Chapter 210: The Reopening of Yoshiwara
The entire mansion was conceived as a nine-sector grid.
Upon crossing the main entrance, the first building at the front was the external meeting hall, intended for the affairs of the Vampires’ headquarters.
Hakuji came out to receive him from there, bowing respectfully. In his hand he carried the katana Marcus had given him some time ago.
"My Lord."
"How are the preparations for tonight’s performance coming along?"
Hakuji displayed the weapon in his hand.
"Rest assured, My Lord, everything is ready."
Marcus nodded and led them inside.
The main area surpassed the exterior in grandeur. The hall was so vast it could effortlessly hold dozens of banquet tables. On the front wall hung an enormous landscape canvas, and just beneath it rested a long red sandalwood table.
On either side stood two rows of chairs with finely carved backrests.
"This will be the future meeting room," Marcus explained, gesturing toward a hallway on the left. "That way leads to the back."
They crossed the hall to reach the central courtyard, which was even more exquisite.
A three-story building rose in the center as the most striking structure; that would be the residence of Marcus and his people.
At the heart of the courtyard, several water lilies floated on the surface of a pond. Off to one side, a cluster of bamboo stalks rustled as the wind passed. A perimeter corridor encircled the pool and connected to the side courtyards.
Marcus pointed to the left area. "That’s the leisure section..."
He paused and took a small path to the right.
"Come see this."
Everyone followed him through a short bamboo passage until the view suddenly opened up.
Before them appeared a separate courtyard, modest in size but with extraordinary craftsmanship.
The walls were covered in climbing vines, and in one corner a cherry tree elegantly spread its branches. The main residence consisted of a single room, with light pink paper on the sliding doors and a wind chime that softly jingled beneath the eaves.
Shinobu’s steps came to an abrupt stop.
The design was too similar to that of the Butterfly Mansion...
No... it wasn’t that it resembled it.
It was practically identical!
The layout of the door, the windows, the placement of the cherry tree, and even the look of the wind chime.
"This courtyard is called the Butterfly Garden," Marcus remarked in a relaxed tone. "It’s reserved for you and Kanao."
She turned her head to look at him. Marcus was leaning against the entrance frame, arms crossed and wearing a faint smile.
"Don’t look at me like that. You can’t even resort to breathing techniques anymore, so if the Demon Slayer Corps decides not to count on you, you can rest here. And if you really can’t hold back the itch to work, I set up a laboratory in the front courtyard for you, like Tamayo’s."
Shinobu’s lips trembled and her eyes grew moist.
Kanao, right behind her, watched everything with shining eyes.
"Shinobu-nee... it’s beautiful."
Shinobu gazed at the wind chime in silence for a long moment.
"Marcus-kun."
"Hm?"
"...Th-Thank you."
Marcus waved his hand.
"Don’t thank me—thank your situation. If it weren’t for the fact that I saw you convalescing and wanted to treat you, how would I ever part with such a fine courtyard?"
Shinobu let out a contained little laugh.
"Can’t you be serious even once?"
"Am I not being serious?" Marcus turned around. "All right, that’s enough—don’t just stand there, there’s still another place to see."
Upon leaving the Vampires’ headquarters and heading less than fifty yards to the west, they came upon another property.
Although smaller in scale, it kept the three-courtyard structure, well preserved amid blue bricks and gray tiles.
"This is the Demon Slayer Corps branch," Marcus said, pushing open the gate. "When Mitsuri comes to the area, she’ll stay here."
Shinobu went in and swept her gaze across the place.
"Not bad—it’s quite a bit more spacious than the Butterfly Mansion."
"Obviously," Marcus replied from the center of the garden. "It’s a branch; it couldn’t be some shabby place."
"But this isn’t exactly meant for just one person to live in, is it?"
"Of course not. Mitsuri’s family is of noble birth. If we don’t give them the status they’re due, they won’t want to move."
Shinobu rolled her eyes. "Are you that confident you can bring her whole family over?"
"In today’s world, is there anywhere safer than being right next to the Vampires’ headquarters?"
Shinobu fell thoughtful for a moment, weighing the logic of his reasoning.
Then she looked at him with utmost gravity. "Taking you out of the equation, pervert, this place really would be safe for Mitsuri."
"Pff..." Marcus smiled disdainfully. "Without this ’pervert,’ this place wouldn’t have a single drop of safety."
Shinobu said nothing more.
Because, much to her chagrin, he was absolutely right.
If Yoshiwara felt like a sanctuary, it was because Muzan didn’t even show his face around here, and the sole reason for that retreat was Marcus’s presence alone.
