The room smelled of antiseptic and danger.
The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the linoleum floor. Dust motes danced in the orange light, swirling around the most important object in the universe.
There it was.
In a climate-controlled glass terrarium at the back of the room, the Blue Spider Lily bloomed.
It was beautiful. It was glowing faintly. It was the key to my immortality, the cure for my sun allergy, and the ticket out of this humiliating teenage existence. Just one petal. If I could just pluck one petal and analyze its enzymes, I could synthesize the Perfect Being Serum.
"Eyes on the paper, Kibutsuji-kun."
Smack.
A rolled-up periodic table hit the top of my head.
I flinched, adjusting my glasses. "Sorry."
"You are distracted," Shinobu said. She was sitting on the teacher’s desk, swinging her legs. She held a stopwatch in one hand and a syringe in the other. Why did she always have a syringe? "Question four. The molar mass of wisteria extract when distilled in an acid base."
I swallowed hard. Wisteria. The poison that killed demons.
"It... it depends on the concentration," I answered, my voice trembling. "But usually, it reacts violently with... uh... demonic cellular structures?"
"Close enough," she hummed. "It melts them. Like slushies."
She leaned forward, her face inches from mine. "You know a lot about poisons, don't you? For a transfer student with 'anemia'."
[System Warning: Suspicion Level rising. Divert conversation.]
"I watch a lot of Discovery Channel," I lied.
"Is that so?" She hopped off the desk. "Well, since you're so smart, you can help me prepare the samples for tomorrow's lab."
She pointed to the back of the room. Toward the terrarium.
My heart did a backflip. This is it.
"Fetch me the nutrient solution on the shelf next to the Lily," she ordered, turning her back to sanitize some beakers.
I stood up, my legs feeling like jelly. This was the moment. I had to walk over there, grab the solution, and swipe a petal without the Insect Hashira noticing.
I moved silently. My shoes were cheap loafers, but I walked with the stealth of a predator.
Step. Step. Step.
I reached the glass case. The flower pulsed with a soft, azure light. It was mocking me. Come on, Demon King, it seemed to say. Take what is yours.
I reached for the latch on the glass case.
"By the way," Shinobu’s voice cut through the silence, sharp as a scalpel.
I froze, my hand hovering over the latch.
"The case is alarmed," she said cheerfully, not looking up from her beakers. "And the lock is coated in a contact neurotoxin. It causes paralysis in about... three seconds?"
I snatched my hand back as if the glass were red-hot iron.
"Good reflex," she giggled.
I turned around, sweating profusely. "I... I was just admiring it. It's very... blue."
"It is," she agreed. "Now, the nutrient solution, please. Unless you want to stay here until midnight?"
I grabbed the bottle of plant food from the adjacent shelf and scurried back to my desk.
Failed. I failed.
I sat down, defeated. The Blue Spider Lily was five feet away, yet it might as well have been on the moon.
Shinobu walked over and took the bottle. "You’re shaking, Kibutsuji-kun. Are you nervous?"
"I have low blood sugar," I muttered.
"Here." She reached into her lab coat pocket.
For a second, I thought she was pulling out a weapon. A knife? A poison dart?
She pulled out a lollipop.
"Grape flavor," she said, unwrapping it and shoving it into my mouth before I could protest. "Sugar helps the brain function. Try not to pass out on my floor; it’s hard to clean."
I sucked on the lollipop aggressively. It tasted like artificial sweetener and humiliation.
"Now," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Let's try a practical exam."
She placed a tray of glassware in front of me. "Mix these solutions. If it turns pink, you pass. If it explodes... well, I hope your parents have life insurance."
I looked at the chemicals. Hydrochloric acid. Phenolphthalein. Sodium hydroxide.
Simple titration. I could do this in my sleep. I was a genius who had lived for a thousand years. I invented complex blood curses while bored on Tuesdays.
I reached for a test tube.
Slice.
"Ouch!"
The edge of the test tube was chipped. A sharp pain jagged across my thumb.
I looked down. A single drop of blood welled up on my finger.
