The newcomer was an ordinary human, merely a guard responsible for watching the gate.
An ordinary human guard being stared at by four demons at once felt an inexplicable fear, even though he had no idea that everyone before him was a demon.
But it lasted only an instant. He assumed it was merely the awkwardness of being watched by several people. When he came back to his senses, he noticed that Lord Douma was there too, smiling at him with clear displeasure, and hurriedly said, "Lord Douma."
At Yanagisawa Pharmaceutical, everyone knew that although Lord Douma was always smiling while Lord Akaza always looked unpleasant, Lord Akaza was actually easier to talk to.
Douma's smile was always very fake, and somewhat frightening.
After greeting Douma, the guard looked at Akaza and said worriedly:
"There's a child kneeling outside the gate, begging for medicine. He says it's to save his mother."
Upon hearing that, Akaza instinctively recalled how he had once knelt before others for medicine to save his father, only to be ruthlessly thrown out. Sometimes, he had even been beaten.
For a moment, he was moved. "Take me to him."
The guard seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He wanted to help the child too, but he truly lacked the means, so he hurriedly led the way.
Muzan followed out of curiosity.
Douma wanted to follow, but Akaza shot him a glare, forcing him to stop.
Douma: Boohoo~
If you don't want me to follow, then fine. Why be so fierce?
With the two in tow, the guard practically ran to the side gate. A skinny little figure in ragged clothes knelt on the ground. His unkempt hair hung down in a tangled mess, partly concealing his face, but the tearstains on the ground had not yet dried, showing that he had just been crying.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up and saw them. As though he had spotted a lifeline, he hurriedly shuffled forward on his knees, kowtowing as he pleaded through tears:
"Please, have mercy and save my mother! She's dying!"
Akaza bent down, grabbed his arm, and helped him up. "Don't panic. Come inside and talk."
Muzan looked around. Since this was the side gate, there was hardly anyone here. He had to admit, this child was rather sensible.
Had he gone to the main gate, he could have used the crowd's sympathy and perhaps had a slight chance of forcing them to help him, but there was no telling what he might have suffered afterward.
After all, saving one person meant having to save countless others. No one wanted to set such a precedent.
But in a place like this, with hardly anyone around, he would not affect more people.
Though he might be ignored outright or even encounter danger, it was undeniable that this made him more likable.
Perhaps the child had learned beforehand that the "people" at Yanagisawa Pharmaceutical were relatively kindhearted?
Muzan was very confident in what Akaza would do, so he did not follow them inside.
At that moment, something Douma saw caught his attention.
After finishing the discussion with the Demon Slayer Corps, Douma naturally ran off to seek amusement. As a demon with a preference for women, he naturally went to places where women gathered.
For example—the Entertainment District.
It was worth mentioning that this place was called "Rashomon Beyond."
Aoya was one of the establishments running businesses in the Entertainment District.
Through Douma's perspective, Muzan saw a white-haired girl in an Oiran's room within Aoya, along with a black-haired boy who had tossed aside his sickle and rushed in excitedly.
The boy wore blue clothes. His exposed chest showed how emaciated he was, his body slightly deformed. His face was covered in dark spots, and his hair was disheveled.
The girl was extraordinarily beautiful. Her blue eyes complemented her fair skin, and she wore pale pink robes. Since she was in Aoya, she had been dressed up beautifully, like an ethereal fairy.
Muzan was certain that she was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his several centuries of life.
He was also certain that she was Daki—Koinatsu.
It had to be said that she was even more beautiful than she had been in the anime.
There was an indescribable quality to her, as though she perfectly embodied every trait of beauty.
Douma stood on a rooftop some distance away, smiling as he watched the siblings. He liked beautiful women too. She would surely be delicious.
A woman like that ought to merge with him and live forever with him. He should redeem this pitiful person!
Unfortunately, Lord Muzan did not seem to like his redemption.
Like someone eating vegetables while looking at meat, Douma looked at the Oiran while eating the "food" he had just caught, and his mood was quite good.
When it came to eating people, no one was more enthusiastic than Douma.
As an existence with little emotion, eating was likely one of his few pleasures. It was also how he carried out "redemption" and sought meaning in survival.
And the truth was, demons were still demons. Even after eating the Blue Spider Lily, no longer fearing sunlight, and being able to eat ordinary food, they were still man-eating demons.
Compared to humans, food not only had lower nutritional value and could not increase their strength, it was also far less appealing. Humans held an attraction for demons that surpassed everything else.
Muzan arrived at the Entertainment District.
He wanted to see whether he could take in those two children.
After all, when he watched the anime, he had been moved for a while. He had discussed online and on forums just how miserable the two of them were, wanting to save them, and some people had even written stories such as "What If They Joined the Demon Slayer Corps?"
From Douma's perspective, the two children looked to be only around ten years old. In that case, Koinatsu truly had suffered terribly. No matter how beautiful she was, she had still been forced to do miserable things in the Entertainment District to survive.
Even the way she died in the original work showed that her life had not been as easy as imagined.
Douma, sitting on the rooftop, spotted Muzan. Completely disregarding the shocked looks of others, he leaped down in a single step and ran over to Muzan with a grin.
"Lord Muzan, did you come here specifically to see me?"
Muzan: "..."
"No. Stop blocking the way."
Muzan grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside.
Douma immediately put on a pitiful expression, covering his face with one hand as nonexistent tears shimmered in his eyes. "Boohoo~"
Though Muzan could have predicted Douma's behavior, he still could not help making an expression—subway, old man, phone.JPG
Seeing that Muzan did not want to pay him any attention, Douma resumed his smiling expression and followed the Muzan who was already walking away.
"Lord Muzan, do you also wish to redeem the pitiful people here?
Eat them and let them merge with us, granting them eternal life."
Muzan ignored Douma as he followed behind, ceaselessly chattering away.
Though Douma might have gained some understanding under Tamayo's and his blood's subtle influence, his nature would not change.
Moreover, Douma had already nearly formed a complete worldview by now. Changing him would be a difficult matter, and Muzan did not want to spend the effort. Still, it was not as if he had no solution.
And Douma was not like a robot with nothing inside him. He was someone who enjoyed having fun, liked seeking amusement, and would even deliberately pretend to possess emotions.
Furthermore, Douma's twisted so-called love for Shinobu Kocho at the end of the original work showed that he was not entirely devoid of emotion.
And when Kanae tore through his disguise, he had become angry from humiliation.
The Entertainment District was essentially a gathering place for the flesh trade. Since dusk had already fallen, enthusiastic young women came running over when Muzan and Douma behind him approached Aoya.
Muzan shifted his feet and neatly avoided her touch. The young woman promptly threw her arms around Douma, who had no intention of dodging at all.
Douma put on a shy expression.
In truth, he felt nothing at all. He was even a little hungry.
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