"Turn back into a human..." Tamayo murmured, repeating the words like a prayer.
It was the ultimate shortcut, a dream she had chased for centuries, but the difficulty was astronomical. She looked at Ryousuke, a deeper suspicion flickering in her violet eyes.
"Why should I believe a Demon Slayer? And why do you think I am even capable of such a thing?"
"Why?" Ryousuke scoffed. He gave Yushiro's back a warning grind with his boot, drawing another muffled groan of agony. "Because I could kill him right now. Or I could leak your coordinates to the Demon Slayer Corps. Or better yet, I could leak them to Muzan himself."
"Lady Tamayo, you don't have a choice."
His tone was conversational, but the threat was absolute. Seeing the fury contorting their faces, Ryousuke shifted gears.
"Of course, those are the worst-case options. I chose to talk because I believe your hatred for Muzan is real. And I believe in your genius."
He leaned in slightly. "Hundreds of years of research... you are closer to the answer than anyone. You're just missing a few key variables. Or perhaps, an ally."
Tamayo fell silent, her resolve wavering. Yushiro, however, struggled even harder under Ryousuke's weight.
"Lady Tamayo! Don't listen to this Slayer! He's just mocking us, playing with us! There is no medicine that can turn a demon back! Lady Tamayo, run! Run while you can!" Yushiro screamed until his voice cracked.
"Shut up!"
Ryousuke's blade flashed. In a clean arc, he severed Yushiro's right arm.
"You annoying little simp! Did I give you permission to speak? I'm being generous enough by not making you watch while I charm your lady!"
Note: Ryousuke used a particularly colorful 21st-century slang term here that Yushiro wouldn't understand, but the intent was clear.
Yushiro broke into a cold sweat from the pain, his teeth chattering with a grinding sound. Ryousuke ignored him and looked back at Tamayo.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Lady Tamayo. Surely you understand that logic."
"Let Yushiro go first," Tamayo said softly, her eyes softening in defeat.
Ryousuke nodded and stepped off the boy. Yushiro's arm began to knit back together almost immediately. He scrambled up, clutching his chest, his gaze toward Ryousuke filled with pure, unadulterated venom and humiliation. He looked ready to pounce and tear the human's throat out at any second.
"You bastard! How dare you threaten Lady Tamayo!"
"Yushiro!" Tamayo's voice was sharp and commanding. "Step back!"
"...Yes, ma'am." Yushiro bowed his head, retreating to her side like a kicked pup.
Tamayo processed the massive shift in her reality. With great effort, she made a formal gesture, inviting Ryousuke inside. Ryousuke shrugged and walked in as if he owned the place.
"Ryousuke."
"Pardon?" Tamayo asked.
"My name is Yasui Ryousuke," he introduced himself.
"Mr. Yasui..." Tamayo tested the name. "Please, sit." She turned to the scowling boy. "Yushiro, go prepare tea."
Yushiro glared at Ryousuke one last time, squeezing a single word through his teeth: "...Fine!"
As Yushiro vanished, Ryousuke caught a glimpse of Tamayo's profile. That "NTR villain" feeling bubbled up again. Strange, subtle, but surprisingly satisfying, he thought with a smirk.
Left alone in the washitsu, Tamayo lowered her gaze, organizing her thoughts. After a moment, she looked up.
"Mr. Yasui, who are you truly? Why are you so obsessed with killing Muzan that you would seek out demons like us?"
"Lady Tamayo," Ryousuke's voice was quiet, almost philosophical. "Do you think that if Muzan dies, the world will suddenly become a peaceful paradise?"
Tamayo froze. The question was too direct, too sharp. She slowly shook her head.
Ryousuke smiled. "You've lived longer than me. You've seen it more clearly. Humans can be far more terrifying than demons. Even without Muzan, tragedies won't stop. That's just the way of the world."
Tamayo nodded. She had lived for hundreds of years. She had seen "civilized" monsters in fine silk and beautiful souls crushed in the mud. War, famine, greed—these were human inventions that never went away. The world wasn't black and white; it was a vast expanse of gray.
"However," Ryousuke's voice dropped an octave. "Muzan's existence allows that darkness to fester. Because of him, evil men gain eternal life and the power to persecute the innocent without consequence. Because of him, good people are forced to become monsters."
Tamayo's shoulders trembled.
"You know this better than anyone, Lady Tamayo. But you are brave. You are kind. And you are gentle."
"Thank you," she whispered, bowing her head.
The memories rushed back: the sickness that wasted her away, Muzan's false promise of a "cure," and the horrific hunger that led her to devour her own husband and children. She instinctively clutched her chest, her eyes brimming with tears.
Ryousuke sighed, his voice filled with a rare, genuine pity. "That is why I want to kill him. I want to cut out the root of this specific rot. I can't promise a heaven on earth, but I can ensure people can walk at night without fear. I can ensure that families who deserve a quiet life aren't torn apart by a monster's whim."
Tamayo stared at the boy in front of her. The stone walls she had built around her heart for four centuries suddenly developed a crack.
Ryousuke looked at her kindly. "Lady Tamayo, sometimes humans are the real demons, hiding behind their skin. And sometimes, those called demons—like you—are more human than anyone I've met."
Sob—
Tamayo couldn't hold it back anymore. Ryousuke's words were the key that unlocked her long-frozen emotions. Four hundred years of loneliness, regret, and being hunted as an abomination... all validated by a boy who simply called her a "person."
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks.
Just then, the door slid open. Yushiro stood there with a tea tray, looking like he'd been pulled straight out of a horror manga. He stared at the weeping Tamayo and then at Ryousuke. Every ounce of his protective rage exploded.
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID YOU DO TO LADY TAMAYO?!!"
Yushiro lunged at Ryousuke with everything he had.
"Yushiro!" Tamayo snapped her head up, her face wet with tears but her voice cold and commanding. "Do not speak to Mr. Ryousuke like that!"