"Turn back into a human..."
Tamayo murmured, repeating the words.
This was indeed a highly effective shortcut, but its difficulty was also imaginable.
Tamayo looked at Ryosuke, and a deeper doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Why do you think I would trust a Demon Slayer? And why do you think I can do it?"
"Why?"
Ryosuke scoffed, then warningly crushed Yushiro again, eliciting a painful groan from him.
"Because I can kill him right now, or expose your location to the Demon Slayer Corps, or even to Muzan."
"Miss Tamayo, you have no choice."
His tone was light, yet every word struck at her heart.
Seeing Tamayo's and Yushiro's faces twisted in anger, Ryosuke changed his tone.
"Of course, that's just the worst option."
"I chose to come and talk because I believe your hatred for Muzan is real, and your abilities are also real."
"Hundreds of years of research, you are closer to that answer than anyone else; you just lack certain key factors... or an ally."
Tamayo pondered, somewhat swayed.
Yushiro, meanwhile, struggled even more violently.
"Lady Tamayo! Don't believe this Demon Slayer! He's just using and toying with us! There's no medicine that can turn a demon back into a human!"
"Lady Tamayo, run! Run!" Yushiro shrieked, his voice hoarse.
"So noisy!"
Ryosuke swung his blade sharply, chopping off one of Yushiro's arms.
"Annoying little demon! Is this your place to speak!"
"It's already benevolent of me not to Wei Kun in front of you!"
It is well known that Wei Kun can be two characters, or five characters.
...
Yushiro was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, grinding his teeth with a "squeaking" sound.
Ryosuke ignored him and continued speaking.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Miss Tamayo, I believe you understand this principle."
"You release Yushiro first."
Tamayo relented, agreeing with Ryosuke's words.
Ryosuke nodded, silently taking his foot off.
Yushiro's severed arm had already regenerated.
He clutched his chest and got up from the ground, his gaze at Ryosuke filled with venomous resentment and humiliation.
He was ready to pounce at any moment and tear this hateful human to shreds!
"You bastard! How dare you threaten Lady Tamayo!"
"Yushiro!"
Tamayo sharply rebuked, "Step back!"
"Yes..."
Yushiro lowered his head and returned to Tamayo's side.
Tamayo processed the sudden, massive turn of events, and with great difficulty, made a gesture for Ryosuke to enter.
Ryosuke shrugged and walked straight in.
"Ryosuke."
"What?"
"My name is Yasui Ryosuke," Ryosuke introduced.
"Mr. Yasui..."
Inside the house, Tamayo tentatively addressed him, "Please sit."
She looked at Yushiro, "Yushiro, prepare tea."
Yushiro glared fiercely at Ryosuke, squeezing out a word through gritted teeth:
"...Yes!"
Ryosuke looked in the direction Yushiro disappeared, then glanced at Tamayo's profile, and that subtle feeling of "cuckolding" resurfaced in his heart.
Strange and weird, subtle and slightly thrilling~
Only the two of them remained in the Japanese-style room.
Tamayo lowered her eyes, seemingly organizing her chaotic thoughts.
A moment later, she looked at Ryosuke and asked the question that had been circling in her mind.
"Mr. Yasui, who exactly are you? And why are you so determined to kill Muzan? Even to the point of seeking out demons like us?"
"Miss Tamayo."
Ryosuke's voice was very soft, with a hint of inquiry, "Do you think that by killing Muzan, this world will become peaceful and beautiful forever?"
Tamayo was slightly startled.
This question was too direct, too sharp.
She shook her head, her movement very slight.
Ryosuke smiled, "You've lived longer than I have, so you certainly see things more clearly than I do."
"Humans are sometimes more terrifying than demons; even if Muzan is killed, the tragedies of the world will not decrease. This is the current state of affairs, and an unchangeable fact."
Tamayo nodded.
She strongly agreed with Ryosuke's statement.
This human world had never been peaceful.
Tamayo had lived for hundreds of years and observed for hundreds of years.
She had seen too many beasts in human clothing, and too many souls who maintained their kind brilliance even in despair.
Wars, famines, plagues, human greed and oppression... these never disappeared, never stopped.
The line between good and evil had always been blurred.
Just as this world was never black or white, but a gray in between.
"However."
Ryosuke's voice suddenly shifted, "Muzan's existence allows the evil in this world to continue, to twist and expand."
"Because of him, those evil people who deserve to die gain immortality, possess greater power, and persecute humanity even more recklessly."
"Because of him, some good people are also forced to become evil."
Tamayo's delicate body trembled.
Ryosuke's voice softened, "Miss Tamayo should be very clear about this point, but you are brave, and you are gentle and kind."
"Thank you."
Tamayo nodded slightly.
Yes, back then she was tormented by illness, and on the verge of death, she met Muzan.
He promised to cure her illness, coaxing and tempting her.
But after turning into a demon, the loss of her sanity and hunger caused Tamayo to commit irreparable sins, bearing a blood debt she could not forgive herself for.
Memories surged, Tamayo subconsciously clutched her chest, her eyes reddening.
Ryosuke sighed softly, his voice full of pity.
"This is why I want to kill Muzan; I want to cut off the root of this evil."
"Although I cannot guarantee that doing so will make the world wonderfully beautiful, nor will paradise descend because of it."
"But at least it will allow people to safely go out at night, without having to worry about monsters lurking in the darkness!"
"It will allow fewer tragedies to occur in the world!"
"It will allow those who would have lived peaceful lives to avoid the pain of their families being broken and destroyed!"
Tamayo stared blankly at the young man before her.
Her heartstrings, which had been tightly sealed and taut, suddenly trembled.
Ryosuke also looked at her, his tone gentle:
"Miss Tamayo, sometimes humans are the demons, wearing human skin, committing demonic acts, and although you are demons, you are more human than many people."
Wuwu——
Tamayo could no longer hold it back.
Ryosuke's last sentence was like a key, unlocking the floodgates of her long-frozen emotions.
Four hundred years of loneliness, regret, struggle, the pain of being misunderstood, the despair of being seen as an anomaly... all were gently revealed by the young man at this moment.
He said she was like a human!
These simple words were heavier than a thousand pounds to her! It was the recognition she had desperately sought!
Tears streamed down, tracing paths on her pale cheeks.
Just then, the door opened.
Yushiro, carrying a tea tray, stood stiffly in the doorway, startled out of his wits.
He glared at Ryosuke, all his previous resentment and hatred erupting.
"You bastard! What did you do to Lady Tamayo!!!"
Yushiro lunged at Ryosuke recklessly.
"Yushiro!"
Tamayo suddenly looked up, tear stains still on her face, her voice falling coldly.
"You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Yasui like that!"
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