Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

If they cried out, their father would kick and stomp on them, and their mother would grab their ears and shove them into a water vat. If they couldn't see their father's fist coming down, they could easily be hit in vital parts of their bodies. Several of their siblings were beaten to death under such beatings and abuse.

She didn't know how she survived. She only knew that when she saw her father's fist coming down, she seemed to see the trajectory of the fist. Then she used the part of her body that could withstand the punch to take it. As for dodging, it was impossible to dodge. Dodging would only bring a heavier punch. She held back her tears, endured the pain, and lived a trembling and precarious life until now.

Endure hunger, endure pain, endure emptiness, endure loneliness, until one day you hear the sound of a rope breaking in your mind, and then the pain, sadness, joy, and happiness gradually fade away.

The girl tilted her head, looking at the man called her father lying on the ground with a face full of despair. She saw him looking at her with pleading eyes. That look was so familiar. Her sister, who had been beaten to death by her father, seemed to have looked at her father with the same eyes at the moment she was beaten to death. Then, in the cold night, her eyes gradually dimmed and her body gradually lost its warmth.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao quietly watched her father fall to the ground, gradually losing his life, and then tilted her head to look at her uncle.

Compared to the numbness and emptiness in her gaze when looking at her father, the girl's eyes shone slightly when she looked at Su Mu.

Su Mu reached out and gently placed his hand on the girl's head.

The girl unconsciously raised her head and bowed slightly to the large hand that was stroking her head.

"I killed your father."

Su Mu spoke calmly to Ayumi Hanako.

These are extremely cruel words for a child; any child who hears them would probably find it unbearable.

But Kanao Tsukushi only tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes still sparkling.

Su Mu quietly met the gaze of Aoi Hanako. In the girl's eyes, he saw neither sadness nor hatred.

Even if her father dies, she will not feel any sadness, nor will she harbor any resentment towards the person who killed her father.

Looking at the girl who seemed to understand nothing and just quietly looked up at him, Su Mu felt a surge of pity.

He smiled and said, "This is fine."

As he spoke, he turned around, closed the door, and then picked up the man's body and threw it into the woodshed.

Kanao quietly followed behind Su Mu, watching her uncle throw her father's body into the woodshed like a dead dog.

He threw the man's body into the woodshed and locked the door. Turning around, he looked at the girl following closely behind him, her face covered in dust and her clothes dirty. He reached out and took Aoi Hanako's small hand, leading her into the room.

I searched through the closet in the room, hoping to find some clothes for Kanao Aoi to change into, but there wasn't a single one.

"Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

He said to the girl.

The girl simply blinked, then reluctantly let go of the man's large hand.

Su Mu chuckled and patted Su Hualuo and Kanao's head before walking out the door and quickly disappearing into the night.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao quietly huddled in the corner of the room, hugging her knees and staring silently outside.

Not long after, Su Mu returned, this time with several pieces of clothing he had stolen from the townspeople.

Back in his room, Su Mu kept looking back. Breaking into someone's house late at night to steal a girl's clothes made him feel somewhat uneasy. Although it was impossible for him to be discovered, he still felt a little guilty.

The moment Kanao saw Su Mu, she darted out from the corner of the room, came to Su Mu, and hugged him.

"I'll boil some water for you in a bit, so you can change your clothes later."

Looking down at the girl who was clinging to him and seemed very dependent on him, he gently rubbed her head.

Kanao is a very well-behaved girl, unlike those annoying brats.

They went to the kitchen and lit the firewood.

After boiling a large pot of water, Su Mu scooped the hot water into a wooden basin with a ladle, then added some cold water. He tested the water temperature with his hand and, feeling it was about right, carried the basin into the house. Su Hualuo and Xiang Naihu obediently followed behind him.

"After you take a shower, change your clothes."

Su Mu pointed to the clean clothes placed on the bedside table and said to Su Hualuo Kanao.

The chestnut blossoms fell. Kanao tilted her head, looked at him, and blinked blankly, seemingly not quite understanding.

Su Mu was stunned by what he saw.

"Haven't you ever taken a shower before?"

He said softly.

The girl looked at him quietly, seemingly not quite understanding what he was saying.

Su Mu found it somewhat unbelievable, but when he thought of Kanao Aoi's cold-blooded parents, it didn't seem so strange.

He couldn't help but think of some scenes from the anime. After the Kocho sisters rescued Kanao Awaki from human traffickers, it was Shinobu Kocho who bathed Kanao Awaki. Even when Kanao was washing her hair, as the water poured over her head, Kanao was stunned and didn't even close her eyes, letting the water hit her eyes.

Clearly, Kanao Aoi doesn't know how to take a bath, something as simple as that.

This might seem somewhat funny and unbelievable, but for Kanao Awaka, it's perfectly normal.

Not everyone is born with parents to care for and protect them.

For some children, learning to bathe is a skill taught by their parents from a young age, but for others, it is something they can never hope for.

Chapter 21 Washing Away the Lead and Colors

Although he has become a ghost, his memories of being a human have not disappeared. If time passes and nothing else changes, Su Mu will, like other ghosts, gradually forget his memories of being a human until he lives entirely as a ghost.

