The Yukinoshita family residence was a luxurious aristocratic estate.
As the car drove through the gates and into the grounds, Yukinoshita Akira looked around at everything that felt both foreign and familiar at the sa ti. A complicated emotion quietly rose in his chest—one he couldn't quite put into words.
When they arrived and stepped out of the car, Yukinoshita Yukino's body trembled slightly.
Within the Yukinoshita family, Mrs. Yukinoshita was the absolute authority—the only voice that truly carried power. Even as a woman, she stood at the very top of the household, her presence and dignity no less imposing than the n who ruled from the heights of society.
And for Yukinoshita Yukino, from childhood until now, she had never once received genuine praise or approval from her.
That was one of the reasons why, as the younger sister, she had always chased after the shadow of her older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno.
Because as a daughter, she too wanted recognition from her mother.
But reality rarely matched her hopes. As the one who had been "left to grow on her own," that recognition had never co.
"Click—"
As the door was pushed open, Akira and the two Yukinoshita sisters stepped into the house.
Inside, a noblewoman sat gracefully in a kimono. Her slender fingers held a teacup, which she sipped calmly and unhurriedly.
Beautiful inside and out.
Graceful and elegant.
Every movent carried its own charm.
All of those words fit perfectly when describing the Mrs. Yukinoshita before them.
"It's been a long ti, Akira."
"It's been more than four months since we last t."
"My child, for four whole months, you didn't even call once. If I hadn't told Haruno to bring you back, you probably wouldn't have contacted even after another four months."
There was a hint of dissatisfaction and restrained anger in her tone.
Beside him, both Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Yukino lowered their heads. Their faces clearly showed displeasure and quiet resentnt.
Such different treatnt.
If Yukinoshita Yukino felt dissatisfied because of her mother's favoritism, then Yukinoshita Akira had beco the "common enemy" of both sisters.
In the Yukinoshita family, as the only male child besides Yukino's father, the level of affection Akira received was simply too high.
It almost seed to validate an old, outdated idea—valuing n and belittling won. The way n and won were treated in the family was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Fortunately, both children born into the Yukinoshita family had been girls.
If there had been a son, the two sisters might not have had any place at all.
"Mother, you know I don't want to rely on the Yukinoshita family. I want to build my own career with my own hands."
"I know. That's why I've never interfered with you all this ti, haven't I?"
"Yes. Thank you for understanding, Mother~"
Such completely different treatnt.
Especially for Yukinoshita Haruno, this was sothing she had never once enjoyed.
Seriously… who's the real child here? , or you?
"Hm?"
At that mont, Akira felt sothing was off.
From Mrs. Yukinoshita's body, he caught a scent—sothing extrely pungent and unpleasant.
It was a sll that only demons who had devoured many humans possessed.
But this scent was very faint, clearly sothing that had clung to her through contact rather than originating from her own body.
"Mother, have you t anyone recently?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"There's sothing I want to confirm."
"Lately, I haven't t many people. Mostly just business and company matters. Why?"
"Has anyone interacted with you at a very close distance?"
"Very close distance?"
As soone who stood at the top, Mrs. Yukinoshita was almost never alone with others—let alone in close contact.
The business world was a battlefield. Especially in a country like Japan, where yakuza organizations could exist openly, a great deal of darkness always flowed beneath the surface.
Because of that, Mrs. Yukinoshita naturally didn't let people get close to her easily. Keeping her distance was the most basic form of self-protection.
She herself didn't think much of the question.
But Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Yukino, standing beside her, felt differently.
The expression on Yukinoshita Akira's face right now was exactly the sa as when he faced a demon.
"Oh… now that you ntion it, I rember. Not long ago, I had tea with Mrs. Mieko from the Murashita family."
"Mieko?"
"Yes. Murashita Mieko. The new wife of the Murashita family head—married just two months ago. They say she ca from a mountain village. But she's extrely knowledgeable in pharmacology. And the Murashita family happens to be a pharmaceutical company. That's probably why the marriage happened."
At the level of aristocratic families, marriages based purely on love were almost impossible.
What they sought were benefits—not feelings.
"Two months ago? A woman skilled in pharmacology?"
Inside Akira's heart, a suspicion imdiately took shape.
That the Demon King—the progenitor of all demons—Muzan Kibutsuji—had married into a human family.
It wasn't impossible.
In order to cure himself, Muzan had traveled through countless families of pharmacists and doctors, searching for a way to heal himself—or for information about the Blue Spider Lily.
For that purpose, he had once played the role of a husband who married into a family, a perfect and elegant wife, even a polite and brilliant child.
"Hm? Why are you making that face?"
Seeing the change in Akira's expression, Mrs. Yukinoshita felt a bit puzzled.
"Mother, from now on, you must cut off all contact with Mrs. Mieko from the Murashita family."
"Why? The Yukinoshita family and the Murashita family are currently working together. For at least the next five years, there will be no shortage of interaction between our two families."
"Mother, that Mieko is dangerous. Getting too involved with her will be extrely dangerous."
"Hm?"
As a capable leader, the ability to read situations and people's expressions had long beco second nature to Mrs. Yukinoshita.
The look on her adopted son's face right now was deadly serious.
This clearly wasn't baseless nonsense.
And she also noticed that it wasn't just Yukinoshita Akira—both of her daughters had shown a noticeable change in expression the mont those words were spoken.
This wasn't the first ti she had seen sothing like this.
Her adopted son clearly knew sothing that even she didn't.
And her daughters knew it too.
"It seems Akira has grown up quite well. To the point where you know things even I don't."
"Mother… do you believe that in this world, there is sothing called 'demons'?"
Akira's unusually serious voice sounded softly, making Mrs. Yukinoshita pause for a mont.
"Demons? You an vengeful spirits that turn into ghosts?"
"No. Not spirits. I an a demon race. Beings that eat humans, but were originally mutated from humans themselves. They possess power far beyond ordinary people—no different from yōkai."
In Japan, yōkai culture was deeply rooted.
It could even be said to be overflowing.
All kinds of strange and supernatural beings appeared endlessly—so recorded in history, others living only in folk legends.
Their numbers were countless.
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