Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, it was deep winter. After a heavy snow, the world was cloaked in silver. The thick snow, draped in the moonlight, glowed with a soft, beautiful silver light.
Rumble—
A giant snowball rolled down a steep mountain slope, hit a protruding rock, bounced high into the air, and shattered into several pieces upon landing.
Doma crawled out of the broken snow pile, shaking his head dizzily, his white-oak hair reflecting the bright moonlight.
"Oh dear, a mistake." He flashed an innocent smile, shouldering the ski pole in his right hand and shaking the snow off the snowboard on his foot. "But this seems more fun~"
Doma put away his skiing equipment and pondered where to play next. His life had always been very regular.
During the day, he would stay in the temple to routinely meet with believers and manage the operations of the Eternal Paradise Cult. For years, the church had been helping pitiable believers, and relying solely on donations was not enough; the Eternal Paradise Cult actually had many businesses. Doma had developed them over the years, usually leaving them to the believers to manage, but he still had to keep an eye on them. Otherwise, some particularly foolish individuals would make a mess of things.
Doma couldn't understand why people who weren't originally that stupid would become so foolish due to desire, making choices so idiotic they were despairing. Doma found these people pitiful and tragic, wondering what the meaning of their lives was. However, they did provide him with some amusement. This way, his mundane daily work seemed to become a little more interesting.
At night, Doma would gently grant salvation to the believers who came to participate in the "Passage" ceremony, guiding them to a new life. And then came the wonderful nightlife~
He would wander around outside with no particular purpose, going wherever his feet took him. Sometimes he would encounter interesting things, sometimes he would have a sudden whim to play a seemingly fun game, and occasionally he would even run into a few little snacks who were up to no good...
"What a delightful life." Doma stood up, patted the snow off his clothes, and decided to go to the Infinity Castle to bond with Miss Nakime.
"Huh?" He suddenly tilted his head and tapped his temple. "Did Lower Moon Five die?"
"As expected, it's better not to try to make friends with the Lower Moons," Doma muttered to himself, looking up slightly. "After all, they die so easily..."
"If we became friends and then they suddenly died, the thought alone is so sad." Doma smiled without a care in the world and casually checked the images transmitted from the dying Lower Moon.
Demons could share information, and higher-ranking demons could learn about the circumstances of a lower-rank's death. Generally, if there was no information worth noting, the Upper Moons couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters. But who could blame Doma for being idle?
In the unfamiliar memory, he saw a familiar face, wielding a blue Nichirin Sword as he swooped down. "Oh my, it's Mr. Kamiya!" Doma smiled happily and clapped his hands together. "It seems Mr. Kamiya is going to become a Hashira." He nodded, his expression becoming gentle and kind. "You must continue to work hard and live a little longer, Mr. Kamiya~"
Doma quickly put the matter aside and contacted Nakime with his mind. "Miss Nakime, please transport me to the Infinity Castle, I beg you~"
He stood there waiting for a moment, then tilted his head in confusion. "Miss Nakime?" he contacted her again, puzzled.
In the Infinity Castle, upon receiving Doma's message, Nakime's always poised and calm figure couldn't help but tremble. She picked up her plectrum and placed it on the biwa strings, hesitating for a long moment.
╯﹏╰
After receiving Doma's second message, she closed her eyes, pursed her lips, and finally resigned herself to her fate, plucking the biwa strings.
Twang—
The figure that gave her a headache appeared on a distant wooden platform.
"Miss Nakime~ Why was the transport delayed this time? Are you not feeling well?" Doma asked with a concerned expression, waving his right hand at her.
"My apologies, Lord Upper Moon Six. I was lost in thought," Nakime said in a toneless voice.
"Eh? Why?" Doma tilted his head to the right. "Were you thinking about a biwa composition?" He suddenly covered his lips with his hand and said apologetically, "Oh dear, I didn't interrupt your inspiration, did I?"
"If that's the case..." he drooped his eyebrows, lowering his head with a dejected expression, "then my crime is unforgivable."
Nakime lowered her head slightly and remained silent. He can think whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't bother me.
"It seems that's really the case..." Doma became even more dejected. "How can I ever atone for this?" he murmured to himself, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile. "Miss Nakime~ Look, how about I give you one of my eyeballs?" He smiled and widened his eyes, his beautiful rainbow irises looking especially clear and bright.
Nakime: ╯△╰
"There is no need, Lord Upper Moon Six," she said through gritted teeth, clutching the biwa in her hands. She didn't think she was perverted enough to collect other people's eyeballs.
"Eh? You won't accept?" Doma blinked in confusion. "But they're such beautiful eyes." He then fell into troubled thought.
