Chapter 30: The Problem is Serious
If Nezuko's intelligence were the same as that beautiful female demon who used illusions, she would have started a fight with Hakuya by now after learning he'd seen her naked body.
However, Tanjiro thought Hakuya had looked at Nezuko's body because he found her beautiful. He didn't realize Hakuya had simply been caring for her hygiene while she was unconscious.
At that moment, Yushiro said coldly, "What's so interesting about an ugly woman's body anyway? Disgusting!"
This made Tanjiro, who'd just started to calm down, explode again.
"I told you Nezuko isn't ugly! A handsome guy like Hakuya-senpai was willing to care for Nezuko—it must be because she's beautiful! Only an ugly freak like you would think Nezuko is ugly!" Tanjiro immediately shot back at Yushiro angrily.
"Hey, hey, hey~ Tanjiro! Let me make this clear! I only looked at Nezuko to keep her clean! If I'd left her alone, she would've been filthy by the time you got back!"
Hakuya interrupted to explain, hearing Tanjiro suggest he'd done it because Nezuko was pretty.
Hakuya's motivation had indeed been to help Nezuko stay clean—seeing her body afterward was just an unavoidable consequence.
"Who are you calling ugly?" Yushiro, who clearly cared about appearances, bristled at being called ugly.
"Whoever thinks Nezuko is ugly is ugly!" Tanjiro replied.
The two of them were acting like elementary school children arguing, and Hakuya couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing Hakuya's laughter, Tanjiro and Yushiro demanded in unison, "What are you laughing at?"
"Your childishness, obviously," Hakuya said, suppressing his amusement.
"Where are we being childish?" Tanjiro and Yushiro asked simultaneously.
"Isn't arguing over something so trivial the definition of childish?" Hakuya countered.
"Nezuko being called ugly is trivial?"
"Me being called an ugly freak is trivial?"
"I'm telling you, these are serious matters!"
The two demanded, speaking almost in perfect unison.
Hakuya surrendered, no longer wanting to participate in the battle between Tanjiro and Yushiro.
Hakuya could see that Yushiro's insistence on calling Nezuko ugly probably stemmed from psychological reasons. Perhaps he already had a perfect goddess in his heart, and therefore, in his eyes, all other women were ugly by comparison.
Hakuya also had his own theory about which woman Yushiro was so devoted to. He suspected it was the beautiful demon who could cast illusions—Tamayo.
However, Hakuya didn't bring this up to Yushiro at the moment. Besides, Yushiro and Tanjiro were arguing so heatedly that a physical fight seemed imminent.
With Hakuya present, a fight wouldn't actually happen. However, the fact that the two could argue like this suggested that Yushiro was fundamentally kindhearted.
Unlike those man-eating demons, he had a different mindset entirely.
Perhaps, like Nezuko, he'd overcome his cannibalistic urges, which was why he could be so rational and act like a normal person.
The two argued the entire way until Yushiro finally led Hakuya and Tanjiro to a residential area outside the city center.
In the maze of alleys surrounded by houses of all sizes, Yushiro stopped in front of a dead-end wall.
"That's it! I know what to do! I'll take off her muzzle and let you see Nezuko's face properly!" Tanjiro stopped, determined to prove Nezuko wasn't ugly.
Yushiro had already lost all interest in the argument.
Tanjiro was about to remove the bamboo muzzle from Nezuko's mouth.
At that moment, Yushiro walked directly toward the wall and passed right through it.
Hakuya ignored Tanjiro and followed Yushiro inside.
"Huh?"
Tanjiro glimpsed Hakuya and Yushiro entering the wall from the corner of his eye and let out a surprised sound. His hand paused on Nezuko's muzzle, and he turned his head toward the wall.
Suddenly, Yushiro's face appeared on the wall's surface. With a look of disdain, he said to Tanjiro, "Hurry up and come in while no one's around!"
Tanjiro glanced around, confirming the coast was clear. He tentatively reached out, only to find his hand passed through the wall. He realized the wall wasn't real, but rather an illusion.
Tanjiro then led Nezuko inside.
Beyond the illusion, Tanjiro saw a somewhat Western-style mansion surrounded by blooming cherry blossom trees.
Hakuya, also observing the mansion hidden within the illusion, couldn't help but comment, "A refined woman's home has real class."
"There's a whole mansion behind this dead end!" Tanjiro exclaimed in surprise.
