Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

Strange, strange uncle...

There's a weird uncle here!

As Xue Nai looked at the white-haired youth in front of her who called himself the leader and kept moving closer, alarm bells went off in her mind.

The arms holding Hanako tightened even more, the edge of the doll pressing against her chest, bringing a sense of security.

"Hello, my name is Xue Nai."

As soon as she finished speaking, she involuntarily moved back a little, trying to create the distance that made her uneasy.

"Ah—! It's the adorable Yukina!"

Doma's face immediately broke into an even bigger smile.

Then his expression changed, he took out a handkerchief, gently pressed it to the corner of his eye where there were no tears, and pretended to wipe away tears with emotion.

"Such a cute and polite child..."

His voice choked with emotion, "You can actually be troubled by pain? That's so heartbreaking, it breaks my heart for you."

If I were to guide her to bliss...

Even if it requires reporting to Lord Muzan, even if it might anger him.

But it's all worth it to save such a lovely child!

He was almost moved to tears by his own words.

Tell me quickly, tell me about the darkness, sadness, and pain in your heart...

Let me bring you salvation.

However, in Yukina's eyes...

This strange uncle kept staring at me with those creepy eyes, saying strange things, and his expression kept changing.

terrible!

She shrank back even further.

Seeing this, Doma moved his knees forward, maintaining the kneeling posture of listening attentively, thus closing the distance.

Schnee shrinks again.

The boy moved the millstone again.

...

Eh?

So the new friend just wanted to play games with him?

Hide and seek, or a chase?

It's been such a long time since a ghost has been willing to play games with him, I'm so happy.

Doma grinned broadly.

On the other side, at the Ogawa family mansion.

Mrs. Ogawa lay on the ground, a pool of dark red blood spreading beneath her, her eyes still showing the shock of her impending death.

She merely mentioned with concern to her husband, "Jiro seems to be becoming less and less like our child lately."

Before he could finish speaking, his neck was easily snapped by a cold force.

Muzan stood with his hands at his sides, his short sleeves spotless, not even a drop of blood splattered on them.

He showed no expression, as if he had simply brushed away a noisy mosquito.

I hadn't originally planned to get rid of this nominal mother so quickly, since I still needed to maintain appearances while playing the role.

Unfortunately, she insisted on touching upon those unwarranted doubts.

He slowly raised his eyes and turned to another trembling figure in the center of the room.

Ryohei Ogawa, the male head of the household.

He was now slumped beside his wife Shang Wen's corpse, his face ashen, his teeth chattering.

"You," Muzan's voice returned to the deep, cold tones of a grown man, "have you made your choice?"

choose?

Was he to be silenced as an ordinary human witness to his wife's mysterious murder, or...?

With difficulty, Ogawa Ryohei's gaze shifted from his wife's lifeless face to the child before him.

He felt a mixture of panic and excitement.

Ghosts, the legendary ghosts, are immortal and possess power beyond that of humans.

The death of his wife was certainly troublesome, but it also seemed like an opportunity.

Those illegitimate children, those relatives who coveted the family fortune, those business rivals.

If he had the power, none of that would be a problem.

"I……"

He struggled to lift his head, his heart pounding, but he clenched his teeth.

"I...I'm willing to become a ghost!"

really.

Muzan has seen plenty of men like this.

Greedy, cowardly, adept at weighing pros and cons, they can step over the corpses of their loved ones without hesitation in order to protect themselves and satisfy their selfish desires.

If it weren't for the fact that the Ogawa family has been in the business of medicinal herbs for generations, and that their connections and resources are still useful, this kind of person wouldn't even qualify to be transformed.

"very good."

The moment he finished speaking, a sharp bone spur suddenly shot out from behind him and pierced the top of Ogawa Ryohei's head.

"Ugh—Ahhh!!"

The man let out a short, agonizing scream, his body convulsed violently, his eyes bulged, and the veins under his skin bulged and throbbed.

He watched indifferently.

A moment later, the bone spur retracted, bringing with it a few strands of viscous blood.

Ryohei Ogawa collapsed to the ground, his breath weak, and his body was undergoing drastic changes.

Muzan stopped looking and took out a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve, slowly wiping each of his fingers.

After wiping, he casually tossed the handkerchief at his feet, turned around, and calmly opened the paper door, stepping into the dim light of the corridor.

Behind him, in the room where the paper door was not yet fully closed, came a crunching sound.

In my consciousness, a message came through the connection of blood: the Upper Moon Five Jade Pot.

The content was brief, yet it made Muzan pause slightly.

"Sir, there is a clue in Osaka that may be related to the blue spider lily."

Hopefully, this time it won't be one of those foolish misreports based on hearsay or conjecture.

That guy Yu Hu has sent out enough useless messages already.

If it weren't for the fact that the teapots he made were quite exquisite, they could have sold for a good price.

However, before heading to Osaka to confirm in person, he needed to return to Infinity Castle first.

I wonder what that little idiot is doing now.

He temporarily assigned Nakime to carry out another mission.

Given the little fool's habits, he'll probably either curl up in some corner and fall asleep again, or sit there foolishly, waiting expectantly.

My mind was filled with thoughts like, "When will Dad come back?", "I miss Dad so much", and "It was so much fun taking Dad out to play".

A mindset that's utterly devoid of nutrition and feels sticky and unhealthy.

Ugh, what a hassle.

"Return to the Infinite City"

He connected with Nakime directly through blood.

Although she was on other missions, she could easily be distracted to complete basic tasks like teleporting him back to Infinite City.

He appeared in the tatami room that was usually used.

His gaze habitually swept towards the corner.

There was no small figure curled up asleep as expected, nor a fool sitting there in a daze.

Huh? Not here?

Muzan frowned slightly.

Could she really have fallen asleep again, in the room that Nakime arranged for her?

However, he soon sensed Yukina's presence in the Infinite City, as well as another sticky ghostly aura.

How did Doma end up in the Infinity Castle?

Is he very free?

Instead of wasting his time wandering around and playing his pointless redemption games, he should spend more time searching for clues about the blue spider lily in the outside world.

Upper Moon Six, a man of considerable strength, always wastes his energy on these meaningless, even foolish, things.