Demon Slayer: I am a Demon

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 who was 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 think about it too 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, 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 her head, landing on her messy, even 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 there somewhat awkwardly, suddenly feeling clean and refreshed, free from 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 Aoi 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 so 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 scratched 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.

As Su Mu passed the woodshed, he paused slightly. Koya Tsukasa tilted her head and looked at the man, seemingly puzzled as to why he had stopped.

Su Mu glanced at the woodshed, where the body of Kanao Suhana's father lay discarded. He had ended the man's life with his own hands, and he had personally ended Kanao Suhana's only blood relative.

This is undoubtedly cruel for any child who has lost their father. Right now, Kanao doesn't understand the meaning behind it, but will she understand it in the future?

However, he couldn't help but chuckle. What was there for any child to miss about such a father, and what was there for Kanao Aoi to care about?

"Kanao, once you leave, you'll never come back."

Su Mu looked down at the girl who was tilting her head and looking at him.

As the chestnut blossoms fell, Kanao nodded obediently.

Su Mu led Su Hualuo.Kanao out, and from beginning to end, Su Hualuo.Kanao's eyes never once looked at the woodshed where her dead father had been.