Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

Neither the parents who sold the child nor Akiyama Ichiro, who bought slaves, cared about the girl's feelings. The girl carried the bucket into the house and did not continue working as usual.

In the past, when her father was alive, she had to work non-stop, otherwise she would inevitably be beaten by him.

But this time, she just stood there blankly at the door, shrinking into the corner.

The man, reeking of alcohol, instinctively raised his fist at his lazy daughter, but just as he was about to strike, he remembered that he had already sold her. If he hurt her, he would have a hard time explaining it to the buyer. In the end, he could only lower his fist and sneer, "Don't run around. If I find you running around, I'll beat you to death."

The girl just huddled in the corner by the door, seemingly oblivious to her father's words.

The man, reeking of alcohol, didn't care. He had just made a lot of money selling his daughter and was going to gamble it out at the casino. He felt that his luck was absolutely good and he was sure to win a lot of money.

The girl quietly huddled in the corner by the door, looking up at the sky. Her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes were devoid of any color, and she seemed like a soulless puppet. Only as the sun gradually set did her lifeless eyes begin to brighten slightly.

Clear, powerful footsteps came from afar.

"Little girl, have you seen anyone wearing the same clothes as us recently?"

A man passing by, dressed in tight black clothes, stopped, knelt down in front of the girl, and asked her in a gentle tone.

The girl's eyes were blank and devoid of any color.

Seeing the girl's thin and pitiful appearance, as if she hadn't eaten properly in a long time, Hiroshi Furukawa sighed, took out some change from his pocket, and handed it to the girl.

Seeing that the girl remained unmoved, 'Hiroshi Furukawa' still gave her some advice:

"Remember to go inside when the sun goes down, because it can be dangerous outside after dark."

After saying that, Hiroshi Furukawa shook his head and left.

The girl remained quietly huddled in the corner, her lifeless, empty eyes gradually brightening as the sky grew darker.

For girls, there is no sense of danger outside at night.

Chapter 17: No Feeling of Sadness

As the sun sets, it is time for demons to appear.

Every household had their doors tightly shut. In the pitch-black night, almost no one would go out, especially since there had been frequent rumors lately about evil spirits 'devouring people'.

The night breeze was slightly cool. The girl, dressed in thin clothes and huddled in the corner in front of the door, unconsciously looked up. A waning moon had risen at some point, bringing a soft light to the dark night.

The girl's empty pinkish-purple eyes lit up slightly at this moment, and a hint of expectation seemed to be hidden deep in her pupils.

Taro Town was quiet at night, with almost no one on the road. The little girl stood up, stood on tiptoe, and looked into the distance.

Time passed second by second, and the road remained deserted. The light in the girl's eyes gradually dimmed with the passage of time.

Until, at the end of the street, a dark figure gradually emerged in the faint moonlight.

The girl's empty, lifeless eyes gradually brightened, and she almost ran towards the figure.

Soon, a figure who looked travel-worn appeared.

"Sorry I'm a little late."

Looking at the girl with expectant eyes, Su Mu smiled, then squatted down, gently picked her up, and the two figures quickly disappeared from the spot.

…………

In the secluded and desolate courtyard, Su Mu carried the girl into the house.

"Please wait a moment."

Su Mu put the girl down, spoke gently, and then found the food, cooking utensils, and bowls and chopsticks that he had hidden in the house.

Take out the flint and light the flame. Soon the campfire is burning. Add rice and water to the small pot and place it on the campfire to heat it.

"I'll cook some rice first, then I'll stir-fry some vegetables for you."

He turned around and spoke to the girl who was standing quietly to the side, then went about his own business. Over the past few days, he had a general idea of ​​the girl's personality; she was a somewhat naive, quiet, and well-behaved girl.

The girl stood obediently to the side, her pinkish-purple eyes sparkling as she watched the man's busy figure.

Su Mu picked up a knife and neatly chopped the ingredients. He then picked up another small pot, poured in oil, and heated the pot over the campfire.

When the oil is about 70% hot, add the prepared ingredients.

Sizzle...

Oil splattered everywhere, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

The girl stood quietly to the side, watching the man holding a small pot in one hand and a spoon in the other.

The campfire burned, its flames flickering.

Beneath the warm red flames, the man was busy at work. Apart from that, the entire secluded and desolate courtyard was very quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of pots and pans and the crackling of firewood burning.

It felt as if I had arrived at the riverbank on a summer night, where everything was quiet and peaceful, with the faint glow of fireflies and the soft moonlight gently falling on me.

The gentle murmur of the stream as it rippled over the pebbles filled the air.

Some skinny girls watched this scene quietly, their beautiful pinkish-purple eyes gleaming as they looked at the busy man.

"Don't worry, it will be over soon."

The man's voice came like a gentle breeze, lightly brushing against her cheek and landing on the girl's long eyelashes. Unconsciously, her eyelashes seemed to be stained with the mist of the night.

