Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

They probably sensed that Yukina's mood had dropped.

Given Muzan's understanding of this little thing, asking her directly would likely yield no results; she would probably just vaguely say that it was nothing.

trouble.

He directly probed into Yukina's consciousness.

Children's memories are often fragmented.

"Anyway, she's a girl, and so sick, she won't live long anyway, so hiring a tutor to teach her would be a waste..."

These words caused Muzan's consciousness to pause for a moment.

A girl? She won't live long.

The faces of his parents from his human days had long since become blurred, leaving only two dim shadows.

He even needed to reflect briefly on their fate.

It seems they killed it? Or perhaps they simply abandoned it and left it to fend for itself?

Too much time has passed, and the details are no longer available.

But at this moment he hopes it is the former.

If we kill him, it will be clean and efficient.

The human period of his long life has long been compressed into a faded background, and the people and events associated with it have been almost completely forgotten.

Those weak and short-sighted so-called relatives are not worth occupying even a fraction of his eternal memory.

But these people are clearly wrong, terribly wrong.

Aren't we both doing just fine?

A hint of irony flickered across Muzan's face.

Those humans who made such assertions are probably long gone, turned to dust and vanished into nothingness.

As for reincarnation? He scoffed at the idea.

Even if reincarnation truly exists, it will no longer be "them".

He only believes in the present life he holds in his hands.

And he will live on forever, and will live better and better.

Perhaps because they were in direct contact with Yukina's consciousness, the subsequent fragments of Seiri's memories inevitably carried an even deeper sadness.

Muzan pursed his lips.

Normally, he might have made a sarcastic remark like "weak" or "boring".

But at this moment, he remained unusually silent.

Forget it...

He's only a few hundred years old; if he misses his mother, so be it.

……

Just as Xue Nai had composed herself, the scenery around her suddenly blurred without warning.

The next second, she found herself in an unfamiliar Japanese-style room filled with a faint fragrance.

Did Nakime bring me here?

She blinked, guessing to herself.

It seems that only Nakime can teleport like that.

She composed herself and glanced around the room.

Under the soft light, a woman with a graceful figure was leaning lazily against the tatami mat in front of her.

The person was wearing a purple gradient tomesode kimono, and her long, flowing black hair was not completely tied up, with some of it softly draped over her shoulders, making her skin appear even whiter.

However, she was much smarter this time; her plum-red eyes and black curly hair made it immediately clear who she was.

"dad--!"

She shouted with delight, her voice crisp and bright, full of joy, like a little cannonball about to rush forward.

Muzan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

This time it wasn't too stupid.

If he still couldn't recognize her, he really wanted to consider throwing her out the window to bring her to her senses.

As Yukina excitedly ran towards him, Muzan adjusted his sitting posture, and his arms, which had been casually crossed, loosened slightly.

Considering how upset she was just now.

I'd reluctantly let her hug me.

The thought flashed through my mind.

He had even extended his arm slightly in her direction, bracing himself for a collision.

However, when Xue Nai was only a few steps away from him, she suddenly stopped.

She stopped, not rushing forward, but standing still, staring intently at Muzan, her small face full of excitement, her cheeks flushed.

"dad,"

She unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes, fidgeting shyly, "You're so pretty!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but slowly walk around Muzan for a short while, her eyes almost sparkling.

Looking at it this closely, Dad's skin is so fair, his eyelashes are so long, his hair is so black and smooth, and the patterns on his kimono are so exquisite...

As a father's child

Will she grow up to be as beautiful as her father?!

Happy!

Muzan: "..."

The slight arc of his outstretched arm froze in mid-air for a fraction of a second before he casually pulled it back and tucked it back into his wide sleeve.

next time.

I will absolutely not give her any more chances to hug me.

There won't be another one.

He snorted coldly and looked away.

It's good-looking, an obvious fact, so why make a fuss?

He suddenly stood up and walked straight towards the door of the room.

As he reached the door, he didn't stop, but he keenly noticed the faint footsteps behind him that weren't following.

He turned to the side, looked back, and gave Xue Nai, who was still standing there, holding her cheeks and seemingly lost in thought, a cold, sidelong glance with his crimson eyes.

Just a glance.

Yukina snapped out of her daze and jogged after him, naturally extending her little hand.

Muzan lowered his eyes, glanced at the small hand that was offered to him, paused for a moment, but then firmly grasped it.

"Eh? Miss, who is this...?"

The young maid standing in the corridor stared wide-eyed as her usually aloof mistress walked out holding a little girl's hand.

The little girl looked to be about five or six years old, with black hair and red eyes, and her appearance was surprisingly similar to that of the young lady, about six or seven points.

It's a miniature version!

The maid rubbed her eyes hard, wondering if she was seeing things.

The lady hasn't given birth recently!

Miss is only sixteen years old this year, how could she have a child this big?

An illegitimate daughter? But the age doesn't match...

What... what exactly is going on?

The immense shock left her frozen in place, countless guesses flashing through her mind in an instant, until only one thought remained: she had to report to the madam immediately!

"This is such a hassle."

Muzan didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, easily seeing through the maid's thoughts.

He was too lazy to explain, and before the maid could utter a sound, she collapsed softly onto the veranda.

Yukina was completely unaware of the little incident behind her, and simply let Muzan lead her, trying her best to keep up with his pace with her short legs.

Muzan led her out of the side gate of the mansion and into the streets of Kyoto at night.

Although Yukina had visited Kyoto a few years ago, the city seemed to have changed again.

The streets remained bustling under the night sky, with shops lining both sides and lanterns even more densely packed than I remembered, casting a hazy, warm yellow glow on the bluestone pavement.

Just now, in that part of her consciousness, Muzan happened to hear, "I really want to go to Kyoto with Daddy again..."

Just because she thinks that way, am I just trying to comfort her?

Muzan found the fleeting thought that crossed his mind somewhat absurd.

When has he ever needed to consider the trivial wishes of a child in his actions?

It's a big joke.

Perhaps having too much of a brain can sometimes lead to mistakes...

His gaze swept over the familiar lights and crowds on both sides of the street; the atmosphere of the night seemed no different from a few years ago.

Finding clues about the blue spider lily requires patience and timing; now is not the best time to act.

And he, coincidentally... well, coincidentally, had no other important matters to attend to tonight.

With Nakime in the Infinite Castle and the Upper Moons each fulfilling their duties, he doesn't need to worry about his human identity for the time being.

Pampering her was just a side effect.