Demon Progenitor Development Project

Four years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Shugo was born in the snowy month of winter, the month of frost.

Shugo leisurely unwrapped the gift.

Clay figurines from Agu.

It emphasizes childlike fun and heartfelt sentiment.

Artwork by Cheap Dad.

It emphasizes taste and elegance.

Jewelry from my cheap mom, whom I hardly ever see.

The main selling point can be summed up in one word: extravagant!

Among them were many pieces of women's jewelry, which Shuugo selectively ignored as a sign of ulterior motives.

He doesn't want to get married.

And... the sweet smile offered by the progenitor of demons.

Once he was sure Shuuga had seen it, his smile vanished instantly. After laughing, Muzan demanded with a straight face, "I want to see your gift!" Upon seeing the clay figurine, he immediately burst into laughter.

"So ugly! It must be that idiot Agu!"

A child's first attempt at a work is naturally not going to be very good. Muzan, having been exposed to this kind of work, naturally developed a sophisticated aesthetic sense and could tell at a glance that this was definitely the work of that idiot Agu.

To paraphrase Muzan, "Only that idiot would think that handmade is the best."

Except for Agu, everyone else gave him various expensive gifts.

"The sentiment is important; you can't laugh at it." Shugo glared at Muzan, knowing full well that this was purely a personal grudge.

"That's pretty good for the first time." Shugo placed the clay figurine on the table.

There's nothing the family would hide from him, especially something as small as this. Shugo knows that Agu failed many times before finally making something that's passable.

The spirit of persevering despite repeated setbacks is commendable.

"Besides, you didn't send anything valuable either," Shuuga retorted sharply.

Muzan, who only offered a smile, shut up.

He doesn't want to humiliate himself.

However, Muzan hasn't yet acquired overwhelming combat power; he's still intelligent and his mind works quite quickly.

Muzan was somewhat embarrassed and angry.

"Didn't you say you wanted my smile as a gift?"

“Yes, that’s right, but didn’t you think your smile before was too weird? Like the first time you smiled at me, that was really scary.” Shugo said slowly, touching the scroll.

Yes, but that forced smile is really creepy when it comes to a child.

At that time, Shugo had to admit that some people are just born not liking to laugh, or unable to laugh.

Memories—Shurago pinched Muzan's face and manually drew a smile.

"Cheer up! You can only smile well if you're happy. If you don't smile, it's not a gift from me."

Muzan angrily slapped Shugo's hand away, glaring at him with his cat-like eyes.

Shugo planted a kiss on Muzan's cheek, making the other's eyes widen.

Muzan's face flushed, as if from anger or shame.

Was he being harassed again?

I did not allow you to come near!

He wants revenge!

Hiiragi was slightly taken aback, and a drool mark appeared on his face, along with faint traces of baby teeth.

—End of memoir

"Squeak, how have you been lately?" Instead of pressing him relentlessly, Shugo cleverly changed the subject, shifting the focus elsewhere.

Upon hearing this, Muzan's face instantly turned even more ashen, as if ink could drip from it.

He complained angrily, "That damn squirrel never stops squeaking and chattering all night long! But during the day, it's so quiet it's like it doesn't exist at all! It's driving me crazy!"

Shugo already understood everything, but he had no intention of going along with Muzan's wishes and letting him keep complaining.

After all, he knew this squirrel named Squeaky all too well. This was a squirrel that dared to use a biological weapon—Mikoda—on against Muzan!

It was precisely because it held a grudge and carried out a second act of revenge against Muzan that it was unfortunately caught and brought back.

At first, Muzan was determined to kill this wretched squirrel to vent his hatred.

However, Shuuga unexpectedly made a decision, demanding that Muzan take good care of the squirrel. Muzan, naturally, was extremely unwilling to do so.

Unfortunately, Fujiwara no Shugo was the true boss here, possessing absolute power and decision-making authority.

So, despite his resentment, Muzan ultimately had no choice but to submit and was forced to take in that troublesome little guy in his own bedchamber.

The reason is simple: if he doesn't obey, he will not only lose the delicious desserts, but he will also lose the wonderful stories he loves to hear.

The initial adjustment period for the human and the squirrel was extremely difficult. The squirrel, having lost its freedom, cursed and swore all day long, especially when Muzan was around, pointing and gesturing at him.

Everyone could sense the mockery.

Squirrels are known for holding grudges. It is said that when a squirrel's hard-earned food reserves are stolen by unscrupulous humans, it will become possessed by a vengeful spirit and launch a hurled attack upon smelling those same humans again.

But later the squirrel found out the truth.

With an endless feast of Manchu Han Imperial Feast (nuts and pine nuts) every day, who would want to go back to eating coarse food (tree seeds and chaff)?

This squirrel accepted its fate of being domesticated and grew so fat that it became twice its original size.

If its diet hadn't been strictly monitored, this squirrel would probably have gotten even fatter.

Because this squirrel can also beg for food by acting cute.

After observing the squirrel for a few days, Muzan changed its food to the lowest grade and then deliberately tempted it to eat nuts that the squirrel loved but Muzan disliked. He even ate a lot of them!

The mice were completely dumbfounded!

The squirrel immediately started squeaking and jumping up and down in anger!

Muzan got his fill of pleasure.

Those around them couldn't help but chuckle.

Such things have been happening almost continuously over the past four years.

Muzan's target has completely changed; it has shifted from Agu to a pitiful squirrel.

However, this squirrel is quite vengeful; otherwise, it wouldn't have been caught because of its grudge.

Muzan's triumph lasted only a few days before he was retaliated against.

The hamster is very cute and clever. It has learned to be caged and because it never runs away, the person who is watching over it has become less vigilant.

So when Muzan went to sleep that night, he sensed something was wrong.

There seems to be a strange smell in the bedding.

Muzan, who had also developed mysophobia from following his guardian, lifted the blanket to check. Then he touched granular objects, the texture of which was like soft soil, and a patch that was half-damp.

Muzan was very confused.

Why is there this thing on his bed?

Would those servants dare to do such a thing?

After checking with the lights on, it was finally confirmed by the squirrel's caretaker that it was squirrel droppings.

That night, the child's piercing screams terrified many people.

Afterwards, Muzan was furious and determined to kill the squirrel and skin it.

After that, Muzan developed a habit of having someone carefully inspect, supervise, and test the food he used and ate.

The reason is that Muzan's rich imagination has allowed him to amplify this vicious technique.

"I didn't! Who would want to compete with a squirrel?" Muzan cried out, his face full of grievance. He felt utterly wronged; how could anyone say that to him? He wasn't some childish kid! He was clearly a mature and composed adult, wasn't he!

Shugo, standing to the side, knew exactly what the little brat was thinking. He was just a kid, always wanting to grow up quickly and not wanting to be treated like a child.

So, Shugo simply replied dismissively, "Oh, it's 'a seven-year-old adult'."