Yoizumi's quick reply made everyone present laugh. Kyoujurou, with his arms crossed, nodded in agreement with Yoizumi's attitude.
"Mhm! A very firm answer!"
"This guy is still rude and does whatever he wants," Sanemi Shinazugawa grumbled with a snort. His words reached Obanai's ears, and Obanai glanced at his friend.
He felt like he had just insulted himself... Yoizumi was not affected by the others' voices at all. His gentle and focused gaze had not shifted even an inch since he first saw Shinobu.
He watched Shinobu's beautifully made-up face slowly bloom into a soft smile, her magnificent purple eyes filled with warmth, subtly tinged with helplessness.
Yoizumi tilted his head. Was his answer wrong?
Uzui Tengen, standing between the two, was practically invisible. He sighed exasperatedly, his tone full of dissatisfaction and resentment.
"This groom, please don't answer prematurely!"
"Oh," Yoizumi nodded indifferently.
"ꐦ!" Uzui Tengen gritted his teeth. 'Oh, my foot!'
Don't get angry, don't get angry... This isn't the first or second time this guy's personality has left him speechless... Uzui Tengen took a deep breath, then smiled as he looked at Shinobu.
"Then, Shinobu, do you take Yoizumi to be your husband, to accompany him through whatever splendor the future holds, to walk hand in hand through life's storms, until you splendidly reach the end of life?"
So there were so many more words after that... Yoizumi blinked, thinking.
Shinobu slightly raised her head, her gaze meeting Yoizumi's. Both saw their own reflection in the other's eyes. Looking at Yoizumi, Shinobu nodded, her voice soft but clear enough for everyone present to hear.
"I do."
Even though Yoizumi knew Shinobu's answer would be this, hearing it in person still made him feel an involuntary joy, his eyes full of smiles.
"Good! The bride and groom may now exchange rings!"
Uzui Tengen stepped back, leaving enough space for the two, and said with a smile.
Facing Shinobu's outstretched hand, Yoizumi once again placed the ring he had made himself onto her finger... A slightly cool sensation came from her finger. Yoizumi lowered his eyes, staring at the ring on her left ring finger, his right finger caressing the snowflake pattern on the ring face.
Shinobu had asked Kagane Techin, the Swordsmith Village chief, to make this. As expected of the chief, even such an item was crafted perfectly, incomparable to what Yoizumi had made... Yoizumi had originally wanted to ask the elder to remake one, but Shinobu refused... Shinobu said... "What Yoizumi made is the best."
"This is all I need."
Thinking this, Yoizumi held Shinobu's hand, intertwining their fingers.
He was so happy now... Shinobu was now his wife... his beloved... the most special family in this world.
"Shinobu..." He gently stroked Shinobu's left cheek.
"Mmm~?"
Shinobu softly responded, then closed her eyes and slightly raised her head. Yoizumi looked at Shinobu, at her lips, painted with a vivid red unlike before, and lowered his head to kiss her tenderly.
Seriously... he, the officiant, hadn't even said they could kiss yet... Uzui Tengen was used to it and accepted it... "Brother, Yoizumi-nii looks very happy," Nezuko and Tanjirou stood not far away, their eyes filled only with joy for their brother finding happiness.
Tanjirou looked up, his eyes slightly red, and nodded noncommittally.
Yoizumi-nii was very happy... he could smell it.
Tanjirou couldn't help but compare Yoizumi-nii in this moment to when he first came to their home in the past.
The confused and empty shell was finally filled with happiness.
Actually, Tanjirou had never said... the other reason why he was able to find Yoizumi-nii in the heavy snow that day... it was a scent of sorrow, so overwhelming that even in the biting cold of winter, when breathing only brought stinging cold, it couldn't be ignored, and it drew him there... That's wonderful, Yoizumi-nii... "Congratulations!" Kyoujurou's face was beaming with a wide smile; he was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart. He raised his hand, patted Yoizumi's shoulder, and raised his wine glass.
"Yoizumi can't drink, so just do as you please."
"I'll drink it all!" Kyoujurou boldly drank the wine in his glass. He occasionally drank with his father, and his alcohol tolerance had increased significantly. After one glass, his face showed no flush.
Yoizumi chose to toast Kyoujurou with juice. He had to listen to Shinobu and stay away from alcohol. Shinobu had told him yesterday.
"Yoizumi absolutely cannot touch alcohol! Understand?"
Uzui Tengen walked over to the couple with his three wives, casually twirling a wine glass between two fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"The flamboyant me had long foreseen this day."
"Tengen...-sama is so... amazing! To be able to... predict this!" Suma mumbled, already completely drunk even though the celebration had just begun.
Yoizumi quietly took a few steps back.
"Eh~" Uzui Tengen took a step forward and unceremoniously hooked his arm around Yoizumi's neck, the liquid in the wine glass in his right hand swaying with his movements, a teasing tone mixed in his off-key voice.
"Do you, a novice, need me, a flamboyant man with three wives, to teach you?"
Yoizumi raised his hand to push him away, then glanced at Hinatsuru, his tone utterly serious.
"You should check on your wife first... she's eaten too much, her stomach is a bit big."
Uzui Tengen's smile froze, his dark pink eyes staring incredulously at the guy in front of him who wasn't joking at all.
No way... he really doesn't understand anything about this... "What do you mean 'eaten too much'? That's my child inside."
Child?
Yoizumi looked at the bulging stomach and blinked.
Wasn't that delivered by a crane?
How did it get into her stomach... Uzui Tengen suddenly became interested. He suddenly wanted to know how Yoizumi would react when he understood these things.
"Yoizumi, let me tell you... uh..." He stiffly looked down at the syringe pressed against his waist, meeting Shinobu's eyes, which held a half-smile.
"What did Mr. Uzui want to say?"
"Can I listen too?"
Shinobu smiled innocently, but only Uzui Tengen knew that the sharp needle tip was slowly approaching his skin.
"Ah... I suddenly remembered something I wanted to tell the Master."
"I'll be going first."
Putting away the syringe, Shinobu gently snorted, then turned to look at Yoizumi beside her. It was a good thing she had felt uneasy seeing Uzui approach Yoizumi earlier near Mitsuri, and came over.
It was indeed the right decision!
Truly... one cannot relax even for a moment!
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