Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

"dad……"

Wait a minute!

Yukina subconsciously reached out, wanting to pull on Muzan's sleeve.

But the clothes slipped through her fingers, leaving only a cold sensation.

The figure walked away without hesitation, disappearing outside the door, leaving only an empty corridor.

Yukina's hand froze in mid-air as she stared blankly at the doorway.

Huh? They're leaving already?

She looked at the empty space in front of her, then turned to look at the white-haired boy named Lei a few steps away.

The room suddenly became excessively quiet, leaving only her and this unfamiliar companion staring at each other.

Dad said...this is a partner.

Partner... what should we do?

In her limited life experience, Xue Nai had absolutely no template for how to start a friendship with children her own age.

The only person I've ever met is an adult-shaped child—Doma.

She tugged at her sleeve, her fingertips curling up somewhat helplessly.

Shall we speak directly?

What did you say?

What should we play?

She quietly raised her eyelashes and quickly glanced at Lei.

He stood there quietly, his white hair like the first snow falling on the eaves in winter, his eyes looking at me.

Lei also silently observed Yukina.

She... looks so small and cute. The way she just relied on Muzan-sama is just like a well-protected child in a human family.

in case……

If only we could become family...

Once the thought arose, it ignited a small, burning flame in his heart.

But she's of adult blood; would she really be willing to be with a ghost like me...?

The room was so quiet that you could hear the faint sound of the wind outside the paper window.

Yukina felt that this stalemate couldn't continue.

She remembered that every time Doma met her, he would start with that flower-like smile and lively tone.

She took a deep breath, mimicking the way she remembered it, and smiled, trying to make her voice sound more cheerful and natural.

"Ara ara..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt a little awkward, her cheeks flushed slightly, but she continued speaking anyway:

"Hello! My name is Xue Nai!"

She paused, then remembered the most important thing and quickly added:

"Can we... play together? I have lots of toys, and a little puppy..."

After she finished speaking, she seemed to have exhausted all the courage to speak up. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to straighten her already neat clothes, tugging at this and touching that, just too embarrassed to look at herself any longer.

It seems... that you didn't speak very naturally?

Uncle Doma greeted him very smoothly.

The little girl's clear voice reached my ears.

His tired eyes suddenly lit up.

She spoke up first...

They even said they wanted to play together.

Does this mean that you are willing to accept yourself?

Does this mean that it's possible to become...?

"Hello," he replied quickly, his voice a little faster than usual, "I'm tired."

The barriers between children can sometimes be as thin as a sheet of paper.

Once someone gently pokes a small hole, curiosity and topics of conversation will naturally flow out.

From the lotus flower in the corner of the room, to the corridor in the Infinite City that always changes location, and then to the swing in the courtyard.

When the conversation inadvertently turned to Muzan, Yukina immediately perked up.

"Dad is super, super amazing!"

She started counting on her fingers, "Once we met a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Daddy, he..."

"Although Dad looks fierce when he speaks, he's just trying to scare me...and..."

She rambled on about some trivial things that sounded very trivial to Lei.

I listened quietly, exhausted, but the longing in my heart grew ever clearer.

To be relied upon like this, to be watched over and needed so wholeheartedly...

This is exactly the kind of bond he wanted when he built his family.

As they chatted, the two ghosts somehow quietly closed the distance between them.

After Yukina's initial shyness faded, her childlike nature took over.

As she spoke, she naturally reached out and pulled on Lei's sleeve, leading him to sit down at the low table in the room.

At that moment, Rui seemed to have made up her mind. She raised her eyes and looked earnestly at Yukina:

"Yukina-chan...may I call you that?"

"Well……"

Yukina was in the middle of a pleasant conversation when she was suddenly asked this question and was taken aback.

She tilted her head and looked at Lei, deep in thought.

He must be a new ghost, right?

If it's a newcomer, they'll definitely be younger than me...

It feels a little strange to be called "little sister".

Seeing her hesitation, the light in Lei's eyes dimmed for a moment, and he immediately lowered his eyelashes: "If you don't want to, that's okay too."

Was it really too presumptuous of me?

After all, their statuses are different.

"Ah! No, no, no!"

Yukina quickly waved her hands, her hair swaying gently with the movement, "It's not that I don't want to!"

Then she remembered that Uncle Doma was also younger than her, yet she still called him "uncle".

Perhaps... the age and names of ghosts cannot be understood using common sense.

"Tired...Brother?"

She tried calling it out, but found the prefix made it a bit awkward, so she simply simplified it.

Since she didn't have any other brothers, she secretly thought to herself, "This handsome brother will be the first one."

"Brother! What games can you play?"

My body, exhausted, jolted.

She... called me brother!

That makes them sound like a family.

"Yukina-chan!"

This time, he responded quickly, his lips twitching slightly upwards before he quickly closed them again.

"I can... do cat's cradle."

He spoke softly, his fingers deftly moving, the thin string weaving between his fingers, instantly forming a complex and symmetrical pattern, resembling a spider web.

"Wow--!"

Yukina's eyes widened instantly.

She was completely drawn to it and naturally moved closer and closer.

"Wow! This is amazing! Is it a spider web? You're so amazing, brother!"

She almost leaned on her tired hands to look at it, her eyes filled with amazement and undisguised admiration, her voice soft and joyful.

Feeling the slight tugging force from the cuff and the touch from beside her, she tightened her grip on the rope slightly.

He looked up and saw Xue Nai's small face, which was so close to his, filled with surprise. His heart pounded.

So close...

I love this feeling.

"Hmm," he responded softly, adjusting the spider web in his hand slightly and turning towards Yukina.

"I can teach you."

"Really? Wait a minute!"

Xue Nai's eyes lit up, and as if she had just remembered something, she jumped up and ran to the inside of the low table in the room. She squatted down and began to pull open the drawer of the small cabinet next to her and started rummaging through it.

"Eh...it should be here..."

She had almost buried her head in the drawer, and a rustling sound came from inside, carrying a hint of anxiety.

If you're tired, just sit quietly and wait, your eyes following her busy figure.

She was searching very diligently, muttering to herself, which he found...very novel.

Is this what it feels like to spend time with family?

Waiting is also part of the peace.

Finally, Yukina let out a small cheer: "Found it!"

Clutching a ball of ordinary cotton thread, a smile on her face, she ran back, sat down close to the tired man again, and presented the ball of thread like a treasure, full of anticipation:

"Brother, now you can teach Yukina!"