ME! YUSHIRO!
An elegant man! Loyal! Devoted!
The only demon worthy of assisting Tamayo-sama in her sacred research!
The companion who will walk by her side for all eternity!
...Or so it was supposed to be.
Because my life, my beautiful, perfect, orderly life, has been DESTROYED by a degenerate who uses a perverted Breathing Technique.
De. Stro. Yed.
If I've committed some sin in this existence, let Muzan come and kill me himself. But please, PLEASE, take Marcus out of my house! Make him stop breathing near Tamayo-sama. Make him disappear from the face of the earth.
THAT'S ALL I ASK.
—
Day 1
I woke up at six o'clock sharp.
As always.
As I have every morning for years.
First: grooming. Even though Tamayo-sama says she doesn't care about those things, maintaining cleanliness is the most basic way to show her respect.
Second: the kitchen. The first cup of morning tea for Tamayo-sama. The water temperature has to be exact. The leaves, hand-selected. The steeping time, controlled to the second.
Then the snacks: glutinous rice balls, made from scratch, kneaded by hand, one by one.
It's a ritual. It's MY moment.
AND WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT WHEN I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF IT?!
THE FLY SHOWS UP!
"Wow, you're up early, Yushiro."
THAT'S what he said to me. Just like that, drawling his words, with that just-woke-up voice that turns my stomach.
Hmph!
A barbarian with no life rhythm.
Tamayo-sama had already been in the lab for hours doing research. I was already in the kitchen preparing everything for her. And this individual had JUST gotten up! In pajamas! Pajamas he got from God knows where! With the pink brat hanging off his arm like a koala!
Does he not have the most basic common sense of going to bed early and waking up early?!
And the worst part wasn't even that.
When he saw me cooking, when he saw me making the tea, you know what he asked?
"Do demons eat too?"
…
WHAT DO YOU MEAN DO WE EAT?!
WHAT KIND OF STUPID QUESTION IS THAT?!
OF COURSE WE EAT! To live! To enjoy! What does he think, that just because we don't need food for energy we're going to give up life's pleasures? Culture? Refinement?
SHALLOW! That's what he is!
Although, well, it's understandable. Our refined lifestyle, cultivated through years of discipline, is not something a guy with no schedule, no manners, and no shame could ever comprehend.
I didn't even want to speak to him. I ignored him and focused on my work.
BUT THIS HUMAN IS INSUFFERABLE!
He shuffled over, leaned over my shoulder, and with those long fingers SNATCHED the glutinous rice balls right out of my hand.
Without asking permission. Without apologizing. Without anything.
And on top of that, he had the nerve to say: "Since demons eat, let's see if Nezuko likes sweets."
DON'T TOUCH THOSE! THEY'RE FOR TAMAYO-SAMA! I MADE THEM WITH MY OWN HANDS! ONE BY ONE!
I told him. I screamed it in his face.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID?!
HIM!
HIM!!
HIM!!!
I can't even write it. My hand is shaking with rage.
HE'S A SAVAGE!!! AN ANIMAL!!! AN UNCIVILIZED BEAST!!!
Note of the day: Today I spun TEN minutes stuck to the ceiling.
This score, I, Yushiro, AM KEEPING IT.
Every minute. Every spin. Every humiliation.
Someday, Marcus. Someday you're going to pay for ALL of it.
Day 4.
Today, Tamayo-sama worked all day without eating or sleeping.
When she finally came out, she was so exhausted she was going to go straight to bed without dinner.
I, as always, had everything ready. The basin with hot water at the perfect temperature. The towel folded. Everything set.
I walked down the hallway toward her bedroom, imagining her grateful smile when she saw I was going to wash her feet to relax her after such a long day.
I reached the door.
It was ajar.
I looked inside.
…And my soul left my body.
That. Barbarian. Was LYING on Tamayo-sama's bed. With his head RESTING on her lap. And she, MY Tamayo-sama, was leaning over him with an ear pick in her hand. Cleaning. His ears.
😱
Tamayo-sama had that concentrated, delicate expression, with her cheeks tinged a pink that was NOT normal. That SHOULD NOT have been there. That SHOULD NOT exist because of THAT guy.
