Using a wooden ladle to scoop a spoonful of water into the wooden basin, after a round of washing, Komatsuse's true appearance was finally revealed: shoulder-length chestnut hair, lively and round brown eyes, and small delicate facial features.
"Phew~" Wiping the water droplets from her face with a cloth, she instantly felt much fresher.
Komatsuse secretly glanced at Yōsen, only to find that he hadn't even cast a look her way; he was just quietly washing his own hands.
Having come into contact with the cool well water, his well-defined, knuckled hands turned red, even his fingertips were pink. After washing away the grime, Yōsen picked up a cloth and unhurriedly wiped them dry.
Once dry, he drew the nichirin blade from his waist, dampened the cloth, and continued cleaning the blade. Although demon blood doesn't leave residue on a nichirin blade, Yōsen still felt it was somewhat dirty.
Feeling ignored, Komatsuse pout her cheeks trying to act cute.
But he just focusing intently on his sword, Carefully wiping and maintaining it.
After scrutinizing it carefully for a moment, he finally sheathed the sword and turned to look at Komatsuse.
Komatsuse, who had originally been anticipating some reaction from Yōsen upon seeing her current appearance, felt somewhat disappointed.
Even though they were just a stranger who had just meet...
She knew she should not expect anything happen in the first place...
But ask any woman, if they 'get saved by prince' could they hold themself from imagining further.
'Why did i keep think of him?'
'Could it be that I am in love!?'
Komatsuse's heart start to beat wildly when she reach this conclusion, and she keep sinking into her own fantasies...
Seeing Komatsuse lost in her own world, Yōsen didn't speak, just waited quietly.
'It's cold tonight'
After becoming a demon, his body temperature was terribly low, yet he could still feel the cold.
'Winter was coming.'
A vast expanse of whiteness suddenly appeared before Yōsen's eyes. Even his exhaled breath turned into white mist. The whole world seemed endless and white.
The biting cold made Yōsen shiver.
"What's going on?"
'How did I suddenly get here?'
'Where is this?'
Surveying his surroundings, there was nothing but tall pine trees covered in snow.
He wanted to leave this place, but he simply couldn't move.
His legs seemed rooted, unable to shift even half an inch.
The accumulated snow fell bit by bit, quickly submerging...
his thighs,
his waist and abdomen,
his neck,
his line of sight.
"Huh! How is there someone here? Please, hang in there!"
Finally, the snow buried him.
Once again, that boy's gentle voice reached his ears, only this time it was filled with worry.
...
His eyes snapped open.
Looking around, he was still in the small village.
'Was that really my memory?'
Before he could ponder what exactly had happened, an aged voice came from inside the house.
"Ko-Chan, time to eat!"
"And take Yōsen-san with you!"
It pulled both of them back from their thought.
Komatsuse, hurriedly ran into the house with a red face, feeling shame of herself for what she had just dream.
"Coming! Grandma!"
"Yōsen-san! Please make yourself at home!"
Yōsen also followed into the house.
The food on the table wasn't lavish, but it was enough for the three of them to eat their fill: a cabbage and tofu soup, a stir-fried wild vegetable dish, and finally, two flatbreads.
Looking at the food on the table, Komatsuse exclaimed in surprise, "Grandma, we're eating so well today? You even made flatbread!"
If she remembered and count correctly, the remaining flour was probably all used for this.
"We have a guest at home today, of course we must treat him well. Especially since he's our lifesaver!"
The old woman placed bowls and chopsticks on the table and urged, "Onjin-sama, It's a bit simple, please forgive us."
"It's... okay."
The old woman enthusiastically ladled a bowl of cabbage and tofu soup for him.
He took it, drank a mouthful. It was a bit bland, not particularly delicious, but drank it all.
"How does it taste?"
"It's good."
"Good, good!"
With that, the old woman placed a flatbread in Yōsen's bowl. It was big, about the size of a palm.
Yōsen, who received a whole one, looked at the table where only one flatbread remained, and that one was placed in Komatsuse's bowl.
"Grandma, aren't you going to eat?"
"This is enough for me. You two eat more, you're still growing!"
"That won't do!" Hearing she saying that, Komatsuse quickly reply and broke off half of her flatbread and offered it to her grandma.
Her grandmother finally accepted it, unable to refuse, knowing Komatsu stubbornness...
"I don't really need... this much, half... is enough."
Yōsen tore off half and placed the rest back.
"Alright then, I'll keep it for you two to eat later if you get hungry."
Yōsen nodded, lowered his head, and took a bite of it.
A strangely familiar taste, yet he couldn't quite place it.
"..."
After the meal, He helped clear the dishes.
"I'm really sorry Yōsen-san, you're a guest, yet we're having you help."
"It's fine."
"Just put it here, I'll wash them." Komatsuse pushed Yōsen out of the kitchen.
As for her old grandma, because of the day's emotional ups and downs and the late hour, she was urged to rest first.
Yōsen walked outside and examined the house.
During dinner, he had noticed some holes in the ceiling. Intending to fixing it.
Finding the right spot,he leaped up high, landing on the roof...
Unsurprisingly Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped on it, his foot went straight through.
He fell straight down from the roof into the room, ending up face to face with Komatsuse, who was washing dishes.
"..."
She looked at the large hole in the roof, then at the Yōsen who covered in thatch, momentarily speechless.
"...Sorry."
"It's okay, it's okay! The roof was already broken, we just hadn't repaired it. It's not really your fault Yōsen-san."
Komatsuse waved her hands. Looking at Yōsen's somewhat disheveled appearance, she redirect the topic instead.
"How about... You clean up first, Yōsen-san?"
"I only have... this one set of clothes."
Komatsuse thought for a moment, then clapped her hands.
"That's right, I still have my father's clothes. Let me go get them and see if they fit you."
Yōsen stood still in silence gazing at the large hole in the ceiling (ᵕ•_•), wondering why he even trying to jump on it in the first place.
"Found it!"
A large, loose-fitting garment was retrieved from a chest. There weren't many keepsakes left by her parents; basically, all were carefully preserved by her grandmother.
When she was 8 years old, her parents said they were going up the mountain to scout for mushrooms to sell for money, but they never returned.
Villagers also organized themself to search the mountain, but they found nothing.
Overnight.
She lost both parents, and grief from losing 2 out of only 3 family was slowly wear down her grandma already old body
'Demon...'
'Maybe they was the one who kill mom and dad...'
'Fortunately, Yōsen-san saved me.'
She did want see her parents, but not that way, and she definitely don't want to leave her grandma alone...
Tears slowly welling up on her already red eyes.
'So many years had passed...'
Grandma often said she was a strong, sensible child.
But she knew she wasn't like that.
She wanted to act spoiled in her parents' embrace, to not have to struggle just to life, to have parents to rely on.
The faces of her parents had already blurred.
Only their loving voices—She would never forget.
'A-Se~'
'Mom and Dad will always love you.'