It wasn't normal blood. It was dark. Too dark. And it sizzled slightly as it touched the air.
[Crisis Alert: Demon Blood exposed. Scent masking failed.]
Panic exploded in my chest. I had to hide it. I jammed my thumb into my mouth to suck the blood away, but the metallic taste only made my fangs itch to emerge.
"Did you cut yourself?" Shinobu asked. Her voice dropped an octave. It wasn't playful anymore.
"Papercut!" I yelped. "Just a papercut! I have very fragile skin!"
She took a step toward me. Her nose wrinkled slightly. "That doesn't smell like a papercut."
She sniffed. "It smells... sweet. Like rotten fruit."
She grabbed my wrist. Her grip was iron.
"Let me see."
"No!" I tried to pull away, but she was stronger than she looked. Way stronger. She was a Hashira, for crying out loud.
She forced my hand out of my mouth. The drop of dark blood was still there on my thumb.
Shinobu stared at it. Her pupils contracted.
"Kibutsuji-kun," she whispered. "Why is your blood bubbling?"
Think, Muzan. Think!
"Carbonation!" I shouted. "I drink a lot of soda! My blood is 90% Pepsi!"
She stared at me. "That is medically impossible."
"I have a rare condition!"
"You have a lot of rare conditions," she said, reaching for a glass slide. "I’m going to need a sample."
No. No no no. If she put my blood under a microscope, she’d see the cells attacking the glass. She’d know. She’d pull out her sword—or whatever weapon she hid in this school—and decapitate me before I could say "Homework."
I braced myself. I would have to use my [Shockwave]. It would blow out the windows, alert the whole school, and ruin my "Perfect Student" disguise, but I had no choice.
I gathered my energy in my chest. Sorry, Shinobu. You leave me no choice.
BAM!
The door to the Chemistry Lab flew open, slamming against the wall with enough force to crack the plaster.
We both jumped.
Standing in the doorway, chest heaving, was Tanjiro Kamado.
He was wearing a bright green armband that said Disciplinary Committee. His nostrils were flaring like a jet engine intake.
"I SMELLED IT!" he shouted, pointing a finger at us.
My heart stopped. He knows. It’s over.
Shinobu didn't let go of my wrist. She looked at Tanjiro, annoyed. "Kamado-kun? We are in the middle of a private lesson. Please knock."
Tanjiro ignored her. He marched into the room, his eyes locked on me. Or rather, on my bleeding thumb.
"Blood!" he declared. "I smelled fresh blood from the hallway! Is everyone okay?"
He stopped right in front of us. The Hanafuda earrings swung back and forth. Sway. Sway.
Thump-thump. My Yoriichi scars began to burn.
"Just a cut," Shinobu said coolly. "Kibutsuji-kun is clumsy."
Tanjiro leaned in. He was so close I could count his eyelashes. He took a deep, loud sniff of my thumb.
Sniff. Sniff.
"This scent..." Tanjiro frowned. He looked confused. "It smells familiar."
I held my breath. I prayed to whatever dark gods were listening.
"It smells like..." Tanjiro’s eyes widened. "Like that cat we found in the drain last week!"
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah!" Tanjiro beamed, his tension vanishing instantly. "That poor cat had an infection! It smelled exactly like this!" He grabbed my hand from Shinobu and shook it vigorously. "Kibutsuji-kun! You must have a terrible infection! You need antibiotics right away! I have some ointment in my bag!"
I stared at him. He thought my demon blood smelled like a sick cat?
The Golden Retriever strikes again. His innocence was so profound it was actually looping back around to stupidity.
"Yes," I exhaled, feeling my knees turn to water. "An infection. A very... nasty one."
Shinobu looked between me and Tanjiro. She didn't look convinced. She looked like a scientist whose experiment just got contaminated by a golden retriever.
"Infection..." she muttered, eyeing my thumb. "I suppose that would explain the abnormal cell count."
"Exactly!" Tanjiro rummaged through his bag and pulled out a tube of generic antiseptic cream. "Here! My grandma makes this! It stings a lot, but it works!"