And him. That bastard. Had his eyes half-closed with that face of... of enjoying it. Like a fat cat in the sun. So comfortable. So relaxed. On the lap that DOES NOT belong to him.
WHAT KIND OF SCENE IS THIS?!
WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW DID WE GET HERE?! WE'VE BEEN HERE FOUR DAYS!!
I set the foot basin on the floor with a loud thud.
"Tamayo-sama. I've come to wash your feet."
Now that I think about it, my voice must have sounded very stiff. Dead. Lifeless.
…I'm so pathetic.
Tamayo-sama's head shot up, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't, and when she saw me standing there in the doorway, the blush multiplied. She dropped the ear pick and straightened up immediately.
That gave me hope. At least she was embarrassed. At least she KNEW it wasn't right.
And Marcus?
That barbarian opened ONE eye. Glanced at me from Tamayo-sama's lap, and didn't move.
BASTARD!
GET. OFF. TAMAYO-SAMA'S. LAP.
"Just leave it there. I'll wash Tamayo-chan's feet later."
…
...
T-T-T-TAMAYO??!! CHAN??!!
%…@#￥￥%!!!
YOU SON OF A BITCH!!
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!! WHEN DID ANYONE GIVE YOU THAT LEVEL OF FAMILIARITY?! SINCE WHEN IS IT "CHAN"?! "CHAN" IS WHAT YOU CALL YOUR GRANDMOTHER!!!
AND ON TOP OF THAT!! YOU!! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO TOUCH TAMAYO-SAMA'S FEET!!!
FEET ARE SACRED!! IT'S AN ACT OF TRUST!! THAT'S MY THING AND MINE ALONE!!
B-But…
Tamayo-sama… A-Accepted.
…She really accepted…
They asked me to leave the room.
ME.
And I left… What else could I do?! Tamayo-sama asked me to.
But I didn't leave. I stayed pressed against the wall, right next to the door, my ear crushed against the wood.
If Tamayo-sama made the slightest sound of rejection, of discomfort, anything at all, I would burst in to rescue her. At the cost of my life if need be.
But what came from inside…
"What soft feet..."
"Ah~ Marcus... that tickles. Fufufu~ stop, stop, don't tickle me~!"
NO!! Tamayo-sama said NO!! She said "STOP"!! That's a rejection!!
...Right?
Did that count as a rejection?
Because she was... laughing… She was laughing a lot.
I... I don't know. I don't know anything anymore.
I no longer know what's rejection and what isn't… I don't know anything about anything anymore.
Day 7
…Tamayo-sama was studying the Blue Spider Lily in the lab. Work of the utmost importance. Highest priority.
And I, as her trusted assistant, as the ONLY being in this world worthy of watching over her, stood guard in front of the door. Arms crossed. Back straight. Nobody enters. Nobody disturbs. Nobody breathes too loudly near that lab.
That was my mission.
…
…And then he appeared.
Of course he appeared. When does he not appear?
He came down the hallway carrying a plate of sliced apple… sliced into heart shapes.
HEART SHAPES.
WHO CUTS APPLES INTO HEART SHAPES?! WHAT KIND OF CORNY NONSENSE IS THAT?! IS HE TWELVE YEARS OLD?!
I planted myself in front of the door and spread my arms wide open.
"Tamayo-sama is in the middle of a critical experiment. She cannot be disturbed. Come back later. Or better yet, don't come back."
And you know what he told me?
That I was blocking his way because I wanted to steal the apples…
THE APPLES?! THOSE PIECES OF GARBAGE SHAPED LIKE HEARTS?! WHO WOULD WANT TO EAT THAT CHEESY CRAP?! I'D RATHER EAT THE PLATE!
"Then move."
He took a step forward, threatening me with those strange eyes.
Let them spin! Let them spin all they want!
I DIDN'T MOVE!
I HELD MY GROUND! LIKE A ROCK!
LIKE A MOUNTAIN! LIKE THE GUARDIAN I AM!
OVER MY DEAD BODY WAS I LETTING HIM THROUGH!
And sure enough, faced with my resolve, the arrows in those pupils shifted. I knew what was coming.
I mentally prepared myself to be pinned against the wall, or the ceiling, or whatever.
I already had my speech planned to INFORM Tamayo-sama of the assault suffered in the line of duty.
