Until Death Do Us Part

"A human?"

Yukino was startled, her body instinctively retreating a few steps.

She had imagined that the "dog" before her might ambush her, bewilder her, or even be a realistic illusion, but she never could have imagined that the "dog" was a human being.

"Then does it still have human consciousness? Does it still know it's a human?"

Yukino looked at the human before her, feeling as if something were stuck in her throat.

Turning a human into a dog... Yukino figured she would never forget this scene for the rest of her life; the level of horror was no less than that of a human centipede!

"I don't know, but I have a way to test it."

Bai Yuze had raised dogs himself, so he immediately thought of a method to test whether the human before him still possessed human consciousness.

"Oi! Come here! Here boy!"

Bai Yuze used his "here boy" technique on the "dog," and upon hearing Bai Yuze's call, the "dog" slowly crawled over.

At that moment, Bai Yuze snatched up his kitchen knife and slashed fiercely toward the "dog's" face, intentionally slowing his movement so the "dog" could clearly see his action and understand his intent.

But Bai Yuze didn't actually strike; the blade stopped just inches from the "dog's" face.

The result was exactly as Bai Yuze had expected: the "dog" hung its head, pressed itself against the ground, and kept its eyes tightly shut, looking as if it were afraid of being punished.

"Experiment over. It has no human consciousness left; it has completely and utterly accepted that it is a dog."

Bai Yuze's test was simple: when faced with an attack, a human would subconsciously raise their arms to defend or dodge, whereas a domesticated dog would close its eyes tightly, appearing fearful but willing to endure the harm.

This also indirectly showed that the "dog" had undergone repeated beatings and domestication training; in other words, the human before them had been broken.

"There's no saving it. It's become numb, and in its subconscious, it believes it's a dog. Even if we took it out of this dilapidated Minzhai, it wouldn't be able to live independently. It might even end up fighting other stray dogs for food on the street!"

"How pitiful... when do you think it was kept?"

Yukino looked at the dog with pity, which only deepened her suspicion and curiosity regarding the truth of the Minzhai.

Could this place be some kind of bizarre research institute for human-animal limb swapping technology?!

"Judging by its size, it looks to be about twelve years old. Domesticating an adult would be even harder, and you couldn't achieve total domestication; even if the memories were lost, the subconscious would remain."

"Don't forget, it's not just a human domesticated into a dog; it's also a Ghost Dog."

Bai Yuze held the knife against the dog's neck again, ensuring that the moment it launched an attack, he could slit its throat instantly.

He used his other hand to grab the collar worn around the dog's neck, which was clearly sized for a puppy.

"The size of this collar... indeed, if it weren't a Ghost Dog, it would have been strangled to death long ago. But it feels like it would be better off dead than alive; not only is it trapped in this dark place, but it also has to endure the torture of suffocation."

While Yukino was muttering to herself, Bai Yuze walked over to the male corpse and cut off a piece of flesh.

He dangled the meat in front of the dog, and the dog's eyes followed the swaying motion.

"Want to eat? Do me a favor, and all of this is yours."

If you want to get something from me, I want you to provide value—this principle applies everywhere. Stray cats "pose" to get food from human hands, and humans accept the risk of being scratched just to pet a cat and receive emotional value; in this process, both sides get what they need.

Of course! Sometimes there are hiccups in the supply of cat food, but that can only be blamed on the heavens, the earth, or the Haji Cat for being useless.

The Ghost Dog was drooling enough to fill Tokyo Bay, so once it understood Bai Yuze's meaning, it nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Bai Yuze tossed the meat to it, but for the Ghost Dog's appetite, a single piece was like a drop in the bucket.

It didn't even have time to savor the taste before the meat slid into its stomach.

Consequently, it could only look at Bai Yuze with longing eyes, begging him to bestow more upon it.

"Don't rush, eat after you finish the job."

Bai Yuze knew the iron chain couldn't be cut or removed, but the collar it was attached to was made of leather, so he immediately thought of a way to deal with those bratty kids.

Who hasn't been chased by the neighbor's big yellow dog during their childhood? Bai Yuze was mercifully helping these children complete their childhoods; truly, his love knew no bounds!

"Remember, except for her and me, bite anyone you see. Do you understand?"

The Ghost Dog nodded, and then Bai Yuze used his knife to cut at the collar trapping the Ghost Dog. He didn't cut it all the way through, leaving just a thin connection.

"Alright, go!"

The Ghost Dog received Bai Yuze's instruction and darted out, the force of its movement snapping the collar instantly. Bai Yuze then ducked into the room to avoid the dripping water, dragging Yukino in with him.

"It's gone now, shouldn't we continue looking for the green door?"

Facing Yukino's question, Bai Yuze replied calmly.

"I suddenly have a bold idea. You'll understand in a moment."

Yukino looked confused, but she chose to rest for a while.

After a short time, a child appeared at the doorway, covered in wounds; it looked as if its childhood had been thoroughly completed.

"What? Want to fight me head-on?"

Bai Yuze stroked the blade of his kitchen knife. He didn't know if there was fine wine for friends, but if an enemy arrived, he would strike first.

"I... I'm sorry..."

The ghost actually apologized, which made Bai Yuze start to wonder if his ears had been muffled by a Ghost Infant.

"Can you... can you make that big dog stop? It bit my friends..."

"Why should I? Why would I listen to you?"

Bai Yuze laughed out loud. The ghost before him truly had the mindset of a child, actually believing that "salute, shake hands, and we're best friends" applied everywhere!

You must endure things far more painful than I have for me to be happy; you must suffer more than I have for it to count as an apology! Until death! No rest!

He had always hated bratty children. From the moment the ghost tried to kill him and Yukino, the ending was destined to be tragic. If Bai Yuze could find these guys' ashes, he would absolutely, without hesitation, mix them with water and tell Yamauchi Haruki it was black sesame paste, tricking him into drinking it.

Oh, almost forgot, Yamauchi Haruki should be waiting in line in the Underworld right now; he wouldn't be able to enjoy this delicacy...

"It's not impossible for me to make it stop, but only if you do me a favor. Otherwise, forget it."

Just kidding, even if he helped, it wouldn't stop; in such a massive basement, where was he supposed to find a dog? Bai Yuze just wanted to take the opportunity to fish for some benefits.