Before I could stop him, he squeezed a glob of yellow paste onto my thumb.
HISS.
My skin smoked.
"AHHHH!" I screamed.
"See? It's working!" Tanjiro said happily. "That means the germs are dying!"
"It burns!" I shrieked, yanking my hand away. It felt like he had dipped my finger in holy water. What was in that cream? Garlic and sunlight?!
"Don't be a baby," Shinobu sighed. She grabbed a bandage from the first aid kit and wrapped my thumb with lightning speed. "There. The bleeding has stopped."
She looked at the clock.
"Well, the mood is ruined," she said, hopping off the desk. "And the smell of that ointment is giving me a headache. You pass, Kibutsuji-kun."
I blinked, cradling my throbbing thumb. "I... I pass?"
"You didn't explode anything," she said, taking off her lab coat. "That's a C-minus in my book. Now get out before I change my mind."
I didn't need to be told twice.
"Thank you, Sensei! Thank you, Tanjiro!" I bowed frantically, grabbing my bag.
I bolted for the door.
"Wait!" Tanjiro called out.
I froze in the doorway. What now?
"You dropped this."
He walked over and held out his hand.
In his palm was a small, crumpled piece of paper. It had fallen out of my pocket when I panicked.
It was my cheat sheet. The plan I had drawn up in math class. It had a crude drawing of the Chemistry Lab, an arrow pointing to the Blue Spider Lily, and the words "STEAL FLOWER = VICTORY" written in red ink.
My soul left my body.
Tanjiro looked at the paper. He looked at me.
"Steal flower?" he read aloud.
Silence filled the room. Shinobu turned around slowly, her eyes sharpening.
Tanjiro looked up, his face lighting up with understanding.
"Oh! I get it!" He grinned. "You wanted to steal a flower to give to Kocho-senpai! As a confession!"
He gave me a thumbs up. "That's so romantic, Kibutsuji-kun! But you shouldn't steal! Just buy her roses next time!"
I stood there, mouth open.
Shinobu stared at me. A slight blush—or was it murderous rage?—colored her cheeks.
"A... confession?" she repeated softly. She picked up a scalpel. "How... bold."
"I... I have to go return some videotapes!" I yelled.
I ran. I ran down the hallway, past the confused janitor, and didn't stop until I reached the shoe lockers.
I leaned against the metal cabinets, gasping for air.
I survived. I actually survived.
I checked my pocket. The Stray Spirit blob was still there, trembling.
"Scary..." the blob whispered.
"You have no idea," I panted.
But as I caught my breath, I realized something. In the chaos, while Tanjiro was applying the burning ointment, I had flailed my hand near the shelf.
I slowly opened my left hand—the one that wasn't bandaged.
Stuck to my sweaty palm was a single, small, blue petal.
It wasn't from the main flower. It was a dead leaf that had fallen to the bottom of the case. But it was blue.
I stared at it, a grin stretching across my face.
Success.
I had a sample.
"Kibutsuji?"
I shoved the petal into my pocket instantly.
I turned around. Standing at the school entrance, blocking my path to freedom, was a boy with yellow hair. He was sobbing uncontrollably and clinging to the gate.
Zenitsu Agatsuma.
"Please help me!" he wailed, grabbing my leg. "The sound! The sound is coming!"
"What sound?" I tried to shake him off. "Let go, you lightning-rod!"
"The sound of drums!" Zenitsu screamed, his eyes rolling back in terror. "Something is coming to the Cultural Festival! Something bad!"
I paused. Drums?
I used my [Demon Sight] one last time before the sun fully set.
Far off in the distance, hanging over the school gymnasium, a dark cloud was gathering. It wasn't a rain cloud. It was a mass of swirling, negative energy.
And inside the cloud, I saw the faint outline of a Tsuzumi Drum.
Kyogai. The Drum Demon.
My smile faded.
"Just when I thought I passed the test," I muttered, looking at the gathering storm. "The final exam arrives early."
I looked down at the weeping Zenitsu.
"Get up," I said, adjusting my glasses. "We have work to do."
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.