"Iguro-kun!"
Mitsuri almost screamed as she lunged for his body, cradling him in her arms. The girl was almost crying as she shook him.
"Why did he faint? Shinobu-chan, help me!"
Shinobu felt a bit of headache but stepped forward and checked on the Serpent Hashira. His pulse had quickened a bit, but everything else was alright.
"He's fine. It was just a mental shock that made him go unconscious." She explained to her pink-haired friend.
"Huh? Mental shock? What exactly happened?"
Still, Mitsuri didn't understand that she was the one who had caused him to go unconscious.
Unwilling to further complicate things, Shinobu smiled. "He'll be fine. Just make sure you're by his side when he wakes up."
The Love Hashira thanked Shinobu, then hurriedly took Obanai to the Ubuyashiki Infirmary.
When she left, the atmosphere remained awkward until Gyomei cleared his throat.
"We should be preparing our forces."
"And speed things up." Tengen added.
Gyomei hummed. "The fight between Sanemi and Douma will be happening this night near the Butterfly Mansion."
"Why the Butterfly Mansion?" Shinobu asked with a frown. She didn't like the idea of using her place at all.
Calmly, the Stone Hashira explained his reasoning. "The location of the Butterfly Mansion has already been compromised. If there is any chance of other demons attacking, keeping the other hideouts unexposed is our priority."
Shinobu wanted to argue that it'd endanger the patients there, but remembered that all the Hashiras would be attending. With us there, no other problem should arise, right?
Receiving no further objections, Gyomei continued.
"After the fight is concluded, we'll need to have a meeting with them to make plans. By next week, we'll be done with our preparations and begin our search for Muzan."
Tanjiro's grip tightened on his sword.
'Muzan…'
He vividly remembered seeing that demon that fateful day. The detestable demon had mingled with humans, even carrying a girl as his daughter.
'I'll kill you, Muzan. I swear. I'll be the end of you.'
....
Meanwhile, Douma stood before his five demons with his usual flattering smile. Hozuki had joined them, though she remained the smallest. Her eyes were a little lost, having experienced the might of 'Little Douma' as soon as she awakened. It was both a painful and pleasurable experience that almost broke her mind.
'Ah~ I'm addicted to Douma-sama…'
Uncomfortable with standing next to her, Nakime shifted slightly, creating some distance between them.
"Good thing we're all gathered. I want to inform you that we'll be rebelling against our former employer very soon. So please prepare adequately. It'd be a shame to lose one of my followers, wouldn't it?"
His words left the demons unsettled as they exchanged glances.
"Master, are we fighting against Muzan Kibutsuji?" Nakime asked, her soft pink eyes staring at him with curiosity.
"Hm, hmn. Nakime-chan is so sharp." Douma flattered while covering his lower face with his fan, giving him a bashful look.
"Ugh. I don't want to see that man but if it's necessary, I'll fight." Ume snorted, her arms folded. She despised Muzan a little and wanted to avoid him despite their cozy moments in the past. After a few days of 'playing' with Douma, her new favourite had become obvious.
"Kuu, if anyone dares to touch my sister…"
Gyutaro groaned, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. Saki remained silent, not bothering to speak. Whatever Douma wanted was her goal, so she had no objections.
As for Hozuki, the demon's mind had become so warped that she was practically addicted to Douma. Even a single moment without his presence felt suffocating for her.
Sensing their general agreement, Douma smiled in satisfaction. Naturally, he could have forced them to obey him like Muzan would do, but didn't. This wasn't because Douma was a kind soul, but because he believed there would be no fun in that.
'It's quite a boring method. Right, Shinobu-chan?'
His eyes curved into crescents when he thought about his beloved human. Unable to control the rising 'Little Douma', he turned to them.
"Gyutaro-kun, could you please excuse us? You should definitely perfect your Frost Blades if you want to protect Ume-chan properly."
The remaining four demons suspected his intensions, their expressions changing.
Unfortunately, Gyutaro still didn't understand and nodded. In a flash, he was gone.
"Now then," Douma's eyes boldly roamed the figures of Nakime, Ume, Saki and Hozuki. [T/N: Hmm, that rhymes…]
The female demons were surprised, their eyes widened. The Great Lord Douma was planning a fivesome!
.....
That same evening, Shinobu returned to the Eternal Paradise Cult to retrieve Douma for the scheduled battle. When she stepped into the underground palace, a thick, lewd scent hit her, almost making her gag.
'What the hell happened here??'
Unfortunately, she was never going to know.
Douma appeared a few seconds later, smiling. "Eh? Shinobu-chan is back already. Could it be that Shinobu-chan misses me?"
His eyes curved into crescents and a shade of pink crossed his cheeks.
"Who misses you? Idiot. Don't be ridiculous. I came to fetch you for your duel with Sanemi-san."
Still, Douma didn't look disappointed. Instead, he smiled brighter.
"That means I'll be traveling with Shinobu-chan! Awesome!"
"Uh…"
In the end, Shinobu could only fall silent, speechless.
"Ah! Shinobu-chan, have you tried flying?" He suddenly asked.
The Hashira tilted her head. "No. I've never seen anyone who could fly except that Urogi from upper moon five."
Douma nodded. "Indeed. I find it quite dumb actually. We demons have full biological manipulation over our bodies. Assuming any form shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, except for Muzan, I don't think any other demon I've seen has that level of control."
"Do you think so, Shinobu-chan? How do you see… this?"
Suddenly, a pair of wings sprouted from Douma's back—large and powerful.
Shinobu held her breath as she watched the wings spread wide, the platinum-blonde feathers glistening brightly. Right now, he looked nothing like a demon and more like a divine being. It made Douma's already enchanting figure even more irresistible.
'Oh goodness…'
She gulped, suddenly realizing that her chances of resisting him had dropped heavily.