Cruelty 2

Ayame felt impressed as she gazed at the wooden houses. In the anime, she had only seen this scenery on the screen, but now experiencing it with her own eyes evoked a completely different feeling.

As Tanjiro and Ayame descended towards the town, they received warm greetings from many villagers. A child ran up to Tanjiro and asked, "Tanjiro, did you bring the small figurine you promised? And is this child your sister?"

Tanjiro looked at the child and replied, "Yes, she is my little sister, Ayame. And I did bring the wooden bird figurine you wanted." Tanjiro took out a wooden bird statue and handed it to Kazuki.

Ayame, with her brown hair and brown eyes, looked at child.Bron haired child expression a bit shy and scratched the back of his head and he said, "My name is Kazuki. Pleased to meet you, Ayame. Is this your first time coming to this town?" as he received the wooden figurine from Tanjiro.

Faced with this question, Ayame felt startled as she couldn't remember the past of the body she was inhabiting. Unsure of what to say, she decided to put on a shy expression and hid behind Tanjiro,Ayame clutching her kimono with her hands. "I'm pleased to meet you too, Kazuki... I'm Ayame."

Afterward, Ayame blushed slightly and sought more refuge in Tanjiro's kimono. Tanjiro scratched his head and said, "Our little sweet Ayame is a bit shy, and yes, it's her first time joining me to sell charcoal."

The two of them chuckled. Later, Tanjiro bid farewell to Kazuki and, after walking a bit, Ayame saw a house with a blue cloth hanging over the entrance and a white symbol on it. An elderly woman was cleaning the entrance with a broom made of straw.

Later, the elderly woman was startled and stopped sweeping the entrance of the house. She turned around and said, "Oh, Tanjiro, did you come down from the mountain in this weather? You are such a hard worker, who is this young girl with you? Is she your young sister? And Make sure to dress warmly, you don't want to catch a cold."

Hearing this sentence, Ayame felt startled and clenched her teeth because she know it as one of the dialogues that happened before the Kamado tragedy in the anime. If she hadn't pleaded with Tanjiro, she would have been one of the victims of that tragedy.

Tanjiro then stopped walking and replied, "Yes, this is my little sister Ayame. It's her first time coming down from the mountain,We will be fine. How about you all? Do you need charcoal? Having Ayame with me makes the job easier this time."

"Hey, Tanjiro!" A voice came from the left side of the blue-flagged house. The man had a fat build and was slightly short with short black hair.

Tanjiro looked to where the voice came from, and the man continued, "Can you save some charcoal for me too?"

Then, from the upper floor of the blue-flagged house, a man in a blue kimono spoke, " Thank you for fixing the broken doors the other day"

Further ahead, two women were walking—one elderly and the other middle-aged. The middle-aged woman, wearing a purple kimono, stopped and raised her hand, saying, "Can I also get some charcoal?"

As Tanjiro smiled, suddenly the door of the house behind him opened. A middle-aged woman in a black kimono and a young man in a dark yellow kimono came out. The young man had a nosebleed, and blood had entered his mouth.

Then she noticed Tanjiro "Tanjiro, it's good to see you." Looking at the young man walking towards Tanjiro, Tanjiro was a little surprised. One hand of the young man was holding by middle-aged woman in a black kimono, then the young man, escaped from the hand of middle-aged woman broke free and fell to the ground, opening a purple bundle.

"He's accusing me of breaking this plate!" The young man sought Tanjiro's help, presenting the broken plate from the bag. "Smell this!" Tanjiro leaned closer and sniffed the plate.

Then, he was taken aback and looked at the woman. "I sense a cat's scent."

Ayame raised an eyebrow in astonishment at Tanjiro's words, thinking to herself, "Is this guy a dog or something?" She kept her thoughts to herself. The middle-age woman, surprised, replied, "Oh my, it's the smell of a cat?" The young man, teary-eyed and agitated, said, "I told you it wasn't me!"

From behind, a man with a white cloth tied around his head wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Tanjiro, if you have time, could you help me carry these things?" Ayame looked at the man and puckered her lips, thinking, "If you pay him, of course, he'll help!, Tanjiro? Are you some kind of free labor?! or are you Slave" She mocked Tanjiro's naivety in her mind.

"Of course, I'll help! Ayame, would you give the coal to those who are asking for it?" Tanjiro placed his backpack on the ground. "Sure, big brother," Ayame replied with a smile, distributing the coal equally to those who requested it and collecting the money.

In addition, when Ayame handed the coals to the chubby man in the red-flagged house, she saw self appearance for the first time. He had deep red eyes, wavy bangs, and the tips of his black hair were adorned with a red color. Ayame was impressed by her own beauty and caressed her hair.

"So this is how it feels to touch my hair!" Then, she carefully observed the self appearance; he was wearing a kimono with black and red patterns. As she delivered the coals to the woman in the purple kimono, she relished the sensation of touching her hair and eyebrows.

During her illness, she had lost all her hair, including her eyebrows and eyelashes. Now, she truly appreciated their value and could only pray not to end up in the same condition again until she turn the demon.

