Chapter Forty
The little girl tilted her head back, her glassy eyes shimmering with tiny lights. "Have you come to pick me up?"
"Pick you up?" Chika tilted her head. "Are you... Doma? Or Doma's..."
She paused, then softly uttered a single word: "Baby?"
It's no wonder she thought that way; the child in front of her was like a scaled-down version of Doma who had come from the other side of time.
Same hair color, same facial features, even the slight upturn of their eyes are exactly the same.
"I am Doma, Lord Elysium God."
He smiled, his eyes crinkling into a smile, his voice soft and sweet, "Ew~ I never expected the God of Bliss to be so handsome~ So handsome~ I like you~"
The little one seemed to have confirmed something; his eyes curved into crescent shapes, and the corners of his mouth turned up high, almost splitting to his ears.
With just that one smile, Chika recognized him.
The smile was on the surface, but it never reached his eyes. This insincere smile was clearly Douma himself.
So she... fell into Douma's dream?
=v= Since that's the case, let's have some fun.
Thinking this, Chika leaped down from the tree and landed in front of him.
"Yes, yes, I am the God of Bliss!"
She crossed her arms, a hint of arrogance in her expression, and leaned down to look into his colorful eyes.
"Come on, call me 'Fairy Sister' and let me hear it? Maybe... Sister can grant your wish."
It was rare for Qianxia to tease him, so she reached out and pinched his chubby little face while talking, and then rubbed his soft hair.
The little one has a round, chubby face that feels bouncy like jelly. Her hair hasn't changed much since she was older, but it feels a bit softer, like a piece of fine silk.
"Can I have any wish?"
The child obediently let her knead and rub him, even tilting his face up to make it easier for her to do so. That look of complete trust softened Qianxia's heart.
"Of course! Tell me, what is your wish?"
Qianxia smiled and agreed, thinking that what special wishes could a little kid possibly have? It was nothing more than eating well, drinking well, sleeping well, or maybe becoming handsome and rich.
Doma did not reveal his wish; he kept his upturned expression and gently took her hand.
The moment their fingertips touched, Chika sensed something unusual.
His fingertips were lightly caressing her palm, with a familiarity that seemed out of place for his childlike appearance.
Chika assumed it was a dream and didn't take it to heart. She simply tilted her head curiously, looking at him and quietly waiting for him to continue.
"You know what? When I was very, very little, I knew you would come~ So, I've been waiting for you~"
Doma blinked, his little hand still gently holding hers. As he spoke, he kept looking up at her, his eyes seeming to be examining a long-awaited dream.
"How small were you when you were little?" Chika compared their heights, then covered her mouth and chuckled. "You're not that big now either... Ouch... That hurts!"
Just as she was gesturing to show their heights, the grip on her fingers suddenly tightened to an alarming degree, almost crushing her bones.
Chika gasped and instinctively pulled her hand away.
I tried to pull it out for a while but couldn't. I looked down and saw...
Wow!
Her hand was actually being held entirely in another hand.
In the midst of her shock, a thick shadow loomed over her head, completely engulfing her.
"Not long ago, only about a hundred years ago."
The familiar voice made Qianxia's heart skip a beat. She didn't know when, but the child who hadn't even reached her waist a moment ago had now grown into an adult that she had to look up to.
“…Doma?” Chika murmured.
"Um?"
His jaw was forcibly lifted, and in the iridescent pupils so close to his face, there was still that dazzling brilliance, as if it could suck one's soul in.
The adult Doma was tall and imposing. He leaned slightly forward, his long, silvery-white hair cascading down like an icefall, almost brushing against her cheek.
"I've been waiting so long, Elysium Goddess... Sister?"
His lips still curved in that familiar, cold smile, and his voice deepened, resonating in his chest, making her eardrums tingle.
"Smack—!"
Without thinking, Chika slapped him across the face. "Don't talk to me like that. Your 'bubble voice' is so lame, thank you."
