Chijin hesitated only briefly before quickening his pace to catch up. He worried both that Hiru might do something to Niko and that Niko might do something to Hiru.
"I wonder if I could take a closer look at Miss Niko's face?" Hiru feigned concern. "After all, it's a bit unsettling to let someone do things to your own body."
"Of course. Right here," Niko pointed to her left cheek. "There used to be a large birthmark here, but now, see? You can't tell at all!"
Hiru studied it closely for a moment before withdrawing his gaze and smiling.
"Indeed."
"Hiru, you might as well stay here tonight. This room is always kept tidy by the servants." Niko's smile stiffened again. "As for Chijin..."
"Hiru and I haven't seen each other in ages. I'll stay and talk with him late into the night!"
"Alright, but you mustn't sneak off again, okay?" Niko stepped forward and gently hooked her arm around Chijin's, her smile stiff. "I'd really get upset if you did."
"Uh, yeah." Chijin flusteredly averted his gaze, unable to meet Niko's eyes. "...I understand."
"Then I shan't disturb you further. But do get some rest soon?"
Niko waved her hand and turned to leave.
At that moment, Hiru stepped past Chijin to catch up with Niko. His ink-black eyes instantly darkened with a gray tint. His hand lightly rested on Niko's shoulder, his voice barely audible:
"Blood Demon Art: Banshoku Seki."
Niko instantly collapsed to the ground. Only then did Chijin react, lungging forward.
"Niko!"
Hiru discreetly tucked away the grain-sized stone in his hand, lowering his gaze to the frantic Chijin.
"Take her to rest. She's fine now."
Only then did Chijin notice the birthmark reappearing on Niko's face. Yet her complexion, inexplicably, was no longer rosy but deathly pale, her frailty starkly evident.
"Thank goodness... my Niko is back... my Niko..." Chijin wept uncontrollably, clutching her. "Thank you... truly... thank you so very much."
"Has anyone else in your household undergone facial tattooing?"
Chijin slightly blankly shook his head.
"I'm not sure, but I can gather the servants..."
"Hmm... Leave that for now." Hiru gestured toward the house with a nod. "Take her inside to rest. Then bring me paper and ink—I'll prescribe a remedy. Feed it to her when she wakes tomorrow morning."
"Yes! Thank you so very much!"
Watching Chijin hurriedly carry Niko inside, Hiru finally opened his palm to examine the pebble.
"This level of purity doesn't seem like an ordinary demon... The Twelve Kizuki?"
Recalling his previous experience being repeatedly pinned to the ground, Hiru frowned in thought for a moment before concluding—since he was going during daylight, there was absolutely no need to be intimidated.
Not to mention this demon's color was pure gray!
Such a rare hue would be a shame to waste if Brother sliced it to pieces in one stroke!
What surprised Hiru more was that when Niko regained consciousness the next morning, she still remembered the events of the past few days and described her experiences in detail.
"So you mean you've been under constant surveillance? Every time you tried to warn us, you lost control and felt like needles piercing your body? But as long as you followed the instructions, you were fine?"
Niko leaned weakly against Chijin and nodded.
"I truly don't know how to thank you, Mr. Hiru..."
"Hmm... You're welcome." Hiru stroked his chin and smiled. "But it really is an interesting Blood Demon Art—not a single trace visible on the surface."
"So what should we do now?" Chijin looked worried. "Should we still go to that place?"
"Hmm..." Hiru stood up. "After all, I have reasons I can't ignore."
"But Mr. Hiru..."
"This is what I do," Hiru smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
"Eh? But, but..."
"If you're afraid, Chijin, you can take Niko to that place with the wisteria crest I showed you yesterday," Hiru said, stepping out the door. "Mention my name, and they'll protect you."
"Alright, alright," Chijin stood up. "Then I'll see you out—Huh? He's gone?"
"Chijin..."
"I'm here, Niko." " Chijin hurried back. "Don't be afraid. I'll take you to that place with the wisteria crest right now. You'll be safe..."
...
"This must be the place..." Hiru, still wearing his light-colored kimono, stood at the bustling street corner, looking up at the shop before him.
"Opening a shop here... That's really looking down on the Demon Slayer Corps, isn't it?"
