After leaving Mr. Toyo's udon stall, they noticed someone standing beneath a streetlamp not far away.
It was Yushiro.
Yushiro, who always accompanied Lady Tamayo. Short-tempered, sharp-tongued—but utterly devoted to her. Once a terminally ill young man, he had been turned into a demon by Tamayo and saved from death.
Nezuko immediately sensed the aura of another demon and instinctively became alert, slipping into a defensive stance.
So cute.
Aoyama gently patted her head. "Relax. He's fine."
Tanjiro blinked. "Have you been waiting for us?"
Yushiro's expression was sour. "Lady Tamayo told me to bring you."
He looked annoyed—and he was even more annoyed inside.
Lady Tamayo's beautiful eyes should only be looking at him!
Irritating. Extremely irritating.
But regardless of how he felt, anything Lady Tamayo asked of him had to be carried out perfectly. Only then could he prove his devotion.
Tanjiro scratched the back of his head. "Thank you. Actually, I could've followed the scent to find you."
After all, they had helped him escape—and saved the bitten woman.
"She's hidden the place with a visual illusion. You wouldn't have found it."
"Visual illusion…" Tanjiro muttered.
Suddenly, he realized he hadn't introduced them yet.
"Senior Brother, this is Yushiro—the one who helped me earlier. And Lady Tamayo, she's a doctor—"
Aoyama already knew.
That was why he'd calmed Nezuko earlier.
Yushiro kept a straight face and pointed at Nezuko.
"That woman is a demon too, right? And she's ugly."
Ugly?
Ugly?!
Who's ugly?!
Tanjiro froze for a moment, unable to process the sudden turn.
Then he saw Nezuko's slightly furrowed brows.
He finally understood.
"He said Nezuko is—uh—Senior Brother, I'm not saying we should fight—"
He didn't even finish the sentence.
Aoyama was already in front of Yushiro.
One hand grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground.
"Who did you call ugly? I'll give you one second to take that back."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Which meant—
He was angry.
Nezuko was adorable beyond reason.
Calling her ugly?
That was slander. Absolute slander.
"Words spoken can't be taken back," Yushiro replied stubbornly.
In his eyes, Lady Tamayo was the most beautiful woman in existence.
Aoyama nodded slightly.
Ah.
So this was how it was going to be.
"Fine. Then today I'll teach you how to take words back."
Tanjiro panicked.
This was escalating fast.
If he couldn't stop Senior Brother, maybe he could persuade Yushiro.
"Yushiro, look carefully! My sister isn't ugly. Look at her properly!"
"Nezuko was praised as a beauty back home! Nezuko, step into the light so he can see you clearly!"
Yushiro remained expressionless.
Unmoved.
Aoyama shot Tanjiro a cold glance and pushed him aside with his free arm.
"Tanjiro. Learn this. At times like this, words are useless."
Boom—
His fist slammed into Yushiro's face.
Blood burst from Yushiro's lip as his feet skidded backward across the pavement.
Aoyama shook his hand lightly.
"Ready to take it back? That punch was only half my strength."
Yushiro took two deep breaths, wiping blood from his mouth.
The wound began healing.
Good thing he was a demon.
Tanjiro hurried forward to block Aoyama.
"Senior Brother, that's enough! He's bleeding already! He probably knows he was wrong!"
Tanjiro understood Aoyama well.
Sometimes, he responded better to soft words than hard ones.
"Lady Tamayo is the most beautiful woman!!!"
Yushiro suddenly shouted.
Tanjiro's lips twitched.
He met Aoyama's gaze.
Cold.
Very cold.
Tanjiro was pushed aside again.
Aoyama moved in an instant.
Yushiro saw the fist coming and leapt backward—
But—
His ankle was caught.
His expression changed.
Oh no.
Crash—
Aoyama swung him and hurled him straight into a trash can.
The can toppled over, garbage spilling everywhere.
Aoyama walked forward slowly, eyes blazing as he stared down at the trash-covered Yushiro.
"Have you learned how to take words back?"
His fingers cracked loudly.
He bent slightly at the waist.
"I don't mind teaching you a few more times."
Yushiro's gaze dropped to Aoyama's hand.
It rested on the hilt at his waist.
A Nichirin Blade.
A blade made specifically—
To kill demons.
To Read advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146