When Doma was very young, he had no normal way of perceiving emotions. Even so, he found humans fascinating. So after he grew up, he used the money from his adoptive guardian, Muzan, to open a bar, all for the sake of observing the many emotions people displayed.
However, the bar, named Blue Spider Lily and normally open nearly twenty-four hours a day, had a "Closed" sign hanging on its door today. No matter how the regulars asked, Doma merely smiled and said, "A friend is inside, so it's inconvenient to open."
That made the regulars take a few extra looks at the young man sitting at the bar, drinking in silence. After all, although the owner here was handsome and skilled at his craft, in certain areas… ahem.
After sending off the last wave of customers, Doma walked back behind the bar and wiped the freshly washed glasses with a soft cloth, a gentle smile on his face.
"Hey, hey, darling, what's wrong today? It's rare to see you in such a bad mood~"
"…Call me darling again, and I'll cripple you."
"Eh? That's so cruel. Hiru was the one who said he'd marry me when we grew up~"
"I didn't know you were a boy back then!" The black-haired young man lifted his face, looking thoroughly displeased. "In the end, it's your fault for having such pretty eyes and long hair! With all that wind and rain, did you seriously expect a kid like me to tell? Do you know how crushed I was when I found out the truth?!"
"Oh my~ I don't mind~"
"I do!"
Doma glanced at the wine in Hiru's glass, which was nearly empty, then very deliberately took several bottles down from the shelf behind him and began mixing another drink.
"It's thanks to Hiru picking me up back then and taking me to the nearest orphanage. Otherwise, I never would've met Muzan-san, who just happened to be looking to adopt a child~"
"If I'd known taking you to that orphanage would make you run into that guy, I would've brought you home and had someone find you another family." Hiru propped up his cheek, looking even gloomier. "Even letting you fend for yourself would've been better than letting him adopt you."
"But Hiru really was so gentle." Doma poured the clear pale-red liquor into a stemmed glass and lightly pushed it in front of him. "Back then, when I asked, 'What's going to happen to me now?' you told me so firmly not to be scared. You even said that if nothing else worked, you'd marry me when we grew up, so I could stop worrying about the future. It was adorable~"
"Mention that again, and I'll throw this glass in your face. Believe it or not."
"I don't~ After all, Hiru likes my eyes so much. You wouldn't have the heart to scratch them~" Doma smiled, not afraid in the slightest. "But what exactly happened? Isn't today your birthday? Why did you come here to drink alone? Didn't the Tsugikuni family hold a birthday party for you?"
"Don't even bring it up. Just thinking about it makes me depressed…" Hiru sighed. "I've told you before why I was adopted by the Tsugikuni family, right?"
"Mm. You said your second nii-san went missing, your parents happened to have an accident, and your family had marriage ties with the Tsugikuni side, so you were adopted." Doma smiled as he opened a pack of chocolate sticks and pushed it toward Hiru as well. "What happened? Is it related to today?"
"Of course it is! Because of that, Mother set my birthday on the same day as Yoriichi-nii's!"
Doma tapped his fist into his palm in sudden understanding.
"So today was a joint birthday celebration for Michikatsu-san, Yoriichi-san, and you? But I remember those two have always treated you very well. It shouldn't have caused any conflicts, right?"
At that, Hiru gloomily bit down on a chocolate stick.
"It's exactly because they treat me too well that things went wrong…
"Father originally wanted to use the birthday party to announce Michikatsu-nii as the heir, but he said he wanted to build his own career and refused.
"Then Father turned to Yoriichi-nii, but he said he already had a business of his own outside, and since he had only returned to the family in recent years, he wouldn't be able to convince everyone, so he refused too!
"Then the two of them recommended me together, and Mother even joined in with that nonsense! The most ridiculous part is that Father actually agreed in the end! At least give me a chance to speak and choose! I've studied medicine for years, and I've even already agreed to invest in a start-up with someone after graduation. Now they're suddenly throwing business matters at me and telling me to go home and manage the family assets. What is that supposed to mean?!
"And I'm not even their biological son. Why are they ignoring their own sons and insisting on giving the family business to me?! Are all their brains broken?!
"If that bastard Muzan hadn't used some unknown method to lure Michikatsu-nii away, would I be getting forced into this position now? Seriously! I'm about to go insane!"
Watching Hiru crunch loudly through the chocolate stick, Doma took out his phone, smiled as he tapped on Tsugikuni Michikatsu's name, then filmed a short video of Hiru ranting wildly and sent it over.
After Hiru shot him a suspicious look, Doma calmly opened his photo album.
