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"Cough."
A single cough was enough to plunge the entire room into absolute silence.
Ivy and Pearl turned their heads at the same time, and upon seeing Marcus standing in the doorway, panic flashed across both their faces in unison.
Without wasting a second, both of them prostrated themselves in a perfect dogeza, foreheads pressed against the tatami.
"W-we're so sorry, master!"
And Nezuko, who had finally freed herself from their clutches... instead of jumping into Kanao's arms, threw herself straight into Marcus's.
"Mmm~"
She closed her eyes and started rubbing her cheek against his. Her tiny body was small, soft, warm, and gave off a delicious scent. It was clear at a glance that she'd just gotten out of the bath.
Kanao stood up carefully and walked toward Marcus, her huge sparkling eyes fixed on him.
"Marcus-kun..."
Her low voice made Marcus's cock throb. He didn't quite know what it was about this girl, but she always turned bright red just from the sight of him.
"Thanks for taking care of them, Kanao." He gave her a warm smile, "Did they give you a lot of trouble?"
Kanao shook her head, "Being able to help Marcus-kun is never any trouble."
"My goodness... I'm here too, you know~" Shinobu was watching the whole thing with a mischievous smile drawn on her lips, "But of course, my Kanao-chan can't take her eyes off Marcus for even a second."
She had finally figured the whole thing out...
Kanao was so head-over-heels in love that, even if Marcus had a thousand flaws, Shinobu probably wouldn't have any say in the matter whatsoever. Kanao either didn't have an opinion of her own, or no one in this world would be able to make her change her mind once it was made up.
Upon hearing her nee-san's words, Kanao turned as red as a hot coal and immediately whirled around to face Shinobu, doing a quick succession of bows.
Her clumsiness was genuinely adorable.
"All right then..."
Shinobu let out a sigh of resignation.
"I knew this day would come eventually... but honestly, I didn't expect it to be so soon."
"If it's really that hard for you to let her go, you can always join us too~"
Marcus added, licking his lips.
A thick vein bulged on Shinobu's forehead.
"Marcus-kun."
She looked at him with a dangerously sweet smile.
"Ever since the meeting ended, you've been making strange comments... Don't tell me I haven't noticed what you're insinuating..."
"..."
Shit. He'd crossed the line.
"Wait, wait, you've got it all wrong. Let me explaā"
"Didn't the Pillar of Demons say he had to head back soon?"
Shinobu cut him off cold with a radiant smile.
"The Butterfly Estate won't hold you back a minute longer. Please, take your leave~"
A minute later, Marcus was outside the gates of the Butterfly Estate, with Nezuko in his arms. Beside him, Ivy and Pearl, both in silence.
The cold light of the moon bathed him with a frankly desolate air.
Shinobu, standing on the other side of the gate, was waving him goodbye.
"Until next time, Pillar of Demons~ Don't worry about Tanjiro and the others, I'll take care of them."
BANG
The gate of the Butterfly Estate slammed shut firmly in his face.
"Tch..."
Marcus stood there staring at the gate with a frown.
In any case, his original plan had always been to go back to Tamayo's that very same night.
It was preferable to travel under the cover of darkness, and the blood he'd managed to obtain couldn't wait too long. It also wasn't a question of using it there, right in the middle of the Butterfly Estate.
Who knew if Muzan might be able to sense something at the exact moment of strengthening Ivy and Pearl. And even if he didn't sense it, it would be an absolute disaster if they couldn't withstand the process and ended up exploding. The most prudent thing was to head back to Tamayo so she could first sever the bond that still tied them to Muzan, and only afterward let them absorb the blood's energy, in a much more controlled way.
Once the two of them were settled in a safe place, he'd have time to come back.
Five million was no chump change, and even someone as well-off as Kagaya would need a few days to scrape together a sum like that. They had agreed that Marcus would return in a week to pick up the money. After that, he'd think about going on a nice, leisurely shopping spree.
And, on that same return trip, he'd take the opportunity to come back to the Butterfly Estate... and get his revenge in proper style for being kicked out like a stray dog.
"Just you wait and see, little butterfly..."
And it wasn't just that, oh no... There was still the score to settle for that prick in the ass. Sooner or later, he'd collect on that debt with interest.
She was going to feel pain too... She was going to bleed too...
"Let's go."
