By the time they returned to Mount Sagiri, it was already quite late. Soma had assumed everyone would be asleep by now—but to his surprise, a single lamp was still lit, its glow steady in the darkness.
He gently pushed the door open.
A candle flickered softly inside. Its wavering light fell upon a girl dozing in a chair, her head dipping forward every so often. On the table beside her sat a cup of tea, still steaming faintly—freshly brewed, yet untouched, as if its owner had fallen asleep before she could take a sip.
The cold night air slipping in through the open door stirred the girl's long lashes, waking her.
Nezuko Kamado blinked awake.
"Why are you still sitting here? You've even fallen asleep," Soma asked gently.
A faint blush spread across Nezuko's small, delicate face. Of course, she couldn't admit that she had been waiting specifically for him to return.
Her mother had once told her that a good wife would do such things.
If a husband returned home after a long, exhausting day, his wife should be there to greet him first. That way, he would feel the warmth of home, and much of his fatigue would melt away.
She had tried to learn… but clearly, she hadn't done very well. She had ended up dozing off while waiting.
Facing Soma's question, Nezuko grew flustered, too embarrassed to say that she had been sitting there just for him.
So she lowered her head.
Under the flickering candlelight, her fair, delicate face carried a soft, youthful gentleness—an almost dizzying kind of quiet beauty.
"Go get some rest," Soma said softly when she didn't respond, averting his gaze as he turned and walked toward the kitchen.
"Phew…"
Only after he left did Nezuko let out a small sigh of relief. But almost immediately, she felt annoyed with herself for how timid she had just been. Seeing him head toward the kitchen, she quickly hurried after him.
The moment she stepped outside, she noticed another girl leaning against a pillar near the entrance.
The girl stood with her arms crossed over the hilt of her sword, held against her chest. As Nezuko emerged, a pair of beautiful pinkish-purple eyes slowly swept over her, observing her in silence.
The instant those eyes landed on her, Nezuko instinctively felt a wave of timidity rise within her. Her feet even shifted back a step without her realizing it.
But just as quickly, she gathered her courage and stepped forward again, lifting her gaze to meet those same striking eyes.
Unfortunately, the owner of those eyes had already tilted her head back to look up at the night sky, leaving Nezuko's hard-earned courage hanging in the air, unanswered.
Biting her lip in mild frustration, Nezuko caught sight of smoke rising from the kitchen chimney and immediately quickened her pace toward it.
Inside, she soon saw Soma already busy near the stove.
"Let me do it, sir," she said, stepping forward almost at once.
Soma didn't insist and simply moved aside. Nezuko quickly took over, skillfully adding firewood to the stove. The flames inside roared to life, growing stronger with each piece she fed into it.
Meanwhile, Soma picked up a ladle and began pouring water into the pot.
Watching him do this, Nezuko felt a pang of frustration at herself. She should have prepared the hot water as soon as he returned. That way, he wouldn't still have to busy himself heating water for a bath.
The thought made her quietly annoyed as she continued feeding the fire.
The flames burned brightly, and before long, steam began to rise vigorously. Soma scooped the hot water into a large wooden bucket, added some cold water, and after testing the temperature, lifted the bucket and headed outside.
Nezuko immediately followed.
Only then did she realize that Soma wasn't bringing the water back to his own room. Instead, he walked toward a separate small building not far away.
Before she even got close, a strong metallic scent—thick and unmistakably bloody—hit her nose.
"Don't come in," Soma said quietly, glancing back at her.
"…Alright," Nezuko replied, nodding obediently as she stopped at the doorway to wait.
She hadn't been standing there long before Soma came back out, his hands now empty.
Following him was Genya Shinazugawa, the one staying in that room, who stepped out to see him off.
Nezuko's eyes were drawn almost immediately to the blood-soaked clothes of Genya Shinazugawa. The sight made her instinctively step back, her body reacting before her mind could catch up.
"Let's go."
