Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm~"

Wearing a long, flowing black robe with gold accents that trailed on the ground, Douma smiled contentedly.

He hummed a song as he strode toward the Eternal Bliss Sect. Along the way, he encountered several followers and chatted with them happily, trying to convert them.

"Hey!"

Entering through the gates of the Eternal Bliss Sect, I strode lightly into the room and called out to my maid.

"Ah~ Yuuki, please prepare some tea and sweets for me, something sweet, ah—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if he had just realized something.

"Swoosh~ I just remembered, Chinatsu can't taste anything anymore. Oh well~ never mind, you can leave now, I'll prepare it for her myself."

He tilted his head, his colorful eyes curving upwards.

"Chinatsu loves sweets. By the way, Yuuki, do you know anyone who likes sweets? Ah, Yuuki, do you like sweets?"

The maid, who was woken up in the middle of the night, looked bewildered. She jumped down from the tree, driven by her rebellious spirit.

"I don't like it, I like to endure hardship."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the brain fart to become Upper Moon Two's maid, only to find herself here in the dead of night listening to his rambling.

Douma pondered for a moment, then waved his hand, "Oh, never mind then, you can go."

"Bang--"

The door opened and closed, then there was no more sound.

Douma blinked, “…”

Yuuki seems to be in a bad mood. Did something happen?

Nothing happened to Yuuki; she simply didn't want to see Doma's face.

Although it's not uncommon for Doma to act crazy in the middle of the night, this time it's definitely the most baffling one.

Did something happen?

Yuki was still thinking, her mind racing, when suddenly her vision started spinning.

It is indeed spinning, rotating in a physical sense.

My gaze rolled down to the ground, and the first thing that caught my eye was a pair of shiny leather shoes, along with the icy mist rising from the edges of the shoes.

Who is this... so extravagant, bringing their own air conditioning when they go out?

Oh wait, a guest has arrived; we should inform Doma now...

Yuuki: "..." She's really dedicated.

What is she doing...? Oh dear, she's really lost her mind, her IQ has dropped...

"Ah~ Lord Muzan, it's been a long time~"

Sensing Muzan's presence, Doma flung open the door with a "whoosh," leaped out, and stared at him with bright, seven-colored eyes.

"Hey! Did Lord Muzan come to see me especially for this? How mean of you, only coming now! It's been ages since I last saw you~"

"Oh, right! Lord Muzan, did you see that? Did you see me turn a girl named Chinatsu into a demon? Her name is Chinatsu, and Chinatsu-chan is super—amazing! She's beautiful and strong, and she'll definitely surprise you."

With a slight shift in his gaze, Douma tilted his head and peered behind Muzan through his armpit.

"Huh—Yuhime, Yuhime, what's wrong? Are you washing your hair? Why are you holding your head in your arms? Ahhh, how about you help me wash it? I'll take it off for you now? Ahhh, no, no, washing your hair at night makes it easy to catch a cold. It's better to just cut it off and let it grow back faster, Yuhime, Yuhime, can you hear me...?"

Yuuki, silently picking up her hair and preparing to slip away: "..."

Shut up!

The voice beside him kept babbling, making Muzan feel like his head was about to explode. "Shut up!" a cold rebuke rang out, and the oppressive aura filled the entire room like frost.

Douma shrank back, blinked, and obediently shut his mouth.

Yuuki's eyes lit up as she slipped away: Lord Muzan is as handsome as ever~ His voice is so nice too~ Lord Muzan...

Muzan: "..."

Like boss, like subordinate; with Doma's low emotional intelligence, you can't expect to find any normal people around him.

He shouldn't have come. Damn it!

Before coming, Muzan had imagined many scenarios, but he never expected this one.

He knew that Doma was pursuing a girl from the Demon Slayer Corps, a blonde, blue-eyed, and short Demon Slayer Corps girl.

His contact with Doma has been intermittent lately, but from the perspective of the other demons, he can see things clearly.

That's a piece of trash.

Besides crying and wailing, which was of no use, he cared more about the woman who had shot an arrow through the clouds last night than about her.

If she could become a ghost...

That would be absolutely wonderful.

Muzan stood silently at the boundary between light and shadow, his crimson eyes gleaming dangerously in the dim light. He did not respond to Doma's eager gaze, but instead glanced around.

"What did you do with the girl from the Demon Slayer Corps?"

The surroundings were just like when they first met many years ago. It seemed that Doma had listened to him and was honestly maintaining the church's membership, its size, and its buildings.

The oppressive aura poured out, forcing Douma's body to bend over, but the smile on his face grew even brighter, as if what fell on him was just a wisp of ordinary air.

"Are you referring to what happened earlier, Lord Muzan?" He smiled sweetly. "I just suddenly wanted something sweet, but unfortunately, Chinatsu can't be with me anymore..."

Muzan interrupted him, "I'm asking what you did before?"

He took a step forward, his leather shoes landing silently on the floor. "Don't play these silly tricks on me. Tell me, why can't I read your memories?"

