"Uncle, why are you being so kind to me?"
The childish voice coming from the girl made Soma pause slightly.
He had only said he would bring her some food. In truth, he simply felt that it was too pitiful for such a skinny little girl, all skin and bones, to have to rummage through trash just to fill her stomach. It was merely compassion in his heart. Could that really be considered being especially kind to her?
"It's just some food," Soma replied casually. For him, it was something he could obtain with little effort.
The girl looked up at him, somewhat puzzled. Food was truly precious. When your stomach was empty, the feeling of hunger was very hard to endure.
At that moment, Soma also looked at the little girl.
Her clothes were tattered, her cheeks pale from malnutrition, even slightly sunken. Yet even so, there was a certain liveliness about her that could not be concealed.
She was looking up at him now, her eyes bright.
When their gazes met, it felt as though, in that instant, he could see her past. Vague images seemed to surface in his mind—
A poor family.
Parents who beat and scolded at the slightest provocation.
Never enough to eat, never warm enough to wear…
These were the hardships the little girl was currently enduring. To him, it was merely a bit of food. To her, it was something incomparably precious.
"Wait here for a moment," he said gently to the girl.
She tilted her head, looking at him in confusion.
Without saying more, Soma lightly pushed off the ground. Like a bird, he leapt onto the roof. In a few swift movements, he vanished from the girl's sight.
Not long after, Soma returned. The girl had obediently waited where she was.
"Here," he said, holding out a chicken drumstick in his hand.
The girl froze, especially at the aroma drifting from the drumstick. Her throat moved involuntarily.
"For me?" she asked, as if unable to believe it.
"Yes." Soma nodded and placed the drumstick into her hands.
Feeling the warmth of it in her palm and smelling its rich fragrance, she finally believed that the uncle was truly giving it to her.
The warmth spreading from the drumstick made her feel as though she were dreaming. From childhood until now, she had never eaten a drumstick before.
"Go on, eat," Soma urged softly.
"Mm."
The girl picked up the drumstick and stuck out her tongue, gently licking it like a kitten lapping water.
Soma reached out and lightly patted her head. Her hair, yellowish from malnutrition and unkempt from lack of care, was messy and dry. "From now on, come here every night. I'll bring you something good to eat."
The girl looked up at him with her pinkish-purple eyes.
To her, the drumstick seemed like something extremely precious. She was reluctant to eat it, only finishing it under Soma's watchful urging. After she was done, Soma told her to head back home.
Under the pitch-black night sky, the little girl walked back step by step. Compared to when she had come, she seemed much lighter, as if she had regained some of the vitality a girl her age should have.
Standing under the moonlight, Soma watched her figure disappear from sight. Only then did he lift his head to look at the full moon in the sky.
His hand unconsciously pressed against his abdomen. At that moment, an intense hunger surged through his body. It felt as though countless acidic currents were churning in his stomach, urging him to quickly find food to fill it.
But for him, his "food" was completely different from the girl's.
If her food was rice balls and chicken drumsticks—
Then his food was the girl herself.
Or rather, humans—his former kind.
For Soma—who had once been human—this was clearly unacceptable. Even if he had become a demon, how could he bring himself to commit the act of feeding on those who were once his own kind?
But that was the nature of demons. They possessed an extraordinary craving for human flesh and blood. If they went too long without consuming it to ease that craving, the desire would accumulate over time, and that instinctive urge would grow stronger and stronger.
Feeling that today his body's longing for flesh was even deeper than yesterday, Soma's expression turned extremely grim. He didn't even know how much longer he could endure.
But no matter what, the bottom line he had as a former human was something he would never cross.
"Phew..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the craving for flesh within him, and shifted his focus to his mind.
There, in his consciousness, was something like a character status panel from a video game.
As his gaze settled on it, the words became clear in his mind:
Name: Soma
Race: Demon
Lifespan: Infinite
Abilities: Immortality (Pseudo), Rapid Regeneration, Enhanced Physique
Weaknesses: Sunlight, Wisteria, Nichirin Blade
Status: Hungry; Cursed (by Muzan Kibutsuji)
Blood Demon Art: None
Physique: 3.1 (A normal adult human = 1)
Agility: 3.2 (A normal adult human = 1)
Strength: 3.1 (A normal adult human = 1)
Mental Strength: 1.2 (A normal adult human = 1)
The information appearing in his mind was simple and clear, allowing him to understand his condition in detail.
As a demon, his physique, agility, and strength were all more than three times that of a normal human.
Even with rigorous training, an ordinary human might improve their physical abilities—but surpassing three times the norm was almost impossible.
Generally speaking, exceeding three times one's natural limits meant breaking through the constraints of the human body.
It could be said that, as a demon, he was already a powerful existence beyond human physical limits—aside from mental strength. Ordinary humans had almost no resistance against demons. That was why demons no longer regarded humans as their own kind, but rather as food.
Of course, the reason demons devoured humans was not merely due to the disparity in strength. More importantly, it was the instinctive need for human flesh and blood. Moreover, consuming humans could promote a demon's evolution, making them even stronger.
Becoming a demon meant not only gaining power, but also achieving near-immortality.
And immortality was one of the most coveted things in the world.
If there was a single flaw, it was the fear of sunlight—being forever forced to hide in darkness—and the inability to control the instincts of being a demon.
For Soma, the hardest part to endure was precisely that uncontrollable instinct—the irrepressible craving to devour flesh. If he continued to refrain from consuming it, the hunger and desire would surge through him like a rising tide.
Perhaps, if he lowered his bottom line just a little, he would no longer have to suffer like this.
But to Soma, if he abandoned that bottom line, wouldn't he completely lose his own humanity?
At that point…
Would he still be himself?