"Could the Flower Hashira have done this?"
Hiroshi Furukawa studied the traces left at the scene and murmured to himself.
"I think it must have been the Flower Hashira. Ordinary people can't kill those damned demons, after all."
A swordsman beside him chuckled quietly.
"The only weapons that can kill demons are the Nichirin Blades specially made by our Demon Slayer Corps. Nobody outside the Corps has one."
Another swordsman added.
Everyone felt that their demon-hunting mission was over. There had been one more demon than expected, and they had thought another bloody battle awaited them. None of them had imagined it would be this easy.
Hiroshi Furukawa also thought the Flower Hashira had probably slain the demons while passing through, but after a moment's hesitation, he raised his fingers to his lips and whistled.
Not long after the whistle sounded, a Kasugai Crow came flapping over.
Hiroshi Furukawa found paper and a pen, wrote a letter describing the situation, and slipped it into the small metal tube tied to the Kasugai Crow's leg.
The Kasugai Crow flapped its wings and flew away, carrying the letter into the distance.
"We'll stay here for a few days. I've sent an inquiry to our superiors, so let's wait for their reply."
Watching the Kasugai Crow disappear, Hiroshi Furukawa addressed his companions.
"Boss, isn't that a bit unnecessary?"
One swordsman gave a wry smile.
"The demons are already dead. The mission's over."
Another swordsman complained as well.
"Boss, you're too cautious."
Yet another swordsman sighed helplessly.
Hiroshi Furukawa rested his hand on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade and looked at his companions. "When dealing with demons, you can never be too cautious."
Then he looked toward the bustling crowd in the distance. "If our carelessness lets a demon escape, who knows how many people it will devour, or how many happy lives it will destroy? We absolutely cannot allow that."
The other swordsmen sobered at his words.
Hiroshi Furukawa felt he had been a little too harsh. Deep down, he also believed the Flower Hashira had slain this demon while passing through. Yet, for no apparent reason, he recalled the Nichirin Blade lost a few days earlier when a member of their team had been killed by a demon. The blade still had not been recovered. The Hidden Ones said they had searched many places nearby without finding it. If a demon had picked it up, then perhaps...
At the mere thought of that possibility, Hiroshi Furukawa shook his head, feeling he was overthinking things. Why would a demon use a Nichirin Blade? Those blades contained "sunlight" capable of slaying demons, something all demons feared and hated. Countless swordsmen had been killed by demons over the years, yet not a single demon had ever picked up a Nichirin Blade.
The small inn, second floor.
Su Mu stood beside the window and opened it a crack, watching Hiroshi Furukawa and the other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen in the distance.
They had spent quite some time examining the spot where he had slain the demons. They even seemed to be arguing and had sent out a Kasugai Crow, which the Demon Slayer Corps used to communicate. His heart tightened slightly, and he wondered whether they had discovered traces of him.
But after releasing the Kasugai Crow, they headed back without showing any intention of searching the surrounding area. He breathed a small sigh of relief.
He had no desire to face this group of Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen right now.
Fortunately, it seemed he had escaped trouble. The Nichirin Blade he had used to slay the demons must have misled them.
He closed the gap in the window. In the pitch-black room, a pair of sparkling pinkish-purple eyes gazed at him through the darkness.
Kanao had been standing quietly beside him all along, watching him in silence.
"You weren't frightened today, were you?"
Su Mu reached out and ruffled Kanao's hair.
Kanao tilted her head and blinked, looking a little puzzled.
"As long as you weren't frightened."
Seeing her expression, Su Mu could not help smiling. With her emotions so closed off, Kanao was not easily delighted by interesting things around her, but neither was she frightened by the gruesome sight of demons dying.
He picked Kanao up, went downstairs, and returned to their room.
The room was pitch-black. Su Mu lit the oil lamp inside, and its light drove away the darkness, brightening the room.
Su Mu set Kanao down.
Even after he put her down, however, Kanao did not leave. She stayed obediently by his side.
"Go get some rest."
He patted Kanao's head and pointed toward the bed beside them.
Kanao obediently walked over to the bed and lay down on its soft bedding. She remained half-turned on her side, her pinkish-purple eyes quietly watching him.
"Go to sleep."
He said it again.
"Mm."
Kanao obediently closed her eyes.
Su Mu turned back and sat at the table, silently watching the burning oil lamp. Its flickering flame shone in his crimson eyes.
"Uncle..."
A faint voice reached him.
"Mm?"
Su Mu turned around. The girl lay on the bed with her eyes still closed, her fingers interlaced and her hands resting quietly over her lower abdomen.
"Uncle, why did that person say I was your food?"
The girl kept her eyes closed, but there seemed to be a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Su Mu did not know how to answer.
It was a question that was never going to be easy to answer.
"I can tell you're very hungry, Uncle."
Kanao spoke softly. "If you ate me as your food, Uncle, I would be happy too."
Su Mu stopped looking at Kanao and stared at the burning oil lamp on the table instead. In a calm voice, he said, "You will never be my food."
His voice was calm, but firm. If the day ever came when he could no longer suppress his desire to devour flesh and blood, there would be no reason for him to keep living.
At that moment, he inexplicably thought of the demon he had just slain.
A creature that forever needed to keep feeding, a creature that gradually forgot who it had once been, only realizing at the moment of death what it had done after becoming a demon.
He could sense the pain and sorrow that demon had felt as its memories of the past returned in its final moments.
If I couldn't remain my true self,
living
would be worse than dying.
"I really hope you won't have to go hungry, Uncle."
Kanao spoke softly, a trace of sadness in her voice. "Being hungry feels awful. I don't want you to go hungry, Uncle."
Su Mu turned back and looked at the girl lying on the bed, her eyes still obediently closed. His crimson gaze softened a little.
"It won't be long before I no longer have to endure this hunger."
He smiled gently. Once he found where Tanjiro Kamado lived and located the legendary Blue Spider Lily, he would be able to remedy the drawbacks of becoming a demon.
"That's... wonderful."
The girl was delighted, her voice full of longing. "I really hope that day comes soon."