Finally, some quiet. Nakime secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ah, right! Then let me perform for you, Miss Nakime!" Doma suddenly clapped his hands and said enthusiastically. "Maybe it can help you find your inspiration again~"
"That... is not necess—" Nakime began to regret her previous silence.
"I remember I got a batch of musical instruments a few days ago." Doma ignored what Nakime said, muttered to himself, and jumped off the wooden platform. He landed lightly beside his lotus pond and brought out a pile of instruments from the central temple. There were a biwa, a shamisen, flutes, special drums, and bells.
Although he really wanted to create some interesting instruments from the future, the research and delicate craftsmanship required time. For now, he had to make do. But he still remembered some beautiful melodies, and although the instruments were different, he could probably imitate the general tune, right?
"Heave-ho..." Doma muttered as he moved the instruments to a sizable wooden platform. He released a few Crystalline Divine Children and then waved at Nakime in the distance.
"Wait!" Seeing Doma pick up a flute and about to play, Nakime quickly said, "Lord Mu—"
A bright, passionate, and rhythmic music suddenly erupted, cutting her off.
Lord Muzan is in the Infinity Castle right now... Nakime murmured in despair.
Doma played the flute cheerfully, and the ice dolls also moved skillfully, playing the biwa and shamisen, shaking bells, and beating drums...
The disheartened Nakime was gradually drawn in by the unique melody, her lips slowly parting. It was the first time she had seen someone play the drums like that, with a rhythm so fast it seemed they wanted to smash the drum. And the style of the drum set was something she had never seen before, with large drums connected to small ones, and something like a cymbal hanging above. It was also the first time she had seen someone play the biwa like that, making her want to swing her arm around and slap him out of the air.
But this strange, exotic style of music was something she had never heard. Compared to the popular music of the time, it was excessively noisy. But...
Nakime looked down at her legs. Under this music, she actually felt the urge to tap her feet. "What a strange music. It makes me want to dance along." As she thought this, inspiration suddenly surged like never before. Nakime tightened her grip on her plectrum, suddenly wanting to play her biwa and join in the melody.
The next moment, Doma tossed the flute aside, drew out his fans, and began to dance with cheerful and passionate steps.
In a room high above with tightly closed doors and windows, Muzan was carefully mixing reagents, cautiously pouring powder into a container. A deafening sound of music suddenly rang out, making his hand tremble and causing him to pour the entire bag of powder in.
Muzan slammed his hand on the table, sweeping the container in front of him to the floor, veins popping on his forehead. "Who is it!" he snarled, storming out of the room. At that moment, he wanted to kill someone.
He took a step, and in the next moment, he was beside Nakime. Nakime quickly lowered her head, secretly hiding her hands, which had been itching to play the biwa, behind her back.
"Oh my, it's Lord Muzan!" Doma didn't stop dancing. He even winked his left eye at Muzan on the high platform and made a heart sign.
Muzan looked down at Doma, who was dancing joyfully to the music. His plum-red eyes trembled, a sense of weary finality washing over him. The fast-paced melody swirled in his ears...
"What is this music? It's outrageous!" His brow was furrowed tightly. But... it was quite novel, and not unpleasant to listen to. It had a sense of advancement that was beyond the current era! Muzan, who was always at the forefront of fashion, remained sullen, but much of the anger in his heart had quietly dissipated.
When the song ended, Doma bowed gracefully. The next moment, the world spun around him.
Oh dear, my head fell off.
Just as he picked up his own head, he was met with a storm of scolding from Muzan. The entire Infinity Castle trembled. Doma held his head in his arms, sitting obediently on his knees, his beautiful eyes blinking with an innocent and wronged expression. Every blood vessel in his body felt like it was about to burst, but he couldn't care less.
Muzan looked at Doma, who was completely unfazed, and suddenly stopped scolding him. As expected, getting angry at Doma was like getting angry at a rock.
Annoying, so annoying!
He scanned Doma's recent memories, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly, "Doma, from now on, you are grounded in your temple!"
"Eh?!" Doma's eyes widened in shock, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.
Muzan's mood instantly improved. "For the next full year, you are not to take a single step out of your temple, nor are you allowed to enter the Infinity Castle." After saying this, he turned and left, not wanting to see this annoying guy's face for another second.
"Wait! Lord Muzan, no—" Doma put his head back on his neck and reached out a pleading hand, but could only watch as the merciless back grew more distant.
"Waaah—I'm so sad, sob, sob..." He covered his face, and large tears streamed down.
Nakime pursed her lips, trying to hold back her laughter, and cheerfully plucked her biwa, sending Doma away.
In his room, Muzan continued to mix his reagents, but the melody from before kept echoing in his mind, over and over. Without a moment's rest! He put down the herbs in his hand, completely unable to calm down.
Muzan: ...
He felt his punishment had been too light.
-------
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