Demon Slayer: Breath of Desire

When the doors of the Kyogoku House swung open, the air in the parlor froze.

No one dared say a word.

And all for one reason: the brothel’s star, the oiran Warabihime, famous for her foul temper, had spent the entire day smashing up her room and screaming.

The reason?

She was looking for the boss.

And why so desperately?

Well... you only had to see her come in at dawn. Warabihime had every appearance of having been brutally abused all night long.

And not just in bed. She looked as if she’d been dragged across the floor, through water, and even through mud.

So the women of the house had pieced it together in their own way.

The new boss was an animal!

And Warabihime, the poor victim that beast had used and tossed aside like a rag.

Right now, every gaze in the parlor converged on the two figures who had just come face to face.

Daki, at the top of the stairs, watched the man stroll in without the slightest hurry. Her lips moved, but not a sound came out of her mouth.

Marcus wore a pale green kimono and a faint smile. If not for the two swords at his waist, anyone would have taken him for a rich kid come to blow his inheritance at the brothel.

He crossed the entryway unhurried.

He glanced at the Yarite, who—after bursting in and shouting that the boss had arrived—had hidden behind the counter and was trembling like a leaf.

Then he lifted his gaze to the second floor, toward Daki, who seemed to have a thousand things to say to him and didn’t dare let out a single one.

The corner of his lips curled ever so slightly.

"I hear you were looking for me."

Daki dug her nails into her palms.

’Damn this man!’

’Who knows where you’ve been killing time all day, WHILE I WAS DYING OF DREAD!’

Just when she’d hit rock bottom, convinced she was finished, that there was no way out... there he was. Turning up again, cool as ever, like nothing had happened.

In theory, the fact that Marcus deigned to show up meant there was still some room to maneuver. That she and her brother still had a shot at surviving.

And even so, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t manage to feel glad. What’s more... she wanted to cry out of sheer helplessness!

And the worst part of all was that she couldn’t even take her anger out on him!

This situation... was enough to make her tear her hair out!

Meanwhile, the one to blame for all of it, Marcus, acted as if he hadn’t noticed a thing and started up the stairs.

Reaching Daki, he looked down at her.

That lovely face was a cocktail of resentment, anxiety, and a pinch of hesitation.

"What’s the matter? Weren’t you the one dying to see me? And now you won’t let me through?"

Daki bit her lip, but in the end she stepped aside to let him pass.

Except Marcus didn’t just walk past—he casually reached out and pulled her against his chest.

Daki instantly made as if to resist, but all it took was for Marcus’s hand to press a little harder for her to go docile.

Under the knowing looks of all the women, Marcus led her toward the room with a hand on her waist, and said in a good and loud voice.

"Warabihime’s been a little temperamental these past few days, and I’m sorry she’s had you all worried. To make up for it, we’re closing tonight. Let the Yarite go with you to round up the ones who went out looking for me; you’re all off to Asakusa, have fun till dawn, and put it on the brothel’s tab."

The Kyogoku House parlor lit up all at once.

And those sly little smiles grew even more obvious among the women.

’Well, well... The boss isn’t satisfied with having his fun at home anymore. We’re in the way, and he wants the place all to himself.’

Others, on the other hand, couldn’t help a pang of envy.

Because what Marcus had just said made one thing perfectly clear: Warabihime was his woman. And if his woman gave him grief, he’d foot the bill without batting an eye.

Marcus was young, rich, and handsome. There wasn’t a single courtesan in the whole house who didn’t harbor some fantasy about him. But actually stealing Warabihime’s man away... no, none of them dared go that far.

Anyway. Any way you looked at it, things were shaping up beautifully. Food and drink on the house, on the clock.

Paying no mind to the sweet cries echoing up from below, Marcus led her all the way to the room without letting go of her waist, giving her backside a good squeeze along the way.

Daki, pressed against his chest, ground her teeth in fury.

’Yeah... grope all you want.’

’Damn this man.’

’You’ve had me scared to death all day long.’

’Enjoy it while it lasts, because the moment I get what I want... you’re going to find out who I really am.’

They went down the hallway in silence to her room, the last one at the far end.

Marcus opened the door, and the first thing he saw was a floor strewn with wreckage. Vases, cups, hair combs, makeup boxes... everything that could be broken had been smashed to pieces.

Arching an eyebrow, he looked down at Daki.

"Who made you angry?"

"You did!"

Daki shot him a glare, wriggled free of his arms, and spun around to slam the door shut.

The bolt dropped with a dry click that echoed through the silence of the room.

Marcus didn’t so much as flinch. He walked unhurried toward the window and, with his back to her, drew the curtain aside a little. He stood watching the last ray of sunset sink into the horizon.

"What are you locking the door for?"

Gyūtarō rose from a corner of the room, his sickles gleaming coldly in the faint twilight.

"We need to talk to you."

Marcus turned around to look at the siblings.

One smiled coldly. The other clenched her fists and her teeth.

"Now I get it!" He nodded. "It’s a textbook setup! You lure me here with a pretty face and squeeze the money out of me, right?"

Daki: "..."

Gyūtarō: "..."

The two of them looked at each other.

Huh... Now that they thought about it, the scene did look like that.

The pretty sister seduces the wealthy customer and takes him up to the room. And the ugly brother, lying in wait and ready from the start, springs out of nowhere brandishing a weapon.

....

It was a textbook setup!

’NO!’

’No way!’

’What setup, what the hell?!’

"Nonsense!" Daki stamped her foot hard in anger. "This is a kidnapping!"

"Kidnapping?" Marcus’s eyes went from one to the other. "Just the two of you?"

Catching the deep contempt in Marcus’s words, Gyūtarō gripped his sickles tighter.

"Aren’t we enough? Though I’ll admit I’m curious why you’re not surprised to see me show up."

"I take it you didn’t have a very pleasant day." Marcus laughed mockingly. "The whole brothel reeks of you two. Or do you think I keep my nose around just for show?"

Daki tilted her head. "And you still dared to come in?"

Marcus mimicked her movement. "If I didn’t come in, how was I supposed to find out about the nonsense you’re plotting?"

"You... stop copying me!"

Marcus’s carefree attitude drove her even further up the wall.

Marcus, however, paid her no attention and looked at Gyūtarō.

"So tell me, what do you want to talk about?"

Gyūtarō took a step forward. "About how you’re going to convince Tamayo to help us sever the bond that ties us to Muzan."

"Muzan?" Marcus’s eyes went wide. "You dare call him by his name?"

Gyūtarō sneered. "What’s this? You’ve got us mixed up with those demons who can’t even say it out loud?"

Marcus shook his head. He knew perfectly well that the Upper Moons were Muzan’s right hand; if they couldn’t say his name, they wouldn’t even know what to call him.

"I’m just intrigued as to why you dare name him—and on top of that, want to break away from him."

That detail did catch him off guard.

Weren’t they supremely loyal?

...Gyūtarō, no question; he lived to indulge his sister in everything.

But Daki...

She truly was faithful to him.

Marcus studied her with curiosity.

He didn’t know whether the resentment still lingered, but the girl was a powder keg. One glance too many, and she’d blow.

"What the hell are you staring at, you wretch?! We’re doing this to save your hide! Don’t you get it?!"

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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎

And don’t forget to comment, I wanna know if you liked the Chapter 👀

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