With no desire to prolong the debate, Marcus gazed at the sky.
"All right, it’s getting late. Let’s go to Yoshiwara."
As he was heading back to the carriage, Pearl hurried over to them with a stack of account books in her arms.
"Master! I’ve finally found you."
"What’s the matter?"
She opened the records with a frown.
"We’re running out of funds."
Marcus took the ledger and skimmed the figures.
"Between construction, materials, and wages over these two months, a good chunk went out. On top of that, we need to set aside capital to close on the shops in Asakusa."
"If no fresh money comes in, we’ll last a week at most."
Marcus snapped the book shut and handed it back.
"Don’t worry about the money. I’ll make a trip to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters in a couple of days."
Pearl blinked, surprised. "To the slayers’ headquarters?"
"Yes. I have several matters to discuss with Kagaya. While I’m at it, I’ll bring back the hundred million we agreed on; he’s surely had it gathered for a while now, just sitting there collecting dust."
"Besides, the old man has been cooped up over there for far too long. It’s about time to bring him back, along with Mitsuri, now that the branch is ready. I’ll go get them myself to avoid any unnecessary risks."
An amused smile formed on his face, and a gleam appeared in his eyes.
"While I’m at it, there’s a treasure I’ve been eyeing for a while. This time I’m bringing it back with me."
Pearl wanted to inquire about the nature of that treasure, but Marcus had already turned his back on her.
"Let’s move out."
The sky finished darkening.
In front of the archway of Yoshiwara’s main avenue stood a stage of dark wood, adorned with red and pink fabrics that shimmered under the warm light of the lanterns.
The locals, pent up for two months, along with the curious drawn in by the rumors, waited impatiently in front of the structure.
"They’re finally reopening! God only knows how I held out all this time!"
"They say the new owner is a tycoon who bought the whole street."
"How much of a fortune must he have shelled out...?"
"Does it matter? The ads promise lower, fixed, transparent prices."
"By the way... that business with the disturbances and the apparitions from last time, has it been resolved yet?"
"Whether there’s trouble or not, I don’t care. I came here to have a good time."
The din of the crowd was deafening around the stage.
Marcus chose to avoid the platform and settled the group in the private room on the second floor of a house, with a prime view of the plaza.
Shinobu, Kanao, Tamayo, Nezuko, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke took their places beside him.
Ivy and Ume completed the scene: the former pouring him a drink, and the latter with her legs crossed and her chest puffed up with pride.
"That street will be mine from now on!" Ume exclaimed, pointing vainly toward the avenue.
"For now we’re only in the trial period," Ivy reminded her in a low voice. "There’ll be plenty of time to show off when it’s the official opening."
"Tsk, you’re just jealous!"
Ivy cast a glance at Marcus. "Unlike working outside, I’d rather stay by the master’s side to attend to him."
Ume rolled her eyes. "Bah, what a little goody two-shoes..."
Shinobu leaned against the window frame, propping her cheek on her hand as she watched the sea of people.
"I didn’t think so many people would come... I assumed hardly anyone would dare set foot here."
"In that case, you’re still underestimating this bunch of dirty old men," Marcus laughed. "Even though the whole Demon business dragged on for over a week, not a single person actually died. For them, two months of pent-up lust and a gambler’s mentality are enough to make them take a little risk."
Shinobu looked mockingly at the brand-new owner of the place. "Sure... When it comes to these matters, you’re the one who knows best, Marcus-kun~"
"Tsk."
Down on the platform, Pearl climbed onto the stage holding a megaphone.
"Attention, everyone! Quiet, please!"
"Today we begin the trial period of Yoshiwara’s main avenue. We thank each and every one of you for being here... We hope you enjoy yourselves to the fullest and squeeze every drop out of the night!"
Without further ado, Pearl gave a few claps.
Immediately, a dozen courtesans—beautiful and dressed in revealing outfits—appeared from both sides.
Music began to play in the background, giving way to a display of singing and dancing.
As expected, the atmosphere turned into a frenzy. The crowd, faces flushed, pointed toward the platform.
"That’s it! This is what I wanted to see!"
"Hahaha, excellent! I wasn’t expecting a free show."
"Hey! The one in the center was the head courtesan of that establishment!"
"Bah, how ignorant. With my ten years of experience around the district, let me tell you the real deal..." an old man cut in. "Every one of those girls up there was the star of a different brothel!"
"Goodness! Seriously?"
"So you’re saying we’ve got more than ten Oirans dancing for us?!"
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