Soma's voice broke her daze as he looked at her.
Only then did Nezuko snap back to her senses, hurrying to follow behind him. Yet the image of Genya's clothes—nearly drenched entirely in blood—lingered vividly in her mind, making it all too easy to imagine the kind of brutal battle he must have gone through.
"Sir… did you take Genya out to hunt demons?" she asked softly from behind him.
"Mm." Soma nodded.
They returned to the kitchen, where Soma poured the heated water into another wooden tub and added some cold water. After testing the temperature, he called for Kanao Tsuyuri to head to the bath.
Kanao carried the bucket of hot water into the bathing room.
Soma, meanwhile, returned to the living quarters, found a set of clothes that fit her, and then stood waiting outside the bath.
Nezuko had followed him the entire time. Watching his thoughtful, attentive actions stirred something faintly sour in her chest. Unbidden, her thoughts drifted again to Kanao—how she seemed to follow Soma like a shadow, always by his side.
"…Did Kanao go with you tonight to hunt demons as well?" she couldn't help but ask.
Standing outside the bath with nothing much to do, Soma nodded in response.
"…Then… in the future, can I go with you too? Like Kanao does?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them. The moment she said it, a wave of nervousness washed over her, and her small hands instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes.
Soma looked at her with a hint of surprise. When he spoke, his tone had softened even more. "It's dangerous."
"I—I… I think I've already become pretty strong," Nezuko stammered, trying to gather her courage. "Even compared to Kanao, I—"
She had intended to say she could beat ten Kanaos. But the memory of being completely overwhelmed by Kanao every single time surfaced in her mind, and her confidence immediately crumbled.
"…I could probably beat… half a Kanao," she finished weakly. "That's still pretty strong, right?"
"Five."
A calm voice came from inside the bath—it was Kanao correcting her.
Of course, she didn't mean that Nezuko could defeat five Kanaos, but rather that she herself could defeat five Nezukos.
At least, for now.
Even so, Soma couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. He knew Kanao's strength very well—her natural talent was exceptional, and her diligence even more so. Her progress had always been rapid. For Nezuko to already be able to match one-fifth of Kanao's strength was, in truth, incredibly impressive.
After all, Nezuko had started training much later than Kanao.
"E-even if I can only match one-fifth of Kanao right now… I—I'll definitely become just as strong as her someday!"
Nezuko puffed her cheeks slightly, her voice carrying a trace of stubborn defiance—almost as if she were subtly competing with Kanao for Soma's attention.
But to Soma, although Nezuko was undeniably adorable and beautiful—arguably one of the most captivating girls in the Demon Slayer Corps—
Even so… she could not be compared to Kanao in his heart.
At that moment, the bath door cracked open slightly, and Kanao peeked her head out. Soma handed her the clothes he had prepared.
The girl reached out with her pale hand to take them, her pinkish-purple eyes briefly glancing at Nezuko before she closed the door again. Soon, the soft rustling of fabric being changed could be heard from within.
Not long after, the bath door opened once more.
Freshly washed, Kanao looked even more radiant than before. There was a subtle maturity now in her features, a quiet elegance beginning to bloom.
The moment she stepped out, she immediately threw herself into Soma's arms like a koala clinging to a tree.
Standing off to the side, Nezuko could clearly feel the deep bond and reliance between them.
"We'll talk about it later," Soma said, glancing back at Nezuko.
After Kanao slipped down from his arms, he took her hand and began walking back toward their room. Halfway there, he turned his head again.
"Nezuko, you should head back and rest too. It's very late."
Nezuko remained standing where she was, silently watching their figures as they walked away hand in hand, their closeness unmistakable.
For a moment, she simply stood there, lost in thought.
At some point, a cool breeze began to blow.
It brushed against her gently—
Cold.
And suddenly, a thought surfaced in her heart:
No matter how hard she tried… would she ever be able to match Kanao's place in his heart?
...
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