Chapter 155: I don’t know
Asakusa Mansion, third floor.
In Marcus’s bedroom, the curtains were drawn shut.
"Marcus~~ Marcus~~~"
Nezuko, wearing the pink flowered kimono Tamayo had sewn for her by hand, stretched out her little hands and pushed Marcus’s arm.
Once.
Twice...
Ten times...
"Marcus~ Marcus~~ wake up~~~"
Nothing.
Marcus was buried in the sheets, snoring with all the dignity of a fallen log.
Two battles back to back and a whole night without sleep had sent him straight to the bottom of dreamland, that level where not even earthquakes can rescue anybody.
Nezuko’s sweet scent, her soft whispers, those little nudges that felt less like a wake-up call and more like a spa massage...
...the only thing they accomplished was sinking him a little deeper.
Pouting, Nezuko glared at Marcus, pretty upset.
"Muu~ Marcus, liar..."
They had clearly agreed they’d go fishing together as soon as they got the worms.
She had gotten up super early, taken a bath so she’d smell nice, put on her new clothes, and even cleaned the little fishing rod Marcus had bought her.
And Marcus? Marcus was asleep!
Nezuko was angry!
And an angry Nezuko is a problem of biblical proportions.
With one hand she grabbed his thumb, with the other his pinky, and pulled his arm toward her.
Then... she bared her two little fangs.
"Hehehe~"
"Chomp!"
"AAH!!"
Marcus shot up out of the sheets like he’d taken an electric shock.
He looked down, searching for the culprit...
Nezuko had the base of his thumb between her teeth, fangs barely sunk in, staring up at him with an innocence that was absolutely indefensible.
Marcus sighed in relief and flopped back down onto the bed.
"What’s wrong?"
She let go of her prey at top speed, crouched down, and lifted up a bucket and the fishing rod, eyes shining like two lanterns.
"Marcus! Fishing!"
Seeing the dozen or so worms inside the bucket, Marcus smacked himself in the forehead.
He remembered what he had promised Nezuko.
"Nezuko, I’m really sleepy right now..."
He yawned and his eyelids started to close again. "Can we go tomorrow?"
Tomorrow?
The excited light in Nezuko’s eyes went out.
Her smile slowly melted away into a pout.
The little hands holding the bucket and the rod sank down bit by bit, defeated.
She wanted to go... because Tamayo had told her that her brother had received the letter and that he would very likely come today.
She wanted her brother to taste the fish she caught herself.
Still, seeing that Marcus couldn’t even keep his eyes open, she didn’t want to force him either.
"Then... Marcus... sleep..."
She lowered her head and spoke to the worms, very quietly.
"Worms... tomorrow... catch more..."
"Ugh..."
Seeing that little face so disappointed, her shoulders slumped and her little fingers fidgeting with the rim of the bucket...
An infernal wave of guilt washed over Marcus.
He swiped at the pants lying off to the side and yanked them on at top speed.
"Let’s go! We’re leaving right now! There’s no time to lose!"
"Ah~!"
Nezuko’s head snapped up. From tragedy to absolute bliss in less than a blink.
"Really? Marcus is the best~!"
"I’ll be waiting~!"
She grabbed the bucket and the rod and bolted out of the room.
And right at the door she braked, ran back, and planted a lightning-fast kiss on his cheek.
"Hurry~ hurry~ hurry~!"
Marcus smiled, still half asleep.
"I know. We’re leaving right now."
...
Downstairs, Ivy was running a cloth over a table in the living room when she saw them coming down. She dropped the rag instantly.
"Are you going out, Master? Shall I prepare the carriage?"
"There’s no need for anyone to come with us. I’m just taking her fishing at the river."
Marcus said as he changed his shoes at the entryway.
"Understood!"
Ivy and Pearl answered in unison.
Marcus opened the front door and the sunlight hit them all at once.
Nezuko let out a "wow" while holding his hand. She squinted, lifted her little face toward the sky, and smiled like a sunflower.
...
Half an hour later.
The Yarite of the Kyogoku House was planted in front of the mansion’s gates, with a smile she was struggling to hold up and her heart pounding against her ribs.
On the other side of the little window, a young man with an ice-cold stare watched her without blinking.
"Um... I’m here to see Marcus-sama..."
Yushiro whispered. "He’s out."
"He’s out!?... And where did he go?"
"I don’t know."
"What time will he be back?"
"I don’t know."
"Then... where could I find him?"
"I don’t know."
What a perfect example of "knowing nothing"!
The Yarite’s smile nearly slid right off her face.
"But... did he at least say roughly what time...?"
"No."
The little window slammed shut and left her there, face to face with a wooden door that had more human warmth than Yushiro.
The Yarite was completely at a loss.
’And now what do I do?’
Before she came, Warabihime had prepared a whole arsenal of excuses for her.
Things like "the Oiran Warabihime has very important matters to discuss...."
Or "a problem has come up at the brothel that requires the Boss’s decision..."
Or even "the Oiran isn’t feeling well and would like the Boss to come see her...."
But nobody told her what to do if the man simply wasn’t there!
How was she supposed to go back with an answer like that?
Remembering Warabihime’s face and the coldness in her eyes, her legs started trembling with fear.
If she came back empty-handed... wasn’t she going to get skinned alive?
She stood in front of the door for a good long while, praying to every god available for Marcus to show up.
But seeing that nobody was really going to appear, she had no choice but to start the walk back.
The whole way there, she kept thinking about how to tell Warabihime about this.
’How do I tell her?’
"Where did the Boss go?"
"I don’t know."
"When is he coming back?"
"I don’t know."
"Where can he be found?"
"I don’t know."
She shuddered. How the hell do you say that to Warabihime?!
She slowed her pace, wishing that road would never end.
But every road has an end.
The gates of the Kyogoku House appeared. And then the second floor. And then that door.
Breathing deep, she worked up her courage and knocked on the door.
"Warabihime-sama..."
From inside came the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Well?! Where is he?!"
The Yarite’s legs went weak, and she was on the verge of collapsing.
"The Boss... he..."
"He what?!"
"He went out... nobody knows where he went or when he’ll be back... That guard at the entrance wouldn’t tell me anything!"
The room went silent.
A moment later, there was a loud crash... like something heavy had hit the floor.
The Yarite jumped out of her skin and went down the stairs so fast she almost left her sandals behind.
Inside, Daki’s hand, gripping the door tight, began to tremble.
She turned her head toward her brother, who was still crouched in the corner and had even dropped the sickle out of his hand.
They looked at each other, and each knew what the other was thinking...
They were done for.
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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎
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P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790