Demon Slayer: Upper 0 seems to be a waste

Douma has a big appetite.

Whether looking at it objectively or simply comparing it from Rinko's perspective, Rinko felt that he, Akaza, and Kokushibo, the three of them combined, might not eat as much as Douma in a month in half a year.

Of course this is not a problem. After all, the three nights that Muzan spent recuperating from his injuries completely exceeded the amount of energy that the three of them would have accumulated in a year combined, and Rinko could also provide it.

And Douma doesn't need Rinko's help, he has an entire church that he can use to feed himself at any time.

So logically, this is not a problem.

If Douma didn't always want Rinkou to accompany him and always try to persuade him to eat something.

"You really don't want to eat? Not a single bite? You haven't eaten for a whole month. If anything happens to Rinko, Lord Muzan might tear my head off."

The torn off leg was dangling in front of Rinko. The last time Rinko saw such a scene of someone chattering and shaking meat was when he was squatting on the side of the road teasing the skinny stray dog. Further ahead was him being carried by Kokushibo and patrolling the entire battlefield.

"Well, it's okay if you don't eat."

Douma's eyes were full of confusion. He looked up and down at Rinkou while swallowing the meat in his hand. The boy who was being watched just continued to observe him eating. It seemed that he was more interested in the act of eating than the meat in his hand.

"Rinko is really weird, why would a ghost not like to eat?"

Douma's tone was also strange, and Rinkou, who was sitting opposite him, just supported his head and tilted it like him. The two pairs of eyes looked at each other until Douma shook his head and sighed and put the meat into his mouth.

Ghosts only become stronger by eating people, and the more they eat, the stronger they become. But Rinkou is very weak, perhaps because he really doesn't like eating human flesh, which is why he doesn't look like a ghost at all.

----

Rinko was indeed very weak, so weak that Douma could easily hear the sound of broken bones when he just touched his neck with one hand.

A ghost cannot kill another ghost.

But when facing Rinko, Douma always felt that he could really kill Rinko easily.

The boy was lifted up by one hand and forced to hang in the air. He did not struggle or resist, his limbs just hanging down like a discarded broken doll.

"Rinko is really light."

He was so much lighter than a human child, and even lighter than those girls, that it felt almost unreal when he was held by the neck. Rinko was so weak that Douma felt a bit sorry for him. He must have had a rough life as a human, which is why he's so pathetically weak as a demon. A demon like that would easily be beheaded by a demon hunter.

Why was Rinkou able to be kept by Muzan-sama? Why did Kokushibo-sama and Akaza-dono take such good care of him? Ah, did Akaza-dono notice the look on his face, like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away? He certainly didn't notice.

Of course, obedient children are fun, but puppets aren't supposed to keep people interested, especially when it comes to this weak kid who looks even less powerful than a random ghost picked up from the street. Even his speech is so unpleasant.

Douma couldn't understand.

A moment of distraction caused the strength of his hands to lose control, and the crisp sound of breaking pulled Douma out of his memories. Because the strength of his palms was relaxed, the boy with a broken neck fell to the ground and the puppet was broken.

"I'm sorry, Rinkou, but Rinkou is a ghost after all, so this level of problem shouldn't be a problem."

The apology was not very sincere, Douma's smiling face buried the guilt, and it even sounded like a joke.

The broken neck healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to normal from a strange angle. Douma narrowed his eyes at the remarkable speed of recovery.

"No problem. After all, it's a ghost. Even if it's cut into three pieces, it will recover immediately."

Lin Guang stood up from the ground and tilted his head to adjust to the newly grown neck.

"Really? Then can I try it? Rinkou seems to be recovering quickly."

"If you want."

Douma, having received permission, unfolded his fan. Rinko felt that even if he hadn't agreed immediately, Douma wouldn't have given up. He would simply apologize afterward, just like he had done so many times before. Which of these two was Douma, impolite or brainless? Rinko asked himself.

Rinko is indeed very fragile, both Douma and Rinko himself are well aware of this, so the fact that the fan was easily frozen after being waved, and then fell and shattered after the next gust of wind is completely in line with their expectations. Douma put the fan to his lips and observed leisurely.

The moment he stopped, his self-healing began. In just a few seconds, his shattered body reconnected to form a complete Lin Guang. However, the loose coat on his body was tattered and did not recover.

"Ah. It's broken."

What he cared about more than the fact that he was broken into pieces and then stuck back together was that the jacket Muzan had given him was ruined. He actually liked this jacket.

"Hey, Rinko, can you let me have a bite?"

Delicate women have great potential to give birth to new life, and they have more power. What about Rinko? The fragile Rinko has a recovery ability comparable to that of an upper-rank demon. Is there such a huge power hidden in this fragile body?

"If you're hungry, you can eat humans. I'm not human, and ghosts eating ghosts won't make me feel good."

I rejected it immediately and mercilessly with the most appropriate excuse.

"Just one bite, I'll be gentle—"

"So, just go eat some people. I'll go with you, so please stop staring at me."

Douma can see that Rinko is afraid of adults, and the reason is easy to guess. The oppressive feeling brought by the difference in height and body shape will indeed make young children aware of the danger from adults.

But he didn't care. It was interesting to see Lin Guang being troubled by his approach every time, with her eyebrows subconsciously twisted together and her eyes looking away unnaturally.

"Okay, then Rinko will go get something to eat with me."

The little boy was stiff for a moment when he was picked up, but the awkwardness gradually disappeared as they walked.

"Rinko, please don't tell anyone about what happened today."

"What do you mean?"

"About the part where I accidentally snapped your neck and froze you to pieces."

"it is good."

Just as without hesitation as when I agreed to the experiment.

Then everything seemed as if nothing had really happened, no one had any malicious temptation, and no one had their neck twisted.

Douma wanted to bury everything in the past. Rinko didn't think Douma was the type to be afraid of Muzan crushing his head, but he wanted to do that, so Rinko did it. It was like the night many years ago when Muzan burned away all traces of his past, only this time, the fire was invisible, as was the soil.

------

Douma would still deliberately wait at the head of the bed for Rinko to open her eyes, then tell her he wanted to bite her. Rinko would still reach out and push that head away, righteously refusing. Douma would take Rinko out for a walk, occasionally encountering danger—ghost hunters. Sometimes Rinko would go unnoticed, sometimes she would be noticed. The difference between unintentional and deliberate was unimportant; Rinko would always run away and hide.

Sometimes Douma would want to go somewhere a little further away, and Rinko would sometimes follow him and sometimes stay. The difference lay in whether Douma would invite him.