Chapter 176: Savings
"All right, all right, stop right there."
Marcus interrupted her and massaged the spot between his brows.
"We’re a respectable faction now, not a gang of petty thieves; we can’t go around with those methods. We’re at a delicate moment for redefining where we stand with Kagaya. Taking up stealing right now would be throwing them headfirst into the enemy camp."
"What a goody-goody." Ume made a face, bored. "What a drag~"
Marcus took a chicken thigh and stuffed it into his mouth.
"If you’re bored, talk less. There’s nothing wrong with being stupid; what’s bad is being stupid and diligent on top of it. Until we build up the new Yoshiwara, you just devote yourself to eating, sleeping, and behaving."
Ume sank her teeth into the thigh and bared her fangs at Marcus, crunching the bones between her molars.
Beside her, Gyutaro seemed unable to take it any longer and looked at Marcus.
"This is Asakusa."
"Rich folks on the edge of the grave, there’s no shortage of them here. To be a vampire that doesn’t age, doesn’t die, and on top of that doesn’t fear the sun... there are people who’d gladly ruin themselves to get it. Doing that... shouldn’t count as an illegal method."
Marcus arched an eyebrow.
He’d taken it for granted that between these siblings, the looks had gone to Ume and the brute strength to Gyutaro.
And it turned out this eyesore had also secretly stolen part of his sister’s brain.
Even so, however viable the proposal was, he rejected it.
"What you’re talking about is a business for the future, not for the present." His expression turned a bit more solemn. "And since we’re on the subject, I want to stress one thing about security: for now, apart from those of us in this room, we don’t turn anyone else."
Ume frowned and pulled the thigh out of her mouth.
"Why? The way I see it, what my brother said makes a lot of sense."
"Because of Muzan."
The atmosphere tensed.
"It goes without saying that Muzan is doing everything he can to keep watch on us right now, and I hardly need to explain to you what it is he most wants to obtain from us."
"If we now turn a stranger we don’t control, and Muzan ends up getting his hands on them... have you stopped to think how that ends?"
The thigh in Ume’s hand dropped onto the table.
She was stunned: "He’d devour them... and from that he’d get immunity to the sun..."
Marcus stroked her head in approval.
"Very good. You’re not so stupid after all."
"Hehe~~ Little Meatball is stupid~~"
Nezuko smiled at Ume.
Ume’s face went red with rage; she grabbed the thigh from the table and pointed it at Nezuko.
"Don’t call me Little Meatball again! And on that note—why are you calling me stupid, you brat?!"
Nezuko pouted and put her little hands on her hips.
"Nezuko isn’t stupid~! Little Meatball’s the stupid one!"
"You rotten little brat!"
Ume shot to her feet, the veins on her forehead bulging.
Nezuko didn’t shrink back either: she hopped down from her chair to face off with her, and her body began to grow little by little.
Seeing this all-too-familiar scene, Ume’s expression changed.
"Stop! DON’T GROW!!!"
She lost her nerve in under a second and dropped back down into her chair.
"I... I’m the stupid one! Happy?! I’m the stupid one! But please don’t grow!"
She wasn’t afraid of being hit, but she was truly afraid of fire. That brat playing with flames was, by nature, her worst nightmare.
Several giggles rang out around the table.
Ume’s fuse lit again, and she shot a furious glare at Ivy and Pearl, who were snickering under their breath.
"I’m scared of her, but not of you two!"
"Oh, really?"
"Find out for yourself!"
Ivy and Pearl were no pushovers either, and in an instant they locked into a fierce staring duel.
And just as the three albinos were about to throw sparks, Marcus tapped the table a few times.
"I’m not done talking."
Pearl and Ivy hurriedly lowered their eyes.
Ume pressed her lips together, crossed her arms, and turned her face the other way.
With every air of: ’I’m angry, and it’s not going to be easy to win me over.’
Marcus let out a resigned sigh and went on.
"Tied to what I just said: from now on, watch out every time you go out. No wandering around alone, and don’t stray from the area between Asakusa and Yoshiwara. That way, if something happens, I’ll get there in time to lend a hand."
He raised a finger.
"Another thing: Muzan has a ton of ways to get information, so from now on, keep your eyes wide open."
"First, the vessels with a demon aura. Any vessel you see, any vessel you smash, without wondering why. They’re most likely Gyokko’s work; the guy can move at will among the containers he makes, and each one serves as a spying point for him."
"Second, Nakime’s eyes. She can release an endless number of eyeballs that move around on their own, and they’re capable of dragging anyone near them into the Infinity Castle. That said, it only opens a door beneath your feet, so if you stay alert you can react in time. But don’t get complacent."
"And lastly, go out during the day whenever you can. When you head out, first use Yushiro’s talismans to conceal yourselves, and once at your destination, find a safe spot before showing your form."
Tamayo put on a doubtful face. "Even for going out during the day we have to take this many precautions?"
Marcus nodded.
"Upper Rank Two, Douma, runs a cult, and he’s got nothing but human followers under his command. Those followers can’t fight and aren’t a threat, but since they don’t fear the sun, they’re ideal as informants. And until our territory is well secured, I don’t want Muzan tracking every step we take."
He swept his gaze over everyone, and his tone softened a little.
"Look, I know this is a hassle. But trust me, it won’t last long."
"Once we build the Yoshiwara I have in mind, my sensory abilities will reach another level."
"I’m not promising you miracles, but at the very least, within a ten-mile radius around Asakusa, there won’t be a demon capable of escaping my sense of smell."
He smiled with confidence. "By then, as long as you don’t leave Asakusa, you can raise all the ruckus you want, no worries."
"Yes, Master."
"Understood, sir."
Taking advantage of the mood having livened up, Marcus dropped the next topic.
"All right, we’ve covered security. Let’s get back to what really matters... money."
His gaze swept over everyone present.
"Friends, for the sake of that beautiful life awaiting us..."
His smile turned a touch mischievous.
"...those little savings you’ve got stashed away here and there—it’s high time you dug them out!"
Hidden savings?
Ivy and Pearl showed faces of utter confusion, looked at each other, and then looked at Marcus.
"Master, what’s that—a ’little hidden savings’?"
Marcus’s mouth twitched; he grabbed his cup and took a sip of tea to cover his embarrassment.
Hakuji lowered his head, his face slightly reddened.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a few crumpled bills, looked at them... and hurriedly put them back. He’d already spent almost everything Marcus had given him, and showing the few he had left was too embarrassing.
Yushiro also lowered his head, his gaze vacant.
All his money had gone to alcohol; drowning his sorrows in drink had, lately, been the summary of his life.
Nezuko goes without saying: even back when she was alive, the little one’s pockets were cleaner than her face, and now... now all she carried in her pockets was sweets.
Even so, she placed her little candies on the table, with a face full of dismay.
Tamayo wanted to set an example and take the initiative, but... she discovered there was no example to set.
Marcus could have spared himself the speech.
A whole table of immortal vampires, and pooling everyone’s pockets together they didn’t even come up with a hundred bills.
What a bleak picture.
"Fufu~"
"What a pack of starving beggars."
"In the end, everything always comes down to me."
That voice, as conceited as it was capricious, left no doubt as to whom it belonged.
Everyone turned toward Ume.
At that moment she had her face tilted up nearly to the ceiling. With her hands on her hips, she radiated an attitude so smug, so self-satisfied, so shameless. And above all, catching a sidelong glimpse of the surprised look on Marcus’s face, she couldn’t contain the corners of her lips, which nearly stretched up to her ears.
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