Horitake knocked on the basement door.
It opened quickly.
Yushiro's sour face greeted him, looking like someone owed him a fortune.
Horitake expected as much but still felt a twinge of annoyance.
Whatever. Not worth the fight.
Bypassing Yushiro, he entered the basement, spotting Tamayo in a white lab coat, bustling among her equipment. "Sorry, Miss Tamayo, am I interrupting your work?"
Tamayo looked up, smiling gently. "Not at all. I'm almost done. Please wait a moment, Horitake."
"Sure thing. I've got something important to discuss."
Yushiro sidled up, eyeing Horitake warily. "What's this 'important' talk? Don't tell me you slept on it and decided to make a move on Lady Tamayo!"
Horitake shot him a sidelong glance, scoffing. "Can you not act like a possessive puppy? I told you yesterday—I'm not after Miss Tamayo. Relax, stop treating me like a villain."
"That's what a scumbag like you would say! I don't trust your promises. I'll guard Lady Tamayo myself!"
"You're ridiculous, Yushiro."
They traded hushed jabs, bickering again.
Wait, why does it feel like Horitake and Yushiro are getting along better? My imagination?
Tamayo, pausing her work, approached, delighted to see them "chatting." "You two seem to get along well. That's reassuring."
"Get along?!" Yushiro blurted, flustered. "Lady Tamayo, don't misunderstand! I'm just warning this guy—"
Horitake, smiling, casually stomped on Yushiro's foot, cutting him off.
Yushiro froze, eyes bulging like a choked rooster, his face paling.
Horitake's stomp wasn't light. Knowing Yushiro's demonic healing, he'd deliberately cracked his foot bones.
Withdrawing his foot silently, Horitake said, "Miss Tamayo, ignore Yushiro. I've got serious business to discuss."
"Of course. This way—there's a tatami room for resting and talking."
Tamayo led him to a cozy room, setting out tea as they sat across from each other.
Yushiro? He gritted his teeth, stifling a cry, hopping on one leg like a crane until his bones healed. Fuming, he stormed into the tatami room, plopping beside Tamayo, glaring at Horitake.
No way was he letting his Lady Tamayo be alone with this dangerous guy!
In this faintly absurd atmosphere, Horitake began earnestly, "Miss Tamayo, here's the thing. I have a junior, a little brother of sorts, named Tanjiro Kamado.
"Tragically, Muzan Kibutsuji slaughtered his family. Only his sister, Nezuko Kamado, survived—turned into a demon, living in a peculiar way…"
Horitake detailed Nezuko's situation.
He omitted her eating the Blue Spider Lily.
Thus and so, he explained…
Tamayo listened, her expression grave and thoughtful.
Yushiro, however, fixated elsewhere, suddenly pointing at Horitake. "I get it! This Nezuko is one of your three targets—your 'junior'! She's a demon too! You're into demons, you—"
Horitake snapped, "And you're not? You're head over heels for a demon! What right do you have to judge?!"
Yushiro's face flushed crimson, flailing. "No, no, no! It's not love—it's respect! Admiration!"
"Did I say it was Miss Tamayo?"
Yushiro sank, defeated, and fell silent.
"Seriously," Horitake grumbled, "every time I try to talk business with Miss Tamayo, I've got to deal with Yushiro first."
Throwing caution to the wind, he turned to Tamayo. "Alright, I'll be straight. I want to save Nezuko because I love her. I want her as my bride! Her parents entrusted her to me, so I'm responsible for turning her human again!"
Tamayo nodded, understanding. "So, the goal is to restore Miss Nezuko to humanity?"
"Exactly. I know you've been researching this for years, Miss Tamayo. Please, help me!" Horitake pleaded sincerely.
Tamayo waved off his urgency. "No need for that, Horitake. Healing and saving lives is a doctor's duty. If there's hope, I'll do everything to help Miss Nezuko.
"You said she doesn't harm or eat humans, recovering through sleep instead?"
"More precisely, she's in a deep sleep, reshaping her body to sustain itself through rest alone."
"How… do you know this?" Tamayo asked, curious.
Horitake tapped his eyes. "These eyes see what others can't." (He was tired of the line.) "I can see Nezuko's physical state."
Tamayo marveled. "Remarkable eyes.
"So, Miss Nezuko is a demon much like us. Yushiro and I maintain our humanity, needing only small amounts of blood.
"But Nezuko requires no blood, relying on sleep. She might be closer to humanity than we are.
"How does she manage this? Is it, as you said, her family's bond?"
Horitake hesitated, choosing not to reveal Nezuko's Blue Spider Lily connection. Not because he distrusted Tamayo—it was too critical.
He feared Muzan.
With countless demons and bizarre Blood Demon Arts—some moving underground, others active in daylight—there could be spies with far-reaching senses.
It sounded far-fetched, but not impossible.
He couldn't risk it. The secret had to stay buried, or exposure was a real danger.
Tamayo, apologetic, said, "I'm sorry, Horitake. Based only on your account, I can't draw conclusions or help Nezuko become human. I need to examine her in person, ideally with a blood sample for study."
"That's tricky right now. Nezuko's still sleeping, not fully adapted. Even if you had her blood, it might not help yet.
"We'll need to wait—maybe a year or more—until she wakes."
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