. When the cold wind struck the body, it made a person feel as though they had been jolted awake.
"Hah…"
After who knew how long, Soma finally stopped.
He looked at Makomo, who had her eyes closed and had somehow found a pillow to cover her face.
Soma slowly rose, draped clothing over himself, and got dressed.
In truth, Soma had never expected such an unexpected situation to happen tonight.
He had even deliberately sent Kanao back to her room.
Yet this accident had still happened.
To be honest,
it was not easy to face.
There was even
some awkwardness.