A ray of dawn pierced the clouds and shone through the window into the room. Before sunlight could fill the room, Su Mu had already crawled beneath the bed and hidden in the hole he had dug.
Kanao Tsuyuri climbed onto the bed as Uncle had instructed earlier.
The white bedding was soft and gave off a faint, fresh scent of soapberry.
Lying on such soft bedding felt unreal to Kanao Tsuyuri, who had only ever slept on prickly straw at home. She struggled to adjust to this sudden change, and an inexplicable fear stirred in her heart.
But remembering that Uncle was still nearby somehow put her at ease.
Drowsiness washed over her, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
Not far outside the town.
Several members of the Hidden Ones had begun tracking the demon before sunrise. Now, following its trail, they had arrived here.
At this point, the demon's footprints vanished completely.
"They're gone..."
They searched carefully for quite some time, confirming that the footprints ended here. Clearly, the demon had stopped running at high speed once it reached this spot. Its footsteps would no longer leave such deep impressions in the ground and would look no different from an ordinary person's, making further tracking impossible.
Unable to pursue the trail any farther, the Hidden Ones immediately sent word back.
Soon, Hiroshi Furukawa arrived. He stopped where the footprints vanished and listened to the Hidden Ones' report, looking up at the town ahead.
It was a large, bustling town. Dawn had only just broken, yet quite a few people were already at the gates, with travelers from all directions beginning to stream in and out.
"It hid in town. This makes things troublesome."
Hiroshi Furukawa furrowed his brow. The town was too busy. A demon disguising itself as a human and hiding there would be like a drop of water falling into a river, drawing no attention whatsoever.
"Can you find out who entered town last night?"
Hiroshi Furukawa questioned the member of the Hidden Ones beside him.
"That would be too difficult. Too many people enter town every day. There's no way to identify them all, let alone investigate them..."
The member of the Hidden Ones shook his head. Although the Demon Slayer Corps had its own sources of intelligence, only the authorities could obtain information like that. Even they would have to expend tremendous manpower and resources. Besides, the Demon Slayer Corps was not officially recognized.
"Boss, what do we do now?"
One of the swordsmen who had accompanied Hiroshi Furukawa sounded irritated.
Hiroshi Furukawa frowned slightly as well, but still said, "Those cruel demons can't hide their tracks completely. They're not human, after all, and they can't stand the light. There will be a way to find them."
"Damned, filthy demons."
The swordsman cursed. "Why can't they just stay put and let us cut their heads off with our Nichirin Blades?"
Hiroshi Furukawa raised his head and looked toward the bustling town ahead, then continued addressing the Hidden Ones. "Sorry for the continued trouble. Send more people to investigate this town, especially the sewers, basements, and anywhere else sunlight can't reach during the day."
"No problem."
The member of the Hidden Ones nodded.
"Also, starting today, keep a close watch for anyone going missing in town. If someone disappears, thoroughly search every dark place sunlight can't reach in the area where they vanished."
Hiroshi Furukawa rested his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade. "These demons-these man-eating demons-can't resist their craving for flesh and blood. Sooner or later, they'll show themselves."
"Understood."
The member of the Hidden Ones immediately withdrew.
Hiroshi Furukawa turned to his companions. "We'll stay in this town until we've slain this demon."
"No problem, boss."
One swordsman answered immediately, and the others nodded as well.
"Keep resting, everyone. Save your strength in case we find the demon and have to fight tonight."
When the sun hung high in the middle of the sky and daylight was at its brightest, Kanao Tsuyuri slowly woke after sleeping for half the day.
A clean room greeted her eyes. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, bathing everything in warmth.
She couldn't help reaching out her hand.
She could feel its warmth.
Before, she would have loved this warm sunlight. Now, though, she felt a little resentment toward it. She resented the sunlight because Uncle disliked it and even had to hide underground because of it.
Kanao Tsuyuri couldn't help lowering her head to peer beneath the bed. Under the wooden boards, Uncle lay in the darkness on the cold ground.
She wanted so much to go in and stay beside him. It might be cold inside, and the ground might be damp. There would be no soft bedding or comforting warmth like there was on the bed... but Uncle was in there.
"You're awake?"
A gentle voice came from beneath the boards.
"Mm."
Kanao Tsuyuri nodded, immediately jumped off the bed, and crawled beneath it, lying beside the boards that covered the hole.
"Are you hungry? If you are, go ask the innkeeper for some food."
"I'm not hungry."
Kanao Tsuyuri spoke softly.
Gurgle...
The moment she finished speaking, her stomach let out a quiet rumble.
"And you say you're not hungry. Your stomach's already growling."
Lying on the cold ground in the hole, Su Mu couldn't help chuckling. "Go ask the innkeeper's wife for something to eat. Remember to close the door when you leave."
"Okay."
Kanao Tsuyuri was obedient. Although she still wanted to stay there with Uncle, she crawled out from beneath the bed and headed outside.
Following Uncle's instructions, she closed the door, then went to the inn's counter.
Having been told beforehand, the innkeeper's wife knew Kanao Tsuyuri had come for food. She smiled and said, "Wait a moment, little girl. I'll fetch it from the kitchen."
Returning from the kitchen, the innkeeper's wife handed Kanao Tsuyuri a tray full of food and asked curiously, "Why didn't you have your grown-up come carry it?"
Kanao Tsuyuri raised her eyes slightly but said nothing. She simply turned and carried the tray back to the room, then shut the door.
The innkeeper's wife rubbed her nose and helplessly returned to the counter.
After shutting the door, Kanao Tsuyuri immediately crawled beneath the bed with the tray. The aroma of the food made her swallow involuntarily, but she did not eat.
"Go on and eat."
Su Mu, beneath the wooden boards,
noticed this and spoke with a smile.
"Uncle, will you eat too... please?"
Although Kanao Tsuyuri really wanted to eat the food, she did not touch it.
"I won't eat."
Su Mu shook his head.
"But you haven't eaten anything all this time, Uncle. You must feel awful."
Kanao Tsuyuri bit her lip lightly.
"This isn't my food. Eating it won't help."
In the pitch-black hole, Su Mu shook his head.
"Then what is your food, Uncle?"
This was yet another time Kanao Tsuyuri had asked that question, but Su Mu remained silent in the pitch-black hole.