"Mr. Kamiya is really amazing."
"He knew he was going to die, but he tried so hard and never thought of running away..."
"To be hit in a vital spot and still not lose consciousness... what a tenacious will. It makes me a little envious."
"As expected, it would be too much of a pity for him to die here."
Doma sat cross-legged next to the unconscious Koji, tears streaming down his face as he spoke with endless emotion.
"Mmm~ I've decided! I won't kill you!"
"An interesting person like Mr. Kamiya must live a longer, more tenacious life." Doma looked at the lanterns hanging high in the distance, his eyes filled with tears. The specks of light reflected in his splendid irises, as if igniting a myriad of brilliant colors.
The magnificent light in his eyes gradually faded with the passage of time, returning once again to a clear and empty state. Doma slowly stopped his tears, his rainbow eyes becoming placid once more.
He tilted his head. "It seems I just made a rather momentous decision."
"Well, so be it. That's fun too~" He put on his carefree smile again and propped his chin on his hand, looking at Koji beside him. "Let me see just how you saw through me, Mr. Kamiya."
"Blood Demon Art: Hisōten."
His thoughts sank into a boundless world of emptiness, pulling another brilliant, multicolored ball of light into it. All the emotions and memories contained within that light opened up to him. It was much easier than he had imagined, meeting almost no resistance. But that was to be expected; after all, his opponent was in an unguarded unconscious state, and his Hisōten now had the power of an Upper Moon.
Doma rummaged through Koji's memories, nodding thoughtfully from time to time.
"Mmm—his skin is highly sensitive to demons?"
"This kind of special ability is really hard to guard against."
"To think I'll encounter powerful noses and ears in the future... what a headache."
"Mr. Kamiya doesn't know the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters? That makes sense. Lord Muzan hasn't found it in hundreds of years either~"
"Huh? The training method for Water Breathing?"
"It might be useful. I'll store it in my memory."
After finishing his search for potentially useful information, Doma thought for a moment and began to alter his opponent's memories. He glanced at the fine cuts and obvious frostbite on Koji's body and narrowed his eyes.
"Mmm, you encountered a demon whose Blood Demon Art was ice and snow. After a difficult battle, you were victorious..."
"And then you fainted from exhaustion."
Doma clapped his hands in satisfaction. This way, he wouldn't attract endless trouble.
"Well then, goodbye, Mr. Kamiya." He took one last look at the unconscious figure, leaped lightly off the roof, the hem of his clothes fluttering like the wings of a butterfly.
Picking up his lotus lantern again, Doma walked unhurriedly back towards the lively streets.
"I learned the locations of a few small Demon Slayer outposts from Mr. Kamiya's memories..." This included temporary rest stops for several Demon Slayers, the residences of a few cultivators, and the location of a Wisteria-Flower Mountain...
"Lord Muzan seemed to have ordered us to destroy Demon Slayer outposts." Doma thought seriously, then showed a troubled expression. "But it's so troublesome, and I have no motivation at all."
Attacking those small outposts that could be rebuilt in a few days was completely meaningless, just an act of venting anger. "I just don't get it. It's so stupid."
"Oh well, I'll just pretend I don't know~" Doma laughed and threw the matter to the back of his mind.
Oh dear! Shouldn't I feel a little guilty about this?
Doma adopted a solemn expression, tapping his chin with his left index finger, lost in thought. Lord Muzan wouldn't know about tonight, but...
"Mmm~ In that case, I must work harder in the future and earn more money to support him!"
"It's decided~" Doma showed a brilliant smile and walked briskly back to the bustling street, blending into the crowd.
"What should I do next?" He scanned the dazzling array of stalls on the street, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it! I'll visit Lord Akaza tomorrow night!"
"Mmm—let me think, what should I prepare for visiting a friend?"
"Presents, of course!" Doma instinctively reached up to touch his own eyes. If Lord Akaza received such beautiful eyeballs, he would surely be very happy.
"Oh no, no, no~"
"Giving such a precious gift on the first visit would make him feel awkward, wouldn't it?"
Then what should I give him?
Food?
"Bringing a friend's favorite food and having a pleasant meal together is the easiest way to deepen a relationship, right?" Doma nodded, thinking expectantly. "But it seems Lord Akaza is a very picky eater and refuses to eat properly."
"Just thinking about it is worrying." Once we're closer, I should probably try to persuade him a little. Of course, not now. Giving unsolicited advice when you're not close friends is a surefire way to be disliked. Doma nodded in confirmation.
"It's a shame I can't eat fruit anymore, and I can't taste wine or tea either," he pouted. So those were out of the question. He used to enjoy drinking because the dizzy feeling was wonderful and helped him forget his troubles. He had even studied the tea ceremony for a while to cultivate his character.
Doma figured he couldn't just bring food, in case the picky Lord Akaza didn't like it. But what did Lord Akaza like?
Fighting and training? Oh dear, Doma didn't like that, but it wasn't out of the question to play with Lord Akaza.
And then... snowflake patterns? Fireworks? Those were both moves from Lord Akaza's fighting style. And of course, the most important thing: the color pink!
Doma looked up at the sparsely starred night sky and blinked.
"As for fireworks, it's probably better to watch them together after our friendship is deeper~"
"Lord Akaza will surely be very moved then."
"And then we can open our hearts to each other and become the closest of friends~" Doma cupped his cheeks, fantasizing about a scene where he and Lord Akaza were laughing and had their arms around each other's shoulders. A pure, childlike smile bloomed on his face.
"Ah~ I'm so excited!"
Well then, next he had to go buy some small gifts that fit the criteria. Since he didn't know what Lord Akaza liked, he would just buy a little bit of everything.
Doma strolled from one end of the street to the other with a huge smile, bought a massive bag of all sorts of gifts, and then left the area. After wandering around a few remote places, he unsurprisingly caught a few little snacks who were up to no good.
After a full meal, Doma selected the most delicious-smelling little dessert, knocked him out, and took him away.
After returning to the temple and stowing the gifts, Doma wandered around the silent temple alone in the dead of night. The night was still young.
Finally, he sat cross-legged in the courtyard, looking up at the moon as it slowly moved across the night sky. He didn't find it interesting, nor did he find it boring.
"Mmm—I should probably do something." Doma watched as the moon was obscured by clouds and lowered his head in thought.
"I've got it!" His eyes lit up. "I'll try a breathing style!" It seemed demons could use breathing styles too. That sounded interesting.
He thought about the training method for Water Breathing and adjusted his breathing.
"Cough, cough..." On his first try, he unsurprisingly choked. Doma coughed for a while and pouted.
"Oh dear, this isn't fun at all~" he mumbled, casually tossing the idea of breathing styles aside.
"Oh well, I'll go dance." Doma drew out his golden fans and began to perform a fan dance with practiced elegance. Among the pool of water lilies, his figure danced under the moonlight, the hem of his clothes fluttering, echoing his shadow on the ground, beautiful and mysterious.
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