"Excuse me, are you here for a facial tattoo as well?"
Hiru looked at the human shop attendant and nodded lightly.
"Can birthmarks be concealed?"
The attendant's smile stiffened.
"Yes, but the price will be higher. Please follow me."
The shop interior was elegantly decorated. Hiru followed the attendant up to the second floor, but upon seeing the so-called tattoo artist, she paused slightly.
"...It's you?"
The woman seated there possessed breathtaking beauty, every movement carrying an alluring aura. Yet upon closer inspection, her exquisite features seemed oddly disjointed. Hearing Hiru's words, she smiled.
"You remember me? That truly delights me."
Watching the shop attendant withdraw, Hiru frowned as he approached the woman.
"I sent you straight to prison. How did you manage to get out? Looks like some powerful demon saved you."
"Quite so," the woman replied, pouring tea with elegant grace.
"I was rescued by His Excellency the Fifth of the Upper Moon, who happened to be seeking inspiration. He declared me exceptionally, exceptionally talented~ My work was deemed utterly perfect—ah~ You understand, don't you? That feeling of artistic recognition?"
"You call that crude patchwork art?" Hiru stared at the tea pushed toward him, not touching it, his gaze dripping with disgust. "Don't dare defile that word."
"Hehe~ You're still the same as ever." The woman gazed at Hiru with a dreamy look.
"Truly fine material. I'm so eager to see your face. But before that, allow me to entertain you first? Hey, Hezi~ Could you fetch that for me? I have a distinguished guest to host here."
The maid, who had been lurking in the corner with minimal presence, flinched in terror but dared not disobey. She sprang to her feet. "Yes, yes, mistress. I'll fetch it immediately."
"Ah, well then, thank you."
"So it's a technique that works from within the body..." Hiru watched Hezi leave, then turned his gaze back to the woman. "I should have just killed you back then."
"Don't be so impatient..." The woman's gaze remained mesmerized as she rose and walked directly before Hiru. "You know, if I were to die now, they wouldn't survive either, would they?"
Hiru furrowed his brow, looking at her with disgust. "Do you think I care about them?"
"If you don't care about those ordinary people... then what about these?"
The woman slowly approached the paper sliding door on the right side of the room and gently pulled it open. "Well, my dear materials, why don't you say hello?"
The adjacent room was filled with bound Demon Slayer Corps members. Their minds were scattered, something constantly wriggling beneath their skin, causing them to moan in agony continuously—even complete unconsciousness seemed impossible.
Hiru's expression remained unchanged. "You truly disgust me."
"Oh dear, still as cold-hearted as ever." The woman showed no annoyance, merely stepping inside and gently cupping a female member's face. "But I am actually quite gentle. After all, my Blood Demon Art doesn't kill outright. If they obey me, their suffering ends. Unfortunately..."
She turned and walked back. "As you can see, none have yielded."
Just then, Hezi returned, cradling a jar. "My lady, here is what you requested..."
Hiru could hear the liquid sloshing inside. The sweet scent wafting through the air made it abundantly clear what Hezi had brought. The frown that had etched itself onto Hiru's brow suddenly relaxed.
"Ah, do bring it over." The woman sat back down, her smile alluring.
"I merely wish your skin for embroidery. Rare Blood is valuable—even the Lower Moons wouldn't dare waste it lightly?"
"We're all demons anyway. How about we share a meal and help each other out?"
"It does smell quite good." Hiru stood up and walked toward Hezi. Under her fearful gaze, he picked up the jar, crushed it directly, and let the blood mix with the porcelain shards, spilling everywhere.
"But this quality is beneath my standards."
"Oh, don't be so picky. Rare Blood from seventy people is quite hard to come by."
Hiru turned, walking before the woman and looking down at her. "After you became a demon, didn't Muzan tell you about me?"
"Of course Muzan-sama mentioned it." The woman remained smiling, showing no fear. "Not long ago, Muzan-sama personally instructed me: if I ever encountered you, I must keep you here no matter what."
"Is that so? But it's daytime now. That coward wouldn't dare come himself, would he?" Hiru's eyes turned gray as he placed a hand on the woman's head. His sharpened claws pierced straight into her skull, pumping blood into her body.
"So... I'll just borrow your body for a bit?"