The dishes were cooked quickly.

"Once the rice is cooked, we can start eating."

As Su Mu placed the stir-fried dishes on a small plate, he turned around and said to the girl with a smile.

The girl looked up at the man, her mouth slightly open, wanting to say something, but no words came out. In the past, she seemed to have gradually lost the ability to express her feelings. She no longer knew how to convey words of gratitude or praise.

Su Mu was already used to the girl's dazed look and didn't pay any attention to it. Instead, he turned to look at the pot of rice being cooked.

Actually, he already regretted saying that he would bring her some food every night. The reason he said that was only out of pity for the girl. Besides, he didn't have anything to do every night, so bringing some food for the little girl was just a convenient thing to do.

But now, he is very busy every night. If he wants to make something for the other person to eat, he has to travel back and forth to many places. Even though he doesn't feel tired in the body of a demon, it takes a lot of time.

But whenever he thought of giving up, he couldn't help but think of the girl's thin and delicate body, looking into her bright eyes, and the subtle dependence she conveyed on him. In the end, he still hurriedly returned to the town to prepare some food for the girl.

"Forget it, just consider it as going the extra mile and wasting more time."

He thought to himself silently.

By this time, the rice was almost cooked. He lifted the lid, picked up a small bowl, and scooped out a large bowlful with a spoon.

"Eat."

He led the girl to a dilapidated little table in the house, placed a bowl of rice in front of her, and then brought out some cooked dishes.

The girl was very well-behaved, eating her rice in small bites.

"Don't just eat rice, eat more vegetables too."

Su Mu used chopsticks to pick up some food and put it into the girl's small bowl.

The girl lowered her head, almost burying her face in front of the bowl, and ate in small bites. The steam from the rice clung to her long eyelashes, creating a hazy mist.

The long-lost bittersweet feelings, hidden deep in my heart, vaguely opened up at this moment, and an emotion called 'sadness' lingered in my heart.

In two days, she will be sold off and will never see the gentle man in front of her again.

Those days of seeing my uncle every night and staying by his side will never come again.

"what happened?"

Looking at the girl who was keeping her head down and seemed to be in a bad mood, Su Mu asked her with some curiosity.

"Uncle, you don't need to bring me food tomorrow night."

The girl sniffed, lowered her head, and whispered.

Hearing this, Su Mu was overjoyed and felt much more relaxed. Bringing food for the little girl every night had taken up a lot of his time.

"Is it because there will be food available in the future?"

He couldn't help but show a relaxed expression.

The girl shook her head.

"Why is that?"

Su Mu asked casually.

"My father will sell me to someone else tomorrow. I'll probably be taken somewhere else and I may never see my uncle again."

The girl ate her rice in small bites, her voice soft.

Su Mu was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but look at the girl. The girl still kept her head down, eating rice in small bites. It was such a cruel thing as being sold by her parents, such a sad thing, yet the girl spoke of it so calmly, as if she didn't feel any sadness at being sold by her parents.

Chapter 18 Will I also have a name?

The fact that Mingming was sold by her parents is such a cruel thing. Any child would find it unacceptable to hear about it.

But the girl recounted the facts in a calm tone, seemingly without feeling any sadness about the cruel thing that her parents had done to her.

Su Mu was puzzled and couldn't figure out the reason. His gaze unconsciously fell on the girl, and he felt that perhaps the girl was just pretending not to care, pretending to be calm, and pretending not to be sad.

But the truth is, the girl seems to have no emotion whatsoever about the cruel fact that her parents sold her.

It's hard to imagine what happened or what experiences led the girl to become like this.

He didn't know how to comfort the girl in front of him, so he simply reached out and gently rubbed her head. At that moment, the girl narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing an unusual expression of extreme enjoyment, like a puppy hoping to be comforted by its owner.

"Could you tell me about your past?"

Su Mu hesitated for a moment before speaking. He didn't know the girl's background, only that she was a pitiful girl who was always hungry and even had to go out at night to scavenge for food.

Although it was cruel to potentially reopen the girl's painful past, he really wanted to know what had caused her to become the way she was.

The girl was clearly obedient and recounted her past in detail.

The girl's account was halting, recounting which day she was beaten and what she experienced. After she finished speaking, he roughly understood the girl's past.

Born into a very poor family, with eleven siblings, she was the eighth child. She often suffered abuse from her parents. Whenever she cried or her parents were in a bad mood, she would be kicked and stomped on by her father. When her mother was still alive, he would grab her ears and push her into a water vat. Several of her siblings died directly under her father's violence. She has been living in fear and trembling to this day.

I felt hungry, sad, empty, and in pain every day, but ever since I heard the sound of a rope breaking in my mind one day, these feelings of sadness, pain, and emptiness have gradually begun to disappear.

After listening, Su Mu fell silent, never expecting that there could be such cold-blooded and cruel parents in this world.

However, the girl's past experiences made him look at her with some suspicion.