"Was I not clear? Must I repeat myself?" Muzan advanced toward Nakime with small, deliberate steps.
The demon king's movements were slow, yet they carried an indescribable elegance.
Nakime was visibly too intimidated to speak properly in the face of Muzan's overwhelming aura.
"M-my lord… I—" Even though Nakime wanted to respond to her master, the words stuck in her throat like a hairball in a cat's.
By nature, Nakime was a woman of few words.
The atmosphere was clearly not in her favor, as reserved beings often find themselves cornered in the presence of such an imposing figure.
Thus, Nakime struggled to withstand the abnormally intense pressure emanating from Muzan.
'This situation wasn't part of the plan. Should I intervene?'Beneath his calm demeanor, Dōma analyzed the situation at lightning speed.
He even regretted letting Nakime down from his back after their agreement.
Had he done so intentionally? No.
Without her biwa, Nakime couldn't use her powers, and Dōma had simply chosen not to provoke her further after reaching a compromise.
That was why she now found herself kneeling before Muzan.
'Alright, I should step in and save her,'thought the ice demon before taking the initiative to speak without permission.
An act that Muzan despised as much as having his orders questioned.
Yet Dōma dared to play with fire.
Why such recklessness? Because, in his logic, it was impossible for Muzan to eliminate him.
Dōma was far too valuable.
Nakime, too, benefited from special treatment due to her powers… but unlike Dōma, she remained vulnerable: easily intimidated, especially because of her natural fragility.
By intervening, the ice demon deliberately redirected Muzan's wrath onto himself.
This action earned Dōma a slight nod of approval from Kokushibō.
Having spent enough time with the ice demon, Kokushibō understood that this man never risked his life without purpose.
The former samurai concluded that Dōma was taking this risk to protect a "comrade."
'He's indeed different… like Akaza,'Kokushibō thought, watching the ice demon position himself between Muzan and Nakime.
"Ah~ Are you talking about my scent on Nakime-chan? Hehe… you'll laugh, but I couldn't help myself from *devouring* Nakime-chan tonight…" Dōma launched into an explicit monologue about their actions, much to Akaza's dismay.
Upper Moon Three was a romantic at heart and would never have dared lay a hand on a woman without a direct order from Muzan.
Yet here he was, listening to a "crude" colleague speak shamelessly about what he'd done in a public place with the object of his respect (a woman).
The worst part? Dōma emphasized that Nakime hadn't given her verbal consent.
Only Muzan and Dōma knew that, in truth, she had taken pleasure in and cooperated during the act.
Dōma's gesture wasn't meant to paint himself as a predator in front of his peers but rather to "save" Nakime.
'In truth, I'm the one who put her in this situation… but the human mind always remembers those who help in tough times,'Dōma thought, just before his head was obliterated by a violent blow.
It took only a second for Dōma to regenerate that vital part of nearly all life forms on Earth.
'Akaza… I'll pay you back for that later,' he thought, casting a glance at Akaza.
Dōma had decided to trap Akaza with a joke he wouldn't forget for a century.
As for why he hadn't dodged Akaza's attack…
Muzan was about to unleash his fury, so Dōma preferred to take a punishment from Akaza instead.
Visually, he showed no anger toward Upper Moon Three.
Beyond this small grudge, he was also grateful to Akaza: the latter had blown his head off, pushing Nakime's mind toward pleasant thoughts to observe.
'I-it's my fault…'
'Why did I want to invite Kokushibō-sama? Dōma-sama meant me no harm!'
'He even got struck by a demon inferior to him, just because I wanted to avoid being alone with him… I'm so stupid…'
Nakime's mind was filled with guilt: she believed she had "pushed Dōma into this situation."
Reading the biwa demon's final thought, Dōma's fake smile turned genuine.
This expression irritated Akaza, who wanted to attack him again. But his hand stopped short.
Muzan's pale palm rested on his shoulder as her feminine voice echoed in his ears.
"Akaza… Did I ask you to intervene?"
The tone was calm, but an invisible pressure forced Akaza to prostrate himself immediately.
"No, but—" He tried to defend his stance, but Muzan's vertical pupils locked onto him.
Upper Moon Three had lived long enough to read his master's moods.
Akaza chose silence.
The silence earned a nod of approval from Muzan before he turned his attention back to Dōma and Nakime.
"I don't care about your affairs…" he said in a low voice, "but…"
The progenitor of demons approached Dōma, who had already fully regenerated.
With an extraordinarily swift motion, he reached out, grabbed Dōma's neck, and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.
An unnatural act from a human perspective, as Muzan's arms were slender and delicate in his feminine form.
"But it is forbidden for demons to gather, except on special occasions that I authorize," he said in a stern tone.
This served as a warning to Dōma and Nakime.
Muzan no longer wanted them associating outside the Infinity Castle.