"Yes, master."
Inside the estate, Shinobu was watching Kanao, who had been left completely dazed in front of the closed gate.
Sighing in resignation, she took Kanao's hand and spoke to her seriously.
"A girl should be a little more discreet about her feelings."
Kanao tilted her head and looked at her with a puzzled expression. Her eyes were clearly asking: 'And how do you know about those things, nee-san?'
Shinobu's face went red and she looked away as fast as she could.
"Nee-san told me about it a long time ago..."
Hearing that, Kanao nodded seriously.
If both of her sisters said so, then it had to be true. Next time she'd be much more discreet! She'd start by not blushing every time she saw Marcus.
ā¦.
Late into the night, on the outskirts of the city, in front of a solitary gravestone...
Yushiro stood in front of the grave, making enormous efforts to maintain an appropriate expression.
On the stone, a single name had been carved:
MARCUS
He glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye.
Tamayo was beside him, dressed in mourning in a simple dark kimono, her face consumed with sadness. The wind stirred her long hair, and she held it back with a gentle, almost ethereal gesture... a simply sublime movement.
Yushiro's heart skipped a beat.
And, right after, a wave of uncontainable joy ran through his entire body.
'He's dead. Marcus is DEAD. Finally, finally, finallyā¦'
'Shit, shit, I can't smile right now! Focus, Yushiro. Make a sad face. A mourning face. A MOURNING FACE!'
"Tamayo-samaā¦" He stepped closer and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, "Please accept my deepest condolences."
Tamayo looked up at him.
Those huge eyes were brimming with tears, capable of breaking anyone's heart.
"Yushiro..."
Yushiro's heart raced.
'YES!!'
'She's aloneā¦ She's finally alone! And she's looking at me. Only at me!!'
'Tamayo-sama... From now on, you're only mine!'
'ONLY MINE!!!'
'That annoying man, finally, had died.'
'HAHAHA... HAHAHAHAHAā¦'
The funeral was over.
And the days began to pass, one after another. Without Tanjiro. Without Nezuko. And, above all, without that damn Marcus.
It was just the two of them, Tamayo and Yushiro. They did research together, ate together, took walks through the garden admiring the flowers together. Tamayo smiled a little more each day, and her dependence on him grew deeper with every passing hour.
For Yushiro, that was paradise on Earth.
He lay back on the bed, slowly savoring every instant of the day. Tamayo had once again eaten the nighttime snack he had prepared for her with his own hands. And, not content with that, she had praised him by saying he was her best companion in the whole world.
'Best companionā¦ Heheheā¦'
'Companion today. Tomorrow... who knowsā¦ Heheheā¦'
With a perverted smile drawn on his lips, he sank into a deep sleep.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
"ā¦ Huh? What...?"
Yushiro's eyes shot open. The room was plunged in almost absolute darkness.
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!
The pounding got more urgent, almost violent.
"Who's there?!"
Yushiro sat up, irritated.
'Who the hell is the bastard who dares to interrupt Tamayo-sama's rest at this hour? I'm gonna skin him alive!'
He threw a robe over himself and walked briskly toward the entrance, not bothering to turn on any lights.
He went straight to the door and leaned in toward the peephole.
ā¦A face.
A tremendously familiar face... one he hated with every fiber of his being and that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up just from the sight of it.
It was right on the other side, staring intently through the peepholeā¦ And smiling at him.
MARCUS!
Yushiro's pupils contracted violently.
'Noā¦ No, No, NO, NO, NO.'
'How? HOW?! HE WAS DEAD! I BURIED HIM! I PUT THE GRAVESTONE UP AND EVERYTHING!'
The next second, Yushiro jolted up and shot upright in the bed.
He was panting heavily and his entire back was drenched in sweat.
His pajamas clung to his body.
"Was it... a dream?... IT WAS A FUCKING DREAM!"
He brought a hand to his chest to try to calm the racing beat of his heart and took several deep breaths in a row.
'Damn Marcus... Damn you! Even in my sleep you won't leave me alone! Do you think you're so important that you have to show up even in my dreams?'
"That nearly killed me..."
He lay back down and closed his eyes, trying to comfort himself.
It was just a dream. Just a dream. Go to sleep. Go to sleā
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!
The pounding on the door rang out again... with the same desperate urgency as before.
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