Hiru was exceptionally good at stirring up trouble, and people who excelled at such things shared one common trait: they weren't afraid of awkwardness.
After all, how could someone who thrived on causing trouble feel embarrassed by an outcome they had already anticipated? As a result, Hiru rarely ever felt awkward.
But today, as a mere bystander, he experienced it for once.
A rare, genuine sense of awkwardness.
The cause of it all was Tomioka, who had arrived carrying a lunchbox. He stared at Doma for a long time before finally forcing out a single sentence—
[This is an Upper Moon?]
Up to that point, the situation was still manageable. Unfortunately, Doma responded with clear interest—
[I am indeed an Upper Moon~ And you are a Hashira?]
And that was when the nightmare began.
A human and a demon continued the conversation as if nothing were wrong.
Tomioka: "I am a Hashira."
Doma: "Shouldn't we shake hands at a time like this?"
Tomioka: "Why?"
Doma: "What do you mean, why?"
Tomioka: "Why should we shake hands?"
Doma: "Because we've met and gotten acquainted~"
Tomioka: "We're enemies."
Doma: "Enemies can still appreciate each other, you know~"
Tomioka: "I don't want to."
Doma: "But I think we could be friends~"
Tomioka: "No."
Doma: "Eh—but I kind of like you~"
Tomioka: "…I don't want to."
Doma: "What a pity~"
Hiru watched Tomioka crouching in front of him, exchanging one painfully awkward line after another with Doma, and felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
"Don't you two feel like something is off here?"
Tomioka studied Hiru for a moment, then silently stepped forward and opened the food box. "I'll feed you."
"…That's not it."
"…Then I'll hold it for you."
"Haha~ What an interesting child~"
Doma's eyes curved into a smile.
"I'd love to be held, but I doubt Koharu would agree~ After all, if you actually did, I'm pretty sure I could eat you in an instant and make my escape~"
"It won't happen. The sun is still up. But Koharu…"
"Ah, that~"
"That's enough nonsense." Hiru raised a hand and covered Doma's mouth. "Hey, Giyu, who's arrived so far?"
"Yoriichi-san, and Sabito should be here tonight."
"That means there are four Hashira stationed at the foot of the mountain…"
"I'm not going," Tomioka frowned. "Sabito and I will help you."
"Can you withstand ten moves from my brother without losing?"
Tomioka froze for a moment, then shook his head.
"Then go down the mountain and hold the line. If you can't even handle ten moves from my brother, how do you expect to face Muzan?"
...
After a brief silence, Tomioka watched Hiru raise his short spear with an unfriendly expression. Reluctantly, he turned and headed down the mountain.
[When I get stronger, I'll definitely take part in a large-scale battle.]
Hiru lowered the short spear and clicked his tongue. "One after another… none of them have any idea of their own limits."
"Didn't expect you to be so kind~" Doma said cheerfully. "I'm really curious how they'll react when they find out you're actually a demon~"
"Even if they do, it'll be after I'm dead." Hiru sighed. "Now all that's left is waiting for nightfall…"
"Hey, hey~ That name 'Yoriichi' the kid mentioned earlier sounds a bit familiar~"
"He's my brother."
"But isn't your brother Kokushibo-sama?"
"That's my eldest brother."
"Oh~ So your whole family are demons? Hahahaha~ How interesting~"
Hiru lowered his gaze. "Yeah… that's right. All demons."
"Are you feeling sad?" Doma tilted his gaze upward. "Since I can't escape anyway, how about you let my body grow back? I could even give you a comforting hug~"
"…Looks more like you want to run away now that it's getting dark."
"How mean~ Don't say it out loud~"
Doma laughed for a bit.
"But I remembered it just now—the one called Yoriichi~ Not from my own memories, but from the Master's."
"Hm?"
"I could feel fear in the Master's memories~ Fear, right? That state where you can't breathe, yet your mind is intensely focused and your body won't stop trembling~ Hmm—it was my first time feeling that~ So interesting~"
Doma laughed aloud.
"The Master rarely shares memories with us, but this one seems etched into the cells themselves~ It really makes you curious about who that Yoriichi actually is."
"Etched into cells?"
Hiru watched the scorching sun slowly sink toward the horizon and picked up his short spear again.
"That makes sense. You demons were all born hundreds of years after that time. Inheriting a little fear isn't that strange."
