Running.
Running at full speed...
His feet struck the ground and sprang up again. With each dull thud, his figure shot farther ahead. The silent night held only the sound of footsteps and the trees streaming past him.
As he ran, Su Mu kept glancing back. Although he sensed no one pursuing him, he did not dare stop for even a moment.
He had never expected to encounter the Demon Slayer Corps. He had not been prepared at all.
He knew full well that if the Demon Slayer Corps caught him, all that awaited him was a Nichirin Blade swung without hesitation, and the end of his life.
Although he had become a demon, Su Mu still did not want to die.
As for explaining to those Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen that he was different from other demons? Telling them he had never eaten anyone and asking them to spare him?
He had never entertained such a thought, such a naive notion.
For the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, who harbored a deep hatred of demons, nothing he said would matter. They would simply raise their Nichirin Blades and cut off his head without hesitation.
Even if he met a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman willing to hear him out, they would not believe him. No one would believe that a demon did not eat people.
Besides, he would never entrust his life to someone else. That was utterly ridiculous.
The only person he could trust was himself.
Only with his life in his own hands could he feel at ease.
He did not know how long he had been running.
The way ahead was no longer pitch-black. In the distance, he could see a sprawling stretch of lights. Before he knew it, he had reached a city. Unlike the nighttime silence of the wilderness and small towns, the city was still bustling after dark.
Su Mu stopped and looked back warily. He found no sign of any demon slayers tracking him down.
"Did they not notice me?"
Su Mu murmured.
That was entirely possible. The moment he heard the distant voice of the demon who had once hidden in the cave with him, he had turned and run without hesitation. He had never even come face-to-face with the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, so there was a very good chance they had not noticed him.
"No, I mustn't think that way."
Yet the instant that thought arose, Su Mu forcibly suppressed it. His life was at stake. He could not afford any carelessness.
He could not count on luck.
"If they did find my trail, they'll eventually follow me here. Where should I hide...?"
He pondered this, then finally turned his gaze toward the bustling city ahead.
People hurried to and fro through the lively streets. A demon slipping into such a busy, prosperous place would not cause so much as a ripple.
Hiding in a large city was a very good choice, too.
Besides, he knew that quite a few demons hid in prosperous cities. The busier a place was, the easier it was to conceal oneself. If he remembered correctly, Gyutaro and Daki of the Twelve Kizuki were hiding in some city's Entertainment District, a part of town that never slept.
And the Hiko Dojo was in this city, which would also make practicing Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu more convenient.
As he thought, he surveyed his surroundings. Only after confirming that no one from the Demon Slayer Corps had followed him did he relax a little.
It was only then that he remembered he was still carrying someone on his back, and he hurriedly looked over his shoulder.
Kanao Tsuyuri's little face had gone deathly pale. Clearly, the little girl's frail body could not yet withstand the speed of his all-out sprint.
After all, with a demon's body, he could run as fast as a galloping horse. The journey had certainly been bumpy enough.
He hurriedly set Kanao Tsuyuri down and gently patted her back.
"Are you all right?"
He asked with concern.
Kanao Tsuyuri shook her head.
Even so, he stayed there for a while. Once some color had returned to her face, he straightened both their clothes before saying softly, "Let's go."
The girl nodded.
Su Mu took Kanao Tsuyuri's hand and headed toward the city, walking slowly for her sake.
Before long, they entered the city.
Even at night, the city was thriving. Lanterns hung outside the roadside shops, lighting up the surroundings.
At the entrance to the Kabuki District, lavishly dressed geisha held white fans over half their faces, the exposed halves wearing bashful expressions. As customers arrived, they laughed and slipped their arms around the geisha's slender waists, heading inside amid the women's startled cries.
Stalls lined both sides of the street, their vendors calling loudly to the passing customers.
For Kanao Tsuyuri, who spent most of her time at home and only went out at night to scavenge through rubbish, this was her first visit to a city.
Her first glimpse of its splendor.
In the little town Kanao Tsuyuri knew, the streets were deserted at night, with barely a soul in sight. Yet this place was livelier than her town was even during the day.
Countless times livelier.
Every so often, she spotted strange things of all kinds that she had never seen before.
And so many foods she had never seen.
The girl's eyes were wide, as though she wanted to etch everything into her memory.
As he walked, Su Mu watched his surroundings, staying extra alert. Only after confirming that no one had followed them did he turn his attention to Kanao Tsuyuri. The sight of her wide eyes, in particular, amused him a little.
As they passed a street stall, Su Mu stopped and said softly to Kanao Tsuyuri:
"Wait here for a moment."
Su Mu suddenly left, leaving her all alone. Although everything around her was bustling, Kanao Tsuyuri's heart abruptly felt hollow, and a deep panic began to spread within her.
He did not keep Kanao Tsuyuri waiting long. A short while later, Su Mu returned.
"I bought you a hairpin."
It was a blue hairpin with a butterfly design.
Smiling, Su Mu gently placed the Butterfly Hairpin on Kanao Tsuyuri's head and clipped it into her hair.
"You're getting prettier and prettier, and looking more and more like her."
With the Butterfly Hairpin in her hair, Kanao Tsuyuri looked like a character who had stepped straight out of the anime.
Kanao Tsuyuri dazedly reached up and touched her head, finding the Butterfly Hairpin in her hair. Her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes blinked slightly. This was the first time she had worn anything like it. Though the hairpin was cool to the touch, touching it somehow filled her with warmth.
Su Mu looked Kanao Tsuyuri up and down briefly, then took her hand and continued forward. He only noticed that her grip on his hand seemed to have tightened a little more.
He could not help looking down at Kanao Tsuyuri. Just then, she raised her head, her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes fixed on him, bright and sparkling as though they had lit up.
He paused, then shook his head and continued walking.
Before long, they reached the entrance to the Hiko Dojo.
Holding Kanao Tsuyuri's hand, Su Mu went inside. As they passed the dojo's spacious training ground, he saw a man standing quietly with a sword in his hand.
The man wore a red kimono, with reddish-brown hair tied into a ponytail. He was rather short and looked delicate. With his somewhat cute face, he seemed more like a girl.
But...
For some inexplicable reason... an intense sense of danger made Su Mu's hair stand on end.
Su Mu could not help stopping to look at him.
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