Chapter 192: Thumbs Up
Pearl reached out to more than ten remodeling and construction companies at once, both local ones and those from the surrounding areas.
Since all the structures would be two- or three-story wooden houses with no need for deep foundations, the work moved along at a good pace. With the areas divided and the tasks split up, the whole thing would finish simultaneously in a few months.
The real problem was still the budget and the manpower.
The money they’d accumulated seemed plentiful, but it only covered the basic infrastructure. Trying to buy up all of Asakusa with barely ten million was unrealistic. A far larger investment was needed.
On top of that, filling the district required a large number of young women, drawn from humble families.
All of that took capital.
"It’s going to be a hectic few months...," Marcus sighed.
Ivy, who had quietly taken Pearl’s place, poured him a cup of tea and settled behind him. Her slender fingers began to gently massage his temples.
"Don’t worry, Master~" she murmured with a purr. "With us keeping you company, the time will fly by."
Marcus rested his head against her breasts and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I hope so..."
Halfway through the sentence, the sound of the door opening cut in.
"Good morning, Marcus-kun~"
A voice with a faintly mocking edge rang out from the threshold.
!
Marcus flinched, straightened up instantly, and settled into the chair with his back board-straight. Behind him, Ivy yanked her hands back in a hurry and stepped aside, her face flushed.
"Ara~ ara~... am I interrupting something?"
Shinobu was leaning against the frame, covering her mouth with one hand and smiling mischievously.
"Not at all!" Marcus shook his head vigorously.
"Glad to hear it~" Shinobu looked at Ivy kindly. "Ivy-san, could you go find Urokodaki-san? We’re ready to head out."
Ivy glanced at Marcus and, receiving no objection, gave a brief nod. "Right away."
Marcus frowned. "What’s the big rush?"
"The Master’s waiting on my report," she replied with a laugh.
"At least have some breakfast..."
Marcus stood to approach her, but Shinobu turned on her heel and headed toward the bath.
"Right, I almost forgot... I still need to get myself ready~"
Watching her walk off to dodge him, Marcus stood frozen in place, mouth half-open, at a loss for anything to add.
...
Half an hour later, Shinobu and Urokodaki were waiting at the entrance. Behind them came Tanjiro, Inosuke, and a Zenitsu walking with a vacant stare.
Marcus confronted Shinobu after being ignored all morning, and let the question out without caring who was present.
"Shinobu... you still haven’t given me an answer."
Last night, right after he’d asked whether that was a confession of love, Shinobu had dropped down from the roof in a hurry. The suspense had kept Marcus tossing and turning in bed until dawn.
"An answer?" Shinobu blinked innocently. "Are you sure you want to hear it, Marcus? It might hurt~"
Marcus clenched his jaw. "I’d rather hear it anyway."
Noticing his insistence, Shinobu’s smile turned radiant.
"I’m not interested."
!!!!
The words were absolute, landing on Marcus like a direct hit.
He brought a hand to his chest and took a step back, completely thrown.
"You rejected me!"
"That’s right, Marcus-kun~," Shinobu replied with a radiant smile. "A total, merciless rejection."
"Enough!"
Marcus thrust a hand out in front of him, blocking the blow. "There’s no need to rub salt in the wound!"
Shinobu tilted her head. "If I don’t spell it out clearly, you’d just play dumb, wouldn’t you~?"
"Of course not!"
Behind him, the girls stifled their laughter.
Tanjiro lowered his head, trying to hide the shaking of his shoulders, while Inosuke looked at Zenitsu in confusion. Zenitsu, for his part, wasn’t even processing the scene; exhaustion had him on the verge of collapse.
Marcus brought a hand to his chest dramatically. "Even if it hurts, I’m not giving up!"
"No problem~" Shinobu kept her playful tone. "I don’t plan on changing my mind either."
Nodding, Marcus walked with heavy steps until he stood in front of Urokodaki.
"Master, lend me your sword."
Urokodaki narrowed his eyes.
"Are you going to commit seppuku too?"
And as he spoke, he held out the sword without ceremony. "Go ahead. We’ll wait for you to finish before we leave."
Marcus took the weapon and looked at Shinobu, who was watching him curiously.
She wanted to see what other insanity he’d come up with.
But in the very next second...
Swish
Marcus sliced off his own left hand.
!
Shinobu’s smile froze. Tanjiro’s laugh caught in his throat, Inosuke’s eyes went wide, and Zenitsu jumped, snapping awake all at once.
Only Urokodaki and Pearl stayed calm, used to this kind of nonsense.
"Y-YOU...! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Shinobu lunged toward him, frantically searching for bandages.
But at that instant...
Squelch!
A new hand sprouted from Marcus’s stump with astonishing speed. The freshly formed limb snatched the severed hand out of the air before it could hit the ground.
Shinobu stopped dead.
Only now did she remember that Marcus no longer operated by human biology. There was no reason to panic, but the scene defied all logic.
Marcus took the severed hand and handed it to Shinobu, setting it firmly on her palms.
"W-What is this supposed to be?" she asked, looking him in the eyes, completely thrown.
"A keepsake."
’A keepsake?’
Shinobu looked down, and only then did she realize...
The severed limb didn’t crumble to ash like a demon’s; instead, the skin had healed over the cut, sealing the wound until it became a solid, independent piece.
She looked back and forth between the severed hand and Marcus’s two intact hands, processing the absurdity.
"Why... is your left hand... like this?"
Marcus smiled proudly. "It’s a special keepsake, it had to last."
The expression on Shinobu’s face crumbled like never before in her entire life.
With the severed limb between her fingers, she didn’t know whether to laugh or lose her patience.
To top off the whole scene, the severed hand rose up on her palms, raised its thumb, and gave her a thumbs-up of approval.
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Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎
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