"Knowing I am a demon, would you still have helped me?"
Soma turned back, looking at the boy standing in the rain.
The boy froze.
He didn't know how to answer.
Would he help…?
The truth was, he didn't know. The being in front of him was a demon—cruel, terrifying, drenched in blood.
For a moment, he couldn't even find the words.
Soma said nothing more. He simply turned away, gripping his blade tightly as he walked toward the lone house ahead, step by step.
His pace was slow.
Rain soaked his hair, plastering it against his forehead. Droplets slid down his face, tracing past his eyes as those crimson irises narrowed slightly.
When he reached the door—
He kicked it open without hesitation.
Bang!
From the doorway, the room looked empty.
No one in sight.
Soma licked his lips. A faint sweetness lingered there—the metallic tang of blood—stirring something deep within him, making his flesh almost… tremble with hunger.
Hand tightening around the hilt, he stepped inside.
Slash—!
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a blade came tearing toward his neck, sharp and merciless, filled with killing intent.
The swordsman had already been alerted by the disturbance outside. He had hidden himself beside the door, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But Soma had been on guard from the very start.
Almost instinctively, he raised his blade to block.
Steel collided with steel, sparks bursting into the air.
It was a fully committed strike—powered, precise, and launched from an ambush. Even though Soma was prepared, the force still drove him a step back.
Seizing the opening, the swordsman closed in instantly, his blade flashing again toward Soma's neck.
Soma bent low, narrowly avoiding the strike. In the same motion, he swung upward in a counterattack—but the swordsman slipped aside with practiced agility.
Using that brief moment, Soma stepped fully into the room.
Out of the corner of his eye—
He saw her.
Kanao, bound tightly to the bed.
A flicker of joy flashed through his crimson eyes.
Slash—!
Taking advantage of that instant of distraction, the swordsman struck from behind, aiming once again for Soma's neck.
Soma didn't see it—but his body sensed the danger. He twisted aside at the last second. It was too slow.
The blade carved into his shoulder, slicing deep into the bone—nearly severing his entire arm in one clean stroke.
Pain surged through him, but he endured it. Spinning around, he retaliated with a slash of his own.
The swordsman had already withdrawn, evading the counter with a quick step back.
Soma said nothing.
He tightened his grip—and unleashed three consecutive strikes.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sound of steel clashing rang out, sharp enough to make one's ears ring.
All three strikes were blocked.
Without pause, Soma shifted his momentum, turning the heavy downward blows into a swift horizontal slash—fast, almost too fast to follow.
The swordsman raised his blade again to defend.
But under the relentless assault of the demon, his strength began to falter.
From the moment his ambush had failed, the gap between them had become clear. He had already fallen behind. That brief opening earlier—his only chance—had slipped through his fingers.
Now, he was completely overwhelmed.
And then—
Just a fraction of a second too slow.
The blade flashed.
A clean cut across the neck.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The swordsman's head fell, rolling across the ground and out the door, tumbling several times before coming to a stop in the rain.
Raindrops fell, one after another.
With a flash of lightning, Tanjiro—standing outside in the downpour—caught sight of the swordsman's lifeless face, his eyes wide open in death.
The boy froze.
Slowly, he turned his gaze toward the house—the shattered door, the darkness within. The demon had already gone deeper inside, out of sight.
And suddenly, he remembered what old Saburo had told him…
When night falls, demons appear.
They break into homes.
But now, the one who was supposed to slay demons and protect people—
Had died at a demon's hands.
The rain soaked through Tanjiro's clothes, the cold seeping into his bones. But what chilled him even more… was his heart.
Only now did he truly realize something.
He had brought the demon here.
He had led it straight to the swordsman's door.
And because of that—
The swordsman had died.
Which meant…
He himself was no different from an accomplice to murder.
The thought was unbearable.
How could he…?
Splash.
Footsteps landed in the pooled rainwater, sending droplets scattering.
Soma walked out from the house, Kanao slung across his back. The girl's arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her small head resting against his. She didn't seem to mind the sticky blood covering him at all—her delicate face even carried a faint smile.
As he passed by Tanjiro, Soma stopped.
Looking at the boy—who seemed unable to accept reality—he spoke in a low voice:
"If someone ever asks you to use your sense of smell to find me… don't help them."
Tanjiro, still dazed, looked up.
Those crimson eyes locked onto him again.
"You can help, if you want," Soma continued quietly. "But you'd better make sure you can kill me. Otherwise… pray your family's lives are hard enough to survive what comes next."
Tanjiro's body trembled. Under that gaze, he instinctively lowered his head.
Soma looked at him for a long moment, then turned and walked away with Kanao on his back.
After a few steps, he paused again.
He glanced back at the boy standing lost in the rain and added:
"Move away as soon as you can. A demon has already set its sights on your home. If you keep living there… it won't be long before one breaks down your door and kills your family."
This was his repayment.
A warning, in return for Tanjiro's help today.
Compared to the terror he had brought upon that family, this advice—if Tanjiro chose to heed it—might be enough to save their lives.
Tanjiro suddenly lifted his head, staring at the demon.
But Soma had already turned away, ready to leave.
Gritting his teeth, still afraid, Tanjiro clenched his fists and forced himself to speak:
"Why… why do you kill people? If you just wanted to take her, you didn't have to kill anyone!"
He pointed at Kanao on Soma's back.
It was obvious to him now—this demon had come here for her.
Soma had no intention of responding.
But seeing the anger on the boy's face, he paused… and after a brief silence, asked softly:
"What do you think I am?"
Tanjiro hesitated.
"I'm a demon." Soma answered for him.
"But—even if you're a demon—does that mean you can just take lives like this?" Tanjiro said, fists clenched tightly.
"And what about humans killing demons?" Soma asked, looking straight at him.
Tanjiro shook his head, trying to explain.
"That's because demons break into people's homes… they destroy families…"
"And if there's a demon who's never done any of that?" Soma cut in calmly. "Yet humans still hunt it down with blades… still end its life without hesitation?"
He looked at Tanjiro, as if waiting for an answer.
"…I…"
For a moment, Tanjiro had no words.
Soma said nothing more.
He gave the boy one last, long look—then turned and walked away, disappearing into the depths of the dark, rain-soaked night with Kanao on his back.
Humans only ever stand on their own side.
They don't care about a demon.
No one cares…
Whether it's good—
Or evil.
Because in the end—
He is a demon.