Chapter 17 Nakime 2
"Kuroshibo, what are you doing here?"
Muzan Kibutsuji didn't expect to run into Iwakatsu here. He still had plenty of trust in this Upper Moon One who had been left to his own devices, and didn't pay much attention to his schedule.
"Wumei...sir."
Yan Sheng hadn't expected to encounter Muzan Kibutsuji here. While he was still in a daze, his body had already subconsciously turned around and respectfully replied.
Muzan Kibutsuji was wearing a gray kimono with black lace patterns. His long, black curly hair was tied in a low ponytail. His blood-red eyes and pale skin made him look even more sickly.
Upon seeing Iwakatsu, the vertical pupils in his blood-red eyes involuntarily widened, and his entire demon trembled slightly. Seeing the growing number of people around him, Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly moved closer to Iwakatsu, his pale hand, veins bulging, raised, and abruptly pulled down the brim of Iwakatsu's straw hat, obscuring his similar yet chilling face.
"Change it for me!"
"..."
Iwakatsu was speechless. "Seriously, scumbag boss? I don't have that function!" Looking at the bustling street around him, he could only raise his hand to steady his straw hat and said to Kibutsuji Muzan with a slightly helpless expression.
"Your subordinate is...incompetent."
"Useless! Then cover that face properly!"
Seeing Iwakatsu's face covered, Muzan Kibutsuji gritted his teeth and turned away, not wanting to look at that face that was 99% similar to that monster's. Forcing himself to keep walking forward without looking back, Muzan Kibutsuji could clearly feel Iwakatsu slowly following behind him.
Yan Sheng silently watched Kibutsuji Muzan walk in front of him, then took off his hat. Given his height, he was completely exposed up close, so wearing it or not made no difference.
He carefully followed behind Muzan, keeping a step's distance, trying his best not to let him see his face.
"Kuroshibo, have you seen any suitable talents?"
Kibutsuji Muzan led Iwakatsu forward, casually asking questions. He had only gone out on a whim, and in such a short time, he hadn't expected Iwakatsu to be able to find any good tool demon candidates.
“...There is one.”
Iwakatsu recalled Nakime from not long ago, but didn't continue. With Kibutsuji Muzan already here, Nakime becoming a demon should be imminent; it's better not to disrupt this part of the story.
Muzan was intrigued, but his eyes glanced at Iwakatsu unconsciously. He felt a chill run down his spine and waved Iwakatsu away.
"Then go and find that person for me, Kokushibo."
"Yes... Muzan-sama."
Seeing that Muzan Kibutsuji clearly didn't want to see him, Iwakatsu was quite happy to have some peace and quiet. He finished speaking respectfully and stopped. He was somewhat grateful for that face so similar to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's.
Watching Muzan Kibutsuji's retreating figure, Iwakatsu couldn't help but sigh at the man's frail appearance. If Iwakatsu hadn't known better, his sickly appearance would have truly resembled the frail figures described in novels. No wonder Nakime targeted Muzan Kibutsuji; he looked sickly and like a lone traveler from out of town—easy to deal with, and there was no fear of being discovered by his family.
Iwakatsu watched as Kibutsuji Muzan was suddenly grabbed and dragged away, his mouth covered, in the blink of an eye. Through the transparent lens, Iwakatsu could see that it was Nakime who had pulled him away—a classic case of speaking of the devil.
"Muzan-sama... this is... him."
Iwakatsu was worried that Muzan Kibutsuji might kill him with a sudden burst of strength and then abandon him, so he quickly sent a message in his mind to remind him.
"oh?"
Hearing the other party's curious reply, and noticing that Kibutsuji Muzan had stopped struggling, Iwakatsu felt that it was perhaps unnecessary to make a fuss.
Nakime was dressed in the simplest and plainest clothes, a black kimono without any patterns. Her hair was tied up and a black headscarf covered most of her face. She held a handkerchief in her hand and forcefully covered Muzan Kibutsuji's mouth and nose, dragging him to her place.
