Time passed rather quickly.
Outside the Mirror Dimension, the sky had begun to glow red along the horizon, signaling that twilight was slowly giving way to night.
Some time earlier—or more precisely, after all the Servants had gathered—Kuro had assigned each of them a temporary task.
At the moment, he was standing behind the counter of a bar.
His hands moved calmly and skillfully, rotating a glass, pouring in a golden liquid, then mixing it with several other ingredients before shaking it once again.
Across the counter, a woman sat leisurely on a bar stool.
She was not particularly tall, with pale skin that almost resembled silver beneath the glow of the lamps.
A pair of naturally curved horns grew from her forehead. Their color began as a shade similar to her pale skin before gradually transitioning into a deep wine red toward the tips.
Her short purple hair fell to her neck, framing a beautiful face with shimmering violet eyes that always seemed to conceal something behind them.
She wore a long kimono without an obi, leaving it open and revealing the figure beneath its layers of fabric.
The bluish-purple kimono was decorated with curved red patterns scattered across its surface, particularly around the sleeves, which were split into three sections.
Three different gourds hung from her waist: a small brown gourd, a white sake container, and, most prominently, a large blue glass gourd adorned with intricate golden ornaments.
Whenever she smiled, a pair of sharp fangs became clearly visible.
Her violet eyes never left Kuro as he prepared the drink before her, as though every movement of the man's hands was far more fascinating than any alcohol she could possibly taste at that moment.
Both of her arms rested on the bar counter, while her right hand lazily supported her cheek.
Yet beneath that relaxed demeanor, something was slowly stirring within her.
The oni blood flowing through her body felt increasingly warm, awakening instincts that had accompanied her for centuries.
"Danna-han."
Her soft voice drifted through the air, almost like a whisper from someone who had already become intoxicated.
Kuro paused his movements for a moment before turning toward her.
"What is it, Shuten?"
"Fufu~"
Shuten laughed softly and sweetly.
Yet somehow, that laughter felt far more dangerous than any threat spoken aloud.
"Watching you like this…" she continued, her eyes narrowing slightly. "For some reason, it's almost driving me mad."
Kuro merely raised one eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Shuten's smile deepened.
"Ahh…"
A soft sigh escaped her lips.
"I can hardly wait to take you apart, turn every part of you into the finest drink that has ever existed…"
Her fingers slowly traced the rim of her glass.
"…and savor every last drop."
Her tone remained gentle.
As though she were confessing her love to someone rather than expressing a horrifying desire that could only come from an oni.
It was only natural for Shuten to react this way.
Even though Kuro concealed most of his charm, he still possessed an allure far beyond that of an ordinary human due to the effects of his Persona attribute.
On the other hand, despite her outward appearance resembling that of a young woman, Shuten was not human either.
She was an oni.
A creature capable of understanding love, desiring love, and even embracing love—yet never truly interpreting it in quite the same way humans did.
To humans, love meant cherishing someone, protecting them, or living alongside them.
For Shuten, that feeling could become intertwined with instincts far more primal.
The desire to possess, dominate, savor, and consume until nothing remained.
That was why Shuten's love had always walked hand in hand with blood and death.
Something warm and beautiful, yet sharp enough to tear a person's heart apart.
And now, the instinct normally buried deep within her was slowly beginning to stir.
Swelling.
Spinning.
Blending with curiosity, fascination, and excitement that were becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from one another, like sake continuously being poured into a cup that had been full for a very long time.
Kuro smiled without answering immediately. He finished mixing the cocktail first before slowly sliding the glass toward Shuten.
"Is that your way of saying you like me?"
His voice remained calm.
"Then, thank you."
The corner of his lips curved slightly.
"That's rather sweet."
For a moment, Shuten simply stared at him.
"Fufu~"
A soft laugh slipped from her lips.
Without asking for permission or waiting for any objection, her fingers caught the collar of Kuro's shirt and gently pulled him closer.
Like a serpent discovering a source of warmth in the heart of winter, she moved forward little by little, allowing the distance between them to fade away until almost no space remained.
Their breaths mingled.
The faint scent of sake lingered in the air.
And a moment later, something both gentle and dangerous flowed between them—like a sip of ancient liquor far too intoxicating to refuse.
Kuro paused.
Only for a moment.
Then he simply let the current pass as it wished.
At the same time, Shuten had already climbed onto the bartender's counter without hesitation. Several glasses rattled. The cocktail Kuro had just prepared tipped over and shattered against the floor, its sweet fragrance spreading through the room.
When Shuten finally pulled away, a thin distance formed between them once more.
Fragile.
Like a strand of smoke rising from still-warm sake.
Her smile slowly widened.
Those violet eyes resembled someone who had just discovered a legendary cask of wine that had existed only in stories and legends until now.
The tip of her tongue traced across her lips with slowly, temptingly and dangerously.
"Truly sweet..." she whispered. "Danna-han..."
Her eyes narrowed with satisfaction.
"I feel as though I've just tasted the finest sake in existence."
A brief pause.
"And now..."
Her smile deepened.
"I want to savor it until there's nothing left~"
Kuro chuckled softly and returned her gaze with a smile of his own.
"You're impatient, aren't you?"
"Fufu~"
Her arms slipped around his shoulders as though they belonged there.
"Danna-han, restraint has never been my specialty."
Her voice was smooth and warm, like sake being poured into a waiting cup.
"I'm an Oni, after all. We take what we want, and when we find something delightful..." Her smile widened ever so slightly. "We tend to indulge ourselves."
Kuro's hands settled at her waist.
"And should I take that to mean I fall into that category?"
A laugh escaped her before she could answer.
The next moment, her body left the bartender's counter.
For the briefest instant, surprise flashed across her face before another soft laugh flowed from her lips.
Kuro had effortlessly lifted her into his arms, keeping them face-to-face as though he had no intention of allowing the distance between them to grow.
Still carrying her, he stepped away from the mixing counter and crossed the bar. The scent of liquor lingered in the air as he made his way toward a long black sofa resting along the right side of the room.
When he reached it, he lowered her down with deliberate care.
Shuten settled against the cushions while Kuro remained above her, neither of them looking away.
Her right hand rose to the back of his head.
With a gentle pull, she drew him closer, allowing the last traces of distance between them to lose their meaning.
Something like a pair of serpents moved quietly between them.
Not in conflict.
Not in pursuit.
But in a slow, winding dance of approach and retreat, intertwining and separating, following a rhythm known only to the two of them.
At the same time, Kuro's left hand moved beneath layers of dark fabric.
Like another serpent slipping through the shadows of a moonless night, its path hidden behind thin curtains of black.
A subtle shiver ran through Shuten's body.
The sensation flowed through her like a warm current winding deeper and deeper through the pathways of an ancient vessel.
Her breath grew heavier.
A faint flush spread across her cheeks.
She looked almost intoxicated.
Like someone savoring an impossibly rare sake, feeling its warmth slowly spread through every corner of her being.
And yet, the smile on her lips only deepened.