"Mm~ I wonder who will come to save me~ I'm really looking forward to it~ It'd be best if Akaza-sama came~"
"You mention Akaza a lot," Hiru said as he entered his demonized state once more, gray eyes sweeping across the surroundings. "Are you two close?"
"Of course~ We're the best of friends~"
Doma didn't mind being held upside down by the back of his head.
"Back when Kokushibo-sama was still around, I challenged Akaza-sama to a position-swapping Blood Battle. I was supposed to eat him, but he was so small and cute, and his temper was really fun, so I kept him~ The main reason, though, was that when I tried to eat Akaza-sama, Kokushibo-sama stared at me with all six eyes. It was absolutely terrifying~"
"Is that so?"
Hiru recalled his fight with Akaza.
"He is short, but once he starts fighting, his presence is overwhelming enough that you forget about it."
"Right~ He's such a lively kid~"
"…He's older than you, isn't he?"
"But I'm taller~"
"I'm starting to doubt whether you're actually friends…"
"We are~ Very good friends, in fact~"
Because he was being held upside down, Doma's field of vision was limited to the area behind Hiru.
There, a narrow door quietly appeared out of thin air. As Doma looked at the tattoo-covered hand that emerged, the smile on his lips widened.
Hiru was about to speak when he felt a sudden tightening in his grip. Instinctively, he exerted force and withdrew all the blood at once.
Rip—
Hiru stared at the occipital bone still attached to a braid in his hand, then glanced at the paper sliding door behind him, which had opened silently by about thirty centimeters.
He clicked his tongue, stepped back two paces, and picked up another short spear.
As for charging straight into Muzan's lair to fight him? He wasn't that stupid.
"Long time no see." A hand covered in blue tattoos pulled the paper door fully open. "I've wanted to kill you for a long time."
"Where's Muzan?" Hiru asked, his irritation deepening as he looked at Doma, whose body had already regenerated behind Akaza. "He only sent you?"
"You don't need the Master to deal with you." Veins bulged at Akaza's temples. "You remember those little tricks you used, right? This time, I'll break your bones one by one…"
"Akaza-sama, he's really strong~"
Doma said as he dressed himself.
"My head still feels completely blank~ So scary~ I thought I was almost dead~"
"You'd be better off dead," Akaza snapped. "Getting captured alive—why didn't you just die properly?"
"Oh dear~ That's so cold~ I'm heartbroken~"
Hiru could clearly feel the killing intent pouring off Akaza.
The problem was…
[I'm the enemy, right?]
Watching Akaza's face twitch, Hiru felt a flicker of sympathy—but that didn't stop him from exploiting it.
"You hate him so much, yet you still came to save him," Hiru said casually. "What, are you secretly in love with him?"
"Oh my, how embarrassing~ Saying that out loud will make little Akaza blush~"
Thud.
Hiru watched as Doma's head was blown apart with a casual strike from Akaza, blood spraying in a fan across the room beyond the paper door.
Even then, the half of Doma's head that was left—nothing but a mouth—still sounded delighted.
"Oh my~ Akaza-sama is still so passionate~ I'm so happy~"
Akaza didn't bother responding.
He planted his foot and charged straight at Hiru, his right hand clenched into a fist as he drove it toward Hiru's head.
Long sparring sessions with Yoriichi hadn't made Hiru any more refined in pure offense, but they had given him reflexes fast enough to match.
He tilted his head just enough to avoid the fist tearing through the air, then snapped his short spear upward in the same motion, the blade—somehow already stained crimson—thrusting straight for Akaza's heart.
Akaza knew how troublesome a Bright Red Nichirin Sword could be. His other hand came down at once, using the force of his palm to slip past the spear's line, and even as he turned, he drove a side kick into Hiru's weapon.
Hiru moved as if he'd expected it.
With his other hand, he brought up another short spear to deflect the sweeping strike, and the crimson blade forced Akaza to change his movement again, retreating to open space.
It sounded slow when laid out like this, but from Akaza's initial lunge to his withdrawal, barely two seconds had passed.
Even so, a shallow line had opened along Akaza's side. Heat like burning coals spread from the wound. Without hesitation, he tore the injured flesh away and threw it aside, abandoning that portion of strength entirely as his gaze on Hiru grew darker.
"You've gotten smarter."
"No choice."
Hiru laughed, lowering his stance.
