He... fell asleep?

Sara stopped singing after finishing her (rather long) song about the Straw Man and the Iron Lady. Only then did she dare look at the Demon King, just to find out he was sound asleep.

Didn't he tell me he doesn't sleep?

Sara didn't know whether she should feel relieved, baffled or absolutely terrified.

She was surprised he fell asleep as fast as her baby cousins. She was not expecting a grown demon to be that susceptible to lullabies. Head towel, face mask and everything.

The most unsettling thing is that his back remained straight as he slept. He was still sitting up, but she could tell he was not awake.

She approached his sleeping figure. He was completely still, but Sara was afraid he would open his eyes at any time and attack her if she dared come too close.

Still, she did not deem it safe to leave the coffee-honey mask on his face for too long. She didn't want him waking up with a sticky face and then blaming it all on her. He would surely get mad. Due to her fear of consequence, she swallowed her nerves and stood right next to him, practically hovering over him as she approached. He was sitting in front of the kotatsu. Utterly still, utterly quiet.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Sara placed a dry towel around his neck, slow as a snail. Then, with a wet cloth, she carefully but surely wiped his face clean of the mask.

There were no micro expressions that made it seem like he would wake up anytime soon.

After she was successful removing the coffee-honey face mask off of him, she took a good look at him, her eyes fully devoid of all glow. Her anger and impotence started taking over her and, soon enough, all of her thoughts and the voices of her conscience were speaking to her.

Strangle him.

Suffocate him.

Cut his throat.

Make him pay.

Make him suffer.

Destroy him.

All of her repressed thoughts and emotions came out like a strong waterfall.

After all he had done to everyone.

After all the countless people he had killed and tortured.

After holding her hostage against her will.

After that whole week, she was really starting to feel the effects of sunlight deprivation, and her sanity was slowly but surely being chipped away.

There was nothing in the world that she wanted more than his demise.

But she knew one thing.

She couldn't do it.

She didn't even have a blade on her, let alone the strength to even face him in battle. Even if she did have a blade, he'd just wake up immediately and who knows what he'd do to her if he caught her trying to murder him.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Sara calmed all of her emotions by focusing on her breath.

If my rage keeps building up like this... I'll lose myself and my sanity in no time... I'm better than this.

Sara let out a soft sigh.

Remember Mr. Yoriichi's kindness and aura... you can do better than this, you can be more like him.

Sara looked at the sleeping figure in front of her. Ever so peaceful, ever so unmoving. She envied his position. With such powers, so much good could be done, yet... He used it to harm others. Talk about wasted potential, aside from his hair.

She just wanted to be free and leave that place once in for all. However, she still did not know where the exit might be.

As she thought about all of this, she decided to add the final touch to the skincare routine. She was going to use the seed-based hydrating mask just to keep the moisture locked in. Carefully, she applied the hydrating substance on his face, checking for any signs that he might wake up. There were none.

It was just like a cream, so thankfully she wouldn't have to take it off afterwards.

The touch of his skin felt cold yet surprisingly soft. For such an ancient demon, she was surely not expecting the softness.

Of course he has soft skin. Just like a baby, he has no real worries. She thought to herself, bitterly.

She finished applying the hydrating mask on the entirety of his face and realised that she had to take the towel off his head.

"Hm..." She slowly unwrapped his towel, revealing his still damp but defined hair.

And, just like that, she was finished with her first night fulfilling her deal with that hell of a prick.

She stealthily left his room, taking the basket full of products with herself. If this guy thought she was only going to use them on him, then he better think twice. There was no way she would waste all of that product on a demon's face when she had skin of her own to take care of.

Sure enough, Kokushibo was waiting for her at the main hall of the castle.

"I see you survived, Youngling" he commented, both voice and expression neutral. "I have orders to escort you to your new bedroom."

"Fuck yes!" Sara celebrated with some claps and followed the silent Kokushibo who, despite not saying a single word, seemed surprised that she had managed to get any sort of amenities out of his master.

The First Upper Moon paid her no mind as they arrived at the bedroom door. He only gestured her to open it.

Excitedly, Sara opened the door to find a clean and simple-looking room. It was relatively small and it definitely had no bathroom or manuscripts, but it was a private space and she was overjoyed about it.

She opened the closet, finding many sets of identical training and sleeping clothes. It also had a couple of futons. In a corner of the room, there was a small kotatsu where she could rest when she felt cold. Overall, it was a very average room. But it was all she could have asked for considering her situation, and she was happy about it.

"THANK YOU, HEAVENS!" She kneeled to the ground and literally kissed the tatami floor.

Meanwhile, Kokushibo stared at her from outside the room. It didn't seem like he would come in anytime soon. He just stood there, looking at Sara with an undecipherable expression.

After seeing she was all settled down and done exploring her new space, he finally decided to speak a single sentence: "Training starts tomorrow."

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

See you all next week! 3