Sanemi Shinazugawa had never imagined facing something like this.
His bastard father was dead. He could finally work. Life was supposed to get better...
That was how it should have been.
But now—when the faint light along the horizon revealed the figure before him—Sanemi felt his breath stop.
She wore a striped kimono. Her body was small, her face familiar… yet her mouth now held sharp fangs, nothing like before. Crouched low, eyes fierce, she growled at him.
Sanemi's hand trembled around the woodcutter's blade. "M–Mom? Wait… this has to be a lie, right?"
But the petite woman showed no intention of listening. She lunged. Her sharp nails sliced Sanemi's cheek with ease. Desperate, he raised the axe to block her blow.
"Mom! It's me! I'm Sanemi! I—ugh!"
This time, he was sent flying. Seeing her rush him again, he scrambled upright, gripping the blade as tightly as he could. A wordless roar tore from his throat—meaningless, yet crushingly sorrowful.
"AAAAAAAH—!"
Sanemi held nothing back. Strike after strike, he hacked at his mother. Hot blood splashed across his face and body, burning like molten iron, but he couldn't stop.
If he stopped—he, and his younger siblings, would all die.
But why…? Why would Mom…? Everything was supposed to get better after that piece-of-garbage father died. It was supposed to… supposed to…
Tears streamed uncontrollably, blurring his vision. Again, he was struck and sent flying. His mother's twisted, ferocious face lunged toward him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself up—
—but a sharp slicing sound cut through the air.
The figure that had tormented him all night was suddenly pinned to the ground by something, thrashing wildly but unable to rise.
Saved…?
Sanemi's body trembled violently, but he forced himself to stand and approach the pinned figure. He still couldn't believe that the one who attacked his siblings—the one who always loved and protected them—was their mother.
"She's already a demon. And she's tasted human blood. She won't regain her senses until she's eaten enough humans."
Sanemi turned, stunned.
A youth roughly his age approached—gentle-featured, wearing a long gray-blue haori, walking steadily toward him. Meeting Sanemi's eyes, the boy spoke again:
"You're badly injured. Go bandage yourself. I'll handle this demon. Or… do you want to say goodbye to her?"
"Who are you? Do you know what happened to my mom? What's going on?" Sanemi's hand lost its strength. The axe slipped from his grasp as he slumped against the wall. "Why… why did it end up like this…"
"My name is Hiru. I'm… more or less a demon-slaying swordsman." Hiru wrinkled his nose slightly at the sweet, heavy smell of blood, took out a packet of medicinal powder, and tossed it to Sanemi. "Treat your wounds first."
But Sanemi let the medicine fall to the ground. He stepped forward, grabbing Hiru's arm—his fierce features warped with a sorrow that made him look unbearably fragile.
"What the hell happened? Why did this happen?!"
Hiru held his gaze for a moment, then gently pulled Sanemi's hand away.
"I can explain everything about demons anytime. But if you have anything you want to say to her, you'd better say it now. Otherwise, you won't get another chance.
When the sun rises, she'll be killed by the sunlight."
"…There's nothing left to say…" Sanemi gritted his teeth. He stared at the figure who still writhed despite being pinned down. He opened his mouth again and again, only to shut it each time. After a long moment, he wiped his eyes harshly with his bloodstained sleeve. Ignoring his bleeding wounds, he walked toward the person he once called mother.
Hiru scanned the area without interrupting.
Just then, another figure came running.
A small boy with a rooster-comb hairstyle, pressing a cloth to his wounded cheek. When he saw the white-haired youth and the pinned figure on the ground, he screamed:
"Mom! Why?! Why did big brother kill Mom?! Murderer! Brother is a murderer!"
Hiru saw the white-haired youth's body flinch. He sighed quietly and walked over, looking down at the black-haired boy.
"Sorry. But I'm the one who killed her."
"You butcher!" The boy froze mid-motion as he tried to pull the blade out. He glared fiercely at Hiru. "Why did you attack our family?! What could our family possibly have that you wanted?! Why did you destroy our home?!"
"Hmph~" A faint smile tugged at Hiru's lips. "Want? I don't care about your family."
"Then why did you do this?!"
"Before asking that—shouldn't you confirm whether your mother is still human?" Hiru pointed toward the woman whose body was beginning to crumble under the sunlight. "That's why I came here."
"What? Wait! No! How—? Stop! Stop! Mom, stop!"
"My name is Sanemi Shinazugawa."
Hiru glanced at the expressionless white-haired youth who stood up. He shrugged. "Hiru. I already told you."
"Please explain everything to me." Sanemi looked at the boy his own age. "I want to know the reason."
"The reason can wait." Hiru caught the medicine pouch delivered by the Kasugai Crow and handed it to Sanemi. "Treat your wounds first. I need to track down the other demon while the trail's still fresh. I'll come find you afterward."
Sanemi was silent for a moment. Then he took the medicine. "…Fine."
"Alright, as for you—" Hiru lifted the younger boy with one hand, then casually pulled the Nichirin Blade—sheath and all—from the ground. "Go home with your brother. If you want answers, I'll come to you later. Until then, calm down."
The white-haired youth and black-haired boy stood there for a long time, until the sun fully rose. At last, the taller youth spoke:
"Let's go, Genya. We're going back."
"But, brother…" Tears streaked Genya's face. His fear was clear. He knew human bodies didn't crumble to ash like that. They had been clawed—yet the person who handed them the medicine had normal nails.
Which meant the one who attacked them… was their mother.
His mother had become a monster—yet he had yelled those words at the brother who fought desperately to protect them.
"…Let's find a doctor," Sanemi said, pressing his haori to his wounded face. "How is everyone?"
"Everyone's bleeding so much…" Tears streamed down Genya's cheeks. "Even when I tried to stop the bleeding, they still…"
"…Let's go back."
"Brother… I'm sorry… I'm really sorry…"
"…You weren't wrong." Sanemi tightened his grip on the medicine, watching the blood on his body fade in the sunlight. Slowly, he clenched his fist. "I am a murderer."