Heh Heh

These Half-Demons had been hiding from him all along, leaving almost no trace. The fact that they now dared show themselves before him proved just how recklessly they would risk their lives to stop him from overcoming his weakness.

Sooner or later, I'll kill every last one of them!

With the Half-Demons no longer a threat, Yoriichi held up his sword and stared indecisively at Muzan, who was plainly a man-eating demon.

Muzan hesitated briefly, then decided to use force.

Little Yoriichi isn't remotely a match for me right now anyway! I'll catch him first and take my time talking sense into him later. I've got all the time in the world.

He suddenly grabbed Yoriichi's sword, which could not inflict any real damage on him. Yoriichi reacted at once, gripping the hilt with all his strength and twisting the blade to force Muzan to let go. But Muzan's strength was terrifying, and he wrenched the sword away.

"Run!"

Having lost his weapon, Yoriichi Tsugikuni shouted and grabbed Shi to flee. But Muzan tossed the sword aside and picked them both up by the backs of their clothes, one in each hand.

"Run, my ass. Come on, brat. Show me the way."

Holding the two children, Muzan wore a thoroughly smug grin.

Yoriichi and Shi struggled desperately to escape, flailing uselessly like fish out of water.

Muzan tossed Shi onto the ground and looked at little Yoriichi. "Stop flapping around."

Seeing Shi released, Yoriichi forgot about his own predicament and shouted at her, "Shi! Run!"

Muzan glanced at him. Naturally, he had known Shi would not run when he let her go.

He turned to Shi with a wicked smile.

"Shi, you wouldn't want Yoriichi to lose his life, would you?"

Shi looked ready to cry, but forcibly held it in. She got up with dirt smeared across her little face and glared hatefully at Muzan.

Worried about Yoriichi, she naturally did not dare run.

I want to laugh. What do I do? Muzan suddenly felt he was going a little too far, bullying children like this.

"Forget about me! Run!"

Smack!

Muzan slapped Yoriichi on the bottom. "Shut it! Or I'll eat you like I'm at Shinzo Abe's funeral feast!"

As he spoke, he produced a cloth and some rope from nowhere, stuffed the cloth into Yoriichi's mouth, and bound his hands.

Yoriichi glared at him. "Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!"

Then Muzan turned back to Shi. "Where's your house? Lead the way."

Holding back her tears, Shi sniffled twice, then turned to lead them.

Yoriichi went, "Mmph, mmph, mmph!!"

Muzan could have simply left. Shi would still have taken Yoriichi to her house, since they had nowhere else to go.

But if he could bully Yoriichi while he was still little, why wouldn't he?

With Yoriichi's talent, he would surpass Muzan in just a few years. If Muzan did not bully him now, he would never get another chance.

For the rest of the journey, the only sounds besides Yoriichi's muffled protests were Shi's sniffles and their footsteps.

The three people-scratch that, one human, one player with cheats, and one demon-soon reached Shi's front door.

It was a humble little thatched hut on a patch of open ground near the fields. Wildflowers and weeds grew beside it, lending it a certain charm beneath the moonlight.

Shi took a deep breath and cautiously looked at Muzan, summoning her courage. "I showed you the way. Let Yoriichi go!"

Smiling, Muzan patted Shi's head. She wanted to dodge but could not, and did not dare try. Frightened, she hunched her shoulders, her body stiff.

"Well done."

Shi was about to ask him to release Yoriichi when she noticed the nasty smile on his face.

"But did I ever say I'd let you two go if you showed me the way?"

At that, Yoriichi began struggling violently.

"Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!!!"

Holding back her tears, Shi shrank away and backed up, frightened and furious.

Muzan tossed Yoriichi into the thatched hut, picked Shi up with one hand, then produced more rope from nowhere and tied her up before throwing her beside Yoriichi.

Shi could no longer hold back her tears. She burst into sobs and cursed Muzan. "Shameless!"

Yoriichi's legs were not bound, but he could not get up without his hands. Kicking against the floor, he crawled over to shield Shi and glared fiercely at the "despicable demon."

Muzan glanced at the sobbing Shi and threatened viciously, "Stop crying!"

Shi immediately fell silent, but tears still streamed down her face, and she kept sniffling.

Seeing that she really had stopped wailing at once, Muzan lowered his gaze to the fiercely glaring Yoriichi.

He crouched down and patted Yoriichi's little face with a smile. "Well? Mad?"

I scared your wife into crying.

To Muzan's disappointment, however, Yoriichi gradually calmed down, as though he had seen through everything in an instant.

Puzzled, Muzan removed the rag from Yoriichi's mouth to see what he would say.

"Eat me. Let Shi go."

"Uh..." Muzan looked at Shi, who was still sniffling. She immediately shouted, "No! Don't eat Yoriichi!"

"Then should I eat you?"

Shi shrank back, but her gaze suddenly hardened. "Fine!"

Now Muzan was baffled. Even if these two were the canon couple, surely they should not be ready to give their lives for each other after just meeting at such a young age?

Are they both really that kindhearted?

He had never intended to actually do anything to them. He had only wanted to tease them for his own twisted amusement.

But having these two brats rub their love in his face killed his interest. He stood, picked them up, and tossed them onto the tatami.

"If you two behave, I won't eat you."

Yoriichi instinctively shifted to shield Shi. "What do you want?"

"Would you believe me if I said I wanted to raise you?"

Clearly, neither believed him, yet they both had an odd feeling that he might be telling the truth.

Still, they realized they would not be harmed for now. Yoriichi took a deep breath and looked earnestly at Muzan.

"You're the Demon King, aren't you?"

"Yes." Muzan made no attempt to hide it and readily admitted the truth.

"Then why did you stop those demons from attacking us? Aren't they your subordinates?"

Shi also looked at Muzan in confusion.

"They aren't. Strictly speaking, they aren't demons, either."

"?"

Seeing their puzzled expressions, Muzan explained.

"They eat people too, but they're far less intelligent than demons, and I can't control them." Muzan paused, his expression brimming with murderous intent. "Those things are called Half-Demons. All those fucking bastards do is get in my way. I'll kill them sooner or later!"

"All right, I'll be living here with you from now on. You'll have plenty of time to ask your questions."

"And don't even think about running."

With that, Muzan snapped his fingers. The ropes binding them came undone, and he vanished.

The little thatched hut was rather too dilapidated. It probably barely kept out the wind and rain. He also needed to bring some books over.

But if I'm playing the father, doesn't that mean we're missing a mother?

For an instant, Muzan thought of that scumbag boss dressing as a woman. The idea frightened him so much that he hurriedly shook his head.

No way!

Absolutely not!

Cross-dressing is out of the question!

While there was no sunlight, Muzan wanted to use his Blood Demon Art to transport books, lumber, umbrellas, and other supplies over.

But when Muzan returned to the thatched hut, he found the tatami empty.

"Heh heh..."