But before that brute could launch me through the air, Tamayo-sama's voice came from inside the lab.
"Marcus-kun? Come in, come in."
…Just like that. Calm. INVITING him.
The bastard looked at me. Gave me the most insufferable, most revolting smile I've ever seen in my life. And pushed the door in my face.
Wh-Why? WHY DID TAMAYO-SAMA LET HIM IN?!
Wasn't it a sacred rule that nobody disturbed her during experiments?! Didn't she hate interruptions?! Hadn't she told me that a HUNDRED times?!
I've been her assistant for YEARS and not even I can go in without permission!! I can only stand guard outside like a loyal dog!!
AND THIS GUY HAS BEEN HERE SEVEN DAYS AND HE ALREADY WALKS IN WHENEVER HE FEELS LIKE IT?!!
And I couldn't help it.
I peeked through the crack in the door.
And what I saw destroyed me.
Marcus was standing by the work table, holding one of his apple slices and bringing it to Tamayo-sama's lips.
And sh-she…
Tamayo-sama blushed a little. But she opened her mouth and ate it.
From his hand.
…Tamayo-sama's lips... brushed that barbarian's fingers.
…
NO!!!
THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!!
THIS CAN'T BE REAL!!!
IT'S A NIGHTMARE!!! IT HAS TO BE A NIGHTMARE!!!
No. Calm. Calm. Think logically.
Tamayo-sama didn't accept that... that... "feeding" because she wanted to. No. Impossible. She's too good. Too kind. She doesn't know how to say no. And that guy takes advantage of it.
A little more every day. Every day he pushes the boundary a little further. Every day he gets one centimeter closer.
Besides, Marcus was the one who brought the Blue Spider Lily. Tamayo-sama is probably just playing along out of gratitude. YES! THAT'S IT! IT HAS TO BE THAT!
It's gratitude. Nothing more… Right?
And I kept watch.
To prevent... to prevent Tamayo-sama from being... disturbed…
...Right?
I'm standing guard to protect her, right?
...Or am I just staying here because I don't know where else to go?
…
No! I'm standing guard. It's my duty. I'm her guardian.
I'M HER GUARDIAN!
Day 20
Twenty days... days of hell.
I'm exhausted. Physically, mentally, and spiritually destroyed. No matter how hard I fight, no matter how much I stand in the way, no matter how many walls I put up, Marcus seeps through the cracks like water.
He always finds an excuse. Always has a pretext. The apples, the tea, the hole in the wall, the arrows, the flower…
But today… NOT TODAY!
Today was different! Today was MY day! The day that intruder couldn't touch with a ten-foot pole!
Because today was feeding day.
The moment when Tamayo-sama and I shared blood. The private ritual that belonged only to the two of us.
Demon to demon. Nobody else. No human could participate in that. It was impossible.
And being honest... a part of me wanted Marcus to be there.
Yes, I admit it.
I wanted him to see it. To see with his own eyes how Tamayo-sama drank HUMAN blood. Blood of HIS species. I wanted that little smirk wiped off his face. For him to finally understand that he and us are NOT the same.
That there's a barrier no perverted Breathing Technique can cross.
Tamayo-sama and I are the only ones! The only two special existences in this world! A pair destined to support each other for all eternity!
That's what I thought.
That's what I BELIEVED.
But what happened…
When I brought the blood before Tamayo-sama—carefully selected, the highest quality—she looked at it and… Frowned.
...What?
Tamayo-sama... frowning at the blood I prepared for her?
Why is she frowning?! Why is she covering her nose?! Why is she showing disgust?!
Then I understood...
When I saw Marcus—who that morning had asked me for gauze—walk in with a cup in his hand and his wrist wrapped in a bandage.
"Ah, good thing I saw you coming up from the village this morning smelling like blood. I almost forgot what day it was."
He sat down next to Tamayo-sama like it was nothing. Put the cup in front of her.
"But hey, mine isn't enough to share, so sorry—I won't be giving you any."
"As for the portion you prepared for Tamayo-chan, you go ahead and drink it. If you really can't stomach it, toss it. It's not like... it's any good."
That's what he said.
…
Ha…
…Haha.
This time, I truly couldn't share the drink with Tamayo-sama.
