"Honestly, so it really was you outside yesterday, Mr. Yoriichi?" Sumiyoshi looked at him with a helpless smile. "You could've just woken me up, you know."
"I was only taking something out of the box—nothing important. Since you were asleep, I didn't want to disturb you." Yoriichi helped Sumiyoshi carry the futon out from the wood shed. "Thank you for the bedding. It was very warm last night."
"It's no trouble at all..." Sumiyoshi scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Come to think of it, I feel like I saw... a puppet yesterday."
Yoriichi looked up at the overcast sky and thought for a moment before replying, "There is indeed a doll inside my box. He's a companion more precious to me than my own life. Would you like to see him, Mr. Sumiyoshi?"
"Eh—may I?"
"That depends on his mood." Yoriichi smiled faintly and tapped on the box. "There's no sunlight today. Would you like to come out for a while?"
Sumiyoshi froze in astonishment as the box door slowly opened. The exquisitely crafted doll he'd thought was part of a dream last night was now awkwardly clutching the lock ring on the inside of the box.
"Is... is that alright?"
"I don't think Mr. Sumiyoshi would mind." Yoriichi took out the black stone he had picked up near the door the night before and handed it to Hiru. "Would you like to come out for a bit?"
"Mm." Hiru accepted the stone, allowing Yoriichi to lift him up and set him on his shoulder.
"This... this is..." Sumiyoshi was at a loss for words. Finally, he could only stare at Hiru in disbelief. "Have modern dollmakers really reached this level? Incredible..."
Perched on Yoriichi's shoulder, Hiru tugged at the paper earring near his brother's ear and muttered under his breath, "How can someone be this slow?"
Yoriichi chuckled quietly but said nothing.
"Now that I think about it," Sumiyoshi continued, "around last month, when I went to the city to sell charcoal, I heard rumors about a so-called 'Puppet Swordsman.' That must have been you! I can't believe I get to meet such a legendary figure in person! What luck!"
"...'Puppet Swordsman'?"
"Yes," Sumiyoshi said, resting his chin on his hand as he tried to recall the details. "The stories say there's a Swordsman who commands puppets to fight demons while selling medicines that ward them off... something like that."
Hiru silently covered his face. Sure, he did go out at night with his brother to hunt demons, but still!
What do they mean by a swordsman controlling puppets in battle?!
His brother was so strong he didn't even need Hiru's help!
And those weren't "anti-demon medicines"—they were his experimental human restoration potions!
And "Puppet Swordsman"? How embarrassing!
Who on earth started that rumor?!
"I haven't heard that kind of rumor before..."
"You haven't? It's pretty popular lately in the Rakugo-ya storytelling houses..." Sumiyoshi blinked, then picked up the axe leaning against the wall. "Ah, speaking of which, I should get to work. Mr. Yoriichi, please take it easy."
"You're going to chop wood?" Yoriichi asked, hand resting on his sword hilt. "Allow me to help."
"Eh, no need. Even a Swordsman can't fell trees properly if he doesn't know how to use his strength," Sumiyoshi replied with a laugh. "This kind of work's better left to me."
Still, Yoriichi followed him outside. "Then let me at least help carry the logs back. I'm quite strong."
"Eh, but—"
"I also wanted to take Hiru out for some fresh air."
"Well... alright then." Sumiyoshi shrugged, pulling on a thick padded coat. "Aren't you going to wear something warmer, Mr. Yoriichi? It's freezing in the mornings up here."
"It doesn't bother me. Let's go."
...
"A swordsman with a doll?"
The man sitting in the shadows swirled the crimson liquid in his glass, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Tamayo, don't you think this swordsman sounds rather similar to me?"
The woman he called Tamayo was stunningly beautiful. Her long black hair was parted down the middle and tied into a low bun secured with a wooden hairpin. Her eyes were as gentle as morning mist, tinged with a soft lavender hue—elegant from every angle. But she gave no reply to the man's question, remaining silent and still.
"Answer me, Tamayo."
The instant his tone sharpened, Tamayo's serene face twisted with fury. Blue veins bulged beneath her skin, and her misty eyes turned into beast-like vertical pupils. Her voice was thick with hatred.
"...Yes, my lord."
"Heh... No matter how many times I see you like this, it never fails to delight me." The man stood, grasping her chin between his fingers. "Tamayo, I told you—you can't escape."
"I will kill you! I swear I will kill you! Aaah—!"
As Tamayo collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain, the man calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped his fingers. "How amusing that ants like you love to dream such impossible dreams. I am a perfect being—nothing can kill me."
"Your filthy life will be ended, sooner or later!" Tamayo gasped, her black hair disheveled as she knelt on the ground. Even as her body trembled from agony, the hatred in her eyes never wavered. "I'll watch you fall into hell with my own eyes—aaahhh!"
"Heh... Your screams really are the sweetest sound." The man's lips curled into a sneer as his crimson eyes turned toward the bright moon outside. The moonlight illuminated his handsome face. "A puppet swordsman, hmm?
Eight years ago, the Breathing Styles appeared. Five years ago, I succeeded in creating a swordsman who wielded one. And now, a puppet swordsman?
I wonder... how does his puppet compare to mine? Is it as exquisite? Hehehe... Truly intriguing."
If Hiru were here, he would have instantly recognized the man before her—the very demon who had turned his brother into a monster and wiped out the Tsugikuni clan.
The origin of all demons—the one he and Yoriichi had been pursuing all this time.
The Demon King — Kibutsuji Muzan.