Chapter 168: A Three-Power Balance
"Mr. Flamboyant. You still want to fight?"
"..."
Tengen kept his silence.
Fight?
How the hell was he supposed to fight?
Were they really going to make him fight one against seven?
He was stubborn, not stupid.
If they started fighting now, he’d have no choice but to get beaten to a pulp!
Marcus smiled. "If you’re not going to fight, go back and explain today properly to Kagaya. He’s more flexible than you are."
"..."
"And as for whatever needs to be done down the line..." Marcus thought about it for a moment. "Don’t you all love your meetings? So call one and hash it out."
Tengen stayed silent for a good while before sheathing his blades. "You’re really letting me go?"
"Obviously! In a three-power balance, allies matter a great deal."
Tengen furrowed his brow. "A three-power... balance?"
But Marcus offered no explanation. "Say that phrase to Kagaya. He’ll understand it."
"..."
Tengen held his gaze for a long moment, and after a few seconds, he left.
He’d understood perfectly. He’d even caught the true intention behind Marcus’s words: as of today, he was cutting all ties with the hunters.
The country would no longer be just the clash between demons and hunters. An even more terrifying race had just emerged.
But before he could leave, Marcus called out to him: "If Kagaya wants to negotiate later on, remember to send Shinobu and Kanao as representatives."
Tengen simply waved a hand.
"Heh. All right, then."
Watching him walk off, Marcus turned around too and set off toward Asakusa.
"Let’s go rest—it’s getting late."
Tanjiro hurried after him, gesturing at the rubble all around. "Marcus, and all this...?"
Marcus shook his head, smiling. "Unless something unexpected happens, the Demon Slayer Corps won’t be cleaning up my messes anymore. We’ll have to clean this one up ourselves tomorrow."
"..."
Tanjiro fell silent for a moment. "So then... have we broken with the Corps completely?"
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Who told you that you’d cut ties?"
"Huh?"
Tanjiro didn’t get it. "Then what was that just now?!"
"That just now was only to avoid a fight." Marcus said it perfectly matter-of-factly. "If you all hadn’t stepped in, that stubborn mule would have split us into two sides to fight, and that would have been a real problem."
Tanjiro: "..."
Marcus gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Besides, if I really did let you shut yourself away here with me, would you be happy about it?"
"In any case, my guess is Muzan won’t dare give me trouble in the short term."
Tanjiro mulled it over for an instant and shook his head, his gaze firm: "Senpai, I still want to eliminate demons—I still want to go after Muzan!"
Marcus spread his hands. "That’s exactly my point. I wasn’t planning on holding you back either."
And right away he pointed toward Mount Sagiri.
"Once you’ve eaten something and seen Nezuko, do me a favor: go find the old man first and bring him over to stay with me for a while."
"Sensei? What for?"
Marcus smiled wryly. "I’m worried he won’t take it well... What if he finds out I turned into a vampire and the old man decides to end it all?"
"WHAT?!"
A cry of shock rang out as dust flew into the air. Tanjiro had already shot off.
"Weren’t you going to see Nezuko first?" Marcus shouted after him from a distance.
From a distance came Tanjiro’s voice: "I’ll bring Sensei back first."
Marcus chuckled under his breath and turned to Inosuke and Zenitsu.
"You two, go help him. I’m afraid Tanjiro can’t handle that pig-headed old man on his own. And if there’s no other way, the three of you drag him back here tied up!"
Zenitsu hesitated. "Um... that wouldn’t be very nice, would it?"
"Don’t worry." Marcus smiled at him warmly. "When you get back, I’ll have Daki release the girls, and I guarantee you’ll become their hero."
"And you, Inosuke, if you pull off the mission—unlimited lobster!"
Swish! Swish!
Both Inosuke and Zenitsu shot off.
"Zenitsu, take the girl with you!"
At a full run, Zenitsu screeched to a halt and came running back. Red to the ears, he put the girl into Marcus’s arms.
"I... I forgot..."
"Yeah, yeah. Go and hurry back."
"U-Understood!"
Marcus handed the girl over to Daki, who tucked her back into her sash.
"Boss..."
"Mm?"
"My... my Master..." Face flushed, Daki asked, "And these courtesans—what do we do with them?"
Marcus took a glance at the good dozen women Daki had stowed away in her sash.
"For now, let’s take them back." He turned around and started walking. "The Kyogoku House is short on people right now."
Daki looked at the Kyogoku House, bewildered. It didn’t exist anymore.
Without breaking stride, Marcus swept a hand across the whole street.
"To be precise—all of Yoshiwara is short on people!"
"Yoshiwara?" Daki didn’t understand a thing. "And what does that have to do with us?"
"Before I have the strength to face or even kill Muzan." Marcus spoke as he walked. "This place will be our most important stronghold in our fight against him."
"Starting tomorrow, we buy up and rebuild all of Yoshiwara!"
"And from here we expand to Asakusa and all of Tokyo!"
"From now on, I’m going to turn this place into the greatest entertainment district in all of Japan!"
"No...! In all the world!"
...
Half an hour later, the gates of the Asakusa Estate slowly swung open.
"Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back tonight?"
Apron on and wearing a sour face, Yushiro coldly looked over the group trailing behind Marcus.
One, two, three... here came a whole crowd again!
Marcus shrugged. "A little something came up."
"Hmph."
Yushiro snorted and, without another word, stalked off stiffly toward the gatehouse, grumbling under his breath.
"Liar. No integrity."
"Not having dinner with us?" Marcus tossed out, teasing.
"No! I’m already stuffed full of pure rage!"
Narrowing his eyes, Hakuji looked toward the gatehouse, then at Marcus.
The coldness in his gaze was unmistakable.
"Master~~~" Daki poked half her head out from behind his arm and spoke in a flirty voice. "Why don’t you throw that gatekeeper out? He’s absolutely insufferable~~. It’s my first time here and he’s already giving me a dirty look."
Marcus laughed and patted her little head. "His presence is a lot like your brother’s. They’re both things that came as a free bonus."
Gyutaro’s face went stiff. "That doesn’t sound good at all."
"It’s the plain truth." Marcus didn’t even turn around. "You’re Daki... ah... right, you got your memories back and you don’t like being called Daki... so I’ll call you Ume."
"You’re Ume’s brother. And Yushiro... let’s just say he amounts to Tamayo’s little brother."
...Ume.
Hearing that name, Daki was thrown off for a second, then lifted her chin even higher.
Did she not like it? On the contrary—she loved it.
It was just that no one had called her that in so very long that hearing it out of nowhere sent a tingle through her ears.
But she said nothing, and simply clung tighter to Marcus’s arm.
Yet when she caught sight of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, still unrepaired, Ume’s steps slowed.
Marcus noticed and glanced at her sideways. "Are you scared?"
"Scared?!"
Ume straightened up. "What a joke! How could I possibly be scared of them?!"
Them...
Marcus understood.
This girl still saw herself as a separate camp, apart from Tamayo and the others.
He shook his head and said no more.
Doesn’t matter whether she fits in or not. She just needs to be teased a couple more times. After all, a smack is affection and a scolding is love.
He’d already realized that Ume had a nature that was practically begging to be put in its place.
The gentler you are with her, the more boring she finds you and the less interested she is in getting close to you.
On the contrary, the more you give her a hard time, the more she thinks about you and the more desperately she tries to stick to your side.
She... was your classic masochist.
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