Want to spar with me?

Although the two little brats, Yoriichi and Shi, still refused to call him Dad, they seemed to have accepted this life.

Every day, once they finished eating and washing the dishes, they began their tasks for the day.

One day was for copying books and studying; the next was for sword practice.

With Muzan repeatedly conning-scratch that, advising-him, "You need to practice hard, get stronger, and protect others!" Yoriichi gradually grew accustomed to his daily sword practice.

Muzan always assigned the two of them tasks, and once they finished, they could go play.

That day, after finishing his practice, Yoriichi looked at Muzan with his sword in hand, whipped the blade out of its sheath, and gave him a look brimming with fighting spirit.

Muzan set down his book with interest. "Want to spar with me?"

Yoriichi nodded.

"Sure."

Muzan rose from his rocking chair, strolled over to the cabinet, and took out his own sword.

The two entered a spacious room. Shi followed and stood off to the side to watch. Yoriichi wore a solemn expression. "Please teach me!"

Muzan smiled and drew his blade.

Yoriichi instantly felt a wave of pressure.

A born Swordsmanship prodigy who possessed the Transparent World, he could sense just how terrifying Muzan was.

No matter how lazy the Demon King had seemed during their time together, right now, Yoriichi felt an overwhelming pressure.

Yoriichi activated the Transparent World and saw the abnormal structure inside Muzan's body. He drew a deep breath and lunged forward.

Muzan had also spent some time diligently studying Swordsmanship, so he easily blocked the young Yoriichi's attack.

Yoriichi attacked furiously while Muzan defended with ease. Both moved so quickly that they almost left afterimages.

Yoriichi panted, gradually running out of strength. Suddenly, he let out a loud cry and slashed down hard.

Muzan blocked with his sword. With a sharp crack, a fracture appeared in Yoriichi's blade.

Yoriichi froze, then stepped back, staring at the broken sword in his hand with mixed feelings.

"I lost."

Muzan went over, picked up the broken blade, and handed it to Yoriichi. He rubbed the boy's head-it really did feel nice. "You're only seven. With your talent, you'll surpass me sooner or later. I'll buy you a good sword tomorrow."

As for this sword, it was one of the few things Yoriichi had left to remember his time with the Tsugikuni family.

Yoriichi nodded and put away the broken sword.

Muzan added, "Just don't grow up and cut me out of existence with one swing."

Yoriichi raised his head and looked at Muzan in confusion. "Aren't demons immortal?"

"Uh..." Muzan hesitated for a moment. "They can die."

Yoriichi looked at Muzan curiously.

Muzan said, "...Do you want to kill me that badly?"

Yoriichi turned his head away. It wasn't that bad.

Still, from their first meeting onward, every time Yoriichi saw Muzan, he inexplicably felt that he had been born to kill him.

But Muzan probably doesn't know that, does he?

Once their conversation ended, Shi ran over. "Yoriichi, you're amazing!"

"What, and I'm not?"

Muzan stepped right between them.

Back when he had been a student, he had never known why, but whenever he saw a boy and a girl walking together, he always liked to run between those couples on his way somewhere.

Shi was an honest child, so she explained, "Because Yoriichi is still little."

"All right, I need you two to help me with something from now on."

Yoriichi and Shi both looked puzzled.

"Keep an eye out for a flower called the Blue Spider Lily. It only blooms during the day. If you see it, pick it and bring it to me."

As he spoke, Muzan took out an illustrated book. "It looks like this, but blue. It should grow somewhere nearby."

Yoriichi gave him a strange look. "You forced Shi to bring you here back then just to find this?"

"That's right."

Shi leaned over to look. "I've seen this flower. It grows behind the house."

Muzan's expression brightened at that.

"But there aren't any right now. I don't know when they bloom, either."

"That's fine. They'll bloom sooner or later. Just pick them for me when they do."

Shi nodded.

Yoriichi asked in confusion, "Why are you looking for this flower?"

Muzan hid nothing and answered frankly, "To overcome sunlight. I haven't been out in the sun for centuries."

"So once you find the Blue Spider Lily, you won't be able to die at all?"

Hearing Yoriichi's question, Muzan said, "Do you want me dead that badly?"

Yoriichi stared at the ceiling without a word.

Muzan was speechless.

That night, Yoriichi had trouble sleeping.

There was something evil and frightening about Muzan, and for some inexplicable reason, Yoriichi always felt as though his purpose in life was to kill him. Yet over these past few months, Muzan had seemed like nothing more than a guy with a slightly twisted sense of humor.

He was a little afraid that he might have to fight him in the future.

If Muzan overcomes the sun, could that keep me from killing him someday?

As Yoriichi pondered this, he suddenly heard footsteps outside. They weren't Muzan's!

He immediately grew alert, got up, and grabbed the broken sword beside him.

He carefully opened the window a crack and peered into the courtyard.

A woman stood in the courtyard.

While he was still wondering about her, the woman glanced his way.

Yoriichi hastily shut the window and lay back down, but his breathing remained somewhat panicked.

Then he heard the footsteps approaching the front door. Once he confirmed that she wasn't coming toward him, Yoriichi breathed a sigh of relief. Holding his sword in the dark, he crept in the direction her footsteps had gone.

A moment later, Yoriichi heard Muzan's footsteps and the woman's voice.

"I brought the sword."

A sword?

Hearing that, Yoriichi walked to the doorway between the main room and the bedroom and watched the two through the gap in the door.

The woman handed Muzan a sword.

Could that be the one Muzan said he'd get for me?

But I didn't see Muzan go out. He spent the whole day lying around inside, reading. Why has someone suddenly come to deliver a sword?

And if she's here at night, she must be a demon, right?

Yoriichi still regarded other demons with wariness and disgust.

Muzan took the sword and said with a hint of regret, "You can handle more blood now, right?"

Tamayo's expression froze. "No need!!!"

"Relax. I wasn't planning to give you any blood." Muzan had already noticed Yoriichi hiding behind the door. The boy was only seven, and letting him watch Muzan stab into someone's brain didn't seem like a good idea.

Tamayo breathed a sigh of relief before continuing, "Jingji has the food ready."

Hiding inside, Yoriichi wondered, Food?

Human flesh?

Just as he thought that, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Yoriichi, you... mmph, mmph!"

Yoriichi hurriedly clapped a hand over Shi's mouth.

Shi immediately understood and nodded.

Yoriichi was just about to let go of Shi when the door slid open behind him with a clatter. Muzan and Tamayo looked down at the two children.

Yoriichi fell silent. Under their gazes, Shi's face flushed a little, and Yoriichi quietly lowered his head.

"Couldn't you at least be a little more professional about spying?"

Muzan exposed him without mercy.

"Muzan, did you notice me right from the start?"

"Yep."

Yoriichi was speechless.

At that, Tamayo looked at Muzan in astonishment and lowered her voice. "These two children know...?"

Muzan nodded. "They know."

Tamayo stared at him in surprise.

Muzan said, "All right, stop looking so surprised. Let's go, let's go."