"Then let's not think about those annoying things. Speaking of which, I met some very cute girls in the shop before~ They should fit the model standards Hiru mentioned earlier~"
"…Really?" Hiru stood up and leaned over to look at Doma's phone screen, still muttering, "Even if drawing is just a personal hobby, not just anyone can be my model… Aren't these Kanae and Shinobu?"
"Oh my, Hiru knows them? Aren't they cute? I was planning to try pursuing them the next time they come~"
Hiru sat back down and picked up his glass.
"…You'd better not. Kanae's boyfriend is pretty fierce. Though he's a good person. I heard he retired from the special police force after getting injured."
"That's not it. I want to pursue the younger sister."
"That girl isn't an adult yet."
"But she will be eventually."
"She. Is. A. Minor."
Seeing Hiru's expressionless face, Doma could only shrug.
"All right, all right. We can talk about that in a few years. But Hiru, you know them?"
"Mm. I study medicine, don't I? Those two are the nieces of a senior six years above me, Mikazuki Reima. The older sister is also that guy Uzui's colleague…" Hiru tapped his empty glass, signaling for Doma to fill it up. "The younger sister seems inclined toward medicine. Recently, she's been learning by that senior's side, so we've met a few times."
"Eh… Uzui Tengen again. Hiru really does get along with that guy, doesn't he?" Doma began mixing another drink. "I clearly knew Hiru earlier, so why do you always get along so well with him? And you two even watch films together and discuss that kind of thing. You've never asked me~"
"Watch films with a man who keeps saying he wants to marry me and has higher combat stats than I do? Am I crazy?" Hiru's expression carried an indescribable disgust. "And in terms of experience alone, you absolutely can't compare to him."
"How is that possible? I'm a heartthrob too, you know. I've had plenty of girlfriends."
Hiru took the glass and scoffed.
"Then try dating three girlfriends at the same time, letting them know about each other, having them live together peacefully, and even fight for your attention."
"Oh my god…" Doma silently covered his face. "Hiru, you've never even dated before, and yet you know a player like that? Could it be that he swings both ways, and you couldn't resist the temptation?"
"Make one more joke about me in that direction, and I'll tear your shop apart today. Believe it or not."
"Sorry, sorry~" Doma raised both hands and laughed. "But I'm still curious how the two of you met~"
"Ah, because I got blown up by him once." Hiru took a small sip from the glass, and only after confirming it was sweet liquor did he begin drinking it in little sips. "Yoriichi-nii was apparently helped by the Ubuyashiki family when he got lost, so he's always had a good relationship with them.
"That day, he was invited to Demon Slayer Academy, which is under the Ubuyashiki family, to give a lecture, and he brought me with him. I didn't really want to listen to the lecture, so I went for a walk by the artificial lake. Then I got hit by a bomb Uzui threw from upstairs and ended up in the hospital…
"After that, we got to know each other. Later, when he came to the hospital to visit me and pay my medical bills, I realized he was actually a decent guy, so we became friends."
Doma: …So that's how you make friends? Got it. I'll find someone to try it on later.
[Hmm… now that I think about it, that new guy named Hakuji would be perfect. Him, then!]
Just as Doma was about to ask for more details about "making friends," the wind chime at the bar entrance rang again. Along with it came a man's voice and a girl's voice.
"Doma-san~ I'm back!"
"Ume, keep your voice down. Doma-san has a guest."
Hiru saw who had come in and immediately smiled.
"It's Gyutaro and Ume. Long time no see."
"Onii-chan, it's fine, it's Hiru-san!" The white-haired girl called Ume happily ran to Hiru's side and affectionately hugged his arm. "Hiru-san, do you still need models lately? I really want to wear those pretty clothes! That rhinestone-covered dress from last time was insanely pretty!"
"Really? Ume liked that one? Then next time, I'll ask them to give it to you." Hiru reached out and rubbed the girl's hair. "Pretty people get special privileges."
"Yay! Hiru-san is the best!"
"Eh? Isn't that inappropriate?" The boy was much taller than Ume, but looked especially thin and frail, and he seemed a little panicked. "That's too expensive! I won't be able to pay it back later!"
"It's fine, it's fine. Just have Doma treat me to a few drinks. It's only worth a few paintings anyway." Hiru waved at Gyutaro. "Besides, your adoptive guardian isn't that poor."
"Oh my, then I'll have to find a way to serve you some expensive drinks~" Doma also smiled and reached out to rub Gyutaro's hair. "It's fine, it's fine. Ume is so pretty, and she's at the age where she should dress up~ Besides, since you changed your surname to Shabana together with Ume and came to live with me, I have a responsibility as your guardian too~"
Unlike his sister, who had excitedly slipped behind the bar to look for a drink, Gyutaro had been taught quite a few principles by Hiru and still felt uneasy.
