"Be my pet, Daki."
Shuya reached up and started pulling the elaborate hairpins and ornaments out of her hair, tossing them onto the table one by one. Then he ran his fingers through her long, silky black hair like he was petting a cat.
The room went dead silent.
Even the crow he'd set aside lifted her head and stared at him in pure disbelief. She was so shocked she forgot she should probably be flying out the window right now to call for backup.
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" Daki exploded. She jerked like a startled cat, every hair on her body standing on end. "You want me to be the pet of some filthy human pig?!"
Shuya wiping off her makeup had already felt like an insult to her pride.
But telling her to become his pet? That was straight-up humiliation.
She was an Upper Rank. He was just another human she planned on eating. The sheer arrogance made her want to tear him apart.
Before she could, one of her separated ribbons shot back through the broken door and merged into her body.
Her hair turned white in an instant. Her nails sharpened. Veins bulged across her face as cracks spread across her skin like shattered porcelain. Full power returned.
"I'll kill you! I'll rip you to pieces!"
She lunged.
Shuya looked at her transformed face and frowned.
"Too ugly. Change back."
He raised his hand and slapped her ass. Hard.
The sound was loud. Her firm cheeks rippled under the thin fabric.
Daki froze.
Her eyes went wide. Her face turned bright red, then darkened to an angry shade of purple.
Shuya gave her a small nod. "Not bad."
Daki's whole body started trembling. She dropped her head, too stunned to even speak.
Then, without warning, she went completely limp in his arms and started crying.
"Waaah… you're bullying me~"
She buried her face against his chest for a second, then suddenly screamed at the air.
"Onii-chan!!!"
A cloud of blood mist burst from her shoulder and quickly formed into the shape of a man.
Gyutaro appeared in front of them, green hair messy, two blood-red sickles in his hands, looking as skeletal and tired as ever.
"Mei, don't cry. Big brother's here—"
He reached out awkwardly to wipe her tears.
"Shut up!" Daki slapped his hand away. "Don't call me Mei! I'm Daki! Upper Rank Six Daki!"
Gyutaro looked lost for a moment, then turned his small eyes toward Shuya. Even someone as slow as him could figure out who had made his little sister cry.
He tightened his grip on the sickles.
"Let go of my sister."
Shuya didn't answer. He simply manifested a silver chain and sent it snaking toward Gyutaro.
Gyutaro reacted fast, swinging one sickle down in a clean arc.
Clang!
The chain didn't break.
Before he could swing again, Daki suddenly wailed from Shuya's lap.
"Brother! What are you doing?! Hurry up and kill him and save me!!"
Gyutaro hesitated for half a second.
That was all Shuya needed.
The chain wrapped around Gyutaro's arm, then his whole body, tightening fast. Within seconds the older demon was completely bound, sickles still in his hands but useless.
Shuya looked down at Daki with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
She really was the type to throw her own brother under the bus without hesitation.
Gyutaro struggled hard, but the chains only got tighter. Eventually he stopped and looked at his sister with a guilty expression.
"Mei… I'm sorry. I—"
"I told you not to call me Mei!" Daki snapped, frustrated. Then she glared at him. "Saying sorry doesn't help! You're useless!!"
Gyutaro lowered his head like a scolded puppy.
Shuya didn't care about their sibling drama. He had no intention of killing them anyway.
He knew the truth.
Daki's spoiled, arrogant, violent personality wasn't the real her. It was armor. Before she became a demon, she had been a kind, pure girl named Mei. After the samurai tried to assault her and burned her alive, that girl died. What came back was Daki — loud, cruel, and desperate to never be hurt again.
But deep down, Mei was still there.
Shuya had seen it in the original story. When they died, Daki's soul had shone like a gem before she chose to follow her brother into hell instead of going to heaven alone.
That was why he wanted her as a Nen Beast.
Daki might not be a good girl.
But Mei was.
He looked at the girl still sitting stiffly in his lap.
"Can we talk properly now?"
Daki's only real support was currently wrapped in chains and couldn't move. She felt exposed and cornered. She didn't want to die, but becoming this human's pet was even worse.
"I'm not going to be your pet," she said coldly.
Shuya sighed and played with a strand of her white hair.
"Don't be so quick to say no. Don't you want to walk in the sunlight again? Feel its warmth on your skin?"
Daki's eyes flickered.
"Don't you want to eat normal food? All kinds of flavors instead of the same thing for hundreds of years?"
She swallowed.
Of course she wanted that.
She had been a spoiled child even as a human. She loved being adored. She loved beautiful things. Eating humans had long since become boring and disgusting to her — that's why she used her ribbons to do it instead.
Shuya pressed on.
"You've been eating human flesh for centuries. Aren't you sick of it yet?"
Daki didn't answer, but the way she licked her lips said enough.
Shuya smiled faintly.
"I'm not asking you to believe me. I don't need to convince you."
He held up one finger.
"Because you and your biggest trump card already lost. It's still daytime. I don't even need a Nichirin Blade. I can just drag both of you outside and let the sun burn you to ash."
Daki went pale.
"Imagine it. The most beautiful courtesan in Yoshiwara turning out to be a disgusting demon… burning to nothing in front of everyone. That's how you want to go out?"
He leaned in slightly.
"Or… become my pet and have a much better future?"
Daki shivered.
She looked at Gyutaro, still bound and silent, then back at Shuya.
Her voice came out small.
"…Brother?"