Shuya reached for the sake bottle on the table and poured a cup.
He poked the crow still perched on his head. "En, want some water?"
The crow didn't answer. She launched off his head, landed on the table, and started drinking like she hadn't had anything in days.
Shuya watched her for a second, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. Maybe he should manifest a few small pebbles and make her do the whole "crow dropping stones into a pitcher" routine for real.
Before he could act on it, the crow let out a loud, angry caw and whipped her head toward him. She caught the weird little smile on his face and immediately flew back up, pecking at his head in a flurry of feathers.
It didn't hurt. Her pecks were weaker than Shinobu's angry little punches. Still, Shuya raised his hands in surrender.
"What the hell was that for?"
"You know exactly what!" the crow snapped, wings flapping. "I saw that nasty little smirk on your face! You were gonna make me drink alcohol on purpose, weren't you? I almost choked to death!"
Shuya blinked, then picked up the bottle and gave it a sniff. Sure enough, it reeked of sake.
He raised both hands. "Okay, okay, my bad. I really didn't notice. I'll have them bring water when the food comes, alright?"
The crow turned her head away with a haughty huff, clearly not ready to forgive him yet.
Shuya let it go and leaned back, waiting for the food to arrive.
The door slid open with a soft creak.
A young woman stepped inside wearing an extravagant kimono, her hair styled in a high traditional updo pinned with gold combs and flowers. She moved with elegant, deliberate steps, her face breathtakingly beautiful.
Even Shuya paused for a second.
One look was all it took.
Upper Rank Six. Daki.
He let out a quiet sigh. He'd planned to eat first and deal with her later. Apparently she had other ideas.
Daki didn't seem to notice his reaction. She glided over and sat right beside him, leaning in close enough that her breath brushed his ear.
"Why the sigh, guest? Something troubling you? You can tell me~"
She studied his face up close, and her eyes lit up with genuine hunger.
This man was the most exquisite meal she had seen in centuries. The scent coming off him made her mouth water. She wanted to devour him right then and there.
But she held back.
Something this perfect deserved to be enjoyed at its peak—relaxed, pleased, and completely off guard.
Then Shuya spoke.
"Upper Rank Six. Daki."
Daki froze. She pulled back slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Who are you?"
Her gaze flicked to the crow on the table.
"A crow… no, a Kasugai Crow. You're with the Demon Slayer Corps."
She relaxed a little. Humans didn't scare her. She had already killed seven Hashira. The only ones worth worrying about were the other Upper Ranks and Muzan himself.
Still, she didn't want the crow spreading word about her location. She'd have to change identities again, and she was enjoying this life too much.
Her eyes locked onto the bird.
The crow went stiff with terror.
Upper Rank Six?! This gorgeous woman was an Upper Moon?!
She immediately started cawing like a normal bird, trying to play dumb, then dove straight into Shuya's chest and buried her head in his clothes like an ostrich.
Shuya gently stroked her feathers to calm her down.
Daki watched him with mild surprise.
"You're awfully calm for someone who just found out who I am. Either you know you can't run… or you actually think you can kill me."
She smiled, sharp and cold.
"I've already killed seven Hashira. What rank are you?"
Shuya looked at her and asked, completely straight-faced, "Hey. Are you a virgin?"
Daki stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"…Is that your last words or something?"
"Just answer the question," Shuya said calmly. "It actually matters. It'll decide how I handle you."
Daki twirled a finger near her ear like she was cleaning it out, looking at him like he was an idiot.
"What kind of stupid question is that? Would you sleep with pigs and dogs?"
Shuya went quiet.
Her words were crude, but he got the point.
She had been turned into a demon at thirteen. A samurai had tried to force himself on her while her brother was away. She fought back, stabbed him in the eye with a hairpin, and he burned her alive in retaliation. Gyutaro only saved her by making a deal with Upper Rank Two.
After everything she'd been through, and after becoming a demon who saw humans as food, of course she was still untouched.
Daki kept talking, voice dripping with contempt.
"Or are you just like every other pathetic man? You like my face and want to sleep with me?"
She sneered. "Forget it. I don't sleep with filthy pigs and dogs."
She tilted her head, studying him.
"Though… you are quite handsome. I won't use my Blood Demon Art to swallow you. I'll eat you slowly, piece by piece, with my own mouth. You should feel honored."
Her kimono slipped off her shoulders, revealing a dangerously beautiful body barely covered by thin underclothes. The Upper Rank markings appeared in her eyes, and a crimson spider-lily pattern bloomed across her face. Six thick, ribbon-like tentacles unfurled from her back like wings and shot toward Shuya at blinding speed.
He caught all six ribbons in one hand before they could even touch him.
Daki's eyes widened.
Shuya yanked.
She flew straight into his lap with a startled yelp.
"You bastard—! How dare you touch me?!"
She thrashed, trying to pull away, but his arm stayed locked around her waist like iron.
"Let go of me right now!"
"Relax," Shuya said, voice low and calm as he brushed her cheek. "Let's talk for a minute."
"I don't want to talk! Let me go or I'll make you regret it!"
Shuya picked up the sake bottle with his free hand and tilted it over her head.
Daki's eyes went wide with pure panic.
"Wait—! What are you doing?! Stop!!"
He poured anyway.
Sake drenched her perfectly styled hair and ran down her face, ruining the heavy makeup. She screamed—not from pain, but from pure outrage.
Shuya set the bottle down and gently wiped her face with his sleeve until the makeup was mostly gone.
She looked younger. Softer. Almost heartbreakingly pretty in a completely different way.
"Much better," he said, satisfied.
Daki was shaking with rage.
In this era, a woman's makeup was practically her second face. Some wives woke up before their husbands just to reapply it so they were never seen bare-faced.
And this man had just poured sake all over it like it was nothing.
She was about to explode when Shuya spoke again, voice casual.
"Hey, Daki. Be my pet."