"But…"
"If you really want to pay me back, tell me in advance when you want to kill yourself." Hiru propped up his cheek and looked at Gyutaro. "Your skull is beautiful. I've always wanted it."
Hearing that, Gyutaro's first reaction was not shock, but helplessness.
"Doma-san, how much did you let Hiru-san drink? Isn't he drunk again?"
"Oh my, Hiru was already half-drunk when he came in~ But after he got here, he probably drank another seven or eight glasses? They're sweet drinks, but the alcohol content isn't low~"
Gyutaro sighed.
"I'll go make some sweet soup to sober him up…"
"What are you talking about? I'm not drunk." Hiru had a chocolate stick between his teeth. "I have great alcohol tolerance."
"That's true~ Hiru really is amazing at staying clear-headed no matter how much he drinks~" Doma smiled. "But after drinking to a certain point, Hiru always starts touching people while talking to them, and he also starts persuading them to commit suicide~"
Hiru tilted his head and thought for a moment.
"Do I? I don't think so. I'm just complimenting the other person's skull for being beautiful and saying I really want it. I want your eyeballs too. I still have quite a few models of your eyes at home, but no matter how they're made, they can't compare to the real thing. Why don't I find you an eye donor, and you dig out your current ones and give them to me?"
"No way. I'm quite satisfied with my eyes too, so I can't give them up."
"What a pity." Hiru lowered his head and took another sip from his glass. "If you ever want to die, remember to tell me. That way, I can dig your eyes out in advance."
"Okay~ When the time comes, I'll definitely tell Hiru first."
Just as the two of them were discussing who Doma's eyeballs belonged to, the wind chime rang again from the bar entrance. Doma naturally saw the newcomer and immediately smiled.
"I thought it would be Michikatsu-san. I didn't expect it to be Yoriichi-san."
The young man called Yoriichi was tall, with handsome features, but his attitude toward Doma was very cold.
"Mm. Aniue still has guests to entertain."
Hiru also turned around, but after seeing who had come, he let out a breathy sound and turned back.
"Doma, you brat. When did you snitch?"
"Probably right when you were about to get drunk? I can look after Hiru, but I don't want to get stabbed with a syringe of anesthetic again when I try to help you upstairs and nearly go into shock on the spot." Doma shrugged slightly. "I'll leave the rest to Yoriichi-san. As for today's tab, I'll ask Hiru for it after he sobers up."
"Mm. Remember to tell Muzan that I won't easily forgive him for trying to have human traffickers abduct Aniue back then…" Yoriichi's expression was cold. "Tell him to pray he hides his tail well and doesn't let me catch it."
"Yoriichi-nii, if you want, how about I find someone to create a little mistake for him so it's easier for you to make a move?" Hiru downed the wine in his glass, let out a long breath, then picked up another chocolate stick. "If you want to drug him, I have methods too."
Yoriichi's cold, hard expression immediately turned helpless. He reached out and pulled his younger brother up.
"Hiru, I'm a public-sector inspector now. As my younger brother, you can't knowingly break the law. I will find Muzan's weakness sooner or later. You don't need to dirty your hands over this."
"Why talk about morals when dealing with scum…"
"All right, I'll tell Muzan-san." Doma kept smiling. "But forgive me for saying this. Compared to my Muzan-san, Yoriichi-san is the truly terrifying one…
"To be able to stay patient at such a young age, rescue every child, expose the entire trafficking chain in one strike, and even beat a group of human traffickers. That doesn't seem like something an ordinary person would do. The news was full of it back then."
"What are you talking about?" Hiru turned his head, looking at Doma with open disdain. "How could Yoriichi-nii be an ordinary person?"
Doma and Yoriichi both froze. Hiru continued.
"He is the Man Who Stands Above Heaven Itself!"
…
Tsugikuni Hiru: A graduate of Demon Slayer Medical University, the adopted son and heir of the Tsugikuni family. He loves painting and is privately famous in the Japanese art community under the name Yomi-sensei, though he always insists that he is only Yomi-sensei's manager. He likes sweets and often goes to Doma's bar to drink. He can drink like a fish, but once he has had too much alcohol, he unconsciously starts saying terrifying things, such as frequently wanting a certain organ from the person he is talking to. He deeply respects both of his aniue, but is extremely dissatisfied that they pushed the heir position onto him.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi: An investigator in the Japanese public sector. When he was a child, he was abducted by human traffickers during a family outing. Relying on strategy and his naturally superhuman strength, he crippled the traffickers' hideout, then wandered around until he was found by his future lover, Uta. With Ubuyashiki's sponsorship, he attended military academy and became an investigator.
