You Seem to Be Enjoying This Over-the-Top Performance

"Now that's surprising, miss. You wouldn't happen to be a Hashira, would you?"

Doma said, looking astonished.

The Demon Slayer Corps uniform Yuko wore beneath her cloak had, unsurprisingly, caused Doma to jump to that conclusion.

Of course, that wasn't important. It was merely a means of deepening the impression.

Once they engaged in battle, the Breathing Technique would reveal her identity to Doma.

She had no intention of engaging in battle urgently, and her body was completely relaxed...

This demon... is really arrogant.

As though speaking to an old acquaintance, Doma said in surprise, "If not for that unpleasant floral scent on you, I wouldn't have noticed your presence at all."

That was only natural. The Clear and Transparent World—or rather, the Supreme Realm—treated concealing one's presence as a basic technique.

As for the floral scent Doma mentioned, it actually came from the wisteria-flower sachet hanging at her waist.

It was used to conceal her own presence.

Even though she had never eaten a human, a demon was still a demon. Its presence was ultimately different from that of a human.

But the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps were either killing demons or on their way to kill demons. Having the scent of an evil demon cling to them was perfectly normal.

Combined with the wisteria fragrance, it was usually impossible to confirm her identity.

But because of that fragrance, her position had also been detected by her opponent.

Yuko had originally intended to wait until her opponent made a move before stepping out to stop her. That was the only way to dispel the girl's suicidal impulse.

By coming out like this, the girl—who hadn't seen Doma's true face—would, even after regaining her senses, only become Doma's brainless fan.

It seemed she had found trouble for herself.

Doma leisurely came to the table, sat down cross-legged, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it toward Yuko. "Would you like some tea, miss?"

Yuko wasn't polite either. She came over, sat down in front of him, picked up the tea, and drank.

Doma's expression froze for an instant. He blinked, and a smile spread across his face.

"I'm so moved! You're the first demon hunter to accept my goodwill of her own accord!"

"Ahh~~ Miss, please, you absolutely must tell me your name."

Doma sat cross-legged there, swaying from side to side in his emotion.

Yuko drained the cup in one gulp. It was only ordinary tea, most likely changed by one of the believers.

For a demon, it definitely couldn't be considered delicious.

Yuko set down the teacup and said flatly, out of nowhere, "I'm asking you, are you really that moved?"

Doma's swaying body stopped, though he kept the smile on his face.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Yuko looked at him indifferently. "Your smile... is a little fake."

When ordinary people experienced emotional fluctuations, subtle changes would occur in their brains. Demons were no exception.

But the man before her had only shown the slightest fluctuation at the moment she sat down and drank the tea.

It could be said that once one possessed the Clear and Transparent World, no one could lie to them—unless that person's mental fortitude was truly so exaggerated that it surpassed ordinary imagination.

They could even deceive themselves.

Like a mentally ill person.

If he said he could fly, there wouldn't be the slightest abnormality in his mind. Most likely, he truly believed that he could fly.

"..." Doma's smile pulled awkwardly at the corners. Looking into Yuko's eyes, he changed the subject. "Miss, you have such beautiful eyes~"

"They're just like mine."

"We might get along really well~"

As he spoke, Doma playfully pointed at his own multicolored eyes.

Because he also had a pair of unusual eyes, he didn't find anything strange about Yuko.

Yuko said, "If you stopped eating humans, perhaps."

Doma looked somewhat regretful. "That might be a little difficult."

The regret on his face vanished in an instant. He looked at Yuko excitedly and said, "Come to think of it, miss, you're my favorite type."

"Gentle, powerful..."

Yuko tilted her head. "How did you decide that I'm gentle?"

"Of all the demon hunters I've met before, no one has ever spoken to me as calmly as you have, miss."

Doma smiled as he poured Yuko more tea.

"What should I do~ I want to eat you more and more, miss~"

"Come on, let me eat you. That way, you can live forever together with me."

Yuko picked up the tea. "You seem to be enjoying this over-the-top performance."

"Because you can't feel human emotions yourself, right?"

The smile at the corners of Doma's mouth faded. "I'm a demon. Isn't it normal that I can't feel human emotions?"

"I'm talking about when you were alive."

"Being unable to experience emotions like these... must be very sad."

Shing~

Without warning, a golden iron fan rapidly enlarged in Yuko's eyes, accompanied by Doma's cold face.

But in the next moment, a trace of surprise appeared on that cold face.

At some point, Yuko had already drawn the Nichirin Blade at her waist. The blade, together with the white cloth wrapped around it, pressed the iron fan onto the tea table.

So fast!

This woman... really isn't ordinary.

Doma thought to himself.

Yuko said indifferently, "But you can get angry, can't you?"

Doma froze for a moment.

Angry?

Was that what I just...

Before he could finish his surprise, a blue Nichirin Blade was already right before his eyes.

Doma swung the iron fan to block the blade. He glanced at the water-blue blade and said regretfully,

"You're the Water Hashira. What a pity. I'm no longer interested in Water Breathing."

"If you have no other tricks, miss, I'll have no choice but to eat you."

Yuko narrowed her eyes slightly. This demon is collecting information on swordsmen too?

"Don't worry. I have no intention of being eaten by you here."

Yuko drew her blade free.

"Water Breathing: First Form—Surface Slash!"

Yuko crossed her arms and unleashed a powerful horizontal slash, fierce and clean.

"Blood Demon Art: Vine Lotus."

Doma swung his iron fans. Several icy vines wrapped in ice lotuses surged toward Yuko from every direction.

A Blood Demon Art related to ice?

She really has a connection with this sort of thing.

Yuko forcibly withdrew her attack, stepped onto the icy vines, and leaped high into the air.

"Water Breathing: Form Eight—Taki-tsubo!"

A powerful slash crashed down at Doma from above like a waterfall.

Doma retreated, crossing his arms and swinging both fans. A great number of tiny ice petals shot out like blades.

"Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotus."

"Water Breathing: Form Four—Striking Tide."

Dense slashes lashed out continuously, shattering the ice petals one by one.

Ice crystals like fragments entered her lungs through her airways, causing Yuko's movements to stiffen slightly as she attacked.

"Hm?"

Doma said in surprise, "You noticed?"

What a keen woman!

Yuko sheathed her blade and retreated, carefully sensing the condition of her body.

This cold air...

It's poisonous.

The poison was damaging her lungs.

Yuko's eyelids twitched. She wondered whether she had some sort of grudge against this kind of demon.

Having already stumbled badly over such a method once, how could Yuko possibly fall for it again?

Besides, this poison had little effect on her in her current state. Her lungs were being damaged, but they were also rapidly repairing themselves.

But the situation no longer suited continued combat.

Yuko surveyed the room, which had been thrown into complete disarray.

The commotion... has gotten a little too loud.