"Miss Kanroji, please wait a moment."
"Let me collect the blood first."
Tamayo stepped forward, approaching the demon's corpse carefully, a small vial in hand.
"Oh! Okay!"
Mitsuri immediately halted mid-swing, her blade just moments from falling. She watched in silence as Tamayo delicately began gathering the blood sample.
"Miss Tamayo, you're really careful, huh?" Mitsuri remarked softly.
"It's necessary," Tamayo replied, not looking up. "Their blood likely contains traces of Muzan Kibutsuji's own."
"And with someone as devious and cunning as him, I can't afford to be careless."
Once finished, she turned toward the second body. "Alright, Miss Kanroji, you may proceed. I'll move on to the next one."
Without wasting time, Mitsuri decisively beheaded the two demons and made her way back toward Yohan.
Suddenly, from the rapidly deteriorating corpse of Susamaru, a faint whisper echoed out:
"Come play… come play…"
"Miss Tamayo, did you hear something just now?" Mitsuri asked, glancing back.
"That was likely the remnants of her will," Tamayo said gently. "No need to pay it any mind."
"Her will, huh…"
Returning to Yohan's side, Mitsuri gave him a quick nod, signaling the job was done.
Now it was time to address the matter at hand: Tamayo and Yushiro.
Yohan's gaze turned to the pair.
"Miss Tamayo, allow me to properly introduce myself—I'm Yohan. This is Mitsuri Kanroji."
Tamayo responded with a calm smile. "Yohan, Mitsuri Kanroji, it's a pleasure. You may call me Tamayo. And this is Yushiro."
"May I ask… what brings you to me?" she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind from the start. After all, she had never seen these two before, and their sudden intervention had undoubtedly saved her and Yushiro's lives. There had to be a reason.
"Tamayo," Yohan said plainly, "I want to borrow your expertise—specifically, your medical knowledge."
"My medical knowledge?" Tamayo tilted her head. "Is someone in need of treatment?"
"No, it's not about healing someone," Yohan shook his head. "I want your help to bring down Muzan Kibutsuji."
"—Muzan Kibutsuji!"
Tamayo's eyes widened, but then—relief. Real, visible relief.
"Yohan, in that case, our goals align perfectly. You could say you're not asking for my help… but that we're allies already."
To her, anyone aiming to destroy Muzan Kibutsuji was someone she welcomed wholeheartedly. If it would hasten his downfall, she would do whatever was necessary.
"In truth, I've been researching ways to defeat Muzan for a long time now," Tamayo confessed. "Just like collecting blood tonight. I believe that, as a doctor, every disease has a cure—and demonization is, at its core, a transformation of the body. If we understand it fully, we may even find a way to revert demons back into humans."
She looked at the two earnestly. "Yohan, Mitsuri Kanroji, I have a request. Will you help me collect the blood of the Twelve Kizuki?"
"If Muzan is your ultimate target, you'll surely cross paths with them. They are the ones he has given his blood to in large quantities. Studying their blood will give us better insight into his composition."
Her voice held no hint of hesitation—only determination.
Having seen the strength Yohan displayed earlier when he obliterated Susamaru and Yahaba, Tamayo was confident. If anyone could survive against the Twelve Kizuki and bring her back what she needed, it was him.
"Eh? Blood from the Twelve Kizuki?" Mitsuri suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Then… didn't we already miss two chances?!"
"Huh?!" Tamayo's expression froze. "You mean—"
Mitsuri was already on a roll, beating Yohan to the explanation. She loved bragging about his accomplishments.
"Oh yeah! He already fought Lower Rank Three and even Upper Rank Three!"
Tamayo stared, stunned.
"Wait… you mean that Upper Rank Three?!"
She had completely underestimated this man. Initially, she had assumed he'd simply tangled with some low-tier demons. But now she learned he'd not only killed Lower Rank Three… but had gone toe-to-toe with Upper Rank Three until sunrise—and lived to tell the tale.
"This… this is…"
Tamayo had once served directly under Muzan. She knew how terrifying the Upper Moons were.
And Yohan… Yohan still looked so young.
In that moment, Tamayo felt something deep within her shift—an overwhelming sense that this man might truly be the key to destroying Muzan Kibutsuji.
She had always believed in a two-pronged approach:
One, developing a medicine capable of weakening or even reverting Muzan back into a human. But this required a vast amount of his blood for research—and she couldn't exactly walk up to him and ask for it. That left the Twelve Kizuki as the only viable source.
The second problem: even if the medicine worked, she doubted it would be enough on its own. She was a doctor, yes, but her vision always included a warrior—someone who could stand against Muzan until dawn and finish the job under the light of the sun.
Hundreds of years ago, a prodigy nearly succeeded in doing so. He had failed—but only just. Since then, Tamayo had never given up hope.
She believed that one day, the right people would rise. That someone would carry the same conviction… and the same strength.
Looking at Yohan now, she finally felt that belief reigniting stronger than ever.
And for the first time in a long, long while—
She was ready to give everything she had.