The gesture surprised Dōma, as he considered the rule against demons gathering to be less strict.
Nevertheless, he chose to ignore Muzan's strange behavior.
"O-okay, Muzan-sama… but could you… loosen your grip?"
Muzan released Dōma's throat after delivering part of his "judgment."
"*Cough*… See, Akaza? 'Devouring' women never killed anyone~" Dōma said, barely veiling his provocation.
Upper Moon Three merely growled in response.
'Still, my plan half-failed… should I just party with them?' Dōma thought, deciding to leave Nakime alone for now.
After all, he had clearly succeeded in stirring the woman's heart with his "selflessness."
The rendezvous was meant to bring them closer, but he had achieved it in another way, thanks to Muzan.
A victory is a victory, in Dōma's optimistic view.
Unfortunately, the evening quickly took a strange turn due to Muzan's next words.
"As punishment, you will take on a childish form during Upper Moon meetings, and this penalty will take effect immediately," he said in a stern voice, though Dōma detected a subtle hint of anticipation in his tone.
Unlike those around him, Dōma had never tried to read Muzan's mind.
It wasn't that he didn't meet the conditions to use the Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
The real reason was simple: the risk was too high, and the potential gain too small, according to Jay's memory.
That's why Dōma was unaware of what it would be like to live as a shota alongside Muzan's women.
'Should I make him call me onee-san? No, that's absurd, since it wouldn't humiliate him,' he thought, dismissing the idea as pointless.
Muzan decided to punish Akaza in this way the next time he disappointed him.
Unbeknownst to Dōma, his apathy had spared him from having to call Muzan "onee-san" in front of Nakime and Kokushibō.
…
After the explosive interaction during the encounter with Muzan, the group blended into the crowd after leaving the alley.
Of course, Akaza had been "persuaded" by Kokushibō and Dōma to take on a human appearance.
"Thanks, Nakime-chan, my little feet don't walk fast *slurp*," Dōma said before sipping his cola.
Nakime didn't respond but noticed that the mini Dōma was a bit *too* comfortable in her arms.
Still, the demoness decided to ignore Dōma's wandering little hands, deeming this small perverse act negligible.
The group of demons began to relax, carried by the festive atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the pleasant mood came to an abrupt end when Akaza tried to catch a fish at a stall with a (rigged) tool provided by Dōma's sect.
Kokushibō turned his gaze toward the bickering duo, who stopped their argument and looked at Dōma.
Since Kokushibō was standing in front of Nakime, he thought the two were looking at him.
'They're strong, and the rhythm of their breathing…'
Upper Moon One didn't need many more clues to recognize "Total Concentration: Constant."
It didn't take a genius to realize that this duo, despite their immature appearance, was already formidable.
"You see that, you pedo idiot? That kid looks like your oto-san," Gyutaro said, walking toward Kokushibō.
Mori said nothing but nodded in response.
The two headed toward the group of demons, with Kokushibō leading the way.
The duo's real target was obviously Dōma (kid), but he was being carried by Nakime, who was close to Muzan.
Thus, Kokushibō blocked Gyutaro's path.
"Huh? Why're you blocking me? You gonna explain yourself? Were you rocked too close to the wall? Why're you looking down at me without saying a word? Think you're hot stuff, so you can do whatever you want?"
Kokushibō had only blocked Gyutaro's path for a second—nothing serious.
Yet an avalanche of insults poured from the young man in demon slayer attire.
The situation seemed abnormal from the outside but was, in fact, perfectly logical.
For years in The Eternal Paradise Faith, Gyutaro had been subtly discriminated against by other followers.
Having grown up in the pleasure district, the child was already used to being mistreated and insulted, but the sect's treatment felt even more disgusting.
Why spit on someone behind their back when you could do it to their face?
Their actions had a negative impact on Gyutaro's already dark personality.
The hypocrisy behind their "kindness" made him extremely irritable.
Only four people in the sect could keep him somewhat in check: Dōma, Taiga, Mori, and Ume.
Unfortunately, the only one present was Mori, the person Gyutaro got along with the least. They were constantly at odds. The only reason Mori could restrain him was that their strengths were close.
'I just got promoted to Tsuguko, but that other bastard's already a Hashira… and this guy picks now to mess with me?'Gyutaro thought, glancing at the haori Mori wore over the sect leader's.
"Get out of my way or die," Kokushibō said in an indifferent voice, already gripping the sheath of his katana.
Upper Moon One wasn't skilled in verbal combat but in blade combat.
However, Kokushibō knew this was Dōma's territory.
Thus, he immediately gave Gyutaro an ultimatum as a sign of respect for his "friend."
"Oh~ Feeling hurt, mister? I'm so scared—" Gyutaro didn't finish his sentence before Kokushibō's blade sliced through the air toward him.