Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

A gentle breeze blew, causing the black haori to flutter in the wind.

A young swordsman wielding a Nichirin Blade trained in an open space, his breath flowing like fire, the sharp blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy stopped, sheathed his sword, and breathed heavily.

"good."

A gentle, cheerful voice, like sunshine, came from behind.

The boy turned around, saw the person who had arrived, and his face showed a mixture of surprise and delight, but also a hint of embarrassment at the praise. He scratched his head slightly and said, "Compared to 'Lord Kyojuro,' I'm still far from being good enough."

As he spoke, the boy looked at the newcomer with eyes full of reverence.

The newcomer had blond hair, thick black eyebrows, and bright, piercing eyes. He wore a brown Demon Slayer Corps uniform and a haori with flame patterns at the end.

The newcomer was none other than the pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, the 'Flame Pillar' Kyojuro Rengoku.

Kyojuro Rengoku stepped forward and patted the boy's shoulder heavily: "Hiroshi Furukawa, you're already very good. I know that you've already killed three demons so far."

Upon hearing this, young Hiroshi Furukawa unconsciously puffed out his chest and looked at Kyojuro Rengoku with some reverence: "I hope that one day, I can also be like Lord Kyojuro and personally slay the Twelve Demon Moons."

"Will do."

Rengoku Kyojuro patted Furukawa Hiroshi on the shoulder encouragingly. Although the boy's strength was still weak and he was far from being able to slay the Twelve Demon Moons among the demons, he had high hopes for this junior.

As if he had thought of something, Rengoku Kyojuro asked with a smile:

"By the way, I heard you're going to be on a new mission soon?"

"Yes, we recently discovered traces of evil spirits in a small town, and our team will be heading there to investigate."

"Then I wish you good luck in your military campaigns and a victorious return."

Rengoku Kyojuro patted the boy on the shoulder.

"Ah."

Hiroshi Furukawa nodded.

At this moment, several Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen were already waiting not far from the open space, and Hiroshi Furukawa had no choice but to take his leave.

Kyojuro Rengoku stood there, watching Hiroshi Furukawa's departing figure, and seeing these younger 'sprouts' grow strong. As a senior member of the Demon Slayer Corps, he felt very gratified.

At that moment, Hiroshi Furukawa suddenly turned around: "Lord Kyojuro, when we return from slaying the demons this time, I'll treat you to a meal. There will be salt-grilled sea bream and sweet potato rice."

After the boy finished speaking, he left with his companions.

Rengoku Kyojuro was slightly taken aback, not expecting the other party to know that these were his favorite foods. He couldn't help but show a gentle smile on his face.

Chapter 7 Meeting Again

The sun sets, and night falls.

As darkness descended, the evil spirits that had been lurking all day began to emerge.

Su Mu emerged from the cave where he had spent the entire day. Looking up, he saw a full moon hanging high in the dark night.

For ghosts, daytime is taboo, while nighttime is a time for revelry.

Many evil spirits hunt at this time.

Su Mu strode into the town.

The daytime hustle and bustle had long since faded away, and every household had its doors tightly shut. Only Su Mu, a demon, wandered the streets of the town, making the entire area seem deserted.

Passing by an inn, he quietly sneaked in and stole a roast chicken that the innkeeper had prepared for the next day's business.

The roasted chicken was still warm, and its color was very appealing. He tore off a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth. What was delicious food to humans was like chewing wax to Su Mu, not much better than eating dirt.

He forced himself to swallow the chicken he was eating, feeling as if he were eating dirt. His stomach seemed to be protesting at that moment, and he could even smell an enticing aroma in his nostrils—the kind of aroma that a demon would find delicious.

Shaking his head and suppressing his inner craving for human flesh and blood, he quickly arrived at a house in the town.

With a light step, he was already on the roof. He sat on the roof, holding a roast chicken, silently looking at the full moon in the sky, suppressing his desire for flesh and blood.

Time passed little by little.

Suddenly, a wind began to blow, carrying a chill that blew against Su Mu's body. Meanwhile, dark clouds had obscured the full moon, plunging the already gloomy sky into complete darkness.

"Tick, tick..."

It started raining sometime later.

Raindrops fell on Su Mu's head and shoulders, then slid down his body. The icy rain fell on his face and ran down his cheeks.

Su Mu wiped the rain off his face and realized that he was soaked from head to toe.

Nevertheless, Su Mu showed no intention of leaving. As usual, he remained quietly sitting on the eaves, his gaze fixed on the empty streets under the rain.

He had told the girl he met last night that if she came over at night in the future, he would bring her some food to help her get some nutrition. Perhaps this was just something he said on a whim out of pity, but he did not intend to go back on his word.

