Muzan: My daughter can't be that weak!

The two ghosts, each carrying a pot, returned to the lotus pond in the twilight.

The pond water rippled under the dim light of the lanterns, lotus leaves stretched out, and a few late-blooming lotus flowers quietly opened in the night, emitting a delicate fragrance.

Yukina placed the pot by the pond, then suddenly remembered something and belatedly asked:

"Uncle Doma, why don't we pick the lotus flowers first, then bring them into the room and put them in the pot?"

She looked at the pot in her arms, then at the lotus flower so close to her, and felt that it was all unnecessary.

Upon hearing this, Douma put down his teapot, blinked, tapped his forehead with his fan, and gave a look of sudden realization:

"Yes! Yukina is right! How about... we take the pot back to our room now, and then come back to pick the lotus flowers!"

Xuena: "...?"

A look of confusion appeared on her little face.

Wouldn't that make things more complicated?

Do I have to make two trips back and forth?

"But...we've already brought the pot over..."

She muttered to herself, thinking that Uncle Doma's way of thinking was sometimes really strange.

Before Douma could offer any further insightful opinions, Yukina's attention was already drawn to a lotus flower by the pond.

"Uncle Doma, look! That lotus flower is so pretty! The tips of the petals even have a hint of pink! Let's pick that one!"

She pointed to the lotus flower, successfully interrupting Doma's thoughts on whether he should take the pot back before coming back.

Doma swallowed the words he was about to say and looked in the direction she was pointing.

"Oh my, it's really beautiful! I'll pick this one; I must offer the most beautiful one to Lord Muzan!"

In the end, Yukina did not use her Blood Demon Art.

Tongmo volunteered to pluck the lotus flower along with a section of its emerald green stem.

After picking the lotus flowers, the two ghosts lingered, carrying the pot and lotus flowers back to the boy's room.

Looking at the lotus flower covered in night dew and exuding a delicate fragrance, Douma suddenly felt that eating didn't seem so urgent anymore.

Perhaps... it would be more interesting to accompany Yukina back to the Infinity Castle first, and see how Muzan reacts to this lotus flower?

"Little Yukina, Uncle Doma will take you back to Infinity Castle! We can also take the pot and the lotus back with us. As for dinner... it's okay if it's a little later!"

He made the suggestion with a smile, seemingly having completely forgotten that he had just said he was hungry.

Xue Nai naturally had no objections.

So, Doma simply skipped dinner, picked up the large pot with one hand, and took the hand of Yukina, who was holding the small pot and the lotus flower, with the other.

Seeing this, the puppy quickly came to Xue Nai's feet.

As a clear, melodious pipa note echoed through the air, the figures of two ghosts and a dog vanished from the Blissful Sect's room.

However, it wasn't until they returned to the Infinity Castle that Nakime learned that Muzan was not currently there.

Huh? Dad's not here...

Xue Nai held the small pot, a slight disappointment flashing across her face, but she quickly relaxed.

There's no rush. Let's show it to Dad when he gets back. Let's start growing the lotus first...

Douma immediately looked disappointed, and he even sighed dramatically.

"Oh dear... Lord Muzan isn't here? What a pity!"

However, this disappointment lasted only about five seconds. The gloom on his face vanished as quickly as if blown away by the wind, and a bright smile returned. His attention immediately turned to Yukina.

"Since Lord Muzan is not here,"

He bent down, leaned close to Yukina, and gently tapped her shoulder with his ornate fan.

"Would you like to go play in Uncle Doma's room in the Infinity Castle? There are lots of fun things there!"

As Yukina was about to answer, her gaze fell upon the open doorway to her room, where something seemed to have been added.

She walked closer curiously, carrying the item.

In the center of the room, where there had been no space, there was now a low table that was just the right height for her. On the table were neatly arranged brand-new washi paper and a pen that was just the right size for her small hands to hold.

Upon seeing these, she immediately remembered her important business.

I have to go to class with the teacher tomorrow!

I was so busy playing today that I didn't even review the 50 sounds I learned yesterday...

And Dad's name...

A sense of responsibility welled up in my heart instantly.

When Doma's enlarged smiling face came closer again, Yukina didn't hesitate to reach out her small hand and slap his forehead with her tiny palm, stopping him from getting any closer.

"Uncle Doma, let's go visit you again next time!"

"I haven't studied yet today, and I still need to practice writing! What if Yukina can't answer the teacher's questions tomorrow?"

Doma blinked, his rainbow eyes filled with wonder as a small hand pressed against his face.

"Studying...that sounds so earnest!"

He then sat down cross-legged opposite the low table, placed his fan on his knees, and rested his chin on his hand, looking as if he was ready to observe.

then--

"Huh? Yukina, why are you still learning this? Isn't this something you can write after just one glance?"

"When Uncle Doma was a kid, he could memorize these things just by looking at them a few times. He didn't need to put in so much effort to practice."

Xue Nai's small hand holding the pen paused, and the pen tip left a small ink dot on the paper.

She didn't reply, pursed her lips, and continued writing the next one.

"Oh dear, this Yukina character is written off-topic..."

"And there's more..."

*

On the other side, Muzan was wandering around when he suddenly stopped as he passed by a human mansion.

His excellent hearing allowed him to hear what was happening inside.

"You're tired. You haven't taken your medicine tonight!"

"You'll only get better if you drink it..."

The voice added another sentence, this time softer, as if trying to persuade the other person, or perhaps trying to persuade itself.

Muzan paused slightly in his steps.

He originally planned to leave directly, but the word "illness" inadvertently touched a long-forgotten corner of his consciousness.

He turned around, jumped onto the roof, and observed the activity inside the room.

A dim oil lamp was lit in the room.

A black-haired boy who looked to be in his teens sat leaning against the bedding, his face pale as a person who had been ill for a long time, his lips bloodless, and his expression somewhat vacant.

A woman in a kimono was carefully handing him a bowl of dark brown herbal medicine.

The boy took the bowl expressionlessly, tilted his head back, and drank the medicine in one gulp.

The woman took the empty bowl, tucked the blanket around him, and whispered, "Rest well." Then, carrying the bowl, she quietly slipped out and closed the door.

The young boy was left alone in the room.

The glow of the oil lamp cast flickering shadows on his face.

He sat silently, his gaze drifting aimlessly into the dark corner.

After a long while, a few murmurs escaped from his lips:

"fraud……"

"Taking the medicine won't make me better at all..."

"I still can't even run... I can only lie here, staring at the roof..."

"If...if only I could become a normal person..."

"To be able to stand in the sunlight, with other people..."

On the rooftop, Muzan listened with his eyes lowered, his crimson pupils slightly contracting in the darkness.