"Hehehe~ It matters not. After all, I have already proven my artistry," the woman's features began to twist and fall away as Hiru infused the blood, yet she still cradled her face with an expression of rapture. "And with so many splendid materials to accompany me in death, I have... no regrets~"
"No one will bury you with such trash. Die on your own."
Hiru accelerated the blood infusion. Gray swiftly stained the woman's eyes, but as it reached the second eye, her golden iris was rapidly dyed a magnificent plum red.
Hiru could distinctly sense another power emerging within her—or rather, the power that had been passively eroded finally found its commander.
"Kibutsuji... Muzan." Hiru wrenched the woman's head off with brutal force.
"So you coward finally dared to show your face?"
The woman's voice was no longer soft and sweet, but transformed into a warm, masculine tone.
"Tsugikuni Hiru... you truly are quite skilled."
"Not as impressive as your decades of hiding." Hiru held the woman's head before her, her expression icy.
"I will kill you."
"What do you think you are without Tsugikuni Yoriichi?" A contemptuous smile spread across the woman's face. "You're nothing but a puppet surviving by leaning on him."
"Ha~ But you've been hiding for decades, haven't you?"
Veins bulged on the woman's face. "It must be exhausting to never feed, right? You overcame sunlight to become a perfect being—why still care about humans?"
Hiru's tone remained utterly flat, his lips curling into a hollow smile. "Because I refuse to hide for decades."
"Even a puppet should be able to say something else, right?"
"Hmm..." Hiru shifted her gaze slightly, snorting derisively. "Have you ever been sliced to pieces in one strike?"
"..."
"Did you make Kokushibo change his face because you didn't want to remember my brother?"
"..."
"The Bright Red Nichirin Sword hurt, didn't it? Still not healed, are you?" Hiru watched the grotesque veins bulging on the woman's face.
"You envy my ability to bask in the sun, don't you?" You must want to devour me, right? But you wouldn't dare come out in daylight, would you?"
"Hmph... sharp-tongued demon. But time's up. Leaving this bait behind wasn't wasted," a savage grin spread across the woman's face. "I've memorized your scent. Wait for me to come find you."
"Funny, I remember yours too." Hiru scoffed, accelerating the flow of blood. "Just don't dare show up near me. I'm afraid you might have to hide again if you're not careful."
The woman's plum-red eyes rapidly darkened with gray. "Then, go ahead and try."
As the words fell, the woman's eyes were completely consumed by the gray. After exhaling deeply, Hiru reattached the head to the body. "Hey, speak."
The woman's expression was blank. "Yes, my lord."
"Summon everyone you've tampered with. And have this place cleaned."
"Yes..."
The maid Hezi, standing nearby, had long since gone weak in the knees from fear. Yet the moment Hiru glanced her way, she forced herself to stand and began cleaning.
"I knew why she appeared so brazenly..." Hiru took two steps back and sat on the low table, resting a hand on his forehead. The marks of his demon transformation were spreading across his body.
"Tsk... Did the struggle for control take too much of a toll..."
"Um, it's... already cleaned up."
Hiru looked up at the terrified Hezi and waved her hand. "Go buy animals. Live ones. The more, the better."
"Yes, yes."
Watching Hezi scramble away, Hiru moved toward the right-hand room. He removed the Blood Demon Arts from each unconscious team member one by one, then carefully scanned their memories. After confirming no incriminating information had been exposed, he administered a sleeping potion.
"Master, I've brought the items back," Hezi appeared at the doorway, clutching four hens with nervous dexterity. "And the previous guests have arrived too..."
"This is such a hassle..." Hiru had no time to divert energy to suppress the demon traces on his body. Snatching a chicken from Hezi, he bit into it. "Take them up in groups of ten, then go buy more live animals."
"Yes, yes, I'll go right away!"
After that, Hiru ate while removing the Blood Demon Art from those controlled by the woman, then altered their memories to send them home.
When Yoriichi, sensing Hiru's complete demon transformation, rushed over at full speed, he saw Hiru sitting at a low table in demon form, surrounded by piles of dried animal corpses, still holding a live rabbit in his mouth while removing the Blood Demon Art from someone.
Yoriichi: ...
Where's the enemy?