"Can't you read my memories? I don't know~"

Doma blinked his seven-colored eyes, his smile unchanged, and twirled the beaded string hidden in his sleeve.

"However, when I can't remember something, I reach into my head and touch my cerebellum. Why don't you try it, Master Muzan?"

He eagerly crawled forward, bringing his head close to Muzan.

"Come here, sir! I'm just imagining what kind of adorable expression Chinatsu would make if she tasted something sweet from a human..."

Doma's eyes were pure, devoid of joy or fear, even when he was smiling, his eyes remained empty.

That familiar, cold, emotionless gaze left him momentarily unsure whether the guy was just a great actor or genuinely heartless.

If this guy really gets out of control, he could give the Demon Slayer Corps a run for their money.

What are you expecting?

With the answer in his heart, Muzan finally curled up a cold smile on his lips.

"You turned that woman named Chika into a ghost."

Yes, yes!

Doma's eyes lit up, and his smile became even brighter, as if he were waiting for praise.

"Lord Muzan thinks this is a good idea too, right? She's so special, her golden hair is like sunlight, and her blue eyes are like the clearest lake water. If she becomes a demon, she can stay beautiful forever!"

"When the time comes, I'll gouge out both her eyes and mine and give them to you, okay?"

Muzan: "..."

I dreamt that I praised him back then, and as a result, he had a nightmare of losing his eyes for seven consecutive days.

"Just for this reason? Such a superficial reason?" He was internally devastated, but his voice remained completely calm.

"Eh? Superficial?" Douma tilted his head, his seven-colored eyes revealing a pure and unadulterated sincerity.

"I love her, and I want her to stay by my side forever. Isn't it natural to want to possess beautiful things? Just like Lord Muzan's pursuit of perfection and eternity, I am Lord Muzan's pride."

These words were spoken with confidence and even a hint of pride, but they only deepened the chill in Muzan's eyes.

"You like her? A woman from the Demon Slayer Corps."

Muzan repeated it, his tone filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"So, when she becomes a ghost and comes looking for you, even trying to kill you, where will your affection be then?"

"Ah, that..." Douma tapped his chin with his finger, pretending to think, then suddenly realized, "It's okay! She's mine now, she'll gradually understand me."

"And the way she was in pain, struggling, and resisting was also incredibly beautiful! Much more vivid than that stiff smile she usually has in humans! I think she was happy, and I'll share what I saw with her later; she'll definitely love it..."

He excitedly shared his discovery, completely unaware of how abnormal his words were.

Muzan remained silent.

He had read the memories of countless demons and witnessed greed, fear, hatred, and obsession, but he had rarely encountered someone like Douma.

Emotions are like oil paint floating on the surface of water; they appear colorful and vibrant, but there is nothing underneath.

His likes, joys, and regrets all seem simulated, lacking a core driving force, and therefore cannot be truly interpreted.

This emptiness struck Muzan more deeply than any explicit malice...

Discomfort.

This guy is even more like a demon than he is.

"Stop playing those boring games."

Muzan finally spoke coldly.

"I have no interest in your emotional games, nor in that woman. Remember your identity, your duty. I'm giving you one more year. Within that year, I need to know the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, and the location of the Blue Spider Lily. If you cannot do so..."

He didn't mention "you," he only mentioned that woman and you.

In Muzan's eyes, Chinatsu was nothing more than an object that Doma picked up on a whim, and was of no importance.

He couldn't be sure if Doma had truly escaped his control. He tried to read his memories without any hindrance; he tried to read his thoughts without any hindrance; but when Doma said "I like you," he couldn't read any emotion in him, and couldn't feel any love at all.

At that moment, all he could feel was an almost instinctive urge to collect interesting toys.

Regardless, Doma eventually showed signs of breaking free from his control, and a year was the maximum time he could allow, considering how disgusting Doma was.

"Yes! I will obey Lord Muzan's orders!"

Doma blinked and bowed, his tone not exactly respectful, but when he looked up, his face still wore that perfect smile.

"Does Lord Muzan want to stay and see Chinatsu? She'll be here soon, and she'll definitely think Lord Muzan is very cool too!"

Muzan: "...No need."

For some reason, he had a threatening and angry feeling that he was venting on the cotton.

This guy is really fearless.

"Ah~ Is Lord Muzan going to get busy? Ahhh, after all these years, he's still so busy~"

Doma's smile remained unchanged.

"But it's alright, we'll show it to Lord Muzan next time. Lord Muzan will definitely like Chinatsu. Can Lord Muzan sense Chinatsu's presence right now?"

Doma tilted his head and looked at Muzan, his eyes shimmering with iridescent light in the moonlight.

It is beautiful, yet it reflects no one's image.

Those heated words from just now seem to have never happened.

His heart remained a void of silence.

Without joy, without sorrow, without love.

Muzan glanced at him, and a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Ah, that's really interesting. I haven't sensed any new ghosts joining."

Doma's smile suddenly froze.

"Huh?"

......