After destroying a criminal hideout, he encountered Tsugikuni Michikatsu, who had infiltrated Muzan's organization and come to handle the aftermath. Through that encounter, Yoriichi finally returned to the Tsugikuni family. When he later learned that Muzan was still targeting the family, his old resentment over the kidnapping and his new anger over the threat to his relatives merged into open hostility. Since then, he has been especially cold toward Muzan and anyone connected to him.
Tsugikuni Michikatsu: The original heir of the Tsugikuni family. After his younger brother Yoriichi went missing, he was consumed by guilt for a time. When Yoriichi later destroyed the human traffickers' hideout, Michikatsu recognized him, but by the time he went looking, Yoriichi was already gone. After further investigation, Michikatsu learned that Muzan had been behind the incident. He then gave up his position as heir and joined Muzan's organization, using Muzan's own plan against him by working from the inside.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya: The head of the Ubuyashiki family, the largest financial group in Japan. He was once poisoned by Muzan, leaving his body especially weak. All the industries under his name are named after Demon Slayer. He often sponsors children from various places, and his connections span all across Japan. He is determined to bring down Muzan, but he himself has a gentle personality and often appears on television and in the news.
Kibutsuji Muzan: The crime boss of the largest underworld group in Japan. He once tried to abduct Tsugikuni Michikatsu, heir of the Tsugikuni family, and brainwash him in order to control the family. However, his subordinates were too incompetent and kidnapped the wrong person, making an enemy of Yoriichi instead. Later, he sent people to capture Yoriichi's lover, Uta, intending to use her to threaten Yoriichi into working for him, only to be beaten into the hospital by the furious Yoriichi. After that, he continued acting carefully from the shadows.
Doma: The owner of Blue Spider Lily Bar. He was adopted by Muzan when he was young and secretly helps him transfer all kinds of illegal goods. He has very little concept of good and evil. He adopted a pair of siblings who also had terrible parents. Thanks to his good-looking face, he is very popular with women, and he is friends with Hiru.
Shabana Gyutaro: One of the children adopted by Doma, and the older brother of the sibling pair. His sense of good and evil is very weak. Because of his awful parents, his biggest childhood wish was to become the bouncer of a bar. After being adopted by Doma, this still did not change, but under Hiru's guidance, he began to develop a moral outlook that could barely be considered normal. He is both a top student and a school bully in the same year at Demon Slayer High School. He dotes heavily on Ume and respects both Doma and Hiru.
Shabana Ume: One of the children adopted by Doma, and the younger sister of the sibling pair. She has an innocent personality, but her appearance is extremely gorgeous. Hiru often invites her to work as a painting model and earn tips, though sometimes he also pays her with very expensive, beautiful clothes instead. [P.S. She has many suitors, but in the end, Gyutaro privately beat them all back.]
Mikazuki Reima: Hiru's senior from the same school and a distant uncle of the Kocho sisters. He works at a pharmaceutical company under the Ubuyashiki Group.
Kocho Kanae: Shinobu's older sister and a biology teacher in the high school division of Demon Slayer Academy. She is Sanemi's lover. While working as a teacher, she also follows her uncle, Mikazuki Reima, to learn traditional pharmaceutical methods and runs an incense shop of her own.
Kocho Shinobu: Kanae's younger sister and a student in the junior high division of Demon Slayer Academy. She is openly in love with a senior who works at the school, but has been rejected multiple times by that senior on the grounds that "you are still a minor," and is currently going through a period of anxiety.
Uzui Tengen: An art teacher in the junior high division of Demon Slayer Academy. His family seems to have gone legitimate after a background in the underworld and is very rich. He is dating three women at the same time, but his personality is somewhat hot-tempered. His office is always full of explosives. To avoid blowing anyone up, he personally paid to dig an empty artificial lake behind his office, but he still accidentally blew up Hiru while Hiru was out walking. The two became friends because of that.
Shinazugawa Sanemi: A former detective who retired from the front line because of an old injury from a shootout with criminals. He now works as a traffic officer. He is Kanae's lover. After hearing rumors that a student was pursuing Kanae, he personally went to the academy to stake his claim, but because his aura was too fierce, he scared the student so badly that the student jumped from the building to escape.
Hakuji: A poor little thing who was tricked into joining Muzan's company after hearing that it recruited people without academic qualifications and offered excellent benefits
…