This is the fate of almost everyone turned into a demon by Muzan Kibutsuji; no matter how much they cling to their former human existence, they will eventually forget it.

But at least for Su Mu now, he still clearly maintains his identity, still considers himself a human being, and his past education has also shown some consideration for the differences between men and women.

However, the situation is different now. It is impossible for Kanao Awaka to take a bath by herself, and it is impossible for her to ask a woman to come and help her now.

Besides, Kanao Aoi is still just a child, so there's really no need to worry about that much.

"Let me help you."

Looking at Kanao Aoi, who was still standing there blankly, Su Mu spoke helplessly.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao simply looked up at Su Mu.

…………

Kanao Suhua's clothes were already tattered and the stains on them had almost turned into mud, but even so, when Su Mu took them off and was about to throw them away, Kanao Suhua was still full of reluctance.

Su Mu could understand this. After all, this was Kanao Aoi's only piece of clothing. Although it was thin, worn, and even stained, it could at least bring some warmth on cold nights, albeit only a negligible amount.

The stained clothes were removed, revealing Kanao's petite body, thin and bony, covered in filth. Various scars were clearly visible on her body, some fresh and bleeding, others old.

It was almost covered in wounds.

It's almost unimaginable.

At this moment, Su Mu even regretted killing her father too easily; he should have made him suffer such torment before dying in agony.

"You've really suffered!"

He watched the chestnut blossoms fall. Kanao sighed softly.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao raised her head, her beautiful pinkish-purple eyes filled with some confusion. She wasn't quite clear about what 'suffering' meant. Her life had always been like this, and she believed that the world was always like this.

Su Mu didn't say anything more. He picked up a towel and began to wipe Kanao's body, applying gentle pressure when he encountered scars.

Touching some scabbed areas didn't hurt, but the fresh scars, still bleeding, sent shivers down her spine even with the lightest touch, causing Kanao Aoi to unconsciously shrink back slightly.

Did it hurt?

Su Mu inquired with concern.

He immediately shook his head, feeling no pain. Although the towel felt like it was pricking his wounds when it touched them, he was used to that feeling. On the contrary, the gentle touch of the towel was very soothing…

It seems that I...

I have never been treated so gently before.

Just as one is used to shivering in the freezing snow, suddenly being greeted by the warmth of the sun, which one has never experienced before, one's first reaction is not to feel this long-awaited warmth, but rather to feel somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Although I am not used to it, I instinctively crave it.

Using a towel soaked in hot water, she slowly washed away the stains on Kanao's body.

"Close your eyes."

Warm water poured down his head, landing on his messy, even slightly tangled, hair.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao obediently closed her eyes. Water streamed down her head, rolling down her forehead and landing on her long eyelashes.

Su Mu had never bathed anyone before and was quite clumsy, but even so, he received a gentle treatment that Su Hanarou Kanao had never experienced before.

…………

After the bath, the once clean water was now completely black, a testament to the amount of dirt on the girl's body.

However, after washing and putting on clean clothes, the dust on her face was removed, revealing a clean face that looked almost like a completely different person. Like a beautiful jade that had been buried in the dust, it revealed its own brilliance after the dirt was washed away.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao stood awkwardly in place, suddenly feeling clean and free of the grime that had covered her body. She was wearing clean, warm clothes that she had never worn before, and her previously messy hair was no longer poking her eyes.

All of this made Kanao Aoi feel somewhat uncomfortable.

but

I felt a sense of liking and joy for no reason.

The unfamiliar emotions of 'liking' and 'delight' that suddenly surged into her heart made Kanao Azusa stand there somewhat bewildered, like a silly goose standing still.

Su Mu also looked at the girl as if she were a completely different person.

The girl's slender body still appeared petite, and the scars that should have covered her body, as well as her thin frame, were all concealed by her clothes.

With her slender figure, supple waist, and straight legs, the young girl, fresh from washing away the stains, simply revealed her potential to become a beauty.

Looking at the girl, for a moment it felt as if Kanao Awaki from the anime had stepped out of the screen. However, Su Mu quickly realized that the person standing in front of him was indeed Kanao Awaki. However, compared to the future Kanao Awaki, who had become a beautiful young woman, exuding youthful energy and a quiet temperament, the current Kanao revealed more of a childishness and dazedness.

"It's really beautiful."

Su Mu couldn't help but praise him.

Hearing Su Mu's praise, the girl tilted her head and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Seeing the dazed Kanao, Su Mu couldn't help but laugh. He reached out his hand slightly, and the little girl ran into his arms like a fledgling returning to its nest.

He gently stroked Kanao's head and said softly, "Let's leave here."

Kanao didn't seem to have many thoughts of her own; she just tilted her head and looked at him. He smiled and gently flicked the tip of the girl's nose with his hand.

The chestnut blossoms fell. Kanao blinked her beautiful eyes.

Su Mu led Su Hualuo and Kanao out of the room, the gentle moonlight falling on them.