"And that's why I told you to quit smoking," the Ice Demon remarked casually, carrying Tamayo like a princess.
All his movements were subtle and gentle, as though he feared damaging a fragile object.
"P-Please, release Tamayo-sama!"
Perhaps having grasped the situation, Yushirō slammed his forehead against the floor, prostrating himself before Dōma.
Blood spread across the floorboards as his posture left his back exposed to Mugen.
'Tch… he's seriously showing his back in a situation like this?' Mugen thought, his gaze darkening.
Even though Mugen was considered scum by society's standards, he cared about certain things.
First and foremost came himself—he was, at his core, a profoundly selfish man.
After himself came family.
And finally, last of all… combat.
Mugen loved to fight, but he despised losing.
Worse still, he loathed facing losers and losing to them.
The sight of Yushirō surrendering so easily, with so little resistance, almost made him nauseous.
Unlike Mugen's disdain, the former member of The Eternal Paradise Faith knew a great deal about Yushirō.
He hadn't just transferred memories to Tamayo…
He had also taken some.
'Yushirō is still a newly transformed demon. He lacks the experience he displayed during his encounter with Tanjirō and Nezuko,' he thought, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the room.
Dōma advanced slowly toward Yushirō.
'I knew we shouldn't have trusted the Demon Slayers… but…' he thought, gritting his teeth.
When the humans had found Tamayo, they had introduced themselves as members of the Demon Slayer Corps.
A truthful claim, as Rin was indeed a Hashira and could mobilize the Slayers in her region due to a demon threat.
Tamayo was surprised that the Demon Slayer Corps wished to collaborate with her toward a common goal.
She decided to follow them, partly because of this, but also due to Rin's menacing aura.
The female demon had lived long enough to know when to fight and when to cooperate.
Unfortunately, neither she nor Yushirō could have imagined that a hidden organization existed within the Demon Slayer Corps itself.
The situation was like a disease festering in a healthy body, unnoticed by the immune system.
A catastrophe.
"Come now, Yushirō-san, you're talking as if we're the bad guys here~" Dōma said, still holding Tamayo.
"I have no intention of killing Tamayo-san, but rather recruiting her if possible," he explained calmly.
"Recruit her? But you clearly attacked her first!" Yushirō barely finished his outburst before Dōma shook his head in denial.
"No, no! I didn't attack, haha … Did you even sense the slightest hint of killing intent? Or even a desire to fight in my actions? You two were just on edge, that's all~"
Dōma's response was met with a confused expression from Yushirō.
The young demon realized that he and his mistress had been the ones to attack first during the negotiation.
Dōma, in truth, had never attacked from the start.
The only suspicious thing he had done during the discussion was pluck a strand of Tamayo's hair.
"But then… why did you—"
Yushirō began to question the man before him about the strand of hair.
Unfortunately, he didn't finish his sentence due to an unexpected event.
Tamayo's eyelids slowly opened, greeted by Dōma's falsely troubled expression.
Yet Tamayo was not fooled by his facade.
The demoness now knew.
This man suffered from an emotional disorder that prevented him from feeling emotions like other humans.
For him, joy, rage, sadness, and even love were mere sparks of fire lost in a stormy sea.
They were doomed to fade.
Unconsciously, Tamayo's impassive face shifted subtly.
There was no longer any trace of wariness after glimpsing Dōma's life and feeling those rare sparks in the empty abyss of his mind.
As a doctor, Tamayo empathized with his condition.
"I-I'm sorry for trying to attack you when you only meant to share your memories through your power," she said reservedly.
She felt a bit ashamed for assuming Dōma sought power beyond the chains imposed by Muzan.
The Ice Demon was incapable of such ambition, as he felt no emotions in his daily life without actively seeking them.
In such a situation, how could he feel greed? Or a hunger for power akin to Muzan's?
Beyond that, Tamayo quickly noticed her current position.
The traditional woman was in the arms of a man while speaking.
Immediately, empathy gave way to embarrassment.
Tamayo's pale skin took on a faint red hue, and she averted her gaze from Dōma.
But this image of innocence quickly faded.
After all, Tamayo had lived for centuries and had gained enough self-control to avoid acting like a teenager.
'She's truly beautiful… I understand why Yushirō has been " a simp" for her for centuries,' Dōma thought, as his Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise preserved Tamayo's embarrassed expression.
