Capítulo 38: Chapter 38: Pleading
"You all ran away, but what about the others?"
"We don't know. After that demon that could bounce ten meters high appeared, many people broke down. No defense worked, and then another demon appeared—a three to four meter tall meatball."
As she spoke, Yuka's voice trembled, her eyes filled with fear. Akino was no better.
"Can you imagine? A three to four meter tall meatball, but the worst part is it has six arms and three heads—no, to be precise, it has two heads and one face. They told us during training that to kill a demon, we need to cut off its head with a Nichirin Sword. How do you cut off the head of a three to four meter tall meatball? And even if we cut off its two heads, what about the face on its chest? Or did it hide its head inside its body?"
Yuka's voice grew more agitated, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt like a joke for coming to join the Demon Slayer Corps.
"What happened next? What happened then?"
"What happened next?" Yuka sniffled, holding back tears. "Everyone's attention was on the meatball, and no one noticed another demon sneaking into our defense circle. Now that I think about it, that demon was the scariest. It led the meatball to us."
Nae held Yuka's cold hand, trying to calm her fear.
"That demon was also terrifying, like a spider with six legs and two arms. It snuck in while we were distracted and broke a female teammate's neck. Then everyone went crazy, swinging their swords wildly. Many people weren't killed by demons but by their comrades' swords. There were screams and blood everywhere."
Yuka finally broke down, covering her face and sobbing.
Akino also lowered his head, looking pained, but he tried to hold back his emotions as a boy.
Nae stood up and hugged Yuka silently, glancing at the stone platform where Hatsune was. She wondered if he heard any of this.
She felt relieved that Kimura hadn't chosen her back at the plaza; otherwise, she might have been hiding in some corner, shivering just like Yuka.
Hatsune was right—more people meant a bigger target, making it easier for panic to spread. Just because there were more people didn't mean they were stronger.
The seven-day trial, with the first night being the hardest, was proving to be even more difficult than expected.
After a while, Yuka's mood finally calmed down. She thanked Nae again and pulled her to sit beside her, asking about her own experiences that night, just like friends chatting on a normal day.
Nae briefly recounted how she had stubbornly followed Hatsune, eaten all his biscuits, and how he had saved her from the bouncing demon.
"You mean the bouncing demon tried to hurt you, and he saved you? He even scared the demon away?" Yuka covered her mouth in shock and looked at Akino. They both glanced at the stone platform.
That demon was completely different from ordinary demons. It could bounce ten meters high and move silently, making it nearly impossible to guard against. Two female team members had been taken by it this way.
"Yes, it tried to attack me from the sky, but Hatsune pierced its hand, and it fled. Judging by the time and place it fled," Nae pointed to the other side of the mountain, "it should be that way."
Akino and Yuka exchanged a glance, confirming that was where their camp had been. It seemed the demon fled from here and then went there.
They were shocked but also relieved, silently agreeing that as long as they stayed close to these two, they might actually pass the trial.
The girl seemed approachable, but the real problem was the boy on the stone platform. Without his consent, the girl's agreement wouldn't matter.
"What are your plans now?"
Just as they were pondering how to bring up their thoughts, Nae spoke first, sparing them the awkwardness.
Yuka looked at Akino, then back at Nae, holding her hand with a pleading tone. "Nae, can we stay with you? You saw how dangerous it is here. If we go out alone, we'll be eaten by the demons. Let us stay, please?"
Nae opened her mouth, clearly wanting to agree, but glanced at Hatsune on the stone platform and withdrew her hand from Yuka's.
Unable to bear Yuka's pleading eyes, Nae lowered her head. She needed Hatsune's protection herself, having already been saved by him twice. She had no right or ability to promise anything to them.
"What happened just now is still fresh in my mind. I don't want to go through it again, and more importantly, I don't want Hatsune to hate me."
"I... I can't promise you that. You saw what happened; I can't even protect myself, let alone you."
They understood Nae's honesty and knew she couldn't make that decision. They hoped she could persuade Hatsune since he treated her differently.
"Can you at least ask him for us?"
Nae was startled, knowing Hatsune would refuse. Asking him would be like hitting her head against a wall, but it was a wall she couldn't avoid.
"Please, Nae, help us. You saw we're both injured. If we go out now, we'll be eaten. If that happens, what was the point of you saving us?"
Nae thought Yuka made sense. She wanted to help them, having saved their lives. If they died, she'd feel terrible. Even though Hatsune's gaze would be scary, it couldn't outweigh the value of their lives.
"Alright, I'll try, but I can't promise anything..."
Nae pulled her hand from Yuka's and walked toward the stone platform, head lowered and heart pounding.
Facing Hatsune's anger for being soft-hearted towards the demons was one thing, but asking him this favor felt like begging for rejection.
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