Chapter 241: Yushiro’s Diary

The Asakusa mansion was in ruins.

Half the courtyard lay covered in frost; the frozen grass crunched underfoot.

The other half looked as if it had been plowed: floor tiles reduced to rubble and marks from slashes, fists, and kicks everywhere.

When Marcus appeared beside Tamayo, he crushed a chunk of frozen mud.

The crunch was enough to make everyone turn their eyes that way, staying on alert after the battle.

Marcus looked around.

"Where are Kokushibo and Douma?"

"They fled not long after you left."

Marcus nodded without saying more.

It made sense that the two of them would withdraw after Muzan’s departure; otherwise, by the time he got back, at least one of them would have fallen.

Tamayo looked him over from head to toe nervously. "H-How did it go? You’re not hurt?"

"Relax." Marcus wrapped an arm around her waist. "Muzan couldn’t do a thing against me and pulled back."

Ivy and Pearl ran toward him; their clothes were caked with dust and frost, and their faces showed deep guilt.

"We’re sorry, Master... we couldn’t be much help."

Marcus stroked both of their heads.

"It’s all right, it’s not your fault they neutralized you; you were very brave."

Shinobu came over and checked him one more time.

Only once she’d confirmed everything was in order did she sigh in relief.

"What about the Swordsmith Village? How is everyone?"

"They’re still alive..." Marcus’s voice turned somewhat heavy. "Though Obanai will have trouble with his eyes, and Tokito lost part of a leg."

Kanao covered her mouth, and Shinobu wrapped an arm around her shoulders, letting out a silent sigh.

"As long as they’re alive, everything will be fine."

"S-Senpai... is Nezuko okay?"

Tanjiro came over too, accompanied by Zenitsu and Inosuke. Two of them were panting with exhaustion, and the other was still trembling.

"Don’t worry, she’s fine." He gave Tanjiro and Inosuke a pat on the shoulder. "You two did a great job today."

Tanjiro cracked a faint smile, while little stars floated around Inosuke.

"And you too, Zenitsu," Marcus added, looking at the boy who had tears and snot on his face. "You played a decisive role today; you really impressed me."

"Huh?" Zenitsu was stunned for a moment, then straightened up. "Thank you, Hashira-sama!"

"Hmph! It didn’t occur to you to praise me first?" Ume kicked a pebble, annoyed. "Stupid, ungrateful man."

Marcus smiled. "Of course, the best is always saved for last. My Ume is the best~!"

"Tsk!"

Ume lifted her chin; her cheeks flushed red and the sashes behind her swayed as fast as a puppy’s tail. "Who cares!"

Leaning against the wall, Gyutaro watched his sister’s attitude and grimaced.

Hakuji leaped down from the rubble and approached Marcus.

"Sir, what should we do about Asakusa now?"

Marcus looked at the house, now tilted to one side, with nostalgia.

The most pleasant days of both his lives had passed there...

Tamayo took his hand gently. "If it’s destroyed, so be it; we had to move anyway."

Marcus nodded and looked at Hakuji. "Do as Tamayo says."

"Understood!"

Tamayo tightened her grip, looking at Marcus with concern.

"Don’t worry, there’s nothing else."

Tamayo lowered her gaze, and her fingers brushed the amputated finger she carried inside her sleeve.

"What’s wrong?" Marcus stepped closer. "The Swordsmith Village isn’t safe anymore, and I have to stay there a few days to give them time to relocate everyone. Muzan could launch a surprise attack at any moment."

Tamayo frowned. "I’m worried he’ll come after you with Kokushibo and Douma."

Marcus smiled at her. "Relax, he doesn’t have the guts for that."

"At this point he’s terrified of running into me; he’s panicked that I’ll eat him. Besides, Kagaya won’t sit idle; by now he’ll have already summoned the Hashira. If Muzan dares to show up, he’ll lose at least two more Upper Ranks."

"Haa..." Tamayo sighed heavily. "Being constantly on edge and on the defensive isn’t a permanent solution."

