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"Was it just an illusion?"

Tamayo muttered softly as her gaze fell on the boy in the bamboo hat.

His face was mostly hidden beneath the hat's shadow, but those sharp golden eyes... they reminded her of him — the swordsman who wielded the Breath of the Sun hundreds of years ago.

Those piercing eyes seemed to cut through her thoughts — as if they could see straight into her heart.

"Can you tell me why you want to kill Kibutsuji Muzan?" Tamayo asked seriously.

If Sam Miller had been human, she wouldn't have asked. After all, humans didn't need a reason to hunt demons.

But Sam was a demon.

Could it be... this demon suffered like I once did?

Had he also been tormented by Muzan?

Tamayo's mind drifted back to her own tragic past...

Once, hundreds of years ago, she had been an ordinary woman. She'd lived a peaceful life with her beloved husband and cherished child. All she had ever wanted was to survive long enough to watch her son grow up.

But then... illness struck.

As a member of a family of doctors, Tamayo had tried everything to find a cure — but nothing worked.

Then he appeared.

Kibutsuji Muzan.

He promised her a miracle — that his blood could cure her illness and grant her eternal life.

Desperate to live for her family, Tamayo believed him.

She accepted his blood... and became a demon.

But Muzan had never warned her that becoming a demon meant losing her humanity.

The bloodthirsty nature that consumed her mind... it overtook her before she realized what had happened.

One terrible night, she slaughtered her husband.

Then... her son.

Tamayo would never forget that innocent face — her young child, still too small to understand what was happening.

"Mom... are you hungry? You bit me..."

Her child's confused voice echoed in her mind even now.

She remembered the warm blood on her lips... her child's delicate body torn apart in her hands.

Even after centuries, that night haunted her like a nightmare she could never wake from.

Tamayo had tried countless times to end her life — stabbing her own throat with scissors, cutting her wrists — but no matter how hard she tried, her immortal body refused to die.

All because of Kibutsuji Muzan.

That's why he must die.

Returning to the present, Tamayo clenched her fists tightly.

Even now, after hundreds of years, the pain of that night hadn't faded.

"I want to know your reason," Tamayo said firmly, staring at Sam.

If he shared her hatred for Muzan, then perhaps... perhaps they could fight together.

Sam walked silently to the window, gazing at the moonlit sky.

"Why do I want to kill Muzan?" he murmured.

His fingers unconsciously tightened into a fist.

"Because... from the moment I became a demon, Muzan and I were destined to be enemies."

He turned his head slightly, his golden eyes glinting.

"Does that answer satisfy you?"

Tamayo stared at him in silence.

A demon who defies Muzan... how unusual.

Muzan, the self-proclaimed "perfect being," despised anything outside his control. He ruled with absolute fear and would mercilessly destroy any demon that rebelled against him.

Yet here Sam stood — a demon who walked freely in defiance of Muzan's power.

Tamayo finally spoke.

"Sir... what is it you want from me?"

She knew there had to be more to this meeting than polite conversation.

Tamayo's medical skills were powerful, but they couldn't make a demon stronger.

Unbeknownst to most, Tamayo had secretly worked with the Demon Slayer Corps. She had even treated Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the head of the Corps, in secret — but only Kagaya himself knew this.

Perhaps Sam didn't know that yet.

Sam turned, his gaze serious.

"I want to know everything you can tell me about the swordsman who terrified Kibutsuji Muzan — the one who almost killed him centuries ago."

Tamayo's eyes widened slightly.

The swordsman...

Even after hundreds of years, that legendary warrior's memory still burned brightly in her mind — the man who used the Breath of the Sun to drive Muzan to the brink of death.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

With unmatched skill, Yoriichi had landed 1,500 precise strikes in a single second, overwhelming Muzan completely.

If Muzan hadn't split his body into 1,800 fragments and fled in all directions, he would have died that day.

Even now, Muzan still feared Yoriichi's presence — as though the memory of that crimson blade still haunted him.

"You want to know about him?" Tamayo murmured.

Sam nodded.

Tamayo studied his face for a long moment before sighing.

"Alright... I'll tell you what I know."

"But..." she added softly, "I may not have as much information as you hope for. I only met him once — briefly. A moment like that isn't enough to understand someone like him."

Tamayo's gaze turned distant.

A man like that... was closer to a god than any mortal.