"Hurry up, you two!" Yushiro, who'd already reached the mansion's front entrance and was about to open the door, urged them forward.
Hakuya immediately walked over with Tanjiro. Before opening the door, Yushiro added seriously, "Listen carefully—you must not show any disrespect to Lady Tamayo."
With that, Yushiro opened the door and led Hakuya, Tanjiro, and Nezuko into the house.
Under Yushiro's guidance, they arrived at a traditional living room.
In the living room, the beautiful female demon had already prepared tea at a low table and was waiting for Hakuya and Tanjiro.
"Lady Tamayo, I've returned!" Yushiro said respectfully to the beautiful demon.
"Welcome back," Tamayo nodded to Yushiro, then gestured to Hakuya and Tanjiro. "Please, sit down. Let's talk."
As she spoke, Tamayo had already noticed Nezuko.
Afterward, Hakuya and Tanjiro sat across from Tamayo, while Nezuko, feeling somewhat tired, lay down directly on the tatami mat.
Yushiro sat at an angle to Tamayo's side.
Tamayo poured tea for Hakuya and Tanjiro, then spoke. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tamayo, and the young man who escorted you here is Yushiro. I hope you'll get along well with him."
Hearing about getting along with Yushiro, Tanjiro looked at the demon with some awkwardness. After his earlier interactions with Yushiro, Tanjiro had discovered he wasn't the easiest person to get along with.
"My name is Hakuya," Hakuya told Tamayo simply.
"Um, Miss Tamayo, my name is Tanjiro Kamado!" Tanjiro saw Hakuya introduce himself and quickly did the same.
"Miss Tamayo, what about that couple? How are they doing?" Tanjiro asked, remembering the innocent victims.
"I've temporarily confined them in a secure room below. Muzan's blood is extremely potent, so it will take considerable time for them to overcome their cannibalistic urges and become like us—through the medicine I've developed and their own willpower," Tamayo explained.
Hearing this, Tanjiro became excited, believing Tamayo possessed medicine that could transform demons back into humans. He eagerly leaned forward to question her.
"Don't come near Lady Tamayo!"
However, Yushiro, who'd been watching closely, had already sensed Tanjiro's intentions. He threw Tanjiro with a perfect shoulder toss, slamming him onto the tatami.
"Yushiro! Don't be rude to our guests!" Tamayo scolded him firmly.
"Yes, Lady Tamayo!" Yushiro, not daring to show any dissatisfaction with Tamayo, returned to his seat immediately.
"Ow! That hurt!" Tanjiro said, rubbing his back which ached from the fall.
Hakuya knew what Tanjiro wanted to ask, so he asked for him. "So, do you have medicine that can turn demons back into humans? Did you and Yushiro also escape your demonic nature with the help of that medicine?"
Seeing Hakuya ask the question, Tanjiro looked at Tamayo with great anticipation, waiting for her answer.
Tamayo shook her head. "The medicine I've developed cannot completely transform demons back into humans. This medicine can only weaken the influence of Muzan's blood and make the desire to consume human flesh less overwhelming. But the fact that they've become demons cannot be changed."
"Additionally, my medicine has limitations. It can only have some effect on demons who have never consumed human flesh, aren't very powerful, and are less influenced by Muzan's blood."
"So you still haven't escaped the need to eat humans?" Tanjiro said with obvious disappointment.
Tamayo shook her head again. "Compared to other demons, we don't need to devour humans to survive, but we still need to consume a small amount of human blood to sustain ourselves."
"Drink blood? But wouldn't that still mean taking lives?" Tanjiro, hearing Tamayo's words, assumed she was still harming innocent people to obtain blood.
Tamayo quickly explained, "Our blood is purchased from poor families through 'medical blood donations.' Don't worry, Tanjiro—the amount we take won't burden their bodies at all."
"Yushiro needs even less blood than I do, because he became a demon through my blood, not Muzan's."
Tamayo's words startled Tanjiro, his face filled with disbelief.
"Wait! You transformed him? But I thought only Muzan Kibutsuji could turn people into demons!"
Hakuya, still calmly sipping his tea, listened to Tamayo's melodious voice.
Yushiro clearly had excellent taste. A mature, beautiful woman like Tamayo was indeed very attractive to men.
Hakuya couldn't help but glance at Yushiro. Could it be that this guy was so devoted to Tamayo that he'd willingly let her transform him into a demon?
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