"Don’t worry, from now on they’re the ones who have to watch out for me."

Tamayo lifted her head, not understanding.

Marcus leaned in and whispered in her ear: "Right when I was keeping Muzan from escaping, I took the chance to tear off one of my fingers and toss it inside the Infinity Castle."

Tamayo froze for a moment, and the worry in her eyes deepened.

She pulled Marcus aside and lowered her voice. "What are you planning? Your limb swap can’t take anyone else along with you."

"I’ll go alone."

"Alone?!" Tamayo’s eyes went wide. "Absolutely not! Y-You..."

"Relax." Marcus cut off her worries with a smile. "I’m not going to be foolish enough to waltz into their territory by myself. But if they keep scheming against me, I’m not going to just sit on my hands either."

"Either way, I can teleport, so I’m not afraid of getting caught. Can’t I just drop in whenever I want and make their lives miserable?"

"You think you’re just going shopping?" Tamayo gave him a soft smack, feeling helpless. "Even if you’re not in danger, if you keep popping in and out, they’ll clean out the Infinity Castle. By then you won’t be able to teleport."

!

Marcus was stunned.

...She was right.

If he showed up there, Muzan’s first reaction would be to do a full sweep, and Nakime would find the finger.

Cupping Tamayo’s face, Marcus gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "What would I do without you? Looks like I shouldn’t waste this opportunity."

Tamayo blushed. "L-Let’s wait until you’re back, then we can plan this out properly."

Marcus nodded and looked around. "While I’m away, avoid going around alone; if there’s no other choice, use Yushiro’s invisibility... huh?"

"Where’s Yushiro?"

Ivy tugged at his sleeve and pointed toward the entrance.

Amid the ruins of the sentry booth, Yushiro was kneeling motionless.

His eyes were red, his teeth clenched tight, and a chilling aura surrounded him.

In his hands he clutched, in desperation, something cut clean in half... his diary.

In that instant, even Marcus himself chose to keep his distance.

What a pair of bastards Kokushibo and Douma turned out to be!

Ruining the one thing that gave my Yushiro a little peace in this life...

That’s truly unforgivable, you absolute sons of bitches!

Ivy was a little worried and asked timidly: "Master, is Yushiro going to kill himself?"

Marcus quickly made a gesture for them to keep quiet. "Keep your voice down, don’t provoke him these next few days..."

"AHHH!! MUZAN!!! THIS WON’T STAND, WE’RE MORTAL ENEMIES!!!"

Hearing Yushiro’s gut-wrenching roar, Marcus’s eye twitched.

He whispered to the group around him.

"These next few days, treat him gently and try to comfort him; I’m scared he’ll do something reckless."

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

Everyone nodded with complete seriousness.

They knew perfectly well that that diary was Yushiro’s most sensitive spot.

As for safety, without the invisibility talismans, Marcus looked down at his hands with no other option.

Gritting his teeth, the Koketsu Arrows worked in tandem with his Nichirin blade.

Swish

All ten of his fingers went flying through the air while the bleeding stopped instantly.

Right after, the fingers flew in order toward each person’s hands. Except for Tamayo, who already had Marcus’s palm, everyone else got exactly one finger.

"Keep these fingers on you at all times. Since I handed out so many at once, I can’t sense them all at the same time," Marcus explained with a pained expression. "If there’s an emergency, remember to squeeze it to alert me. But under normal circumstances, try not to touch it."

With that, he turned his head toward Ume, who was about to pop the finger into her mouth.

She stopped short, looking away guiltily. "W-What are you looking at?"

"You’re exactly who I’m talking about!" Marcus stared at her; her face showed a palpable unease. "No biting it, no stepping on it, and absolutely no spitting on it!"

Ume huffed in protest:

"If you gave it to me, it’s already mine..."

But as she spoke, who knows what thought crossed her mind, her face flushed a furious red.

"It’s none of your business how I use it!"

__________

Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎

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

______

And if PS aren’t your thing but you still want more Chapters...

P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790