"Haha—hahahahaha!"
Abruptly, the tense silence was shattered by Douma's amused laughter that rang like soft bells. Shinobu and Mitsuri couldn't understand why he was laughing, thus remained silent.
"What's so funny?"
Shinobu asked with a frown.
"Hehe, my bad." Douma closed and opened his fans, grinning. "I just find it a bit funny that I was asked to fight him. Isn't it a bit funny? I'm not taking the Demon Slayer entrance exam, am i?"
Before they could reply, he continued.
"Also, shouldn't Shinobu-chan dissuade him? After all, you have quite an experience with me."
Mitsuri shook her head. "Although I think it's unfair, to avoid future grievances, we can only let Sanemi-san be satisfied. You wouldn't have any problems beating him right?"
'Avoid future grievances? So naive...' Douma couldn't help but smile fondly at the pink-haired girl. She was so much a pure soul.
"Well, why don't you see for yourself?"
Mitsuri instantly tensed, staring at him warily. However, that was a grave mistake in itself. With her staring directly into his eyes, she immediately noticed the rotating snowflake in his eyes.
The next moment, 'Shinobu' attacked her. Stunned by the unexpected development, Mitsuri reacted a bit late. Shinobu's nichirin blade cut a faint line on her chest, drawing blood.
"Shinobu-chan! What are you doing?!"
She also drew her metal whip, then glanced at the silent Douma. He was still smiling and looking at her with that fond expression. He definitely did something.
'Could he control people's minds?'
Her thoughts spun, trying to come to a conclusion. What really shocked her was the fact that Shinobu was the one who had attacked. It left her feeling conflicted.
"Douma-kun, why are you doing this?"
The 'Douma' before her smiled wider, then whispered. "Didn't you want a reassurance?"
Crack!
A large mirror-like crack appeared in-between them and shattered. The scenery remained the same. However, Shinobu was still seated, looking at her with a worried gaze.
"Mitsuri, are you alright?"
Mitsuri felt like her world was collapsing. What was that? Was it a dream? It felt so real...
"It's an illusion." Douma's alluring voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Looking at his handsome face, she couldn't help but be in awe. So he had an ability like that...
'Douma-kun is handsome and strong...'
Her cheeks reddened as indecent thoughts pooled in her mind.
Shinobu was taken aback by the sudden blush, unsure of what they voluptuous girl was thinking.
"Anyway, Mitsuri-chan shouldn't worry too much about me. I'll be fine." He said confidently.
"Hmm." With bright eyes, she nodded. "I'll cheer you on, then."
At the side, Shinobu couldn't help but groan. 'How can you be so naive? Cheering for a demon in the presence of other Hashiras?'
Unconcerned, Mitsuri then glanced at her.
"Hehe, Shinobu-chan. Thanks for bringing me here. Douma-kun is really a good counsellor!"
After a bit of pleasantries, she returned with Shinobu after telling Douma they'd drop by once in a while.
The demon didn't mind. As long as they were safe.
....
After leaving Douma's cult and on their way back to the Butterfly Mansion, they encountered an unexpected demon.
It was definitely a lower moon, evident from the kanji in her eyes.
The demon resembled a small child with white hair and two sharp horns protruding from the side of her head. On the two horns, hung two lanterns lit with ghostly green flames.
"Ara~ I never expected to run into you right after being called by Master Muzan. It's a pleasure meeting you, Shinobu-sama."
The demon bowed politely, surprising the two Hashiras.
"I'm a member of the Twelve Kizuki, Hozuki. Lower Moon Four. I'm a huge fan of Douma-sama. Unfortunately, he betrayed us and left our ranks. It's truly a bitter feeling to be his enemy."
Shinobu and Mitsuri remained wary, their hands around their sword hilts. Normally, they'd have attacked any demon they saw, but after meeting with Douma, their perception of demons had changed slightly. Still, they remained wary of this lower moon.
"Not returning a polite greeting? You're quite rude! Hmph!"
Hozuki snorted, then clapped once. The sound was loud and clear. However, its effects were anything but simple.
"Blood Demon Arts - Hallucinogenic Fog."
A white fog spread from around her, covering the two Hashiras in a few seconds. Seeing this, Hozuki smiled victoriously.
"See? You guys are even rude. Not reacting to my attack? You must be really weak."
Suddenly, Shinobu raised her eyes which was clear and asked.
"So you think you can trap us with this? It's nothing compared to what your Douma-sama can offer."
"Indeed. Douma's illusions are far better."
Hozuki's smile faltered slightly. Although she expected some resistance, she didn't expect the Hashiras' resistance to be that high. Also the comments about Douma ticked her off. Weren't they simply saying she's inferior?
"Don't underestimate me, fools!"
She suddenly lunged at them, her small figure as swift as an eagle.
Shinobu and Mitsuri reacted instantly. Their nichirin blades slashed accurately at the demon.
Suddenly, the child-like demon multiplied into ten copies and surrounded the two. All her clones grinned and raised their hands.
"Blood Demon Arts: Illusory Fire!"
The green flame from her lanterns spilled out, cutting off all paths to retreat while spreading closer to the Hashiras.
Shinobu frowned, feeling her senses grow dull. Those flames were definitely not ordinary. Mitsuri felt the same, her caution heightened.
"It seems she's not the least bit affected by our physical attacks."
"Then we can only use breathing techniques."
Before they could even take action, the ghostly flames waned, then were snuffed out. A chilling cold took their place, lingering in the air like a curse.
Hozuki stiffened, confused. She hadn't stopped the flames herself. Instead, they had been put off by someone else.
Who else could it be if not Douma?
Since it was nighttime, there wasn't any problem with him following Shinobu in the shadows.
"Ara~ I didn't expect to meet such an enthusiastic fan of mine."
His voice, ever enchanting, made the three females tingle.
Hozuki turned to him sharply, her expression shifting to shock.
"D-Douma-sama?!"
It seemed her liking towards him was just as twisted and genuine as his love towards Shinobu.
Unfortunately, because of her childlike form, she lacked the necessary assets that might attract a man. Also, she had just crossed a line by trying to harm the Demon's beloved Hashira.
Douma's smile turned malicious.
"Eii, you shouldn't let these girls misunderstand our relationship okay...?"
He didn't know the demon at all. Why the sudden intimacy? She was even blushing while looking at him.
Douma was speechless. Seeing him silent, the girl giggled.
"Hehe, it's natural you don't remember me. But I'm Lady Tsuyu's daughter. She was one of your former attendants, remember?"
Once again, the revelation made Douma speechless.