After those words, Tamayo's calm face flushed slightly as she tried to escape Dōma's arms.
"Whoops, my apologies. You nearly fell to the ground due to the information overload," he said with a faux apologetic tone.
Tamayo simply nodded before turning her attention to Yushirō.
She leaned toward him and placed a hand on his forehead, but he reassured her with a gesture as he regenerated.
"Now that you have your proof… can we work together? Though I'd love to recruit you, I doubt that's possible right now."
Surprisingly, Tamayo's next words proved him wrong.
"We agree to join you, Dōma-sama," she said after helping Yushirō to his feet.
"What?"
"Tamayo-sama?!"
"Nani?"
…
After a few minutes spent organizing the details of Tamayo's future stay at the monastery, the group prepared to part ways.
"You're not going to ask me about the secret to escaping Muzan's control anymore?"
As she was about to step through the door, Tamayo turned back to Dōma.
The woman, whose face always seemed tinged with sadness or devoid of emotion, gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile this time.
"How did you know I read your memories?" Dōma asked with mock surprise.
No… it was impossible for Tamayo to sense Dōma's mind-reading.
The Ice Demon already knew Tamayo was trying to trap him in that moment.
If he claimed he was waiting for her to share the method to escape Muzan's control, he would seem too benevolent.
Thus, suspicious.
Their relationship would become ambiguous, as Tamayo would know Dōma had lied and rummaged through her memories.
'Someone who struggles to feel emotions wouldn't lie… unless they had a purpose,' Dōma concluded, deliberately falling into Tamayo's trap.
Being perfect is good—but too perfect? That's suspicious.
Especially in Dōma and Tamayo's situation.
Both operated in the shadows, unlike Tanjirō Kamado in the light.
Dōma could only admit to reading Tamayo's memories and stealing the information from her mind.
A shameless act, which he readily acknowledged.
"I didn't know or sense it… but—"
She paused, then smiled more broadly.
"I guessed it, Dōma-sama. Never underestimate a woman's intuition."
With those words, she vanished into the forest like an illusion, under the combined effect of her and Yushirō's powers.
"Is she still on our side? I'm just saying… but the boss literally violated that woman's privacy like a mind rapist—" Mugen began, only to receive a fan strike to the head.
"Never compare me to a rapist, you idiot," Dōma said before unfolding his fan and walking toward his quarters.
'Me? A rapist? Tch… I prefer the term "opportunist" or "observer,"' he thought, while Mugen lay on the ground, dazed by the superhuman force of the blow to his skull.
Fortunately, nearby Shadow members picked him up and took him to the infirmary.
"Yes, I accept Kirei Kotomine's invitation."
Barely arriving in his room, Dōma announced his acceptance.
As he finished speaking, several holographic panels appeared before his eyes.
[Congratulations…]
[You are now an official member of MEDIA and the administrator's discussion group: Kirei Kotomine.]
[Deploying group chat…]
["Group Chat" option successfully activated…]
[Activating "Live Stream" option…]
["Live Stream" option successfully activated.]
[Activating "Thematic" quest board…]
[Option successfully activated.]
[Would you like a temporary pseudonym? Yes or No?]
Dōma hesitated for a moment, then chose to use one.
He recalled certain novels and fanfictions from Jay's life, where multiple discussion groups already included transmigrators.
'Yes, I'll stay cautious,' he concluded mentally.
[The Defiant Demon has entered the group chat.]
[Kirei Kotomine (Administrator or Storyteller): Rejoice, we have a new member.]
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[Ryōmen Sukuna: Tch… he chose to keep a pseudonym. He's probably weak.]
(Image)
[The Void: Another discreet one…]
[Kuvira: Come now, you shouldn't act like that toward the newcomer.]
(Image)
[Balalaika: Cut the hypocrisy, bitch. You're making me sick.]
(Image)
[Laios: A demon? Is it tasty?]
(Image)
[Dōma: Another demon? Awesome~]
(Image)
[Kinta: A demon and not a demoness? The great me has no chance with my power… *sigh*]
(Image)
***
Author's note: The other Doma is a little whim of mine (yes, Gege mode is activated).
There's still a member who hasn't appeared yet and has kept their username, like Doma and The Void .