However, judging from tonight's situation, that girl probably won't be coming today.

"Tick, tick..."

Rainwater fell to the ground, splashing up mud everywhere. The skinny girl huddled up and quietly walked out of the room through the rain.

The icy rain fell on my body, seeping down my neck and into my skin, like being immersed in ice, and I could feel my body temperature slowly draining away.

At this moment, I really want to go back to my old, dilapidated hut. Although it's broken and leaky, it still provides some shelter from the wind and rain.

But for some reason, thinking of that strange uncle from yesterday and what he had said, I found myself walking faster.

Soon, the skinny girl arrived at the place where she had met the uncle the day before.

The streets were deserted, with only the ever-falling rain falling in front of them, and the girl's beautiful pinkish-purple eyes were slightly lowered.

In such the deep of night, in such cold weather, and with such heavy rain, who would come out?

But for no reason, I felt a sense of anticipation. I unconsciously looked up and saw that strange old man sitting alone on the eaves in the rain. His clothes were soaked and his hair was dripping wet.

The girl's beautiful eyes widened at that moment, surprised that the other person would actually appear, waiting for her here even in such heavy rain.

For the first time, someone waited for her; for the first time, someone valued her so much. Even though her clothes were soaked with rain and she was freezing cold, her heart felt warm. In the darkness and cold of her life, when she felt the world was dead, she suddenly felt a long-lost warmth and vitality.

"You've arrived."

Su Mu jumped down from under the eaves, his tall figure standing in front of the girl.

The girl looked up, staring blankly at the middle-aged man in front of her. Her lips were slightly pursed, and her fingertips unconsciously clenched.

"I didn't expect you to come."

Su Mu smiled as he looked at the girl. In such heavy rain and in such a deep night, he hadn't expected her to come because of his small promise, which was just to bring some insignificant food.

The girl pursed her lips, remaining silent, standing there blankly like a docile but thin kitten. Rain soaked her hair and clothes, and the cold seeped into her body, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

"Let's go under the eaves; you can't keep getting soaked."

Su Mu stepped forward and took her hand. The girl's hand was very cold, like a block of ice.

With the eaves providing shelter, the rain no longer lashed her. The man's tall figure shielded her from the cold wind, and the girl stayed quietly, feeling the whole world suddenly become warm.

"I told you last time that I would bring you some food when I came over tonight."

Once under the eaves, Su Mu reached into the inner layer of his clothes and took out a roasted chicken wrapped in lotus leaves, still slightly steaming.

The girl looked at the roast chicken, then at the man who was soaking wet.

Even though they were soaked to the bone, despite the heavy rain and the freezing weather, the roast chicken was perfectly preserved.

But this well-preserved roast chicken was meant for her.

A feeling I couldn't quite describe spread through my heart, warm and comforting, like scalding hot water falling into a layer of cold ice. I suddenly realized that the world isn't all cold; there's another kind of temperature, the opposite of cold.

"Eat."

Su Mu patted the girl's head and spoke with some pity. Such a young girl should have been living a carefree life under the protection of her parents in his world, but judging from her condition, it was really not good.

The roast chicken he brought tasted great and was still very hot. The girl ate it in small bites at his urging, and she seemed to be enjoying it very much.

At this moment, Su Mu also felt hungry.

"Uncle, you should eat too."

The girl handed him what she considered to be the best chicken leg.

"I'm not hungry."

He shook his head.

The girl looked at Su Mu with a puzzled expression. She clearly felt that the uncle was very hungry, and she was very familiar with this feeling of being hungry, but why did the uncle say that he was not hungry?

Is it because Uncle doesn't like to eat these?

"Ah."

"What does Uncle like to eat?"

The girl looked up at the man.

Su Mu didn't know how to answer for a moment. When he was a human, he had many favorite foods, but now those foods tasted like wax to him.

For demons, there is only one truly delicious food, but that is their bottom line, which they cannot cross.

He shook his head, reached out and patted the girl's head. Instead of answering her question about what she liked to eat, he asked, "Do you know where Mount Sagiri is?"

Chapter 8 Inquiry

Do you know where Mount Sagiri is?

Su Mu looked at the girl and asked.

The girl frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"Do you know if there are any families living deep in the mountains nearby who have made a living selling charcoal for generations and whose surname is 'Zaomen'?"

The girl frowned and pondered seriously for a while, but finally shook her head.

After all, the other party was just a little girl, and she obviously didn't know anything about what was happening in the outside world.

Although he roughly understood the outcome, Su Mu was still somewhat disappointed.

"Are these things important to Uncle?"