Nezuko walked out of Soma's room still wearing the bamboo gag, carrying the empty bowl and chopsticks in her hands.
She first went to the kitchen to wash the dishes from the porridge he had eaten. As she cleaned them, she unconsciously began humming softly to herself.
Ever since Kanao stopped staying in the sa room as Soma at night, Nezuko had been getting more and more chances to spend ti with him alone.
Tomorrow, I should simr the porridge for a few more minutes; that should achieve the exact texture Soma likes best, she thought. Seeing him finish every bite of the food she prepared gave her a profound sense of satisfaction.
Before she realized it, she had started genuinely loving cooking.
After finishing the dishes, Nezuko held the bamboo gag in her hands and examined it carefully.
It was made from smooth bamboo, cylindrical in shape with slightly narrowed ends. The design was simple and natural, with only red cords wrapped around both sides and no unnecessary decoration. Even the length fit the shape of her face perfectly.
After drying her hands, Nezuko gently stroked it over and over again, reluctant to put it down.
Her mood was unbelievably good.
It felt as though her entire heart was jumping with happiness, every corner of it filled with a swelling emotion that carried a sweet warmth she could barely describe.
She did not know how to explain what she was feeling right now.
She was excited.
Happy.
And deep inside, there was a kind of joy she had never experienced before.
Maybe this was what it ant to like soone.
The thought suddenly appeared in her mind, causing her heartbeat to skip again.
At first, she had truly been afraid of Soma. She had not even dared to get close to him.
But now, every single day, she found herself hoping their relationship would grow a little closer.
Back then, the thought of marrying Soma soday had seed terrifying.
But now—
She was actually beginning to look forward to that day.
"Nezuko…"
Tanjiro, who had just returned from training, called out when he saw his sister walking out of the kitchen.
Hearing his voice, Nezuko finally snapped out of her dazed happiness and looked up.
"Brother."
"What's that in your hand? It looks kind of like—"
Tanjiro's eyes fell onto the bamboo gag she was holding.
"I-It's nothing. Just a piece of bamboo."
Nezuko imdiately hid it behind her back before speaking in a low voice.
"I'm going back to my room to rest."
Without even waiting for Tanjiro to respond, she hurried away almost like she was fleeing, quickly running toward her room.
Watching his sister's retreating figure, Tanjiro could sll the strong happiness radiating from her emotions. She seed to be in an incredibly good mood.
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked toward the distant room that still had its light on.
His sister and Soma were becoming closer and closer.
Sotis, the concern Nezuko showed toward Soma even made Tanjiro feel a little jealous.
And a little lonely.
Still, it was only a faint feeling of disappointnt.
In truth, Tanjiro himself had gradually stopped being as wary of Soma as he once was.
Although Soma was a demon, aside from that identity, everything else about him was genuinely good.
Back when Tanjiro first learned how terrifying demons were from the Demon Slayer Corps, he had truly been worried.
But over ti, he realized that Soma was completely different.
At the very least, unlike the demons the Corps spoke about, Soma had never devoured humans.
Not once had Tanjiro ever seen him harm anyone.
And ever since Soma ca to the Kamado household, their lives had only continued improving.
Their mother.
His younger siblings.
Everyone smiled far more than before. They were no longer crushed beneath the constant pressure and hardship they once endured every day.
But at the sa ti, the deeper Tanjiro beca involved with the Demon Slayer Corps, and the more swordsn he t, the more clearly he could sll the hatred they carried toward demons.
That overwhelming hatred and resentnt made the worry in Tanjiro's heart grow stronger and stronger.
Tanjiro could clearly sll it—the hatred everyone held toward demons was real, burning fiercely within their hearts.
It was not only the boys and girls who had recently co to learn Breathing Styles. Even many veteran Demon Slayers who ca to pay respects to Urokodaki-sensei carried deep hatred toward demons. Tanjiro could sense it from every one of them, emotions raging like blazing fire.
And it was not just them.
Even Makomo, who was very close to Soma, still carried a cold and sharp hatred toward demons deep inside her heart.
Yet Soma continued living in a place surrounded by people who hated demons like him so intensely. The more Tanjiro thought about it, the more worried he beca.
If one day Soma's identity as a demon were exposed…
What kind of terrible scene would unfold then?
Tanjiro could almost imagine it already.
Once everyone discovered the truth, would they attack Soma?
And if they really tried to kill him… what was he supposed to do?
At that mont, Tanjiro's heart was filled with anxiety.
At the very least, he knew he could never simply stand by and watch everyone kill Soma.
Neither he, nor Nezuko, nor their mother, nor his younger brothers and sisters could bear to watch people raise their blades against him.
But if that day truly ca…
…
Back inside her room—
The room was not very large, but it was kept neat and tidy. Many small accessories and decorations sat on the little table beside the window, while in the center of the room rested a Nichirin Sword.
It was a newly forged sword.
She had heard that Soma personally asked Ubuyashiki Kiriya to have it specially crafted for her. On the day it was made, she had even chosen the Scarlet Crimson Ore herself.
Nezuko gently ran her fingers across the blade, watching as the sword gradually turned pitch black.
It was a very rare color, almost identical to the color of her brother's Nichirin Sword. According to what she had heard, such blades were extrely uncommon within the Demon Slayer Corps. At present, only she and Tanjiro possessed blades of this color.
The blade felt slightly cool beneath her fingertips.
Nezuko lightly tapped the sword and silently resolved that tomorrow she needed to train even harder.
Especially now, as she beca more aware of the hatred everyone held toward demons, she could not stop herself from fearing that soday people might direct those feelings toward Soma as well.
"If you're that worried about , then work harder in the future. Beco stronger, and then you can protect , right?"
Soma's words from earlier that night suddenly echoed in her mind.
Maybe he had only been joking.
But within Nezuko's heart, a firm determination quietly took root.
She needed to beco stronger.
At the very least, if that day ever truly arrived, she would never allow Soma to be treated like other demons and be beheaded without resistance.
Just as Soma had once said—
One should never place the power over life and death entirely in soone else's hands.
At that mont, Nezuko finally began to understand why Kanao trained so relentlessly every single day.
Perhaps, deep down, Kanao had always been afraid of that day arriving.
Perhaps she even viewed herself as a potential threat to Soma soday.
Countless thoughts filled Nezuko's mind.
She lightly shook her head, trying to clear them away, then set down her Nichirin Sword and climbed into bed.
Picking up the bamboo gag, she held it in front of her for a while, quietly looking at it beneath the faint moonlight shining through the window.
Then she gently bit down on it.
With the bamboo gag resting between her teeth, she vaguely felt as though traces of Soma's warmth still lingered upon it.
A faint blush slowly spread across the girl's cheeks.
...
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