Aoi Kazama clutched the ohagi in her hand, feeling more than a little conflicted. Why on earth does the system insist I hand-feed Sanemi Shinazugawa?!
Could she actually pull this off? Would Sanemi even like these?
Aoi waited for a moment when the others were busy elsewhere. Catching sight of Sanemi just as he was finishing his training, she gritted her teeth and marched over.
"Shinazugawa-san."
Sanemi was mid-wipe, tugging a towel around his neck to dry the sweat. He turned at the sound of her voice, and upon seeing it was Aoi, he rubbed his nose awkwardly. "You need something?"
"Um, well... I made some ohagi. Do you want to try one?" Aoi picked one up and held it toward his mouth.
Sanemi froze. He clearly hadn't expected her to feed him by hand.
The warm ohagi was right there at his lips. The sweet scent of red bean paste mingled with the soft, comforting aroma of glutinous rice, drifting right into his personal space.
He jerked his head away, frantically scrubbing his face with the towel. His tone was a sharp mix of irritation and sheer embarrassment. "Tsk! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Despite the roar, he didn't actually step away.
"Just one bite. Just one," Aoi insisted, her voice soft and pleading as she looked up at him.
Sanemi stiffened, his neck rigid and his eyes wide, yet he couldn't find a single word to argue back. Finally, as if resigning himself to his fate, he leaned forward and took a lightning-fast bite of the ohagi.
[Daily Mission: Hand-feed Sanemi Shinazugawa Ohagi — Complete!]
[Reward: 2,000 Points]
[Current Points: 20,000]
Aoi let out a breath of relief, a bright, happy smile breaking across her face. "So? Do you like it?"
Sanemi's face was still flushed bright red. He chewed and swallowed the mouthful at record speed, his voice gruff as he tried to act tough. "It's... alright."
Aoi didn't hesitate. she stuffed the remaining ohagi into his arms all at once. "If it's 'alright,' that means you like it. These are all for you, then!"
Without waiting for a response, she turned and made her escape.
Sanemi instinctively caught the bundle. It was still warm in his arms, a weight that seemed to radiate heat straight into his chest.
Even though his mouth was still muttering, "It's just average," the corners of his lips twitched upward in a suppressed smile. Finally, he straightened his face and grumbled under his breath with feigned ferocity, "Tch... meddling woman."
The Turning Point
Back at her quarters, Aoi stared in surprise at the sprout in her planter. It had been quite a long time since she'd planted that mystery seed, and it was finally showing signs of life. She hummed happily as she watered it.
"I wonder what it'll turn into? If it could be like a Peashooter from Plants vs. Zombies, that'd be amazing. Maybe it could even help fight demons!"
Aoi crouched by the pot, her finger gently brushing the tender green tip of the sprout, her eyes full of anticipation.
That Night
As expected, Aoi found herself back at Kokushibo's side. The Upper Rank demon looked at her with a blank expression, appearing almost habituated to her sudden appearances.
Knowing he couldn't actually hurt her in this state, Aoi decided to lean into the "annoying" strategy. "Hey, your name is Kokushibo, right?"
"Why do you have so many eyes? Do they make everything look super clear?"
"How come every time I see you, you're just sitting here looking all serious? Don't you get bored?"
Kokushibo didn't even lift an eyelid. Undeterred, Aoi kept up her one-sided chatter.
"So noisy."
He didn't say another word, shifting his gaze back to the sword in his hand as if that single response had exhausted his entire reservoir of patience.
Aoi was momentarily silenced by the rebuff, but she wasn't afraid. Instead, she pushed her luck and leaned in closer. "Oh! You actually acknowledged me!"
The veins on Kokushibo's hand tightened around his blade, his murderous aura surging violently. However, when he caught sight of her sparkling, curious eyes, he forced the killing intent back down.
He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the irritation had faded, replaced by a stagnant, deathly calm. "Chatterbox."
"Am not!"
The next second, the world spun. Before she knew what was happening, Aoi found herself sprawled forward, falling directly into Kokushibo's lap. "What the—?!"
A moment later, the space shifted. Man and demon were teleported into a different room.
Aoi was still draped across Kokushibo when he reached down, grabbed her by the collar, and unceremoniously hauled her out of his lap. He returned to a formal, upright sitting position.
Several other demons began to appear one by one. Kokushibo scanned their faces; there was no shock, no curiosity. It seemed he was the only one who could see her.
Doma appeared, as usual, with that shallow, smiling face of his. He spoke in a slow, airy tone, "That man's orders are so strange. He's obsessed with us finding this 'Blue Spider Lily,' but we've been searching for so long and haven't seen a trace of it. Don't you agree, Akaza-dono~?"
Akaza, the target of his prodding, clearly had no interest in humoring him, but Doma continued to pester him regardless.
"Enough!" Kokushibo finally spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, crushing authority.
The assembled demons fell silent.
Aoi scanned the room, noting there were only five demons present. Aside from Upper Ranks One, Two, and Three, there was a hunched old man across from her with "Upper Four" etched into his eyes. Not far off, a demon with hair obscuring her face sat playing a biwa.
Suddenly, a pot came rolling in from a distance. A bizarre, distorted demon crawled out of it, giving Aoi a genuine fright.
Good grief, this one is way too grotesque! she thought. Not only were his mouths and eyes swapped, but he had tiny hands growing out of his neck.
It was a total eyesore.
While Aoi was internally screaming about Gyokko's hideous design, she shifted her gaze back to Doma and Akaza to "cleanse her palate."
Doma's face was undeniably handsome, and his smiling eyes made him look almost harmless. Aoi swallowed hard, whispering to herself, I guess even if they're demons, the pretty ones are still top-tier. Too bad they're all cold-blooded killers.
Aoi instinctively huddled closer to Kokushibo. The Upper Rank One glanced at her sideways; his gaze remained indifferent, but for once, he didn't shoo her away.
The sharp twang of a biwa string echoed through the hall, and a man in a Western suit suddenly appeared in the seat of honor.
The Upper Ranks fell deathly silent. Doma's smile faded, Akaza's brow furrowed, and the old man of Upper Four hunched his back even further, his breathing becoming shallow.
Aoi held her breath. She could feel the sheer pressure radiating from the man in the suit—this was, without a doubt, the most terrifying demonic aura she had ever perceived in her dreams.
"Gyutaro is dead. The Upper Moons are no longer whole."
The man's voice was soft, yet every word struck the room like a hammer blow.
Doma looked up with a mask of innocence. "Really? Truly, I am terribly sorry. I was the one who recommended Gyutaro to you. How should I apologize? Should I gouge out my eyes and offer them to you? Or perhaps..."
Muzan lifted his gaze. His blood-red pupils held no emotion, but the look alone caused Doma's joke to die in his throat.
"What use would I have for your eyes?"
"I foresaw Gyutaro's failure. As expected, Daki was a hindrance. If Gyutaro had fought alone from the start, they would not have lost."
"In the end, once he had poisoned his opponents, he didn't even need to stay and fight."
"However... it no longer matters."