Akaza stared fixedly at the boy's delicate face—so refined it almost looked feminine.
Not long ago, Akaza had met Doma once. That meeting had gone poorly… though, to be fair, every meeting with Doma was unpleasant.
...
Several days earlier — the Grand Hall of the Eternal Paradise Cult
Late at night, the grand hall of the Eternal Paradise Cult was brightly lit with candles, yet an eerie, bone-chilling cold permeated the air.
Doma sat cross-legged atop a lotus throne, holding an exquisitely crafted hairpin as he carefully combed the hair of Kotoha, who sat before him.
"Kotoha-chan's hair is so smooth," Doma said with a smile.
"Just like silk. Inosuke's hair takes after yours too—feels wonderful to the touch. It's a pity he's not here right now, so I can only play with yours instead."
Kotoha sat obediently, sewing a half-finished garment in her hands, softly humming that off-key raccoon song.
"Cult Leader, please be gentle. Don't pull it out."
"Don't worry, don't worry. I'm very deft with my hands."
Amid this bizarre yet oddly warm atmosphere—
BOOM—!!!
The massive vermilion doors of the hall were suddenly blasted apart by a terrifying force!
Dust billowed everywhere as a powerfully built man covered in deep blue tattoos, with short pink hair, strode in, murderous intent surging around him like a tidal wave.
Upper Rank Three — Akaza.
"Doma!!"
Akaza roared, his body flashing like lightning as he instantly charged up the dais.
Destructive Death · Disorder!
Without a single word of warning, Akaza drove a brutal punch straight into Doma's smiling face.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed everywhere. Doma's head exploded like a rotten melon, half of it flying off and smashing against the wall before sliding down.
"Ah!" Kotoha cried out in shock, the needle in her hand pricking her finger.
"Oh my, Lord Akaza," Doma's remaining half-mouth was still talking. There was no pain in his voice—only delight.
"Why come to play so late at night? You didn't even say hello. I could've had Sato prepare some tea and snacks."
Flesh buds wriggled.
In barely a second, Doma's head fully regenerated. He even casually lifted Kotoha's injured finger, gently placing it in his mouth as he soothed her:
"It's alright, it's alright, Kotoha-chan. Don't be scared. This is my best friend—his way of greeting people is just a bit enthusiastic."
Akaza looked at him, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Shut up! Who the hell is your friend?! Lord Muzan summoned the Upper Ranks for a meeting! Why have you been blocking it the whole time?! Are you trying to die?!"
"A meeting?"
Doma blinked his rainbow-colored eyes, looking utterly innocent.
"Ah, right, that does sound familiar. But I was combing Kotoha-chan's hair, you see. How could such an important family moment be interrupted?"
"Fa… mily?"
Akaza froze for a moment, then his face twisted into deep disgust.
"You bastard! You're still playing this pathetic house game?! Keeping a human woman, playing father to some meaningless human brat?! This is a disgrace!"
"Don't say that," Doma replied, the smile on his face fading slightly. He gently fanned himself with his golden fan, his tone turning serious.
"Inosuke is my pride. You know that, Lord Akaza."
Like a foolish father bragging about his child, Doma pulled out a stack of crumpled letters.
"Look! These are letters Inosuke sent back! He's done great things out there—learned how to slay demons, even figured out how to earn money to support the family!"
"He says I'm his favorite dad, and that he'll turn everyone who bullies him into money."
Doma pointed at a drawing of Inosuke stepping on a boar-headed man, smiling with blissful happiness.
"Sure, the kid's got a bad temper, and he's a bit greedy—but in his heart, he has this family."
"Family…"
Akaza stared at the drawing, then at Kotoha beside him, gazing at Doma with gentle eyes.
The scene made him feel an inexplicable, visceral nausea. Yet beneath that nausea, there was also a sharp, needle-like pain pricking deep within his mind.
"And also, Lord Akaza,"
Doma continued chatting away, oblivious to Akaza's turmoil.
"Having a family really feels wonderful. I used to think immortality was boring, but now—just to protect Kotoha-chan's smile, just to give Inosuke a place to come back and run wild…"
"I feel that as a father, as a husband—even if I had to destroy the entire world—it would be worth it."
Boom!
Those words struck like twin thunderbolts, crashing violently into the long-sealed depths of Akaza's memories.
Father.
Husband.
Protect.
Fragments of images flashed before his eyes.
A sickly yet gentle girl smiling at him beneath fireworks.
"Mr. Hakuji…"
A dojo master—strict, yet treating him like a son.
"To protect the ones who matter…"
And then…
A well poisoned with deadly toxins.
Blood covering the ground.
And his own helpless despair.
"Shut up…
Shut up!!!"
Akaza clutched his head, his body trembling violently.
The killing intent that had been directed at Doma vanished in an instant, replaced by a chaotic, agonized aura—as if his soul were being torn apart.
"What's wrong, Lord Akaza?"
Doma leaned his head closer, curiously.
"Headache? Want me to have Kotoha-chan sing you a lullaby? It works wonders—Inosuke used to fall asleep the moment he heard it."
He even sounded proud.
"Get away from me!!!"
Akaza let out a beast-like roar and shoved Doma away. He didn't dare look at that warm scene again.
Even if it was fake.
Even if it was just an act performed by a heartless monster like Doma.
Something within that scene… stabbed painfully at something he had long forgotten—or that someone had deliberately buried.
"I'm not listening to your nonsense! If you won't go, then just wait for Lord Muzan's punishment!"
Leaving behind those harsh words, Akaza flashed away, smashing through another wall as he fled into the night.
"Oh? Leaving already?"
Doma looked at the two gaping holes in the walls and shook his head regretfully.
"What a short temper. I was planning to share some of Inosuke's local specialties with him."
He turned back to Kotoha, smiling once more.
"It's alright now, Kotoha-chan. Let's keep combing your hair."
"Where were we? Ah, right—Inosuke will probably be even taller the next time he comes back…"
Kotoha glanced at the broken wall, nodded softly, and continued humming that imperfect little song.
...
Deep in the forest
Akaza stopped beneath a tree, gasping for breath. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the ground.
"Why…" He clutched his chest, the hollow pain making it hard to breathe.
"Why is it that when that bastard talks about 'protecting'…
I feel like vomiting?
And yet…
like I want to cry?"
In the darkness of his mind, the name Hakuji glimmered faintly but stubbornly—
Trying to break free from the shackles called Akaza.
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