The slap wasn't very forceful; when it landed, Doma's head didn't even tilt.
However, Chika, who had been staring at him, sensed something was wrong. She tiptoed closer and looked closely at his colorful eyes.
At this moment, his eyes were slowly enlarging as she approached, but that enlargement was merely a physiological muscle expansion, not due to anything else.
"Who am I?" Qianxia looked at him with a serious expression. "What's my name?"
Doma was surprised to be hit, but he didn't have time to react to Chinatsu's sudden approach.
His silent and hesitant demeanor confirmed Chika's suspicions.
He didn't know her.
Qianxia frowned slightly, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of his neck. The force was light but carried an irresistible meaning, pulling him close to where they could hear each other's breath.
"I am your girlfriend, and the person you love most."
It's probably my favorite.
Chinatsu said this without any confidence. In her memory, Doma had said "I like you" countless times, but every time, it sounded like he was joking.
"girlfriend?"
He knew the word "woman" and the word "friend," but why didn't he understand the meaning when they were put together?
Doma tilted his head, deep in thought. He didn't resist Chinatsu's approach; instead, he wrapped his other arm around her, forming an almost embracing gesture.
To be honest, he quite likes it this way. If possible, he'd like to take it a step further.
However, the next second, Chika reached out and stopped him, "Shh! Don't talk! Let me see what's going on!"
After saying that, she closed her eyes, seemingly not worried at all about what he might do to her.
Doma was a little confused, but in the end he did nothing and obediently waited for her to open her eyes.
Chika, whose consciousness had been amplified, did not feel well. "Dream Weaving" was a blood demon technique she had mastered after becoming a demon. She herself did not understand why she had such an ability, but she simply had it.
But at that moment, she couldn't sense any power at all; it was as if the Blood Demon Art had vanished from her bloodline.
"It's probably Muzan's doing."
Anyone with a brain would know they must have done something, but Chika just couldn't guess what it was. Blood Demon Art, like Nen, is incredibly versatile, yet it doesn't require the same balance and restraint as Nen.
Normally, Chinatsu would take the opportunity to play with Doma. But this is a special time; Muzan could launch an attack on the Demon Slayer Corps at any moment. Anything that happens at this time could endanger the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
In fact, everything was just as Chika had imagined.
The moment Doma took her hand, Yuuki opened her eyes.
"My lady, it's a success!" She looked at Muzan with smugness in her eyes and her tone was full of confidence: "I have successfully trapped Chinatsu by using Lord Doma. She will be trapped in an endless cycle of nightmares until she perishes."
Muzan's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized Yuuki, still harboring some doubt: "Are you sure everything is foolproof?"
“Your Excellency is wise!” Yuuki replied firmly. “I have followed Lord Doma for a hundred years and know his character inside and out. I planted a deep obsession about waiting for someone in the depths of his childhood memories.”
"One or two years, perhaps there is anticipation; ten or twenty years, anticipation will turn into anxiety; and a hundred years later..."
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"This obsession, catalyzed by the long passage of time, has fermented into the deepest resentment."
"And Lord Doma, filled with resentment, will pour all the emptiness and anger of this century of waiting onto her."
"This dream is her eternal prison."
Muzan remained silent for a long time.
"Who taught you this method?"
That sounds very unreliable.
Yuhime smiled slightly, "There is a saying in the ancient great nation on the other side: 'In books there are houses of gold, in books there are beauties like jade.'"
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a book, the title of which was—
I've heard the cult leader is very domineering.
Author: Crazy About Licking Yogurt Lids
Muzan: "..."
My head hurts a little.
But it's too late to say it's unreliable now; in any case, it has trapped Chika.
And he intends to take advantage of this opportunity to take down the Demon Slayer Corps.
"It's time to go see that person."
Muzan stood up, enveloped in thick fog. When the fog dissipated, he was wearing a sharp black suit.
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