A Night Banquet with Demons

Han Zhiqi unscrewed a bottle of water and handed it to Nohime. Nohime happily took it and drank a couple of mouthfuls.

"There are two reasons why I don't want to join them. First, we're facing a life-or-death choice. If I don't join them, I won't have any intersection with them. Then, if a special situation arises, I can make a rational decision without being swayed by emotion. Second, our strengths are not equal. To put it bluntly, their strength is too weak. Being with them would only drag me down, and I won't entrust my life to others. The strong rely on themselves; only the weak rely on others."

"I understand this time. You don't trust them, and you think they're too weak. Am I right?"

Nohime said proudly, but her gaze fell on the meat and vegetable cakes beside her. She looked like she hadn't eaten enough, yet she had already eaten five meat and vegetable cakes in a short time, while Han Zhiqi hadn't even finished one.

They were both teenagers. Normally, Han Zhiqi could eat at most two. Who would have thought a girl could eat five and still not be full? Just how big was her appetite?

"Are you still not full? If you're not, eat as much as you can," Han Zhiqi pushed the bag closer to Nohime.

Nohime's eyes lit up first. She swallowed and looked at the meat and vegetable cakes on the ground, then looked up at Han Zhiqi. In the end, she suppressed her desire to eat and shook her head, "No... No, I'm full."

"There's no need to be shy. If you can still eat, please eat. These meat and vegetable cakes will only last until tomorrow. Once the fighting starts, they probably won't be edible anymore."

"Really?"

Han Zhiqi nodded.

"Then... alright, I won't stand on ceremony."

Nohime grabbed a meat and vegetable cake and continued eating, a blissful expression on her face. She devoured it as if she hadn't eaten in many days.

Han Zhiqi was dumbfounded. It seemed he had finally found out why she was so well-endowed.

"Why can you eat so much?" Han Zhiqi couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Nohime's mouth was full, and she was holding another meat and vegetable cake in her hands. Her leisurely gaze was fixed on the cake.

Looking at her like this, Han Zhiqi thought of a dog guarding its food. He wondered if she would pounce on him and bite him if he tried to snatch the cake from her hand right now.

"I'm not looking down on you. I'm just curious how a girl like you can eat so much at once?"

"It's okay, I know you're not looking down on me," Nohime mumbled, took a sip of water to wash down the meat and vegetable cake in her mouth, and changed her breathing before continuing, "I... I don't want to eat this much, but if I don't eat, I'll fall into a coma and won't be able to do anything."

Seeing Han Zhiqi's disbelieving expression, Nohime's expression turned serious.

"It's true, I'm not lying to you. This is related to our family's special physique. The women in our family have muscle density several times higher than normal people, and their strength is also several times higher. Even their breathing and body temperature are different from normal people. We can only maintain the energy our bodies need by consuming large amounts of food."

Indeed, during their brief interaction earlier, Han Zhiqi had noticed that Nohime's breathing rate was slightly faster than normal. At first, he thought it was due to practicing breathing techniques, but now it seemed to be related to the physique she mentioned.

"My muscle density is six times that of a normal person, and my sister's muscle density is eight times that of a normal person. To supply such a stro... strong body, our heart and lung organs are also more special than normal people's, so the women in our family don't... not only eat a lot, but also..."

Nohime shyly lowered her head to look at her proud chest, then gave Han Zhiqi a knowing look.

Han Zhiqi, being very intelligent, suddenly understood.

However, he was still quite surprised to hear that Nohime's muscle density was six times that of a normal person.

This was equivalent to a woman having the strength of six normal men. How much strength would that be? And her sister was even more amazing, with eight times the density. What did that even mean?

Why bother practicing breathing techniques when they were naturally gifted? No wonder she dared to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps assessment alone.

This was probably also the reason for her low self-esteem, sensitivity, and timidity. In the eyes of ordinary people, she was no different from a monster. Being ostracized and isolated was inevitable. It was no wonder she desperately wanted to fit in and be liked by others.

Poor girl, she didn't realize how special she was. She had no friends simply because she hadn't met like-minded people yet.

Han Zhiqi truly witnessed what it meant to be able to eat a lot. In a short time, there were very few meat and vegetable cakes left, and Nohime still seemed unsatisfied.

Nohime wiped her greasy hands and gave Han Zhiqi an apologetic smile.

"When I went out to work, they all disliked me for eating too much and didn't want me. When I stayed at home, I had nothing to do all day, and I was too embarrassed to eat my fill. I knew my sister worked for an organization called the Demon Slayer Corps, so I wanted to find her and see if she could find me a job. But when I got there, I was afraid to see her, afraid she would scold me. So I ran away from home secretly, and then... I came here to apply."

After listening to Nohime's story, Han Zhiqi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. At the same time, he found the girl both cute and pitiable. She was actually entering the Demon Slayer Corps assessment to find a job and eat her fill. He really didn't know what to say.

They say big breasts mean no brain; indeed, her thinking was beyond ordinary.

"You said your sister works for the Demon Slayer Corps. What's her name? I know a few people in the Demon Slayer Corps, maybe I can help you inquire."

Nohime quickly waved her hands, "No, no, I know my sister's address. I... I just don't dare to see her, not that I don't know where she lives."

Han Zhiqi nodded and didn't ask further.

The sky finally turned completely dark. The cold moonlight sprinkled on the treetops. The vast forest was deathly silent; not even a single bird, beast, or insect could be heard.

Everyone sensed the strangeness of the mountain.

Nohime finally began to get nervous. Her large eyes were fixed on the dark forest below, which seemed like an exit to hell.

She felt that something would surely rush out from there, and she could already hear rustling and the sound of branches breaking not far away. The dense sounds were getting closer and closer, like a surging tide carried by the wind.

Han Zhiqi patted her shoulder.

Nohime couldn't help but tremble and quickly turned to look at Han Zhiqi beside her.

"Are you scared?"

Nohime was stunned for a moment. She forced a weak smile and said with trembling lips, "A... a little, but I will definitely protect you."

Han Zhiqi raised his hand and lightly flicked her forehead. This action seemed to pull her back from her fear.

Han Zhiqi's handsome face was bathed in moonlight, making him seem unreal.

Nohime stared at him, somewhat entranced.

"There's another reason why I don't want to join them. Do you know what it is?"

"I don't know."

"More people means easier to be targeted!"

A scream lit up Mount Fujikasane, and the night feast with the demons began.