When the Sun set,
night fell.
it was time for demons to roam.
At this hour, demons would emerge to seek food.
The demon who had hidden away all day stepped out of the cave, took the human girl's hand, and headed toward a distant town.
At night, hardly any lights shone in the remote town. Every household had its doors tightly shut.
Holding Kanao's hand, Su Mu entered the town and approached a house where a faint light still glimmered. Soon, they reached its tightly closed door.
In the past, if he wanted to question a homeowner at night, he would have had to break in and cause quite a commotion before getting what he wanted.
But now,
he looked at Kanao standing obediently beside him and gently patted her head.
Kanao let out a small breath, then trotted to the door, raised her little hand, and knocked softly.
As the knocking sounded, faint footsteps came from inside. The homeowner peered through a peephole and, seeing a delicate, pretty little girl, opened the door a crack.
"Whose little girl are you? What are you knocking for?"
The homeowner was an elderly man. Though still somewhat wary, he relaxed a little when he saw that she was a child.
"Grandpa, my uncle and I came to stay with relatives, but we can't find their home. We'd like to ask you about them."
Kanao spoke in a clear voice, just as her uncle had instructed.
The old man leaned out and saw Su Mu waiting a short distance away.
When the old man looked his way, Su Mu gave a slight nod.
But those scarlet eyes made the old man's grip on the door tighten a little. Only after looking back at the adorable girl did he hesitate and decide against closing it. "Tell me about them. Let's see if I know them."
"Their family name is Kamado, and they sell charcoal. The father is called Tanjuro Kamado. He has a son named Tanjiro Kamado and a daughter named Nezuko..."
Kanao immediately recited what her uncle had told her earlier.
The old man thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"There are a few families in town that sell charcoal, but none of them are called Kamado. I've never heard of anyone named Tanjuro Kamado in town, either..."
Hearing that he did not know them, Su Mu felt a little disappointed, though he had somewhat grown used to it. He beckoned to Kanao.
As her uncle had taught her, Kanao said politely, "I'm very sorry for disturbing you, Grandpa."
Then she trotted back to her uncle.
Su Mu reached out, took Kanao's hand, and prepared to head to the next place.
Watching the pair walk away into the late night, the old man hesitated before calling after them. "It's too dark outside at night, and dangerous, too. If you don't mind, you can rest at my house tonight. Tomorrow..."
"No need, but thank you very much."
Su Mu nodded slightly, then led Kanao into the deeper darkness.
"Walking around this late, without even worrying that something might happen."
The old man shook his head and closed his door and windows again.
As they walked through the night, Su Mu glanced at Kanao. Having her beside him made asking questions much easier. Even if one household refused, trying a couple more would usually work.
In the past, when he knocked on doors alone at night, he had never received such treatment. Often, he had to resort to force, inadvertently causing a huge commotion and wasting a great deal of time.
Now, however, traveling took up most of their time instead.
"On to the next place."
After leaving the town and making sure no one was around, Su Mu hoisted Kanao onto his back and picked up speed considerably.
"Uncle, did I ask properly just now?"
"You did very well. If I'd asked, they probably wouldn't even have opened the door."
"Did I help you, Uncle?"
"Yes."
"Then that's really wonderful."
The girl's delighted voice drifted faintly through the dark night.
Wild Wasteland Mountain
A campfire burned. A small pot hung from a simple wooden frame over it, and the aroma of food wafted out. In the flickering firelight, a girl wearing a short kimono patterned with plum blossoms crouched beside the pot.
"It's almost ready. Everyone will be able to have some piping-hot food in a moment."
Makomo lifted one edge of the lid, saw that the food was nearly ready, and spoke to the swordsmen gathered around the fire.
"Actually, we brought some dry rations. We could just chew on those."
One swordsman smiled. "There's really no need to go to all this trouble."
"That won't do. You need to eat well to have the strength to work."
Behind her fox mask, the girl shook her head. "As it happens, I also cook for Master and everyone on Mount Sagiri. Though I don't know whether my cooking will suit your tastes."
As she spoke, Makomo turned around, her lovely eyes looking at everyone from behind her mask. "But even if it doesn't taste good, you'll still have to eat it!"
"Ha! We'll definitely finish it all. Even if you made poison, Miss Makomo, we'd drink every last drop."
One swordsman cracked a joke.
"Don't worry. Why would I poison everyone?"
Once the food seemed ready, Makomo began serving everyone.
On that cold night, swallowing the piping-hot food made everyone feel warmer all over.
After serving everyone, Makomo packed the remaining food into a small box, then sat beside the campfire and began eating in small bites.
Hiroshi Furukawa sat down beside her with his food. "Thank goodness you were here to cook for us tonight, Miss Makomo. Otherwise, we'd all be chewing on cold, hard rations."
"It was nothing. It wasn't much trouble. Besides, everyone worked so hard all day. I came along without helping at all, so I'm just glad I could cook something for everyone and that you don't mind it."
"Why would we mind? Besides, your cooking is delicious, Miss Makomo."
Hiroshi Furukawa shook his head, his face full of admiration. But when he thought of the day's results, he sighed softly. "It's a shame we couldn't find that demon."
"Could you tell me more about that demon?"
Makomo tilted her head and looked at Hiroshi Furukawa beside her, curiosity in her eyes.
Her mask hid her face from Hiroshi Furukawa, but those eyes, as beautiful as stars, left him briefly dazed. He hurriedly turned away. "That
is an utterly vile demon, cruel and bloodthirsty, and particularly skilled at disguising itself. We've already lost one member of the Hidden Ones and one full-fledged swordsman to that demon. We've been tracking it all this time..."
"Then I really hope we find that demon soon and cut off its head with a Nichirin Blade."
Makomo tightened her fists slightly.
Hiroshi Furukawa could not help stealing another glance at the girl, at her slender, lovely figure and glossy black hair.
A faint, pleasant fragrance drifted through the air and brushed his nose, sending something like a tingling electric current through his heart. He hurriedly stood and walked elsewhere.
Makomo raised her head and watched Hiroshi Furukawa leave, somewhat puzzled. She had wanted to ask him a few more questions about the demon.
Perhaps it was her imagination, but in the faint moonlight, Makomo thought his ears looked a little red.