"Turn back into human..."
Tamayo murmured repeatedly.
This was indeed an extremely effective shortcut, but the difficulty could be imagined.
Tamayo looked at Ryosuke, deeper doubts flashing in her eyes.
"Why should I believe a Demon Hunter? And why do you think I can do it?"
"Why?"
Ryosuke sneered and ground his foot on Yushiro again warningly, earning a grunt of pain from him.
"Because I can kill him right now, or leak your location to the Demon Slayer Corps, or even to Muzan."
"Lady Tamayo, you have no choice."
His tone was relaxed, but every word struck the heart.
Watching Tamayo and Yushiro's expressions twist with anger, Ryosuke changed the subject.
"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 ability is real too."
"With hundreds of years of research, you are closer to that answer than anyone else. You are just missing some key factors... or an ally."
Tamayo pondered, somewhat shaken.
Yushiro struggled even harder.
"Lady Tamayo! Don't believe this Demon Hunter's words! He is just using and mocking us! There is no such thing as a medicine that can turn demons into humans!"
"Lady Tamayo, run! Run quickly!" Yushiro roared hoarsely.
"So noisy!"
Ryosuke swung his sword violently, chopping off one of Yushiro's arms.
"Annoying bratty turtle! Is there any place for you to speak here?!"
"I haven't 'Wei Kun-ed' you right in front of your face, that's already being extremely benevolent!"
As everyone knows, "Wei Kun" can be two characters (a name), or it can be five characters (Feed [you know what]).
"..."
Yushiro was sweating profusely from the pain, making "chi chi" grinding sounds with his teeth.
Ryosuke ignored him and continued speaking.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Lady Tamayo, I trust you understand this logic."
"Let go of Yushiro first."
Tamayo relented, agreeing with Ryosuke's words.
Ryosuke nodded and silently released his foot.
Yushiro's severed arm had already regenerated.
He clutched his chest and crawled up from the ground, looking at Ryosuke with eyes full of malice and humiliation.
He was ready to pounce at any moment to tear this hateful human to shreds!
"You bastard! How dare you threaten Lady Tamayo!"
"Yushiro!"
Tamayo shouted sternly to stop him: "Stand down!"
"Yes..."
Yushiro lowered his head and returned to Tamayo's side.
Tamayo digested the sudden huge turn of events and made a very forced gesture of invitation to Ryosuke.
Ryosuke shrugged and walked straight in.
"Ryosuke."
"What?"
"My name is Yasui Ryosuke," Ryosuke introduced himself.
"Mr. Yasui..."
Entering the room, Tamayo tentatively addressed him: "Please sit."
She looked at Yushiro: "Yushiro, go prepare tea."
Yushiro glared viciously at Ryosuke and squeezed a word out from between his teeth:
"...Yes!"
Ryosuke watched the direction Yushiro disappeared, then glanced at Tamayo's profile. That subtle "NTR" (Netorare) feeling in his heart popped up again.
Strange and weird, subtle and slightly satisfying~
Only the two of them were left 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 circling in her mind.
"Mr. Yasui, who exactly are you? And why are you so obsessed with killing Muzan? Even to the extent of seeking out us demons?"
"Lady Tamayo."
Ryosuke's voice was very light, carrying a probing tone: "Do you think that killing Muzan will bring peace to the world and make everything beautiful from then on?"
Tamayo was slightly stunned.
This question was too direct and too sharp.
She shook her head, her movement very slight.
Ryosuke smiled: "You've lived longer than me, so you definitely see things clearer than I do."
"Sometimes humans are more terrifying than demons. Even if Muzan is killed, the tragedies in the world won't decrease. This is the way of the world, an unchangeable fact."
Tamayo nodded.
She agreed with Ryosuke's statement.
This human world had never been peaceful.
Tamayo had lived for hundreds of years and watched for hundreds of years.
She had seen too many beasts in human clothing, and also seen souls that maintained a shining kindness amidst despair.
War, famine, plague, human greed and strife...
These things would never disappear, never stop.
The line between good and evil had always been blurred.
Just as this world was never black and white, but a grey in between.
"However."
Ryosuke's voice suddenly changed: "Muzan's existence allows the evil in this world to continue, twist, and expand."
"Because of him, those damned villains gain eternal life, possess stronger power, and persecute the human world even more unscrupulously."
"Because of him, some good people are forced to become villains."
Tamayo's body trembled.
Ryosuke softened his voice: "On this point, Lady Tamayo should be very clear. But you are brave, and also gentle and kind."
"Thank you."
Tamayo nodded slightly.
Yes, back then she was tortured by illness, meeting Muzan on the verge of death.
He promised to cure her illness, deceiving and tempting her.
But after becoming a demon, the irrational hunger caused Tamayo to commit an irreparable sin, shouldering a blood debt she could never forgive herself for.
As memories flooded back, Tamayo subconsciously covered her chest, her eyes reddening.
Ryosuke sighed lightly, his voice compassionate.
"This is the reason I want to kill Muzan. I want to sever this root of evil."
"Although I can't guarantee that doing so will make the world wonderful, nor will heaven descend because of it."
"But at least it will allow people to go out at night with peace of mind, without worrying about monsters lurking in the darkness!"
"It can make tragedies in the world happen a little less often!"
"It can allow those who would have lived stable lives not to suffer the pain of broken families and death!"
Tamayo stared blankly at the young boy before her.
Her heartstrings, which she had kept locked and tense, suddenly trembled.
Ryosuke looked back at her, his tone gentle:
"Lady Tamayo, sometimes humans are the real demons, wearing human skin but doing demonic deeds. While you, although demons, are more human than many people."
Sob—
Tamayo couldn't hold it back anymore.
Ryosuke's last sentence was like a key, unlocking the floodgates of her emotions that had been frozen for so long.
Four hundred years of loneliness, regret, struggle, the pain of being misunderstood, the despair of being seen as an alien...
At this moment, it was spoken aloud softly by the boy.
He said she was like a human!
These few simple words weighed thousands of pounds to her! It was the validation she had been bitterly seeking!
Tears burst forth like a broken dam, streaking across her pale cheeks.
Just then, the door opened.
Yushiro, holding the tea tray, stood stiffly at the door, shocked into a sketch drawing.
He glared at Ryosuke, all his previous malice and hatred exploding.
"You bastard! What did you do to Lady Tamayo!!!"
Yushiro pounced on Ryosuke regardless of everything.
"Yushiro!"
Tamayo suddenly raised her head. The tear tracks on her face were still wet, but her voice fell coldly.
"You are not allowed to speak to Mr. Ryosuke like that!"