Moonlight poured over the massive black armored Hummer as it roared down the uneven dirt road. The vehicle looked completely out of place in this era, its engine growling like some mechanical beast.
"Miss Shizuka, please slow down—"
Tamayo sat in the passenger seat, gripping the dashboard with both hands. Her face was pale, completely drained of color. Every bump and sudden turn made her heart lurch.
"Relax, relax. We're fine," Shizuka said cheerfully, but her foot never eased off the gas. She drove like a professional, completely steady, blasting down the road toward the Butterfly Mansion.
A short while earlier, Shuya had finalized the Equivalent Exchange contract with Tamayo. Unlike Makomo, he only received temporary ownership of Tamayo instead of permanent. The terms were clear on both sides.
Shuya had to provide: a vial of Muzan's blood, a Blue Spider Lily, and kill Muzan while telling him the truth about the flower so he died in despair.
Tamayo had to: develop a reversion drug to turn demons back into humans, develop a longevity drug, and temporarily belong to Shuya until both drugs were complete.
Because the ownership was only temporary, Tamayo couldn't pass through the Crossing Gate into Greed Island like Makomo. That meant they had to drive the old-fashioned way.
Shuya had manifested one of Rika's modified armored Hummers from the zombie world as transportation. Shizuka had volunteered to drive, and Shuya was happy to let her.
The only real issue was the terrible road conditions and how fast she was going, which left Tamayo looking like she might pass out at any moment.
After a while, the tires screeched as Shizuka yanked the wheel and drifted the massive vehicle to a perfect stop right in front of the wisteria trees.
"We're here," she announced calmly.
Tamayo and Yushiro immediately threw open the doors and stumbled out. Tamayo sucked in deep breaths of fresh air, staring at Shizuka with lingering fear. She silently swore she would never ride in one of these "cars" again.
She glanced at Yushiro, who stood there looking completely unfazed. For a second she felt impressed.
Then Yushiro's face turned green. He rushed to the side and threw up violently.
Shuya shook his head and dispersed the manifested Hummer. Good thing Shizuka hadn't driven straight into the mansion grounds. If Aoi had seen Yushiro puking everywhere, she probably would have lost it.
Tamayo's expression froze when she saw how badly Yushiro was handling it. So much for looking tough.
She shook off the thought and turned to look at their destination. The sight of wisteria trees everywhere made her instinctively step back. Wisteria was one of the few things that could actually poison demons. Even Upper Ranks couldn't handle too much of it.
Her legs were still shaky from the ride. The sudden movement made her stumble. Before she could fall, a pair of strong arms caught her.
It was Shuya.
For a brief moment, Tamayo found herself pressed against his chest. She wasn't the type to fall for someone just because of a hug, but the scent coming off him was overwhelming. It was the same strange, addictive fragrance she had noticed on Shizuka earlier, only much stronger. Stronger even than the pull she had felt toward Muzan's blood.
Her instincts screamed at her. This was the natural hunger of a demon toward something far more evolved.
Shuya spoke quietly. "You okay, Miss Tamayo?"
"Ah—!" Tamayo snapped back to herself and quickly stepped away, cheeks faintly pink. "I'm fine. Thank you, Lord Shuya."
Yushiro was still busy emptying his stomach, so he missed the moment entirely.
Tamayo looked at the wisteria trees and asked, "How are we supposed to get inside?"
Shuya manifested two large wooden boxes on the ground. Same method the Corps had used to transport the Kamado family earlier.
"Get in," he said.
Tamayo and Yushiro exchanged a look. It really was that simple? But with Shuya's strength, if he wanted them dead, he wouldn't need to go through this trouble. They climbed inside without further complaint.
Once both boxes were closed, Shuya turned around. "Shizuka-nee, let's—"
Shizuka was already gone.
He spread his En to its maximum range but couldn't sense her anywhere. It only took him a second to figure it out. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Of course she did."
Everyone knew Shizuka was lazy. She had already looked unwilling when he asked her to come to Asakusa. The second she got the chance, she had opened a gate and slipped back to Greed Island.
"Lord Shuya? Did something happen to Miss Shizuka?" Tamayo asked nervously from inside her box.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
Shuya grabbed both boxes and started walking toward the mansion grounds.
He eventually reached the separate house the Corps had prepared for the Kamado family. Kie Kamado and her two demon sons were staying there, away from the main Butterfly Mansion.
He knocked on the door.
The door opened and Kie stepped out. When she saw Shuya standing there with two large boxes, she looked startled.
"Lord Shuya? It's very late. Is something wrong?"
"You two can come out now."
Shuya kicked the boxes lightly, then dispersed the aura holding them together. Tamayo and Yushiro tumbled out onto the ground.
Kie stared at them, swallowing nervously. "Lord Shuya, I can't—"
She had assumed they were food he had brought for her.
"You're misunderstanding," Shuya said. "They're not human. They're demons, just like you. But they don't need to eat human flesh. They survive on small amounts of blood."
"From a certain perspective, they're doctors I brought here specifically for you and your family."
He turned to Tamayo. "Miss Tamayo, before you start working on the reversion drug, I'd like you to help Mrs. Kamado reach the same state as you and Yushiro. She needs to be able to survive on small amounts of blood. I'm worried she won't last until the drug is finished."
"I understand," Tamayo said after studying Kie's weakened condition. She had been in a similar state once herself after breaking free from Muzan.
Shuya introduced everyone and gave Kie a few instructions. Then he pulled out the research equipment he had taken from Tamayo's mansion earlier and stored in Greed Island.
Once everything was settled, he turned to leave.
Kie stopped him. "Lord Shuya… thank you."
Shuya glanced back. "I brought Miss Tamayo here because I need the reversion drug for my own reasons too."
Kie shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I wanted to thank you for taking care of Nezuko and Hanako."
She hesitated, then spoke with quiet sincerity. "This might be too forward, but… if it's possible, I hope you'll take care of them for the rest of their lives."