"Judging by your confused expression, you must have underestimated your opponent, my dear Mori." Dōma's calm voice finally brought the young boy's mind back to the present.
"Don't worry, that kind of thing isn't unusual at your age."
Dōma is an anomaly, and it's precisely because of this that he's never placed too many expectations on young Mori's shoulders.
If he performs well, that's excellent. But if he doesn't, Dōma's reaction is merely a simple "okay."
This approach doesn't come from nowhere, nor is it baseless. Dōma relies primarily on Mori's pride to push him to grow further.
"I'm going." The young boy left the room without addressing the main reason for his visit or questioning Dōma about his refusal.
Mori's mind was no longer solely focused on Ume but also on Gyutaro.
"I've been too complacent lately…" He clenched his fists inside his long sleeve as he walked down the monastery's corridor.
As for his suspicions about the sect, which he believed his father was aware of? Mori deemed them irrelevant for now.
After about ten seconds, the boy's scent faded from the surroundings.
"Hmm~ He's growing up so fast," Dōma remarked in an amused tone after reading his son's thoughts.
Mori's change was a true evolution, one that Dōma enjoyed observing.
It mended the disruptions Kaguya had unwittingly caused in the boy's mind.
"Still, I'd better do the same and avoid relying on an external force," Dōma thought after casting a final glance at the hologram before him.
During his conversation with Mori, he had tried to show him the hologram, but to no avail.
"A cliché event, but a welcome one," he mused before walking toward the beam of light streaming through a thin opening in the wall.
Dōma has no intention of depending on an external force.
He became an Upper Moon through his own decisions and schemes since his reincarnation.
After seeing his son's state and failing to achieve something through his authority, Dōma once again concluded that personal strength is the best path to follow.
"The system will only be a side dish in the magnificent feast I'm cooking as an adventure," he said in a brief monologue before plunging his hand into the sunlight.
Even today, his cycle of torture… *cough* training continued.
…
Time passed quickly since that day.
Ten more years had elapsed within the Eternal Paradise Faith sect.
Now, Dōma was forty years old and had been a demon for twenty years.
According to the timeline, he had sixty years left until the major events of the plot began, but that no longer mattered much to him at this point.
Why? Well, because he was bored!
All the tedious tasks had been delegated to Mori, as Dōma had handed over the sect's leadership to him.
Surprisingly, the kid didn't want it anymore, but Dōma managed to convince him to accept.
It just took a bit of persuasion.
Even though the boy had stopped being a scheming figure in the shadows and adopted a more warrior-like demeanor, he couldn't resist the allure of money and the perks of power.
Even Lloyd Frontera couldn't resist that, so how could he?
The transfer of power wasn't without a few small reforms initiated by Dōma.
One example was the purge of the sect's security members.
Taiga would never have handed his group over to anyone other than Dōma. Especially since the masked man didn't trust the young successor and preferred young Gyutaro.
Thus, security no longer officially exists within the main monastery of the Eternal Paradise Faith cult.
There are only "the shadows" now.
A group of individuals created solely for Dōma's protection since their recruitment.
"Wait a minute… why didn't I do this from the start?" Dōma suddenly stood up from his usual position, having found a way to pass the time.
"Nakime-chan~ Are you there?" he asked through Muzan's telepathic channel.
Normally, this was only used in emergencies. Dōma was supposed to use it to call Nakime and enter the Infinity Castle, but he decided to use it differently.
"Nakime-chan… Nakime-chan?" he repeated, her name sounding like a little tune.
Finally, the taciturn demon snapped.
"Spit it out!" Nakime replied, irritated.
The respect she owed to Upper Moon Two was no longer evident in her voice. Her behavior was strangely familiar, unlike the other demons who sought her help. She felt more at ease with Dōma.
"Ah! Nakime-chan, what are you up to right now?" Dōma flashed a fake cheerful smile after getting a response.
Yet Nakime didn't answer his question right away.
"I just finished training a future recruit," he said, referring to Gyutaro.
