"With a medicine I create… Muzan…"
The man before me smiles as he speaks those words.
At a glance, it sounds like an absurd, hollow dream. Yet, the man smiles with a certainty so absolute it seems only natural to him.
He looks as if he is already convinced that the medicine I craft will, without fail, bring Muzan to his end.
Just what does this man believe in?
I am a Demon who has committed countless atrocities. Why would he place such trust in me upon our very first meeting?
What exactly does this man see when he looks at me?
"Sir…"
I bit my lip slightly before finally opening my mouth.
"What is it about me that makes you speak with such conviction? Why do you trust me?"
Yes.
I simply could not comprehend it.
I am a weak creature.
I let go of my future, devoured humans just like any other common Demon, and lived a wretched, pathetic existence.
Even though the enemy who took everything from me stands right before my eyes, and even though my heart burns with a thousand fires at the mere thought of him, I have spent my life suppressing those feelings, killing my own heart.
And yet.
What on earth did you see in me?
What is it about me that you choose to believe in?
I, who lived without a future, unable to even think of defying my nemesis.
What did you see? What do you believe in, to say such things to me?
At my words, he fell silent for a moment, appearing deep in thought before finally speaking.
"Forgive me, but I am not actually trusting you."
He doesn't trust me?
"I am trusting your heart—your desire to strike down Muzan."
My heart…?
What he believes in is my resolve to destroy Muzan?
"As we spoke, I felt no falsehood in your words. You loathe Muzan, and you want to see him defeated. And for that purpose, you sought me out even while knowing it could mean your death. You came to deliver information on Muzan."
But.
That isn't it.
"That is merely me thrusting my hatred and my thirst for revenge upon you. Because I cannot do it myself, I look to you, someone who can kill Muzan in my stead…"
Frustrating as it was, it was the truth.
Because I could not achieve it with my own hands.
Because it felt impossible.
It is nothing more than a cowardly wish I am foisting upon you.
My heart is not as grand as you make it out to be.
"So, you mean to use me?"
He anticipated the words I was about to utter and answered first.
Feeling as though my most deeply hidden feelings had been laid bare, I hesitated, took a breath, and then nodded.
"…Yes."
Would he be disappointed?
However, the words that followed were entirely different from what I had imagined.
"I am relieved. Our hearts are in accord, then."
He replied with a faint, subtle smile.
Relieved.
The word that escaped his lips was not disappointment, but relief.
Why…?
Not disappointment?
What does he mean, our hearts are in accord…?
"What do you mean by—"
"Just as you intend to use me to fulfill your revenge against Muzan…"
He looked me straight in the eye as he spoke.
"I, too, intend to use your heart. All for the sake of killing that bastard Muzan."
.....
To use one another.
"I will use you to kill Muzan. And you may use me for the sake of your revenge."
A transaction.
The man before me was proposing a deal.
Because this offer came from a man who, like me, shared the same fate of a shortened lifespan and had been forced into a choice by another, it resonated all the more deeply in my soul.
He and I both received an offer from Muzan due to our looming deaths, but we made different choices.
Ultimately, the result of becoming a Demon was the same, yet we walked entirely different paths.
I chose of my own volition to become a Demon to gain eternal life, only to lose everything and live a forced existence, subjugated by Muzan.
He refused and chose to remain a mortal with a short life, but he seized Muzan's heart and became a Demon of his own accord to protect everyone.
Standing at the same crossroads, we made different choices and reached different conclusions.
No, let me correct myself.
It wasn't just different; it was that I was wrong.
I was wrong, and you were right.
Your choice was far better than mine could ever be.
I became a Demon for Muzan's sake; you became one to strike him down. Even if we both became Demons through external forces.
In that choice, I picked eternal life but ended up abandoning my past and living a futureless existence, unable to resist.
But you, even while choosing a short life, fought against him even at the cost of your humanity, all to protect the future for everyone else.
That is why I cannot understand you.
A transaction only holds when both parties possess something the other desires.
That is how a deal works.
But I am not a great person like you.
I couldn't even make the right choice.
I don't even know if this hatred you intend to use is enough to kill Muzan.
And even this thing you call 'vengeful spirit' belongs to a pathetic woman who only thought of thrusting it upon you.
So why do you make such an offer to someone like me?
Why do you believe in me?
Why… why do you…
Look at me as a human being?
The words would not come.
I was confused.
His voice was not the hypocritically kind yet cunning voice of Muzan. His eyes were not treacherous, but honest and unwavering, and that honesty confused me even more.
The fact that it was all true made it even harder to process.
"The reason you would go so far is…"
I found myself asking a question I hadn't intended to ask.
Even though I had heard his inner thoughts, a contradictory desire to know more surged within me.
"It's a battle, isn't it? If we lose, we die. Preparing to the point of exhaustion so that we don't die—isn't that what anyone would do?"
A means to prepare for battle.
Preparation to face Muzan.
Are you telling me that this heart I harbor is one of those necessary preparations…?
.....
Very well.
I will stop running.
Looking into his eyes, I steadied my heart.
I am sick and tired of mangling and killing this loathsome hatred, burying it in the deepest corners of my soul.
As he said, my hatred for Muzan is no lie.
Just thinking about the fact that he is still breathing makes my insides churn.
If so.
Can I try believing just once?
Please, do not worry.
It is not that I don't trust you.
It is simply that I do not trust myself.
However.
You believe in me.
You believe that I can create a medicine capable of killing Muzan.
You believe that this hatred I carry can destroy him.
So, I have decided to trust the 'you' who trusts in me.
Furthermore, if this is not a relationship built on fragile faith but a relationship of mutual utility…
Just as you said, I will use you for my revenge.
Therefore, please use me for your purpose as well.
Even if this turns out to be a meaningless endeavor.
"Fine. No matter the wound or the illness, there is always a medicine or a treatment. I will make sure to create a drug that can eradicate the germ known as Muzan."
My life has already been a meaningless one once before.
With that thought, I took his hand.
"I look forward to it," he replied with a faint smile.
Seeing that smile…
I couldn't be certain.
But I had a feeling that this choice wouldn't be such a bad one.
***
Tamayo-san has joined our side.
Of course, I'll have to find out over time whether she can actually create a drug to weaken Muzan.
But if her pharmacological skills are enough to make Muzan wary, I believe she is more than capable.
I don't know the full story, but considering the sheer hatred she bears for him, she might just come up with something truly incredible.
As I was thinking that, something rustled in the bushes.
I turned my gaze toward the sound.
"Young Master."
"Lord Tsugikuni."
There stood Uzui Ei and Amano Ruka.
Are they done with their work?
But how did they know I was here…?
Well, it's only a few steps away from Sumiyoshi's house…
Still, seeing their faces somehow makes me glad.
Their eyes were focused intently on Tamayo.
Ah, right. I should explain who Tamayo is.
Until that moment, I really didn't think much of it.
Even though Tamayo is a Demon, I thought they would accept her if I explained it well.
Yes.
"Hey, when did you two ge—"
""And who might this lady be?""
Everything was fine… until they smiled.
Even though they were clearly smiling, the sensation was nothing short of bone-chilling.
The massive pressure emanating from them began to suffocate me.
Like a small child who had committed a grave wrong and was shrinking under a parent's gaze, my body went stiff.
Wait a minute.
Am I… finished?
========================
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