"Brother! ♡"
"Yes... Himiko."
"Hehe! ♡"
A month had passed since Himiko was adopted into our household. She was currently clinging to my side, purring like a cat and nuzzling against me. Finding it quite endearing, I reached out and patted her head.
"Is everything... satisfactory within the estate?"
"Yes! Yoriichi-niisan, Father, and Mother all treat me so well. I'm so happy."
Father, Mother, and even Yoriichi treated Himiko as if she were their own blood daughter or sister. It was a relief. Their kindness was proof that they truly empathized with her past and loved her with all their hearts. Even the servants didn't harbor any ill will toward her.
"Brother, you are my savior... Thank you so much."
"Hearing you say that... brings me peace."
As I continued to pat her head, Himiko's face flushed red, and her eyes curved into joyful crescents.
"Oh, Husband! ♡ And Himiko, are you both doing well?"
A sweet voice greeted us—my lovely fiancée, Momo. She had been a bit taken aback when I first introduced Himiko as my adopted sister, but once I explained the circumstances, she embraced Himiko immediately. I was grateful for her compassion.
The two of them had quickly become close, even using casual honorifics with each other. I heard a rumor they bonded almost instantly over stories about me...
"Momo-chan!"
Himiko lunged into Momo's arms, purring again. She looked like a cute younger sister. Himiko mentioned that they had become as close as real sisters.
Stepping back from Momo's embrace, Himiko looked at me with a hesitant gaze. I knew exactly what that look meant. I rolled up my sleeve and offered my arm. She bit down and began to draw my blood.
I manage her bloodlust by providing my own blood. At first, she was hesitant, but after I convinced her that suppressing it forever would only lead to an eventual rampage, she agreed to regular feedings. However, the critical factor was the nature of my blood... it was Demon blood. After her first feeding, Himiko had collapsed and fainted. When she woke up, I realized I had gravely underestimated the nature of my own physiology.
I didn't realize that my blood could actually turn another person into a Demon.
After absorbing my blood, Himiko became a Demon like myself. Fortunately, like Nezuko, she turned into a variant that is immune to sunlight and wisteria and feels no urge to consume human flesh.
Initially, Himiko was confused by the sudden changes in her body. I sat her down and explained everything, expecting skepticism, but she accepted it with surprising ease. When I asked how she could believe such an incredible story so readily, she simply said she was happy to be the same kind of being as I was. She told me she would believe anything I said.
Looking into those eyes full of absolute trust, I patted her head. She was a truly precious sister.
As a result of her transformation, she manifested her own Blood Demon Arts. Her powers were similar to those of Rui—the Lower Rank Five from the original story: Steel Thread and Sticky Thread. She could weave threads more durable than steel to shred enemies or use adhesive ones to restrain them.
Additionally, unlike the original timeline, her Quirk underwent a transformation. Originally, she could only transform into the person whose blood she consumed. Now, her Quirk had evolved into something similar to Neito Monoma's: she could use the actual Quirks of the person whose blood she drank.
"Momo-chan! I love you! ♡"
"Hiee?! ...I... I like you too, Himiko! (///////)"
Momo's cheeks turned bright red. Cute.
"Husband? Why are you looking at us like that?"
"It is simply... heartening to see you get along so well."
"Ugh... you're such a tease, Husband..."
Momo puffed out her cheeks. I reached out and gently poked them to let the air out.
So cute.
As a side effect of sharing my blood with Himiko, the marking in my eyes changed from 'Upper Rank One' to 'Upper Rank Zero' (上弦 零), while Himiko's eyes now bore the mark of 'Upper Rank One'.
It felt as though I was becoming Muzan himself. Not that I intended to officially establish a group of Twelve Moons...
At the time, I didn't realize that the women I gathered around me would eventually form a sort of pseudo-Twelve Kizuki. That was a realization that would only come in the future.
.
.
.
"I have business to attend to alone today... You two head home first."
As we left school, I told Momo and Himiko I had an errand. Though they looked a bit confused by the sudden announcement, they didn't push and headed home together.
Once they were a sufficient distance away, I walked toward a secluded, empty park. I came to a halt in the center of the clearing and spoke to the empty air.
"How long do you intend to shadow me... Nagant?"
"Tch... you always did have sharp instincts, Kokushibo."
A woman stepped out from the shadows behind me, clicking her tongue. She was strikingly beautiful, with two-toned navy and pink hair tied back in a ponytail. Lady Nagant. A hero with a Rifle Quirk and a veteran of the Commission's "trash disposal" unit—my senior in this dark, dirty world.
"The President's orders?"
"Sharp as ever. You're quick on the uptake."
"You are not the first assassin sent to kill me... nor will you be the last."
I willed Kyokuseibo out from my palm and steadied my breathing.
"Hoooooooo... Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace."
I unleashed a massive horizontal slash toward Nagant. She leaped backward, narrowly avoiding losing an arm to the blade.
"I must ask... Kaina. Are you prepared to die?"
You had best fight as if your life depends on it.