But he... he directly made his own blood flow through her body...
Mixing with her… Becoming part of her.
…
I think I'm going to need a moment.
Day 55
Today, an unexpected twist appeared.
After fifty-five days of nonstop surveillance, sleepless nights, standing guard at every door, every corner, every damn nook of this house... I had finally managed to hold Marcus back. He didn't advance further. I contained him.
Well... "contained" is a generous word.
The degree of intimacy between them had already far surpassed what I had with Tamayo-sama.
BUT I DIDN'T GIVE UP!
AND I WON'T GIVE UP!
I am the demon who can accompany Tamayo-sama until the very end!
Marcus is just a passenger in Tamayo-sama's life!
He'll age! He'll die! He'll leave!
And I'll still be here.
…That's what I repeated to myself every night to keep from going insane.
But today... today I didn't need to repeat it.
Because today is the day he leaves.
The gray-feathered crow landed on the window that morning and squawked those blessed words:
"Mount Natagumo. Suspected Lower Moon Demon. Marcus, proceed immediately."
Those words... those words in my ears sounded like a choir of angels singing. Like the gates of heaven swinging wide open.
Only God knows what I've suffered these two months… ONLY GOD KNOWS.
And finally. FINALLY. This day has come.
I stood by the window and watched as Marcus slung Nezuko onto his back, strapped on his sword, and walked out the door of MY house. The house that WAS mine before he showed up.
His silhouette grew smaller along the forest path. Farther and farther. Smaller and smaller. Until the trees swallowed him and he disappeared.
Silence.
A long, dense, beautiful silence.
Birdsong. The breeze through the leaves. The creak of the house's wooden frame.
Sounds I hadn't been able to enjoy for two months. And then…
"HE'S GONE!!!"
I jumped. Did a spin in the air. Nearly slammed into the ceiling but I didn't care.
"HE'S GONE!!! HE'S FINALLY GONE!!! IT'S OVER!!!"
I felt light. Free.
As if someone had lifted a hundred-kilo rock off my chest. I breathed deep—so deep my lungs ached—filling myself with air that for the first time in weeks didn't reek of pink essence.
FREEDOM!
I flew downstairs and appeared before Tamayo-sama with the energy of ten Yushiros.
"Tamayo-sama! What would you like to eat today? I'll make it! Would you like me to organize the lab? Right away! A walk through the garden? I'll accompany you! Tea? Snacks? Would you like me to read to you? Anything! Ask for whatever you want!"
Tamayo-sama smiled, and in her eyes there wasn't a trace of nostalgia for Marcus.
She was still just as beautiful as always…
THAT MADE ME EVEN HAPPIER!
I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT FROM THE VERY BEGINNING!
Tamayo-sama had always treated him as what he was: a temporary guest who required polite treatment! Nothing more! If she truly cared, she'd be sad! And was she sad? NO! She was smiling! Smiling at ME!
"Yushiro, you seem to have a lot of energy today."
That sweet voice, that sweet melody meant only for me. Only for me!
"OF COURSE I HAVE ENERGY, TAMAYO-SAMA!"
I puffed out my chest.
"Because the nuisance is finally gone! Starting today, it's just the two of us again! As it always should have been! Tamayo-sama and Yushiro, master and assistant, walking together through eternit—!"
"Great~! Then I'll have to trouble you for these four or five days."
Fou... wait... FOUR OR FIVE DAYS?!
My smile froze.
Why... four or five days? Why not "from now on"? Why not "from here on out"? Why was there a time limit?
I didn't understand, so I asked.
And Tamayo-sama's answer struck me like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
"The research on sunlight exposure has made an important breakthrough. But it's still too dangerous to do direct testing. I can't let either you or Nezuko be the test subjects."
So far so good.
"So Marcus, before leaving for Mount Natagumo, proposed capturing some demons along the way to use as test subjects. He said it would take three or four days at the least, a week at most."
…A week at most.
"And that he'd come back after."
Come back… HE'D COME BACK.
He wasn't leaving.
He wasn't really leaving… haha.
He was just leaving... for a little while.
I... I…
NO!!!
NOOOOOO!!!
____
Marcus and Nezuko are heading to Mount Natagumo! 🕷️🔥
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