HAHAHAHA... seriously? SERIOUSLY?
The goal was 350 PS and you stopped at 345... YOU WERE 5 SHORT! FIVE LITTLE STONES! 🤣
I don't know whether to laugh or cry for you guys. All that effort just to fall at the finish line... you're one of a kind 👏
Well, since you proved you can't do it, the new goal is 520 PS.
And you know what? You'll NEVER make it 😏 If you couldn't handle 5 measly stones, what makes you think you'll hit 520? HAHAHA.
______
In the main hall.
A dim light bathed everything.
Marcus left the two wooden boxes by the entrance and stepped alone into the inner rooms.
On the tatami, a man sat in seiza position.
The upper half of his face was covered with deep ulcers, and his eyes had lost their sight long ago. And yet, those blind pupils seemed to turn toward Marcus serenely.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki
The Master of the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Marcus?"
"The very one."
"Welcome to the Ubuyashiki house. Please, take a seat."
He hadn't referred to the place as headquarters or as a base, but as a house, in a deliberate gesture to ease any tension his guest might be bringing with him.
The two of them settled in across from a small wooden table. On top of it, two cups were giving off a steady thread of steam.
Since Marcus wasn't used to sitting that way, he simply crossed his legs with complete ease.
Kagaya gave a courteous gesture with his hand and spoke in a soft voice, "Would you mind if I called you Marcus-kun, the same way Shinobu does?"
"Not at all." Marcus lifted the cup and took a sip. "And you? Would you mind if I just called you Kagaya?"
"..."
"Too forward?"
"No, I don't mind it," Ubuyashiki replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's just that it's… peculiar."
"Peculiar?"
"Yes, a little. You see, aside from my wife and my elders, nobody addresses me that way."
"Well, I can assure you I'm not your wife."
"…Pff."
Kagaya laughed. Even if his laugh was faint, he was amused.
"Marcus-kun, Shinobu was right. You really are, without a doubt, someone out of the ordinary."
"Generally, I save that charm for the ladies." Marcus set the cup down on the table. "But for you I'll make an exception, Kagaya. Something tells me you won't take offense at a joke now and then."
"On the contrary. I appreciate having someone willing to share a joke with me."
They looked at each other and smiled in unison.
But, after the laughter, Kagaya let the silence settle between the two of them.
"Tell me, then, Marcus-kun… Do you intend to leave the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Marcus arched an eyebrow: "And what brought that on? Because I didn't call you master?"
"The form of address itself doesn't bother me," Kagaya replied, without losing his calm. "But the way one person addresses another tends to reveal a great deal about their attitude."
"You're perceptive," Marcus nodded. "And sharp on top of that."
"It's true: I don't harbor a strong sense of belonging toward the Corps. My way of doing things is, for most of the slayers, probably incompatible. And yet…"
"And yet?"
"And yet, I don't intend to leave it. At least, not for now."
"You're not retiring, nor fully integrating either. So what you're proposing is… a partnership?"
"That's right." Marcus smiled. "And it's precisely to discuss the details that I've come to see you today."
Kagaya lowered his head and a faint smile crept onto his lips. "A very wise choice."
He raised his face again. "Indeed, your way of operating will hardly receive approval from the others. But if we frame it as an alliance, the resistance from my children will be considerably less."
"A win-win agreement, isn't that right?"
"Yes…" Kagaya tilted his head slightly. "Everyone wins."
"Then, let's talk about the concrete terms of this partnership."
….
In the garden
The battle had reduced the front courtyard to rubble, so the group had moved to the back one. Everyone took up their corner, some standing, others seated.
Shinobu was rubbing her forehead without losing her smile, though the resignation was showing on her face.
"Sanemi, Obanai, your wounds are too serious. You need treatment immediately. This first aid isn't going to hold much longer; stop trying to play the tough guys."
"No!" Both of them exclaimed in unison.
One looked like a mummy and the other, a pregnant woman thanks to the bandages.
Obanai was barely managing to stay on his feet, his abdomen bulging with the thickness of the dressings. His face was pale as wax, but his gaze was firm as granite.
"Until this matter is settled, I won't allow myself a single breather. I'd rather die than close my eyes!"
Sanemi, sprawled on the ground, was even worse off. Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, he could barely move, but his mouth wouldn't quit.
"That bastard has something strange about him! Something very strange! I'm staying right here to protect the Master!"
Everyone looked at the mummy who couldn't even sit up and shook their heads.
"Pfft!"
Mitsuri couldn't hold back her laughter.
But as she felt the eyes settling on her, she covered her mouth with both hands, her face red. "I-I'm sorry!"
"Let it be, Shinobu." Gyōmei kept his hands clasped, the right one now bandaged. "Allow them to wait."
"What a sad spectacle." Tengen was leaning against a column, with disdain painted on every word. "Two veteran Pillars reduced to this state by a rookie. Nothing flamboyant about it, that's for sure."
"You son of a—!" Sanemi thrashed on the ground as best he could. "That guy has something strange about him! Something very strange! If you're so full of yourself, go check it out yourself!"
"And who said I'm not planning to?" Tengen raised his chin arrogantly. "I'm putting the finishing touches on my score. If I haven't stepped in yet, it's because the lot of you, mediocre as you are, weren't even capable of buying me a little time."
"You talk too lightly," Obanai muttered in a grim voice. "You go first. We'll observe… and gather information at the same time."
"Observe, you say? It's called composing a score! It's my most spectacular technique!"
"Drop it." Obanai shot him a sidelong glance. "That habit of yours from your ninja days, the one about refusing to fight without first gathering every last piece of data… the years go by, and you stay the same."
"Iguro, that was a remark in very poor taste." Tengen drew himself up to his full height. "Are you perhaps looking to face me in a duel worthy of a show?"
"HAHAHA! What energy!"
Rengoku, planted off to one side, was laughing at the top of his lungs.
"Rengoku…" Shinobu brought her fingers to her temple. "Please, don't add to the racket."
"Hahaha, my apologies!" Stopping at once, he bowed solemnly.
Giyū remained tucked away in a corner, with an impassive face and his eyes lost on some uncertain point.
"Ah…" Tokito murmured, his eyes on the sky. "Where could that cloud from a moment ago have gone off to?"
"…"
Tanjiro's gaze hopped from one to another, plunged into the most absolute bewilderment.
These were the Hashiras…? The very Hashiras themselves? Why did it seem like every one of them was carrying around some kind of mental imbalance?
Kanao kept calm in her spot, with a faint smile on her lips, as if she were used to it. What she didn't realize was that, in Tanjiro's eyes, she too figured on the list of "patients."
Between the ones kicking up a fuss, the ones watching, the ones drifting off, and the ones getting tangled up in arguments…
Suddenly, two childish voices rose up in unison:
"The Master has arrived."
____
And if PS aren't your thing but you still want more chapters...
P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790