Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

In the room behind, the initially aggressive voice gradually weakened until it disappeared completely.

Xue Nai leaned against the cold wall, her little head starting to murmur to herself.

What exactly is Dad doing here?

First, I asked for a name, and then the person fell asleep.

She had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

However, she quickly shook her head, regained her composure, and tried to widen her eyes, looking warily into the dimly lit corridor.

Their uninvited arrival seems... not something a good ghost would do...

This made Yukina feel inexplicably guilty.

Her ears perked up, and she held her breath, afraid that she might suddenly hear other people's footsteps at the other end of the corridor and discover them.

What you fear most is what happens.

At the other end of the corridor, the sound of a door creaking open and dragging footsteps could be heard.

A man who had just come out of the toilet, still half asleep, was pulling up his pants and swaying back home.

As he turned the corner, he suddenly stopped, rubbed his eyes, and looked at his companion lying on the ground in confusion.

"Huh? Yamada? What's wrong with you?"

He muttered something, squatted down, and laboriously helped the man named Yamada up to lean on his shoulder.

"We're about to start preparing for today's performance, how can you be so sleepy? If Mrs. Matsuda sees you like this, she'll scold you to death... Hey, wake up!"

He shook the person on his shoulder, but the other person didn't react at all; they were completely heavy.

"Oh dear, so heavy... sleeping so soundly?"

He muttered to himself, about to pat the other person's face even harder.

Suddenly, Yamada, who was leaning on his shoulder, made a strange "ho" sound in his throat.

Immediately afterwards, a large mouthful of dark red blood gushed out without warning, splattering all over the man.

"Whoa—!"

The man was terrified and screamed as he threw the person off his shoulder.

Yamada's body slammed to the ground like a tattered sack, more and more blood gushing from his mouth, appearing particularly glaring in the dim light.

"Murder! Murder! Help! Murder! Murder!"

The man, witnessing this horrific sight, finally came to his senses and let out a heart-wrenching scream. He scrambled backward, his screams echoing down the corridor.

……

"Daddy! Daddy, are you all better?"

Almost the instant the scream rang out, Yukina jumped in fright.

The screams and chaotic footsteps coming from the other end of the corridor startled her.

My mind was filled with thoughts like, "We've been discovered! That sleeping uncle has woken up and is coming to arrest us!"

"Um."

Muzan walked out with a normal expression, even adjusting his cuffs as if he had just had a cup of tea inside.

He seemed to be in a good mood.

Xue Nai ran up behind him and grabbed his clothes.

Still shaken, she instinctively glanced into the room.

The fierce proprietress from just moments ago was now lying face down on the low table, completely motionless.

Has she fallen asleep again?

"dad,"

She tilted her head, asking with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation, "Is this person... asleep too?"

The people in this shop are really strange. They all fall asleep after only a couple of sentences with my dad.

He was still sleeping so soundly, he didn't wake up even though it was so noisy outside.

Perhaps because he had successfully obtained Yoshida Shigeru's address and received a clear clue for the next step, Muzan's mood at this moment could indeed be described as acceptable.

Faced with Yukina's obviously meaningless question, he unusually didn't respond coldly or ignore it outright, but instead went along with her words, giving a perfunctory yet perfunctory reply:

"Yes, she's asleep."

It seems that the people in this shop all have a problem with getting sleepy very easily.

Xue Nai suddenly realized.

As they stepped back onto the cool streets of Osaka in the early morning, the eastern sky was already turning a pale white, and the faint light of dawn was dispelling the darkness.

Muzan looked up at the gradually brightening sky, a hint of instinctive disgust and irritation flashing in his crimson eyes.

Sunlight……

It'll be evening again.

This feeling of being controlled by the light of day, no matter how many times he experienced it, always made him extremely unhappy.

……

Deep within the Infinite City, in the center of the Lotus Pond.

Doma was sitting leisurely, holding a woman who had already lost her life in his arms.

He moved slightly, and the tip of his nose twitched.

Hmm, this tastes so familiar.

He raised his head, his sharp teeth leaving the woman's neck, and a trickle of bright red blood slowly slid down the corner of his lips.

Ahhh...it smells like Yukina!

Doma's eyes lit up instantly, and he didn't even bother to wipe the warm blood from his mouth.

He casually tossed the severed limbs in his arms toward the edge of the pool, splashing water with a plop.

The sudden noise startled two other trembling women on the bank of the lotus pond, causing them to scream in terror. They huddled together, staring at him in horror.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry."

Doma seemed to only then notice their fear, turned around, smiled brightly, and gently reassured them:

"I suddenly remembered something very important that I need to take care of. It might not be possible to take the two lovely ladies to paradise right away."

He tilted his head and looked at them earnestly.

"But please don't worry or be afraid. I'll be back as soon as possible, and I promise I won't forget my promise to you all~ Please wait for me here patiently, okay?"

After saying that, he stood up gracefully, looked down at the bloodstains on his clothes and the few stains on his cuffs, and his eyebrows furrowed, revealing a troubled expression.

Oh dear, this won't do...

His clothes were stained with blood, and his appearance was not neat.

How could I go see Yukina like this?

He was thinking about it very seriously.

Now that Yukina is his friend, it's basic courtesy for friends to be clean and presentable when they meet.

This sloppy appearance is really rude.

A gentle swirl of icy mist revealed that he was now wearing brand new clothes.

Then Douma looked at his reflection in the pond and adjusted the curve of his smile.

Once he was ready, he turned around again to face the two women who were almost fainting from fright.

"Well then, ladies, please excuse me for a moment."

He bowed slightly in greeting.

"Please stay here until I get back. Don't wander around or make any loud noises."

"Otherwise, I might accidentally disturb my other companions. They may not all be as considerate and patient as I am in listening to your troubles."