"Turn demons back into humans…"
Tamayo repeated the words under her breath.
It was indeed a shortcut, a powerful and tempting one, yet the difficulty of such a task was undeniable. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Ryo Anzai, doubt settling deeper in her gaze.
"And what makes you think a demon slayer would trust demons like us? Or that I could accomplish such a thing at all?"
"What makes me think so?"
Ryo let out a short laugh, pressing down harder on Yushiro's back with his foot. The younger demon groaned in pain.
"Because right now, I could kill him. Or I could hand your location to the Demon Slayer Corps. Better yet, I could report you to Muzan."
"Tamayo, you do not have a choice."
His voice remained casual, yet every word was a blade driven deep.
Watching both Tamayo and Yushiro's faces twist with anger, Ryo changed his tone abruptly.
"But that would be the worst option."
"I came here to talk because I believe your hatred for Muzan is real. So is your capability."
"You have spent centuries researching. You are closer to the answer than anyone. You just lack a few crucial components… perhaps an ally."
Tamayo hesitated. She was moved despite herself.
Yushiro, however, struggled even harder beneath Ryo's foot.
"Lady Tamayo! Do not trust this demon slayer! He just wants to use us! There is no medicine that can turn demons back into humans!"
"Tamayo, you must escape! Quickly!"
"Shut up!"
Ryo swung his blade. A sharp flash followed by a thud as Yushiro's arm fell to the floor.
"You annoying little turtle brat! Did I say you could speak?"
"Be grateful I have not disrespected you in even crueler ways."
Yushiro writhed in pain, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, teeth grinding with a high pitched hiss.
Ryo ignored him and continued speaking.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Lady Tamayo. You understand that better than anyone."
"Release Yushiro first."
Tamayo finally softened. It was a reluctant agreement, but an agreement nonetheless.
Ryo nodded and lifted his foot.
Yushiro's severed arm had already begun regenerating before he pushed himself upright again. Shame and fury burned in his eyes as he glared at Ryo, ready to tear the boy apart for what he had done.
"You vile human! How dare you threaten Lady Tamayo!"
"Yushiro."
Tamayo's tone cut through his rage like a blade.
"Stand down."
Yushiro froze, bowing his head in frustration before returning to his mistress' side.
Tamayo took a moment to steady herself, then reluctantly gestured for Ryo to follow her deeper into the home.
Ryo shrugged and walked inside.
"My name is Ryo Anzai," he introduced plainly.
"Mr. Anzai…" Tamayo repeated cautiously. "Please, have a seat."
She turned to Yushiro. "Prepare tea."
Yushiro shot Ryo one last venomous glare and forced a single word through clenched teeth.
"Yes."
As he disappeared through the sliding door, Ryo glanced at Tamayo's delicate profile. For some absurd reason, a faint sense of mischievous satisfaction warmed him inside.
A strange thrill, a guilty pleasure, hard to describe yet undeniably amusing.
Now there were only two of them in the quiet room.
Tamayo lowered her gaze for a while, collecting thoughts that had been thrown into chaos.
When she finally looked back up, she asked the question lingering in her heart.
"Mr. Anzai, who are you really? Why are you so determined to kill Muzan? Enough to come find demons like us?"
"Lady Tamayo."
Ryo's voice grew gentle, thoughtful.
"Do you believe that once Muzan is dead, the world will suddenly become peaceful? That everything will turn beautiful and perfect?"
Tamayo paused, startled by the brutal honesty of the question.
She shook her head slowly.
Ryo smiled.
"You have lived longer than I have. You have seen more than I could imagine."
"Humans can be far crueler than demons. Even if Muzan dies, tragedies will not vanish. That is simply the world we live in. A truth that cannot be changed."
Tamayo silently agreed.
For centuries she had watched the world change, but suffering never disappeared.
War. Famine. Disease. Human greed. Human corruption.
Monsters wore human faces.
"In this world," Ryo murmured, "good and evil are never clear. The world is filled with gray."
His tone sharpened.
"But Muzan allows evil to grow and spread. He gives wicked men eternal life and greater power to torment humanity without fear. Because of him, people who were once kind are forced into monstrous acts they would never have done otherwise."
Tamayo's body trembled slightly.
Ryo softened again.
"You know this better than anyone, Lady Tamayo. Yet despite everything, you remain kind. You remain yourself."
Tamayo breathed in shakily.
Yes. She remembered the night Muzan found her. The night she was dying.
He had promised salvation.
He had offered hope.
But what she received was a curse of hunger and blood.
She had sinned.
She could never wash her hands clean of what she had done.
Her fingertips pressed tightly against her chest. Her eyes dampened.
Ryo watched her carefully.
"This is why I want to kill Muzan. I want to sever the root of this evil."
"I cannot guarantee a paradise. The world will never be perfect."
"But at the very least, children should not fear walking home at night."
"At the very least, fewer tragedies will happen."
"At the very least, families will not be destroyed by a monster hiding in the dark."
Tamayo stared at the young man sitting before her.
Her heart, which had been locked in chains for centuries, trembled.
He smiled at her gently.
"Sometimes, humans are the real demons. They wear human skin and commit unspeakable acts. Yet you and others like you, though cursed as demons, carry hearts more human than many who draw breath."
Those words pierced her.
A key unlocking a frozen heart.
Four hundred years of loneliness.
Four hundred years of guilt.
Four hundred years of fighting for redemption.
Of being feared, despised, hunted.
Yet this boy looked at her
And saw a person.
Tears broke free, gliding down her pale cheeks like fragile jewels.
At that very moment, the sliding door snapped open.
Yushiro stood frozen in shock, tea tray rattling in his hands. Horror twisted his expression.
"You bastard! What did you do to Lady Tamayo!"
He lunged forward in blind rage.
"Yushiro!"
Tamayo rose to her feet, tears still fresh on her skin, voice suddenly razor cold.
"Do not speak to Mr. Anzai like that."
Yushiro froze mid charge, eyes wide with disbelief.
Tamayo stood between them, protective without hesitation.