*Chapter 7: Scum of the Earth! The [Bamboo Tube of Nezuko Kamado] is About to Take Effect (Please Favorite! Please Recommend!)*

"Who are you, and why... are you here?"

Ulti's voice sounded extremely weak and powerless, but you could still sense the thick wariness in her words.

"I'm just an unlucky guy whose fate has been twisted."

Despite the girl's vigilant gaze, Troy didn't make any sudden moves, only shrugging his shoulders.

Ulti didn't quite understand Troy's strange words, but she couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

At least, standing in front of her and her brother right now was a person they could communicate with, not one of the mindless, flesh-eating undead monsters that their father had created before!

The little Split-Mouth Girl didn't respond right away, but Troy was starting to get a bit impatient.

"By the way, don't you think this conversation feels a little off? Can I start a campfire?"

Since arriving on this sea, this was the first time Troy had met someone he could actually talk to. After three or four days of total isolation, his loneliness and desire to talk burst out all at once.

Besides, Troy was really getting uncomfortable with the environment deep in this cave.

A creepy cave, a terrifying Split-Mouth Girl, a single beam of pale flashlight light, and a normal male human...

It felt just like the set of a horror movie!

Ulti nodded lightly, watching as Troy methodically used some simple items from the cave to start a small campfire.

The bright, warm light from the fire instantly lit up the area near the prison and dispelled some of the terrifying darkness.

With the fire burning, Ulti's condition improved noticeably; at least her face didn’t look as pale as before, although that might have just been a trick of the light.

"As for the answer to your first question, I’m a shipwreck survivor, stranded on this zombie-infested island."

Sitting cross-legged on the cave floor, Troy spoke calmly.

"In exchange, could you tell me who you are?"

Troy already knew all about Ulti and her brother, Page One. He even remembered the exact pattern on the pink and white lace mask she wore years later!

This conversation was just a way for him to vent his frustration and maybe gather some information on the father of Ulti and Page One, a character who was only briefly mentioned in the original story.

Little Ulti bit her lip, didn’t answer, and instead asked softly, "You haven't answered my second question yet."

That’s exactly what Troy had been waiting for!

He launched into an exhaustive recounting of everything that had happened to him since his arrival. He didn’t hold back, rambling on about Kaido, Admiral Zephyr, and bloodthirsty zombies, venting all his frustrations.

Of course, Troy left out certain key details about his origin and the mysterious screen information.

"The fierce fire-breathing dragon king in the sky—"

"The useless navy idiots—"

"The dead bodies suddenly attacking me—"

Troy's long tirade made Ulti's head spin, and even Page One, lying behind her, twitched a little.

But clearly, this "talkative" personality made Troy seem less threatening.

Ulti's wariness dropped significantly. After Troy finished his story, she began cautiously sharing bits and pieces of her own experience.

Having gotten all that off his chest, Troy felt much lighter, listening with interest as Ulti revealed hidden backstory not mentioned in the original story.

A brother and sister from a tragic childhood... born in the Vodka Kingdom... from a severely broken family... Their father was a Paramecia-type Virus Fruit user, who experimented on his own children to achieve immortality... Five days ago, he mysteriously disappeared...

When she mentioned her father Muzan, Ulti’s voice grew much more somber, and it was clear she was skipping over a lot, but Troy still managed to gather some important information.

"What a scumbag father..." Troy muttered to himself.

Men who abandoned their wives for power and fame were a dime a dozen on the sea.

But someone as vile as Ulti and Page One's father, willing to use his own children for biological experiments, was rare.

What kind of "scum of the earth" would do that?

"Don’t you dare insult my father!"

The little Split-Mouth Girl glared at Troy furiously.

Behind her, the half-conscious Page One also weakly raised his body, glaring at Troy with hollow eyes.

"Okay, okay, I apologize."

Troy gave a half-hearted apology, smacking his lips as he realized he’d talked too much and was now thirsty.

He pulled out his canteen, but as soon as he unscrewed the cap, he felt two pairs of eyes instantly lock onto him.

More specifically, onto his canteen.

Troy waved the canteen back and forth, and those two pairs of eyes followed its every movement.

Finally, Ulti couldn’t take it anymore and interrupted his little game.

"Um, could you spare me a bit of water?"

Ulti licked her dry, cracked lips, but it wasn’t for herself.

"My little brother hasn’t had any water in days."

Troy noticed Page One, silent as always, reaching out his small, dry hand to tug at Ulti’s clothing.

Page One hadn’t had a drop of water in ages, but Ulti, who had been taking care of him, couldn’t be in much better shape.

Clearly, this was a very caring little brother.

Feeling a strange pang in his chest, Troy took a sip from the canteen to show it wasn’t poisoned, then tossed it into the cage.

Ulti, overjoyed, grabbed the canteen at once, but the weight of it caused the thin girl to stumble and almost fall.

Ignoring her awkwardness, Ulti turned to lift Page One’s upper body and gently fed him the water, little by little.

"Drink slowly, save some for yourself... Oh, right!"

Troy suddenly remembered the [Tanjiro Kamado's Special Rice Ball] he had fished up earlier. He pulled it out of his pocket, pinched off a small piece to show it wasn’t poisoned, and tossed it to Ulti.

"This rice ball was made by a brother for his sister. You should give some to your brother too. It might help him recover a bit."

Ulti silently accepted the rice ball, resisting the temptation of its delicious smell, and broke off small pieces to feed to Page One.

Maybe it was the warmth from Tanjiro Kamado's brotherly care, or maybe it was Ulti's sisterly love.

After drinking most of the water and eating more than half of the rice ball, Page One seemed noticeably stronger.

But with only a little food and water left, Page One firmly shut his mouth and refused to eat any more.

If he’d had the strength, he probably would’ve forced his sister to finish the rest!

"Kid, you’d better eat the whole rice ball. I’ve got other stuff for your sister. Stuff that’s more suitable for her."

Troy was a little worried that the [Special Rice Ball]’s child-attracting effect might work on Ulti. He didn’t want to earn a reputation as some kind of lolicon, so he tried to persuade Page One.

But clearly, what he said... came off the wrong way.

Page One was too young to catch the implication.

But Ulti, two years older, definitely caught it.

Or rather... misunderstood it.

After shoving the rest of the rice ball into her mouth, Ulti's pale face instantly gained some color, and she glared at Troy angrily.

Seeing this, Troy's lips twitched.

Damn...

If a normal little girl looked at me like this, I might feel a bit flustered…

But you, with those horns on your head and that split mouth, staring at me like this makes me feel like I’m about to die…

A Split-Mouth Girl… Split Mouth… Demon Clan...

Suddenly, Troy’s eyes lit up, and he remembered the weird item he had fished up last night.

[Nezuko Kamado's Bamboo Tube]!

[Item Effect 2: The saliva contained in the bamboo tube, tainted with the power of a demonized girl, has slight healing properties, with increased healing effects for certain races, including the Demon Clan.]

Could this item actually come in handy?

Please Favorite! Please Recommend!

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Nezuko’s bamboo tube is not a perverted item! Nor is it a thirst-quenching drink!

It has a purpose!

(End of Chapter)