"Arf arf arf!"
The little Shiba Inu Maru-ni whined anxiously as he saw his master in pain, circling Shinichi and barking incessantly, trying to rouse his master consciousness.
"ROAAARR!!"
But Shinichi suddenly lunged forward, charging toward Elder Moriki before either the old man or Ryukawa Chinatsu could react.
Ryukawa Chinatsu eyes widened, her hand hidden in her sleeve instantly gripping a rope.
She remembered Mitsuyo-sama instructions clearly—if Lord Shinichi failed to suppress his bloodlust, she must pull the rope immediately!
Boom!!
The wooden table before Elder Moriki shattered into pieces.
Shinichi sharp black claws stopped mere inches from the old man face.
Yet, at the critical moment, Shinichi body froze abruptly.
His fangs bared, crimson eyes bloodshot, veins bulging across his forehead and face, one arm trembling uncontrollably.
Gritting his teeth, Shinichi panted heavily, his chest heaving violently—while his other arm had pierced through his own chest.
To suppress his bloodlust, Shinichi had ruthlessly impaled himself.
Slowly withdrawing his arm, a torrent of blood gushed forth.
As the wound regenerated with writhing flesh, the savage crimson in Shinichi eyes gradually faded.
Thud!
Forcibly subduing his desires, Shinichi dropped to one knee, weakly lifting his head.
"O-old man... aren't you... going to... explain?"
Though his face was splattered with blood, when Elder Moriki saw clarity return to Shinichi eyes, turbid tears finally streamed down his cheeks, his voice choked with emotion.
"You did it, child."
Beside them, Ryukawa Chinatsu, who had been holding her breath, exhaled heavily in relief.
Lord Shinichi had truly succeeded.
Elder Moriki immediately produced a prepared wooden box. Ignoring his disheveled state, he carefully opened it and retrieved a small jade vial.
"Child, this is your graduation gift. Take it. Dawn has arrived."
***
"Chinatsu, pull the rope" Elder Moriki instructed.
Ryukawa Chinatsu complied instantly, yanking the cord hidden in her sleeve.
The moment she did, click-click-click! The smooth walls of the room erupted with the sound of turning gears.
Within seconds, large windows appeared on all four walls, flooding the once-sealed, lightless chamber with the radiant warmth of the rising dawn.
Approaching the window, Elder Moriki gazed at the ascending sun. He had a premonition—this child Shinichi would one day shine as brilliantly as the breaking dawn, while someone like himself was already the setting sun.
"So, old man, if I'd truly lost control, you were planning to burn me to death with sunlight, weren't you?" Shinichi playful voice suddenly rang out behind him.
Elder Moriki didn't deny it.
Instead, he smiled.
"That was this old man choice. Had you failed, we would have perished together and the Forest Breathing would have lost its last successor."
"Was it really that serious?"
Elder Moriki finally turned his head and the first thing he saw was Shinichi standing bathed in sunlight.
Shinichi, who hadn't seen the sun in nearly a year, squinted and raised a hand to shield his eyes, trying to feel its warmth and light.
When he opened his eyes again, one of his originally peach-colored irises had turned blue-green.
If Muzan were here and saw Shinichi condition, he would surely be driven mad with envy!
Why?
Why could this demon stand freely under the sun, while he, the Demon King, could barely survive in its rays?
However, Shinichi knew his current state wasn't truly standing freely in the sunlight.
Right now, it was more like he was wearing a "coat" woven from life energy—a barrier shielding him from the sun lethal touch.
The secret lay in the jade vial Elder Moriki had given him.
Within that diluted blood, Shinichi had learned an entirely new Blood Demon Art.
Blood Demon Art: Mimicry Rashomon!
A unique technique fused with Forest Breathing.
By maintaining Total Concentration: Forest Breathing, Shinichi could cloak his body in an invisible "garment of life energy."
Thanks to this Mimicry Rashomon state, he witnessed his first sunrise since becoming a demon.
"How does it feel to see the sun again?" Elder Moriki asked.
Shinichi replied, "Like being reborn."
Though the "garment of life energy" blocked all sensation of the sun's warmth and light, simply standing beneath it was enough to exhilarate him.
Of course, there was a price.
In this Mimicry Rashomon state, Shinichi couldn't use any demonic powers—only his physical strength or trained Breathing techniques.
Even his formidable regenerative abilities were weakened, wounds would heal far slower.
Most crucially, if his stamina ran out and he could no longer maintain Total Concentration: Forest Breathing, the Mimicry Rashomon protection would vanish instantly, exposing him to the sun.
At that point, no matter how strong he was, he would turn to ash.
So Elder Moriki advice was clear: conserve energy during the day and avoid all combat.
***
At noon, in front of the Moriki estate gates, Shinichi eye twitched as he refused Elder Moriki gift—a tattered, blue-green battle robe.
Yes, the very same one the old man had been wearing.
According to Elder Moriki, this robe had been left behind by their ancestor, Moriki Shunichi.
The elder expressed deep regret at Shinichi refusal and even tried to persuade him.
But Shinichi was adamant.
Having spent three years as a beggar in this world, he had no intention of wearing rags again.
Dressed properly, with a sack of provisions (mostly dorayaki and wisteria pellets) slung over his shoulder and the Moriki family ancestral Nichirin Blade at his waist, Shinichi formally bid Elder Moriki farewell.
Behind him waddled the fat Maru-ni.
Leading the reluctant Maru-ni—who was still pining for Ryukawa Chinatsu—away from the estate, Shinichi paused at a street corner.
He turned for one last look at the Moriki residence.
That place had been his first "home" in this world.
On the country path, a pair of deerskin boots kicked aside the obstructing deadwood. Shinichi, carrying Maru-ni in his arms, spotted a "familiar face" by the small stream.
"It's you!"
Shinobu Kocho, dressed in a patterned kimono, immediately recognized Shinichi stern face.
Holding a basket of medicinal herbs in one hand, she pointed at him with the other.
"You cold-faced jerk! Because of you, I got scolded by my father! You owe me an apology!" Shinobu huffed angrily, jabbing her finger toward Shinichi.
Shinichi remained silent, glancing around.
No one in sight—good!
While Shinobu was still fuming and pointing accusingly, Shinichi suddenly appeared right in front of her in the blink of an eye, so fast she didn't even have time to react.
A tall figure materialized before her in a blur.
Looking up at Shinichi chest-level height and then at the long sword hanging from his waist buckle, Shinobu beautiful violet eyes trembled slightly.
"You—"
Before she could finish, Shinichi abruptly raised his hand, curled his fingers, and—flick!
"Ow!!" Shinobu clutched her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes from the pain.
"Rude child. Goodbye!"
With that, Shinichi turned and strode away without a backward glance.
He'd wanted to do this for a long time—give this impolite little girl a flick on the forehead to teach her a lesson.
Still holding her throbbing forehead, Shinobu didn't quite catch Shinichi words.
By the time she recovered, he was already far away.
Dressed in a kimono, she had no hope of catching up.
With her forehead reddening, Shinobu could only grit her teeth and kick the basket of herbs in frustration.