"If you can't match martial-arts fanatics like you with talent, then you predict in advance. One brain can run a dozen calculations at once." He smiled wider. "With that many brains, not using them would be a waste."
"Disgusting little tricks."
Akaza's brow knotted as his fierce glare shifted toward the paper sliding door.
"How long are you going to sit there watching?! Do you want the Lord to punish you?!"
"Oh dear…" Doma appeared with a golden folding fan in hand, looking troubled.
"I want to help too. I was just trying to recall his weaknesses—and the Demon Slayer Corps' layout this time."
He sighed dramatically.
"But I can't remember anything~ I only remember we chatted for a long time and it was really pleasant—ah, and my head kept hurting, and I can't even recall some older things… what's going on? That's so strange~"
"That's because I took it back."
Hiru didn't take his eyes off Akaza.
"Even if we got along fine and you didn't leak anything important, I'm not letting Muzan see any of it. I'm not letting that trash understand me."
"I remember there was supposed to be some kind of ambush—Akaza-sama, let me think a little longer~"
Doma stabbed a finger into his temple again, blood spilling from the wound and sliding down his handsome face.
"Hmm~ I remember a bit now. I think I heard that there are a lot of Hashira gathered at the foot of the mountain~ That's a real headache—"
"Looks like I didn't clean up thoroughly enough in a hurry."
Hiru backed away in a few quick steps to evade Akaza's rush, then swung his short spear to force him back.
"But it does prove your talent's real. If I'd had the time, I would've liked to snatch you away from Muzan."
"Ahh, I remember that~ You said you liked me~ That makes me so happy~"
Doma pulled his finger out. "But I should fight now. After all, Akaza-sama asked me to~"
"Get lost!" Akaza kicked up a chunk of rubble and sent it flying at Doma.
"Stop fucking disgusting me!"
"Oh my~ How cold~" Doma flicked his fan, freezing the debris midair with a burst of icy crystals before shattering it to dust.
"But if I'm going to avoid dragging you down, I'll just stand here and fight—Blood Demon Art: Crystal Maiden."
A tiny ice doll appeared in Doma's palm, holding two ice folding fans of its own. It didn't feel dangerous at all—if anything, it was absurdly cute.
Doma made one ice doll after another, and each newly formed doll stepped out through the doorway.
"Be careful~ These little dolls can use Blood Demon Arts at the same level as mine~"
Doma called out toward the fight, one hand cupped to his mouth like a megaphone.
"If you die, I'll be so sad~"
Hiru dodged the freezing vines controlled by the dolls and grinned at Akaza. "He's worried about you. You two really are good friends—"
"You—shut—up—!"
Just from the sound of it, Hiru could feel the sheer, visceral disgust Akaza had for Doma. He immediately raised his own voice.
"Hey! Doma! Akaza doesn't seem happy that I'm questioning your friendship. Want to explain?"
"Eh—we're really close~"
Doma fanned himself while directing his dolls to unleash lethal techniques one after another, his smile still soft.
"Akaza-sama is just picky~ Like Kokushibo-sama, he only eats people when he's hungry. But Akaza-sama absolutely won't eat women~ Even though girls taste better~"
"Eh—picky?" Hiru's tone turned even more amused. "What a cute little habit. No wonder you never grew taller."
Akaza clenched his jaw. He'd worked with Doma for decades—he knew responding would only make them more smug. Even as rage made his blood feel like it was boiling, he didn't say a word.
Then it snapped.
You! Bastard! I'm done holding back!
"Hakai Satsu: Saishiki - Manyōsen Yanagi!"
Akaza stomped down with brutal force, and the ground around them shattered, chunks of earth and stone exploding upward. The sudden change threw Hiru off balance for an instant.
In that instant, Akaza surged in with a twisted expression. "Hakai Satsu: Kūshiki!"
His fist struck out at blinding speed. The impact was so violent that the short spear in Hiru's hand flew free.
Akaza kicked it away without even looking, then rushed in again, looking almost deranged. Hiru actually laughed.
"You really are just a kid, aren't you?"
"Hakai Satsu: Messhiki!" Akaza's face contorted. "Die!"
The blow hurled Hiru backward. But just as Hiru tried to adjust his posture for the next exchange, a lavish paper sliding door materialized behind him.
A crimson giant claw stretched out from within—and clamped tightly around Hiru…