Muzan had already noticed the young man thanks to Dōma. The ice demon hadn't hidden his existence, deeming it insignificant.
"Hmm? Why aren't you talking, Nakime-chan?" he said in a confused tone.
However, a genuine teasing smile spread across his face as he imagined Nakime's upcoming reaction. His little prank was just beginning.
Of course, if there's a small benefit in the end, Dōma wouldn't say no.
"It's not evening yet, Nakime-chan, so you can't be busy hunting humans, right?"
"What are you doing in the Infinity Castle? Sleeping? Playing your biwa without me? Isn't it too sad to play alone?"
"Just thinking about it makes me feel so bad for you…"
As he was about to continue, Nakime's voice cut in again.
"Doma-sama, shut up!!" Nakime's furious roar echoed in Dōma's mind.
"Huh? Why? Are you suddenly mad?" he said in a perplexed tone, but his boredom vanished thanks to Nakime.
Dōma knew why the demon musician was angry, and hearing her flustered was music to his ears.
"Are you asleep? I thought demons didn't need to sleep? Oh no, did I disturb you?"
"Ah! Could it be that Nakime-chan wants to take a shower? Can I take a peek? Oops, sorry, I forgot you're the shy type~."
Perhaps sensing that Dōma would continue relentlessly, the biwa-playing demon decided to try to stop this infernal barrage of stupid, intimate questions.
"S-stop talking… You're annoying," she said mentally, her tone weaker.
It was almost as if Nakime was exhausted.
Yet she hadn't used her mouth. That's how much Dōma affected the poor musician's mental state.
"Nakime-chan, did you know that talking like that is rude and very hurtful?" he said in a mock offended tone.
The dignity of an Upper Moon manifested instantly through Dōma's incredible talent. Playing a role was no issue for him, thanks to his mental state.
"Even though I don't really care, if Nakime-chan talks like that to Kokushibo-sama, she might face punishment… should I report it to Kokushibo-sama~?"
Dōma's words made Nakime's already pale face even paler. The woman gripped her musical instrument tightly but eventually loosened her hold on the biwa, as if giving up on something.
"What do you want, Doma-sama? If it's to play a song… I…" Nakime tried to express herself, but the words didn't come easily.
"I was just thinking that Nakime-chan has never had a real date, right? The sect is holding a festival, and my women are busy with that, so…" Dōma hadn't even finished his sentence when Nakime quickly spoke up.
She was fed up with listening and even agreed to temporarily leave the Infinity Castle to shut him up.
Dōma's harassment is not something to underestimate.
"Alright, I'll come…"
After hearing the good news, Dōma "hung up the call."
"Haha, I haven't lost my touch with women," he said after securing a date with Nakime.
Dōma hadn't touched other women since Kikyo and Kaguya buried the hatchet. Good news on paper, but Dōma Jr. no longer benefited from gaps in Kaguya's surveillance. He was watched by both women.
Unfortunately for them, Dōma could still manipulate demons in a pinch. The man is, after all, a man of culture.
However, a mischievous thought crossed his mind: 'Too bad little Mori didn't inherit enough of this great me's charm~'
In the ten years since Ume joined the Eternal Paradise Faith cult, the young girl had lived happily in every way except one: Mori.
The kid was a simp, much to Dōma's disappointment.
This situation led Taiga to separate Ume and Gyutaro until the day the latter could "protect" his sister.
As for Ume's current whereabouts? Taiga had taken her to her maternal uncle in a shinobi village somewhere.
Even Dōma didn't know the exact location, as guests were frowned upon.
To visit Ume, one had to wear a blindfold.
This particular situation also explains why Taiga was at an orphanage and not in the ninja village.
The young man couldn't go there back then due to his lack of strength.
As a bonus, his uncle wasn't aware of his sister's death.
"It's a shame those ninjas won't sell their training methods, but the chief agreed to personally teach Ume."
Of course, Dōma had helped secure that deal with his Blood Demon Art.
Why hadn't he stolen their training method? Simply because he practically owns it.
All thanks to Taiga and his three wives from the shinobi village.