"Do you know where Mount Sagiri is?"
Soma asked the girl.
The girl furrowed her small brows, thinking for a moment, then shook her head.
"Then do you know if there's a family living deep in the mountains nearby, who have sold charcoal for generations and have the surname 'Kamado'?"
The girl furrowed her brows again, thinking carefully for quite a while, but ultimately still shook her head.
After all, she was just a little girl and clearly didn't know much about the outside world.
Although Soma had somewhat expected this result, he still felt a little disappointed.
"Are these things very important to you, Uncle?"
The girl looked up at him.
"Yes."
Soma nodded. He needed to go to Kamado Tanjiro's residence and find the legendary blue spider lily. Only by consuming that blue spider lily could he overcome the flaws of being a demon.
For now, his willpower could still suppress the craving for human flesh. But as the demon instinct to consume human flesh grew stronger, how much longer could his will last? After all, to this day, no demon had ever overcome the craving for human flesh. Even Tamayo, who had broken free from Muzan Kibutsuji's control, still needed to periodically drink human blood.
"When I go back, I'll make sure to find out about these places for you. If I learn anything, I'll tell you right away."
The girl clenched her tiny fists, her face serious.
"Then I'll be looking forward to your good news."
Soma smiled, not paying it much mind. He didn't plan to rely on the little girl for information—he would get it from other sources.
Once the girl finished the chicken leg and the rain stopped, Soma carried her and, guided by her, took her back home.
"At night, try to go out as little as possible."
Standing in front of the somewhat dilapidated house, Soma spoke gently to the girl. Demons always appeared at night, and with darkness covering everything, the risk of danger was high.
"But I still want to see you at night."
The girl's small hand tightly clutched the edge of his coat, her eyes misty.
"From now on, if we meet at night, it will just be in front of your house."
Soma smiled, patting her head, and softly said, "Go home now."
The girl was reluctant. Compared to her so-called home, she wanted to stay near this man. But she was well-behaved; though unwilling, she turned and walked home, glancing back every few steps.
He watched the girl close the door and noticed the small gap left unlatched. Through it, her pretty purple eyes were peeking out at him.
He waved to her, then retreated, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
...
Leaving the little girl behind, Soma moved swiftly through the town. The town at night was empty; all houses had their doors and windows tightly shut, but he could clearly sense movements behind some of them.
As a demon, his senses exceeded those of ordinary humans—his hearing and vision were far sharper than when he was human.
He lightly scaled a wall and appeared in front of a man drinking in a courtyard.
"Who are you?"
The man's face was full of fear. He instinctively stood up, clutching the bench he had just been sitting on, his eyes wary.
Any person would feel uneasy if someone suddenly appeared in their home late at night.
"I just want to ask you a few questions."
Soma looked at the man with a friendly smile.
"I don't want to hear anything from you. Leave my house immediately, or I'll call for help. The authorities will be here soon…"
The man raised the bench, his face full of anger.
"What a nuisance. Looks like being polite won't work."
Soma shook his head at the man's reaction. In a flash, before the man could react, Soma had already appeared in front of him.
The man instinctively raised the bench, but before he could strike, he realized the bench-hand had already been grabbed. His face instantly filled with panic.
Soma punched him, knocking the man to the ground.
The man curled up in pain, and when he looked at Soma, his eyes were filled with sheer fear.
"Now, I think we can speak properly."
Soma smiled at the terrified man.
The man could already feel the strength of Soma. At this moment, fear consumed him completely—after all, it was late at night, no one else was around, and if Soma had murderous intent, he would likely die.
"Y-You… what do you want to ask?"
The man trembled as he spoke.
"Do you know if there's a place nearby called Mount Sagiri?"
"N… no, I don't."
The man shook his head, puzzled. Why would someone break into his house in the middle of the night just to ask about a location?
"Then do you know if anyone nearby sells charcoal?"
"The Okada family in town sells charcoal."
"And besides them? Do you know of any family living deep in the mountains with the surname 'Kamado'?"
"N-No… I haven't heard of such a family."
The man thought for a moment and shook his head again.
Soma felt a little disappointed. It seemed the Kamado family wasn't nearby. From what he knew, the Kamado family's charcoal, especially Kamado Tanjiro's, was of good quality. In the anime, Tanjiro would bring charcoal to town to sell, and many people bought it, making the family somewhat well-known. The man knew several charcoal-selling families but had never heard of the Kamado family, which clearly meant they weren't nearby.
Without getting the answers he sought, Soma lightly vaulted back over the wall and vanished.
The man sat there, stunned, watching him go. Soma hadn't stolen anything or harmed him—he had merely asked questions.
It all felt inexplicably strange. Breaking into someone's house in the dead of night just for that?
Soma didn't care about the man's thoughts. Even though he hadn't learned the locations of Mount Sagiri or the Kamado family, he planned to move on to the next place to inquire further.
He didn't know this area well, but he had learned there was a somewhat larger town nearby. Merchants and travelers passed through frequently, and anyone familiar with the surroundings should be able to provide the information he needed.
...
Traveling at night was undoubtedly difficult for ordinary people, but for a demon at night, it was perfectly normal.
Moreover, as a demon, his strength far exceeded that of humans, and he barely felt fatigue. What might take an ordinary person two days to travel, Soma could cover in almost half a night. Soon, he arrived at a nearby town.
Unlike the small villages where every door was barred and the night was silent, the town was much more vibrant. Some shops remained open throughout the night, and certain districts were even livelier after dark than they were during the day.
Soma reached the town gates after traveling most of the night.
As he approached the gates, his steps faltered slightly. He sensed sounds of a fight ahead.
He moved forward quietly and soon saw the combatants clearly.
One was wearing the standard Demon Slayer Corps uniform, with a prominent "滅" (Destroy) character on the back—clearly a Demon Slayer swordsman. The other was a man dressed in samurai attire.
At first, Soma assumed the Demon Slayer was hunting a demon, but he quickly realized the samurai-dressed man wasn't a demon.
This surprised him.
After all, all Demon Slayer swordsmen train in the "Breathing Techniques." With these techniques, they can temporarily possess physical abilities comparable to demons. For an ordinary person—even a trained samurai—it would be nearly impossible to stand against a Demon Slayer swordsman.