The room was so quiet that even the fall of a needle would have been clearly audible.
For Soma, such silence was nothing new. During the long stretch of time since he had become a demon, he had grown accustomed to it—perhaps even dependent on it. Often, he would sit alone in quiet contemplation, his hand gently tracing the surface of his Nichirin Sword. If not for the responsibility of caring for Kanao, he might have remained like that for an entire day, unmoving, wrapped in stillness.
But for Kamado Kie, such prolonged silence was something far harder to endure—especially when it came paired with the oppressive presence of a demon.
At last, she cautiously lifted her head. Seeing that the demon paid her no particular attention, she gathered a sliver of courage and shifted her legs, which had long since gone numb from kneeling.
Her gaze drifted to the teapot set beside him. The tea inside must have gone cold by now. After a brief hesitation, she leaned forward, careful and deliberate, lifting the pot before retreating to pour a fresh cup of hot tea.
"Thank you."
Soma, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them slightly and spoke in a gentle tone.
The sudden sound startled her so much that her hands trembled, nearly causing her to drop the teapot.
Flustered, she steadied herself and set it down properly before stealing a cautious glance at him.
His expression was calm—soft, even. Nothing like the terrifying image she had once imagined.
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, a small breath of relief escaped her chest.
When she thought about it more carefully, aside from that first day when he had barged into their home with overwhelming force, he had not once harmed her family. On the contrary, everything about him since his arrival today had been… gentle. Almost impossibly so.
It was a gentleness that did not belong to a demon.
After pouring him another cup, Kie returned to her place, kneeling once more. From time to time, she couldn't help but glance at him in secret.
He sat there quietly, lifting the teacup to his lips, drinking in silence.
There was nothing monstrous about him.
That realization, fragile as it was, brought her a measure of ease. If this demon was not as fearsome as she had believed, perhaps… perhaps she could say something, if only to break the suffocating stillness.
And yet, facing him, her courage faltered.
"Lady Kie is truly diligent," Soma said suddenly, breaking the silence himself. "The house is kept so clean, and the children are well cared for."
"N-no, not at all…"
She lowered her head, caught between fear and embarrassment. Being praised by a demon felt… strange—strange in a way she could not put into words.
"Managing such a household on your own must be exhausting, no?"
As he spoke, Soma's gaze drifted toward the door. Outside, the world remained quiet, but he could sense their presence—Nezuko, Hanako, Takeo—lingering just beyond, watching, listening, wary of what he might do.
"It's not so tiring," Kie replied softly, her eyes lowered. "The children are all very obedient… very good…"
"That, too, is thanks to your guidance."
There was a note of quiet sincerity in his voice.
Kie felt her cheeks warm slightly, unsure how to respond.
As a housewife, she rarely stepped beyond the bounds of her home. Since her marriage, her days had revolved almost entirely around her children. In the remote mountains where they once lived, there had been few people to speak with; and even after moving here, they remained outsiders, unfamiliar with their neighbors and unable to form easy connections.
Conversation with others was rare for her—praise, rarer still.
And now, to be praised… by a demon of all things—
It was an experience unlike anything she had ever known.
Soma continued sipping his tea, occasionally bringing up small, casual topics. At first, Kie's responses were hesitant, her words stumbling over one another, but little by little, she found her footing. The conversation, tentative as it was, began to flow.
By the time the teapot had been emptied and refilled once more, the tension in her shoulders had eased. The fear had not vanished entirely, but it had softened, making room for something like cautious calm.
Only then did she dare to truly observe him.
He was tall—much taller than most people she had seen—and his features were strikingly handsome. Though he was a demon, there was nothing grotesque about his appearance. On the contrary, there was a quiet refinement to him that felt almost out of place.
For a fleeting, unguarded moment, a thought crossed her mind—
If he were not a demon…
Perhaps she would not have minded letting Nezuko stay by his side.
But he was a demon.
And the thought of a human life intertwined with such a being—of what such a future might become—was something she did not dare to imagine.
"By the way… have you eaten?"
After finishing another cup of tea, Soma cast a glance toward the hearth by the window. Some ingredients had been set aside there, though they were meager—coarse grains, with scarcely any accompanying dishes.
"P-Please forgive me, sir… I—I'll prepare something for you at once."
Mistaking his question for hunger, Kamado Kie felt her heart tighten with anxiety, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"It's alright," Soma said with a faint smile, shaking his head. "I've already eaten before coming."
