For the Kamado family, who lived under the constant weight of hardship, such a plentiful meal was a rare and precious indulgence.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Soma asked Kamado Kie to take the children outside. Though worry for her son lingered heavily in her heart, she did not dare defy the demon's request, and so she left the room reluctantly, casting one last anxious glance behind her.
When the door closed, only three remained within—
Soma, Tanjiro… and Kanao.
"One would think," Soma remarked lightly, watching Aoi's departing figure before turning his gaze toward Tanjiro, "that everyone here is rather afraid of me."
Faced with those words—and the quiet, almost probing look that accompanied them—Tanjiro instinctively lowered his head, unsure how to respond.
After all… he was a demon.
Of course people would be afraid.
If they weren't, that would be far stranger.
"…I suppose that's only natural," Soma murmured to himself, as if arriving at the answer on his own. He lifted his cup and drained it in a single motion. "After all, I am a demon."
There was something subdued in his voice—something almost like sorrow.
Tanjiro couldn't help but glance up.
Seeing that fleeting loneliness in the demon's expression stirred something unexpected within him—a quiet sense of guilt that crept in before he could stop it.
Yes, he was a demon.
And yet… he had never harmed them. Not once.
Even the first time, when he had seemed terrifying beyond measure, it had been in the act of protecting someone at his side. And since then, he had shown nothing but restraint—no, more than that—consideration, even kindness.
If that was the case…
Then their fear of him—
Was it truly justified?
Or was it simply because of what he was, rather than what he had done?
For someone like Tanjiro, whose heart was quick to empathize, the thought weighed heavily. It left him with the uneasy sense that he had wronged someone who did not deserve it.
His lips parted, as if to say something—perhaps an apology, perhaps an attempt at understanding.
But before he could speak, Soma lifted his cup again.
"Ah, never mind. Let's not dwell on such things."
He drank once more, as though brushing the matter aside.
The words Tanjiro had meant to say dissolved silently in his throat.
Instead, Soma reached for the jug and poured another cup—this time setting it before Tanjiro.
"Would you care to share a drink with me?"
Tanjiro blinked, startled, his gaze fixed on the small cup now resting in front of him.
"Please."
Soma raised his own cup in invitation.
Something about the gesture—so deliberate, so familiar—sent a ripple through Tanjiro's memory. For an instant, he was no longer here, but back on that distant night…
His father, seated just like this.
Sharing a drink with this very same demon.
And now—
This being, whom he had once feared above all else, was treating him as though he were worthy of the same regard. As though he stood in the place his father once had.
A strange warmth stirred in his chest—something like pride, or perhaps longing.
Deep down, Tanjiro had always wanted to become someone like his father—someone who could carry the family on his shoulders without faltering. But no matter how hard he tried, things had only grown more difficult. His efforts never seemed to be enough.
After a moment's hesitation, he picked up the cup.
Man and demon raised their drinks in silent acknowledgment—then drank together.
The liquor burned harshly as it went down, far rougher than anything Tanjiro was used to. He coughed immediately, the unfamiliar taste catching him off guard.
Soma laughed at the sight, the sound warm and unrestrained.
A flicker of stubborn pride rose in Tanjiro. Unwilling to be outdone, he reached forward, grabbed the jug, and poured another cup—for himself, and for the demon.
Yet the moment he finished pouring, he paused, blinking in surprise at his own actions.
"Please."
Soma lifted the freshly filled cup once more.
This time, Tanjiro couldn't help but laugh softly.
Had he been overthinking it all this time? Clinging too tightly to the label of demon, rather than seeing the person before him?
He raised his cup again, imitating the way his father used to drink—and emptied it in one go.
"…Cough—!"
The result was immediate. His throat burned, and another fit of coughing overtook him.
Still, stubborn as ever, he reached again for the jug—only for his hand to be gently stopped.
He looked up in confusion.
"Sake may be a fine thing," Soma said with a faint smile, "but even good things require restraint. Drink any more, and you'll be drunk."
Tanjiro frowned slightly, unconvinced. He doubted he would lose himself so easily.
And yet—
More than anything, what lingered in his mind was not the warning itself, but the one who had spoken it.
A demon…
Speaking of restraint.
After Tanjiro set his cup down, Soma calmly poured himself another drink and took a slow sip, as though nothing were amiss. The sight left Tanjiro momentarily stunned.
Then, with a faint, teasing smile, Soma spoke.
"Hey, there's not much left. If you drink it all, what will be left for me?"
Tanjiro blinked, caught off guard, unsure how to respond.
And yet, something within him shifted. The tension that had gripped him since stepping into the room seemed to loosen entirely, dissolving into something far lighter, far more natural.
Without realizing it, he stopped looking at Soma as a demon.
Somehow…
He no longer found him frightening.
Soma finished another cup before finally setting it aside. His gaze settled on Tanjiro once more, thoughtful this time.
"You're curious about why I came here, aren't you?"
At once, Tanjiro straightened, his expression growing serious again.
"It's actually quite simple," Soma said with a faint smile. "I came to set you on the path of slaying demons."
For a moment, Tanjiro could only stare, his mind struggling to process the words.
A demon…
Telling him to become a demon slayer?
The very idea bordered on absurd, so much so that he could not tell whether Soma was speaking in earnest or merely toying with him.
Ever since that night—since learning that demons truly existed—Tanjiro had sought answers from Saburo, listening intently as the old man spoke of the horrors that lurked in the darkness.
Demons, driven by an insatiable hunger for human flesh, prowled the night in search of prey. And against them stood the Demon Slayer Corps, hunters who risked their lives to eradicate such creatures.
"It seems you already know quite a bit about demons," Soma said, as though reading his thoughts. "But there are still things you don't know… for instance, about your own family."
"My family?"
Tanjiro frowned slightly, confusion surfacing in his eyes. What could his family possibly have to do with demons?
"Do you remember what I told you that night?" Soma continued. "That sooner or later, a demon would come in the night and shatter your happiness?"
Tanjiro's posture stiffened immediately.
"Why?"
His voice sharpened, his hands tightening unconsciously. It was because of those very words that he had made the difficult decision to move his family from the mountains—braving snow and hardship to relocate to this town.
And now…
It seemed there had been a reason behind it all.
"It seems your father never told you," Soma said, shaking his head slightly. "Perhaps… even he never thought about it."
If he had, perhaps the tragedy that once loomed over the Kamado family's fate would never have come to pass.
Seeing the question burning in Tanjiro's eyes, Soma lifted a hand and pointed lightly toward the earrings hanging from his ears.
"Do you know what those are?"
Tanjiro hesitated, then reached up and removed the hanafuda earrings, holding them in his palm.
"They've been passed down through my family for generations."
"Yes," Soma nodded. "Those earrings—and the Dance of the Fire God (Hinokami Kagura) that your family performs. Both have been inherited through your lineage."
Tanjiro looked at the demon in shock.
"But do you know where they originated?"
"I… think…" Tanjiro paused, searching his memory, recalling fragments of family history. "From our ancestor… Kamado Sumiyoshi?"
"No," Soma said, shaking his head. "They did not originate from Sumiyoshi. In truth, they belonged to your ancestor's close friend—a man named Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He is the reason a demon will inevitably seek out your family."
"Yoriichi… Tsugikuni?"
Tanjiro repeated the name slowly, unfamiliar and yet strangely resonant.
"A man once revered as a god walking among mortals," Soma said softly, a note of quiet awe in his voice.
A figure who stood, almost undeniably, at the very pinnacle of strength in this world.
...
...
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin