Two silhouettes discreetly left the theater, several hours after the performance had ended.
Amid the fervor of the festival, where the crowd indulged in various activities such as games, meals, and competitions organized by the cult, people would not normally have paid attention to this duo.
Yet, this couple stood out from the others due to a striking singularity and the atmosphere surrounding them.
A blend of lightness, animosity, and embarrassment.
The man was carrying the woman on his back, while the latter, her face flushed, buried her nose in her companion's loose clothing.
The couple was none other than Dōma and Nakime.
"D-Dōma-sama, please… put me down, I beg you… we're drawing attention," murmured the pale woman with dark pink eyes.
Nakime's voice trembled, barely audible due to the embarrassment of her situation, yet she still tried to maintain a shred of dignity in her tone.
Passersby looked at the couple with tender smiles.
There was even an old disciple from the time of Dōma's father who gave him a thumbs-up.
The old man's gesture earned a knowing nod from Dōma and an increasingly intense blush from Nakime.
But what could she do?
Her black dress was slightly wrinkled in specific places, and Dōma's behavior hinted at a certain questionable act between them.
If the demons of the Infinity Castle saw Nakime in this state, they wouldn't believe their eyes.
The aura of coldness that usually surrounded Nakime had vanished, thanks to Dōma's exceptional "service."
It wouldn't be wrong to say that she would never be the same after the passage of Dōma Jr. and the art of his Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
"Hmm~ No way! Not unless Nakime-chan promises not to try escaping into the Infinity Castle again," Dōma replied in a teasing voice, his lips curling into a mischievous smile.
Nakime turned her face away, avoiding Dōma's multicolored gaze, and pressed herself further against his back, as if trying to escape.
'So cute~ I almost want to start all over again…' Dōma thought, before feeling a familiar warmth surge through a specific part of his body.
However, he forced himself to rein in his instincts.
Dōma was aware that his excitement was resurfacing at an inopportune moment on this night.
So far, they had only visited a few festival stalls with Nakime.
Was it really a date if he just kept teasing Nakime or giving in to his carnal urges?
Dōma decided it was time to enjoy the festivities in a different way, before the highlight of the evening: the fireworks.
'But I must admit, I haven't yet managed a paizuri, nor applied the "vibrating" double penetration through biological manipulation…' he thought, a bit reluctant to abandon the idea of continuing to "devour" Nakime.
As the ice demon was lost in thoughts of abandoning the festival, he unleashed all his seeds into every one of the demoness's orifices on his back.
Unbeknownst to her, Nakime spoke up, narrowly escaping a deadly danger to her already sensitive backside.
"Alright, I promise not to try escaping anymore, but…" Nakime said in a reserved tone, pausing before continuing.
She stared at Dōma's muscular back and spoke in a serious tone.
"…I'd prefer if Kokushibō-sama were present to ensure my safety. Otherwise… y-you might do… weird things again," she added, her voice tinged with embarrassment once more.
Dōma listened halfheartedly at first, but the mention of Kokushibō stopped him in his tracks.
No, he wasn't afraid of Kokushibō because of his mental issues or current strength.
Dōma had surpassed Kokushibō's power years ago.
He even knew his new techniques, thanks to his mental espionage using Vanity's Paradise.
Upper Moon One held no secrets from him.
So why had he stopped?
The answer lay in his mind: *"Is it still a date if Kokushibō is there?"*
This thought brought a slight frown to Dōma's nonchalant face.
But it was only a reflex, as he felt no real repulsion at the idea of a "third wheel" this evening.
Dōma's mind analyzed and processed this information at high speed, searching for a solution to Nakime's shyness while still enjoying his time with her.
The answer came quickly in the form of two names: Akaza and Muzan.
If Nakime wanted to invite Kokushibō, then he would invite others to keep him occupied.
After all, Muzan had a fiery temperament and could easily distract Kokushibō.
As for Akaza? Dōma deemed it necessary to call on this man to serve as Muzan's lackey.
After all, Kokushibō would never stoop to menial tasks alongside Muzan, especially with Dōma nearby.
The ice demon also knew that Akaza respected women too much to let Muzan take advantage of Nakime in his presence.
Thus, the balance would be perfect.
A cunning smile spread across Dōma's face as he prepared to invite trouble to his doorstep.
"Alright, you can contact Kokushibō-sama," he said in a nonchalant tone.
Had he not added the "-sama," anyone would have thought Dōma was speaking of a close friend rather than his hierarchical superior.
"I knew you wouldn't agree—… wait, what? You're okay with Kokushibō-sama being here?" Nakime hadn't expected him to accept her unreasonable request.
Unfortunately for her, her opponent could read her like an open book.
She held no secrets from Dōma, who easily devised countermeasures to her attempts to escape, thanks to his complete understanding of the reasoning behind her ideas.
Nakime had already lost to Dōma the moment he managed to swallow a strand of her hair.
She now found herself in a situation similar to Mori's: the demoness could no longer compete with Dōma on almost any level.
This situation was somewhat reminiscent of the Soul Society, when Aizen had placed everyone under the influence of his shikai, except for Ichigo.
Even old Yamamoto, despite his power, could never have defeated Aizen.
At best, he might have forced a stalemate back then, had the renegade's plan to seal his bankai failed.
That's how terrifying the manipulation of perception and the mind can be.
'Even if I'm far from Aizen's oratorical talent for getting into my target's head, I can read their minds directly,' Dōma thought, flashing a "gentle" smile at the troubled woman on his back.
"Of course, Kokushibō-sama is my precious 'comrade,'" he replied, shrugging.
The gesture brought Nakime closer to him, and Dōma could once again smell the scent of the biwa player.
Nakime was slightly confused by this situation, as she hadn't anticipated it.
Yet, Dōma wasn't done moving his "pawns."
"I also think it would be fairer to invite other 'important' people to our hearts, don't you think?" he said, glancing over his shoulder.
His multicolored eyes met her pink ones for a moment before Nakime looked away, maintaining an indifferent expression.
She had finally regained her cold demeanor, having grown accustomed to the passersby's comments about Dōma carrying her on his back.
"Do as you please," she said in a low but perfectly audible voice to the ice demon.
"Oh, I will~"
Nakime didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling about the rest of this evening.
But what could she do?
Dōma and she currently had an agreement, one she had proposed of her own free will.
Besides, logic led her to believe that the ice demon wouldn't try anything in the presence of other demons.
'It's too late to back out now,'she concluded mentally.
Nakime didn't know it, but she had underestimated Dōma's mental state.
It wasn't for nothing that Muzan considered him a necessary evil.
After all, the demon king didn't have strange inclinations like Netero.
He hadn't kept a psychopath like Pariston (here, Dōma) for pleasure.
At the time of Dōma's transformation, Muzan was sorely lacking competent subordinates.
No demon was "truly" stronger than him, except for Kokushibō… and Muzan himself.
At least, according to Muzan's current knowledge.
"Hey… Muzan-sama? Can you hear me?"
Dōma began trying to contact Muzan through his link with the demon progenitor.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the latter to respond.
All the Upper Moons were closely monitored by Muzan, except for Dōma, due to his disturbing mind.
Muzan kept a closer eye on the others.
"Dōma, I'm busy," Muzan's telepathic voice echoed in his mind.
"Sorry to disturb you, but I've organized a little festival and…" Dōma explained part of the situation to Muzan, but the latter learned much more by probing Nakime's mind.
Was he angry? No, because Dōma hadn't lied.
He had only omitted confessing that he had slept with Nakime, and he was trying to reassure her about his intentions by contacting Muzan.
Normally, the demon king would have categorically refused to participate in such a farce.
But… Muzan was intrigued by Nakime's memories when he saw how Dōma had manipulated her body.
His curiosity prompted him to make an unusual decision.
Thus, he felt tempted to join this "little" festival his subordinate had organized.
Jay's knowledge had created a butterfly effect that Dōma could never have imagined.
Even though he had planned to use Muzan as a diversion against Nakime, Dōma's rational mind knew there was little chance Muzan would actually show up.
Surprisingly, this option turned out to be a success.
"I'm coming with Akaza and Kokushibō…" Muzan said without asking Dōma for more details.
He had already gleaned all the necessary information from Nakime's mind, including their little adventure at the theater.
In just a few dozen minutes, a woman in a traditional dress, as one might see on special occasions, arrived with two men.
Unlike Kokushibō in his human form, Akaza didn't hide his demonic nature.
The group was summoned by Nakime after receiving their coordinates through Muzan.
It could be described as a relay teleportation, using the Infinity Castle as a central hub.
"Nakime… why do you smell like Dōma?" Muzan's question made Nakime's already pale face grow even paler.
***
Author's note: tomorrow is Saturday (break).
And yes, I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger (I'm not an orthodox hero anyway).
If you want a bonus before the weekly reset (Sunday), then… you have to vote! (I'm sure some will complain, but I'm not taking your money… not yet).
So I can only bleed votes from you, as well as reviews to try to improve my writing.
Anyway, if we reach 2250 stones, I'll release the continuation.