Shinobu watched with great interest, considering whether she should step in to help and subdue Giyū as soon as possible.
But, to be honest, she was still a little reluctant.
It was the first time she'd seen that kind of fighting style.
It wasn't just simple speed or strength, but a combination of reality and illusion where it was hard to tell the real from the fake.
It was a little like Tokito's Breath of Mist, but it seemed to be a level above.
After all, he had images that helped with the feints, which was extremely lethal when facing an enemy.
"Interesting…" she murmured. "How did he manage to develop this?"
Maybe if she watched more, it would also be of help to her own Breath. And just as she was thinking about how it would help her…
Smack!
"KYAAA!!"
A huge hand landed a resounding slap on her left buttcheek, leaving her petrified!
A second later, the blush exploded across her face.
And the culprit, Marcus, went running past her, raising his hand with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry! I bumped into you by accident!"
Shinobu covered her left buttcheek and took a deep breath, making a superhuman effort to keep her smile in place.
'Stay calm…'
She was a Hashira, the Insect Pillar. She couldn't lose her composure. She couldn't…
Smack!
Again.
This time on the right side.
With a little less force… but the sensation was far more electrifying.
Her composure shattered in an instant.
"MARCUS!!!"
Spinning on her heels, she pointed her blade at the pink silhouette floating past behind her.
Marcus stopped in front of her and raised his hands with an innocent smile.
"Sorry, sorry! I still haven't gotten the hang of this new technique, I can't control the direction too well."
Shinobu gritted her teeth. The smile was still intact, but the veins on her temple were already bulging.
"You haven't gotten the hang of it?"
"Uh-huh!"
"You can't control the direction?"
"Exactly!"
"Then, Marcus-kun, tell me…" Forcing the smile, Shinobu stressed every word, "how come you're able to 'land your hand' right on target on my ass? And not once, but twice."
Marcus blinked and pretended to weigh the answer with the utmost seriousness.
And then…
Swish
He bolted!
Shinobu's smile froze.
She wasn't stupid. Once could pass as an accident… but twice?
It was crystal clear he had done it on purpose.
He was getting his revenge!
It seemed that… in the future she was going to have to warn Kanao that this man was the kind who doesn't forget a grudge.
The third time.
Marcus went past Shinobu again, with his hand stretched out once more, and the target was still the same: that fleshy zone he was finding more and more addictive.
But just as his palm was about to touch it…
Shinobu's hand shot out and snatched his wrist with millimeter-perfect precision.
And then she looked at him with a smile.
"Marcus-kun~"
"Mmh?"
"Do you have a death wish?"
Pulling his hand back quickly, Marcus let out a nervous laugh. "It won't happen again, I swear."
He took two steps back, keeping a more than prudent distance, and right after that he lunged at Giyū with a satisfied look on his face.
"..."
Motionless, Shinobu watched the dozens of silhouettes coming and going around her, and let out a sigh of resignation.
This man…
She rubbed her ass, which was still tingling, while the blush on her face still hadn't faded.
Thinking of Kanao, she let out another sigh.
That girl is so innocent…
And this man… so shameless.
In the future, isn't he just going to spend all day smacking Kanao's ass?...
Marcus, of course, had no idea what was running through Shinobu's head.
After getting his revenge, he was in the best mood possible. And now he was dedicating himself to making Giyū's life hell.
He'd smack him and disappear, kick him and vanish into thin air, not giving Giyū the slightest chance to face him head-on.
Giyū really had no way of dealing with him.
There were too many copies of Marcus everywhere, and for every one he destroyed, another three popped up to take its place. And perception wasn't exactly his strong suit, so there was no way to tell which one was the real one. And even when he did manage to find the real one, the guy would take off at the first contact, not giving him the slightest opening to counterattack.
At that moment, Shinobu's voice came up from one side.
"Marcus-kun~"
Marcus turned his head while dodging a counterattack from Giyū. "Mmh?"
"Just what are you thinking? I told you to go, and here you still are. What are you playing at?"
And since she was there and had nothing better to do, Shinobu took the chance to swing a slash at Giyū.
Giyu: "???"
Marcus coordinated his attack with hers and responded by taking advantage of the opening her thrusts left. "I'm planning to go to Headquarters."
"To Headquarters?!"
"Yes." Marcus dodged another counterattack from Giyū. "Hiding isn't my thing, I'd rather say it all to their face."
"... The other Hashiras might not understand this experiment business of yours." Shinobu frowned as she made another thrust. "It's too risky."
Marcus smiled.
"Thanks for your concern, but I know what I'm doing."
He paused and, taking advantage of a crack in the attack against Giyū, blurted out, "By the way, can I call you Shinobu-chan?"
Shinobu's thrust, which had been headed for its mark, veered slightly off course.
"… What did you say?"
"Shinobu-chan~" Marcus repeated, in a perfectly natural tone. "I think it suits you pretty well."
"…"
Shinobu stayed silent for a few seconds.
"I'm older than you."
"If you don't like it, I can always copy Kanao and call you Shinobu-nee-san~"
"… Forget it… better call me Shinobu-chan."
Laughing heartily, Marcus kept on attacking Giyū.
Shinobu blocked Giyū's counterattack. "And how do you plan to convince the other Hashiras?"
"Well…" said Marcus as he threw out slashes. "First I'll go see the Master, and if he gives the green light, the other Pillars will be a whole lot easier to handle."
"And are you sure he's going to accept?"
"Hehe, I've got a feeling he's not just going to accept."
"That confident, are you?"
Smiling with a certain air of mystery, Marcus didn't explain any further.
His intention in going to see Kagaya wasn't simply to explain himself or do something like ask for forgiveness.
If he didn't want to explain himself, Ubuyashiki would never be able to stop him.
The real reason he was going to see him was something completely different.
Tamayo was running out of money!
Having lived several centuries, her fortune was actually quite solid. The problem was that her expenses were even more so.
A laboratory that hadn't stopped in a hundred years, the blood and supplies she needed on a regular basis, and the free treatments and donations she offered every now and then.
Over the course of that century she had accumulated a considerable number of properties, and with just the rent, it was enough to balance the books.
But that was it: balancing, and not much more.
In the last two months, with the experiments running at full throttle, the supplies and materials — which were expensive as hell — were draining her reserves at an alarming rate.
And, from Marcus's point of view, what was Tamayo's was his… and Tamayo herself too!
The thing was, killing Muzan wasn't a matter that concerned only him.
Why did he have to be the only one putting up everything?
A full-blown injustice!
So the visit to the Ubuyashiki was coldly calculated from the start.
He didn't just want his activities to become official — what mattered was landing an investor.
He needed funding!
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If we hit 150 PS, I'll drop another chapter! 💎🔥 You know what to do 😏
THANKS FOR READING!
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More chapters ahead of time? Find me: P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790