Then, after a brief pause, he asked again, more gently, "What about you? Have you eaten?"
"We… we haven't yet."
Her gaze lowered, her voice soft and uncertain.
"In that case, you should begin preparing the meal," he said. "An adult can endure hunger for a time—but children shouldn't have to."
"That… that wouldn't be proper. It would be neglectful to you…"
"It's fine. Go on," he replied, as though the matter were already settled. Then, rummaging briefly through the things he had brought, he produced a cleaned chicken and held it out to her. "I seem to have brought this along. You can cook it for the children."
She hesitated, caught between disbelief and uncertainty.
"Go ahead," he urged again.
In the end, she accepted it with trembling hands. Her heart still beat unevenly in her chest, but seeing the calm, almost reassuring expression on his face, she gathered her resolve and moved to the hearth to begin preparing the meal.
The Kamado household, as it stood now, barely had what one might call a proper kitchen. Everything—from preparation to cooking—was done beside the open hearth, simple and unadorned.
Perhaps because the demon no longer seemed quite so terrifying, Kie soon called Nezuko in to help, letting her daughter sit nearby to assist—refilling tea, handing over utensils, offering quiet support.
Nezuko, for her part, seemed to have accepted the situation, or perhaps simply grown accustomed to it. The fear that had once gripped her had dulled into something quieter, more subdued. She knelt calmly at the side, moving only when needed—when a teacup emptied, she would rise silently to refill it, then return to her place.
Meanwhile, Soma remained seated, sipping his tea in unhurried silence. From time to time, his gaze drifted toward Nezuko, studying her with quiet curiosity.
After all, Nezuko was almost always seen in her demon form in the anime; seeing her as a human felt like an entirely different experience—though she was undeniably beautiful and cute either way.
Kie, busy preparing the meal, kept a close watch on them. When she saw that the demon showed no signs of aggression, she gradually lowered her guard and turned her attention back to the food, an unfamiliar thought slowly taking root in her mind…
Perhaps… this demon… was not so terrible after all.
—
After a long, exhausting day of work, Tanjiro made his way home, his steps heavy with fatigue. The small amount he had earned was barely enough to fill their stomachs, and the weight of it all pressed heavily on his mind.
Life here was harsher than it had ever been in the mountains.
No matter how hard he worked, no matter how much he pushed himself, carrying the burden of an entire household alone was no easy task. Each day passed in quiet struggle, and yet nothing seemed to improve.
If anything, things felt as though they were growing worse.
Even Nezuko had begun working at a nearby restaurant to help ease their hardship. But her beauty had drawn attention—unwanted attention—and whispers had begun to circulate through the town. Tanjiro had heard them. Every word.
They cut deeper than he cared to admit.
His sister was not yet married, and such rumors—careless, cruel—could stain her future in ways that could not easily be undone.
But what could he do?
In the end, all he could offer was effort. Endless, unrelenting effort.
He walked on, step after step, until the familiar outline of home came into view. Pausing briefly, he rubbed his face with both hands, forcing a smile onto his lips.
Life was hard—but he refused to let that hardship follow him through the door. Whatever burdens he carried, they had no place inside his home.
Just as he reached the entrance, Takeo came running toward him, breathless and pale, his expression stricken with fear.
The sight made Tanjiro's heart lurch. His eyes sharpened instantly, his body tensing as he hurried forward.
"Takeo? What's wrong? Why are you running like that?"
"B-big brother… a demon… that demon… the one from before—it's here. It came back to our house…"
For a moment, it felt as though something exploded inside his head.
The memory of that encounter—the sheer terror of it—had never truly left him. Even now, it lingered, vivid and suffocating.
"W-where is it now?"
Though panic surged within him, Tanjiro forced himself to remain steady in front of his younger brother.
"In… in the house. Mother is with it… and Sister…"
The color drained from Tanjiro's face.
Without another word, he broke into a run. At the entrance, his eyes caught the axe resting in the corner. He seized it without hesitation, gripping it tightly as he pushed forward.
His teeth clenched, his gaze hardened, and in one swift motion, he flung aside the thick straw curtain covering the doorway.
The moment he stepped inside,
the boy raised his axe and let out a fierce roar—
a cry to steel his heart, to summon the courage he would need to face the demon before him.
...
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