Nakime's choice of location was quite clever; the alleyway where she turned was secluded and deserted, with only a flickering oil lamp hanging nearby. It was also normal for Nakime to choose Muzan Kibutsuji; she already harbored hostility towards men because of her husband, let alone someone like Muzan Kibutsuji who appeared both weak and arrogant.
Iwakatsu watched Kibutsuji Muzan with great interest. Although he hesitated to speak, he wisely refrained from stopping him. Instead, he sent a message in his mind to symbolically inquire about the situation of his scumbag boss.
"Sir, you..."
"It's alright, Kokushibo, just follow along." Muzan Kibutsuji said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Don't you find it interesting? I'd like to see your taste."
"..." As long as you're happy.
Yan Sheng followed Nakime to her residence, then climbed onto the attic balcony and slipped inside silently. The house was completely dark, likely because no lights were on and all other light sources were blocked.
Darkness is nothing to demons; every demon has night vision. Iwakatsu stood by the stairs from the first to the second floor, watching Nakime drag the feigning unconscious Muzan Kibutsuji into a woodshed filled with the smell of blood.
Nakime skillfully used strips of cloth to fix Muzan Kibutsuji's hands and feet to a heavy wooden chair, opened a small bottle and waved it under his nose, then turned and picked up a bloodstained hammer next to her.
Looking at Nakime's height of less than 1.7 meters, Iwakatsu picked up the heavy-looking hammer and fell into deep thought. Should he wait for Muzan Kibutsuji to handle it himself, or should he intervene?
Nakime waited, growing increasingly impatient as Muzan Kibutsuji remained unconscious. Iwakatsu, his face darkening, was baffled by his boss's unusual quirks.
Night vision allowed Iwakatsu to clearly see Nakime's expression; there was no panic or hesitation, only undisguised excitement. Nakime, no longer intending to wait patiently, raised her hammer and struck without hesitation.
The sound of something cutting through the air made Iwakatsu's teeth ache. Just as the hammer was about to make contact, Muzan Kibutsuji's bone whip lashed out at Nakime, slamming her against the wall.
"ah--."
Before the piercing scream could last long, the bone whip wrapped around her neck and lifted her up.
Iwakatsu nimbly jumped down, expressionless as he passed Nakime, who was struggling to breathe from the bone whip, and walked over to Muzan Kibutsuji, who was watching without making any move. He then took the initiative to untie the strips of cloth.
"Kuroshibo, she's killed people, hasn't she?"
Kibutsuji Muzan looked at Iwakatsu, who had regained his demon form, and flexed his wrist.
"More than one."
Iwakatsu stood ramrod straight next to Muzan Kibutsuji, his face expressionless, inwardly cursing. Okay, thank you again, Muzan Kibutsuji can't hear my thoughts, Amen.
"Oh, interesting, Kokushibo. What do you think she would be like as a demon?"
"..."
Kibutsuji Muzan didn't care whether Iwakatsu answered or not, and slammed Nakime to the ground with his bone whip.
"Bang—".
"Cough cough cough—".
Nakime stared at the two inhuman figures before her, clutching her abdomen, which was throbbing with pain from her broken ribs. She opened her mouth to say something, but blood kept flowing out, causing her to cough several more times, with blood gushing out continuously.
It hurts so much
Nakime felt like she hadn't been in so much pain in a long time. She hadn't been in so much pain since her useless husband died.
I'm not reconciled. I've worked so hard, why is it that life is finally getting better?
"Da, da, da."
Before Nakime could think straight, the crisp sound of wooden clogs interrupted her. Slowly raising her head, her vision was blurred; she could only make out the figure gradually approaching.
Seemingly amused, the other party plunged a finger with black nails into Nakime's forehead. Blood slowly trickled down, mingling with the blood flowing continuously from her mouth.
Muzan withdrew his hand, looking at Nakime with a resentful expression in her eyes. Nakime struggled to sit up, but the powerful impact had left her body internally damaged, and even her weak breaths caused her excruciating pain.
"Why, why?"
"There's no reason why; in this world, the strong are respected. I admire you, so I will help you become even stronger."
After Muzan Kibutsuji finished speaking, he forcefully reinserted his finger, and blood flowed into the other person's body from his fingertip.
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