Kanao also seemed to realize that something was not quite right, as though she had interrupted something good for her uncle. So she turned and left.
Soma got up from the bed and put on his clothes. He wanted to go out and check on her, but when he saw Makomo hiding beneath the quilt, he hesitated.
After all… leaving at a time like this did not seem very good.
"You should move quickly to check on Kanao." Makomo's small head peeked out from beneath the bedding. Her delicate face was full of charm, and between her brows lingered a trace of lingering tenderness.
Soma was a little worried that Makomo was saying it on purpose, while in truth she was angry inside, so he still hesitated.
"Don't keep Kanao waiting too long." Makomo spoke again. Her fair arm, white as a fresh scallion, slipped out from beneath the quilt and pushed lightly against his thigh.
Soma looked into Makomo's eyes.
The girl did not avoid his gaze. Moreover, she seemed truly worried about Kanao, as though she genuinely wanted him to go and check on her.
Seeing that he still had not gone, Makomo seemed a little anxious. She directly sat up while wrapped in the quilt and pushed him again.
Soma glanced at her.
The young girl was full of youth and vitality, always enough to stir something in a person's heart.
"Hurry and go find Kanao."
Makomo pushed him with both hands. Although her current movements inevitably revealed a little too much and made her feel embarrassed, she still endured that shyness.
Besides, to Soma, it probably could not really be considered exposing herself.
Soma looked at her again, then finally stopped hesitating.
He simply pulled on an outer coat, closed the door behind him, and stepped outside.
Once the door shut, the cold night wind no longer blew in. The room temperature seemed to rise again.
But compared to the room that still held traces of Soma's presence, it now felt noticeably colder.
Makomo returned to the bed. Even the slightest movement made her body feel a little sore. She frowned lightly and endured the discomfort as she lay back down.
She pulled the blanket up and lay quietly, silently feeling the state of her body. The memory of their fingers intertwined, gazes locked, and finally becoming one still lingered vividly in her mind.
The room with only one person in it was especially quiet. She hoped Soma would come back soon. Her eyes kept drifting toward the door, but there was no sound.
The girl pressed her lips together, then puffed out her cheeks.
At this moment, she actually felt a small pang of regret for urging him to go find Kanao.
But not enough to truly regret it.
After all, she knew exactly what kind of place Kanao held in Soma's heart.
Besides, she didn't want to be the petty, jealous kind of woman.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable inside.
She tried to close her eyes and sleep, but the lingering sensations in her body kept her too energized. Her heartbeat was still fast, and she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anytime soon.
Left with no choice, she opened her eyes again.
Everything in the room felt unfamiliar. This wasn't her room. It was the first time she had ever stepped inside it. From now on, she would probably become a frequent visitor here… or even its mistress.
A strange, indescribable feeling rose in her chest.
Although it came late, Makomo was beginning to realize that her identity seemed to have changed.
She was no longer just the girl named Makomo from Mount Sagiri. She would soon be someone else.
Perhaps… people would even see her as Soma's wife.
The shift in identity wasn't hard to accept. It felt natural, almost inevitable.
And the moment she acknowledged this new identity, her thoughts inevitably turned to Soma's identity as a demon.
By now, she no longer cared that he was a demon. She had even accepted that he had once killed innocent swordsmen like Furukawa Hiroshi. She could accept all of it.
But that didn't mean others would feel the same way she did.
As her status changed, a new worry naturally surfaced in her heart: How would everyone else view Soma now that they knew he was a demon?
There were probably still many swordsmen who, like her in the past, couldn't understand him.
Would everyone's hatred toward demons be redirected onto Soma?
These thoughts rose naturally, and Makomo's heart could no longer stay calm.
She even felt indignant on his behalf. Why should he be treated differently just because he was a demon? At this moment, she had completely forgotten that she herself had once been one of those people.
...
Soma stepped out the door. The cold night wind blew against him, making him shrink back slightly. Winter nights were still quite cold.
However, with a demon's body, he quickly adapted.
Once he adjusted, he immediately began searching for Kanao.
He didn't see her in the courtyard. She had probably already left this area, but her footprints in the snow were still very clear.
Following the tracks, he soon arrived at the living room of another house.
A candle was lit, its flickering flame illuminating the room. The elegant girl sat alone on a chair, lost in thought, staring blankly into space.
Soma walked over.
Hearing the movement, Kanao turned her head. When she saw him, her eyes brightened for an instant, but then she deliberately looked away, pretending she hadn't seen him.
Even when Soma came right up to her, Kanao continued acting as if he didn't exist.
Soma didn't disturb her. He simply pulled over a stool and sat down beside her.
Kanao didn't keep up the act for long. After only a short while, she couldn't hold back anymore. Her small bare foot lightly kicked his ankle. The force wasn't strong.
Soma looked up at her.
"Why did you come over here instead of staying in the warm bed with Makomo?"
The girl muttered.
"You're not in a warm bed either."
Soma reached out and gently stroked Kanao's head.
She didn't pull away. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly in enjoyment as he petted her.
"You should go back quickly.Sister Makomo is probably still waiting for you."
She spoke in a low voice.
Soma didn't reply. He simply looked at her and could clearly see a trace of resentment in the girl's eyes.
As she grew older, Kanao had become more and more beautiful.
She also had more of her own thoughts, ideas, and even emotions.
For Kanao, the person who had opened the door to her once-closed heart was still only one man.
Although she was no longer the same withdrawn girl she used to be, her feelings toward her uncle had gradually changed along with her growth.
Of course, the place he occupied in her heart had never changed. He would always be first — even above herself.
Her feelings were still young and innocent.
Kanao didn't fully understand many of her own emotions, but she knew what her heart wanted. She probably hoped to have a closer relationship with Soma as well.
But later, Nezuko had become closer to him than she was.
She had quietly accepted that.
Now Makomo had appeared, and once again someone was even closer to him than she was.
It made her feel a little wronged inside.
However, the moment she saw her uncle come after her, that small bit of grievance instantly disappeared.
"Should I send you back to your room to rest first?" Soma asked softly.
"Mm." Kanao answered.
The two walked together in quiet understanding. The soft light of night fell across their shadows.
Just before they reached the door,
Kanao stopped. She raised her head, bit her lip lightly, and looked at her uncle.
"When will it be my turn?"
The girl's fair face was touched with vulnerability, and her pink-purple eyes trembled faintly beneath a thin mist of emotion.
At this moment, she looked lonely, earnest, and full of longing.