Michikatsu = A Good Big Brother

Muzan cut a wound into himself, letting the blood run down his arm into the small bottle Tamayo had brought out.

Once it was full, Tamayo left with the bottle, thoroughly satisfied.

Muzan ran into town under the sunlight to buy food.

He, Muzan, no longer had to eat people!

After he took the Blue Spider Lily, Muzan's "illness" had received proper treatment. He was no longer limited to eating humans and could digest other foods.

But since he was still a demon, the fact that eating humans made him stronger hadn't changed.

Whatever. As long as I can eat normal food!

Sunshine, how I've missed you!

The town where Muzan lived wasn't particularly prosperous or populous, but plenty of small shops opened in the morning.

Under the rising sun, people began their busy day.

There were already quite a few people on the streets.

Muzan smelled the aroma of food wafting through the streets. Finally free of that nauseated feeling, he eagerly ran over to have breakfast.

That day, Muzan tried sushi, sashimi, ramen, and all sorts of other dishes. Thanks to his powerful digestion, he spent the entire morning eating without feeling particularly full.

His satisfaction, however, was off the charts.

After eating a mountain of proper meals, Muzan started buying snacks.

Honestly, some of the desserts were delicious. Muzan ate as he shopped.

Only when the sun was high overhead did Muzan return with his haul. Thanks to his mirror-space Blood Demon Art, he tossed everything he bought into the mirror space, where time didn't pass. It was as good as a refrigerator-absolutely handy!

Only after returning to the courtyard did he notice Tsugikuni Michikatsu waiting for him.

The sight of Tsugikuni Michikatsu brought Muzan down from his excitement, reminding him that the matter with Yoriichi still hadn't been resolved.

"How about I turn you into a demon instead? You can just outlive Yoriichi!"

Muzan leaned closer and said it with a snicker.

Tsugikuni Michikatsu watched him silently, as though saying, Stop wasting time.

Muzan immediately lost interest. "Fine, fine, I was joking. But are you really that eager to turn Yoriichi into a demon?"

Yoriichi was essentially a pawn in someone else's hands now. How could anyone live with false memories?

Besides, even if he became a demon now, he wouldn't have to fear sunlight and would gain an endless lifespan. If not for the worry that he would have to survive on human flesh afterward, even Tsugikuni Michikatsu would have been tempted.

"Do you still have to eat people?"

Muzan had no idea what Michikatsu was getting at with that out-of-the-blue question, but he answered anyway:

"Not really. I can eat normal food now. I can still eat people, but there's no need."

"Then hurry up and turn Yoriichi into a demon."

Michikatsu urged him on.

Muzan: "..."

You really are such a good big brother!

Muzan grabbed Michikatsu and went straight to the area near Yoriichi's home. By then, Yoriichi had gone into the forest to chop wood with Sumiyoshi.

Yoriichi and Sumiyoshi were now two woodcutting buddies, chopping wood together, selling charcoal together, and performing the Dance of the Fire God together.

And now Shi was pregnant, too, so the two fathers chatted happily about their wives and children.

But neither of the two buddies realized that a pair of schemers had already set their sights on Yoriichi from afar.

Muzan and Tsugikuni Michikatsu hid in the forest, watching Yoriichi chop down a tree through the gaps in the leaves. What a waste. The strongest man alive, reduced to chopping trees?

Yoriichi vaguely sensed someone watching him and couldn't help looking around. Fortunately, Muzan was hidden well enough and far enough away that he wasn't discovered.

He glanced at Tsugikuni Michikatsu beside him. "Forget it. You should get out of the way first, so Yoriichi doesn't accidentally kill you."

Tsugikuni Michikatsu: "..."

The damage was minimal, but the insult was devastating.

Even if I'm weak, do you have to put it like that?

But he understood that staying here really wouldn't accomplish anything, so Nakime sent him away.

Muzan took a deep breath. Although he was already certain that Yoriichi could no longer do him any real harm, he was still-still scared!

Those previous battles were about to scar him for life!

Suppressing the frantic pounding of his nervous heart, Muzan's expression sharpened. His nails silently lengthened, and several long whips lashed out from his back.

He went straight into his strongest form.

The next instant, Yoriichi suddenly felt a chill behind him. He violently swung the axe he had driven halfway into a tree back over his shoulder.

A tube-like whip on Muzan's back lashed out and blocked Yoriichi's axe. Without slowing down, several more tube whips stabbed toward Yoriichi in unison.

Yoriichi wasn't carrying a sword at the moment. An axe was powerful, but it still couldn't compare to a sword.

Still, to be fair, Muzan couldn't beat Yoriichi anyway.

With nothing but an axe, Yoriichi hacked off several of Muzan's tube whips in an instant.

Muzan had come prepared to take more damage than he dealt. Even with nearly all his tube whips severed, he didn't slow down at all and finally lunged onto Yoriichi. Yoriichi's expression darkened, but it was already too late to retreat.

Muzan plunged a finger into Yoriichi's head. Pain struck instantly, and Yoriichi violently swung his axe, splitting-or rather, smashing-half of Muzan's head apart.

But Muzan had already succeeded. Ignoring the damage, he pulled out his finger and retreated.

Muzan's blood had been injected into Yoriichi's body. That last blow had been his final attack. Now, he had completely lost the ability to fight. His consciousness grew hazy, his entire body went weak, and unbearable pain spread through every part of him.

"Aaargh-"

A somewhat familiar dizziness swept over Yoriichi. He cried out in pain and finally couldn't hold on any longer. His axe hit the ground with a thud, and then he collapsed.

At the sight, Muzan finally breathed a sigh of relief. With only half a head left, he looked especially horrifying and pitiful. His severed tube whips lay on the ground, and he was an utter wreck.

Tiny tendrils of flesh extended from the edges of his head, rapidly spreading and weaving together to form flesh, blood vessels, bone, an eye...

Within mere seconds, his entire head had regenerated. Muzan went over and picked up the tube whips one by one. As he lifted them, they melted into his hand like ice cubes.

"Ah, poor me..."

Muzan looked at the blood splattered across the ground. It was all his!

Yoriichi finally stirred again, his body shifting slightly. Startled, Muzan first put a little more distance between them.

Then, once he sensed his control over Yoriichi, he breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked!

Yoriichi finally regained consciousness and struggled to get up from the ground. He looked at Muzan and saw the multiple slashes in his clothes, his expression turning complicated.

His memories had returned, but he also remembered the altered memories and the battle, leaving him with mixed feelings.

Remembering how he had brought Shi back here, and how he had snapped at her when she mentioned Muzan once, left him even more at a loss.

Yoriichi looked at Muzan and finally said:

"I'm sorry."

Relieved, Muzan let his sharp demonic nails return to normal. He walked over, raised a hand, and patted Yoriichi on the head, even though Yoriichi was taller than him.

"It's fine. It wasn't your fault anyway. Besides..." Muzan flashed a less-than-serious smile. "I'm already your dear old dad. Forgiving my son is perfectly normal, right?"

Yoriichi: "..."

I know I should be touched, but just how obsessed are you with this?