Tanjiro and Ayame had finished selling coals and were heading back up the mountain. Tanjiro smiled and ruffled Ayame's hair. "Thank you for your help. Would you like to come with me again tomorrow? This time, Shigeru and Hanako will also join us, and we can explore the whole city together and have more fun." Tanjiro held various snacks in his hands, looking at Ayame with a gentle expression.

Ayame smiled and replied, "Yes, big brother, I'd love to come, but I had so much fun and felt happy being with you!" Ayame grinned sweetly. Tanjiro patted her head again, and they continued walking.

Suddenly, a voice called from behind, "Hey, Tanjiro!" Tanjiro and Ayame stopped and turned towards the direction of the voice. A man in a small wooden house wearing a green kimono was standing by the window.

The man continued speaking, "Are you planning to return to the mountain? It's very dangerous; don't go. It would be better, especially when your little sister must be tired." Tanjiro politely declined the man's offer, saying, "My nose can smell well, and we'll be fine. Besides, my little sister said she's not tired."

The man didn't seem to care about Tanjiro's polite refusal. "Stay at my house," he insisted. Tanjiro hesitated and looked at Ayame, who seemed eager to go back home quickly. "But..."

"Grrrrrr"

A growl from Ayame's stomach interrupted the conversation. Ayame looked embarrassed, bowing her head. "Don't hesitate; come on in. Your little sister is already hungry," the man said.

With a deep breath, Tanjiro entered the small wooden house. He and Ayame sat on the floor, enjoying the warmth of the fire. The man later brought them a few dishes to eat. Hungry, Tanjiro and Ayame indulged in the meal, expressing their gratitude afterward.

As Ayame looked around, a strong sense of worry filled her. What if her presence affected the plot, and what if they were attacked from demon and killed in this die house? While Tanjiro was sipping green tea, she curiously asked, "Um, Uncle Sabura, what do demons look like?"

As the man laid out a makeshift bed, he answered Tanjiro's question, "Demons that eat humans have been wandering around at night since ancient times." While setting up the bed on the floor, he continued, "That's why...it's not a good time to wander around at night."

Ayame added in her mind, "Since demons are deathly weake by sunlight, the danger is even greater at night. Even in your house, you can't be safe. Muzan, the ancestor of demons, suffered from this weakness until Nezuko and Tanjiro became the demons who defeated the sun. They were known as demons who conquered the sun." Ayame clenched her fist as she continued sipping her green tea. "Even Yoriichi's pregnant wife was killed in her own home. So, even Yoriichi, the ancestor of breathing techniques, couldn't protect his loved ones. The only way to be safe in this world is to be strong!"

"If you've eaten, go to sleep. You can set out with the first light of morning," Sabura said as he smoked his cigarette. While Tanjiro and Ayame lay on the makeshift bed, neither of them could sleep. Ayame was lost in deep thoughts when Tanjiro interrupted her rthin, "So, demons can't enter houses?"

Ayame teased in her heart, "We'll find out when we get home tomorrow!" Sabura, still with his back turned, answered Tanjiro's question, "No, they can enter."

Tanjiro's curious expression remained as he looked at Sabura. "Then everyone can be attacked by demons," he said. Ayame added in her mind again, "Yes, just like your family." Sabura spoke in a flat tone with his back turned, "That's why demon slayers exist—to protect us by cutting down demons...since ancient times."

Ayame looked at Sabura with a disdainful expression. "Even the Hashiras have lost their lives to demons. They can barely protect themselves, and they care about a man like you in the mountains? Ridiculous!"

"Thud."

Sabura put out his cigarette and stood up. "I'm turning off the lights. Go to sleep already."

Ayame closed her eyes, praying that the demons wouldn't attack the house during the night, and eventually fell asleep. In the middle of the night, Ayame suddenly woke up to a sound and saw a blue system screen in her eyes. There was a white orb in the system, and beneath it were names: Kie Kamado, Takeo Kamado, Hanako Kamado, Shigeru Kamado, Rokuta Kamado.

Ayame bit her lip. "They are dead!" One by one, Ayame touched the souls, and a prompt appeared, asking, "[Do you want to assimilate the soul? Y/N]." Ayame chose yes and assimilated the souls of Rokuta, Shigeru, Hanako, and Takeo with ease. A warm feeling spread through her body, as if she was feels like with an illusion.

However, she couldn't assimilate Kie's soul. Sensing something was wrong, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Kie's soul. "Why can't I assimilate this one?" she thought. After a few more attempts, she gave up, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.

The first rays of morning light woke her up, and she yawned and stretched. Ayame looked at Tanjiro with a sleepy expression, relieved that her presence hadn't affected the events in the story. "So, everything progresses according to the plot, and my existence hasn't changed anything. Thank goodness!" she murmured.

Tanjiro woke up and saw Ayame, smiling. "Good morning, Ayame. Did you sleep well? We're getting ready to leave. Get ready," he said. Ayame rubbed her eyes and yawned,"Hmhm" nodding her head up and down. Then she mumbled, "Good morniiing, big brotherr." Tanjiro chuckled at Ayame's sleepy state.