"…"
Tanjiro held his silence.
Not only out of disappointment at not getting any answers, but because he had just confirmed that Rengoku had, indeed, not given him a single glance!
However, he didn't give up; to him, the Hinokami Kagura and the Flame Breathing were so similar that it was impossible the Pillar didn't know absolutely anything.
"Rengoku-san, did you really hear my question?" he insisted cautiously.
"I'm listening!" Rengoku replied, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. "I'm hearing every single one of your words with total clarity!"
But Tanjiro couldn't hold back any longer. "Then at least look at me!"
"What's the need to look at you?" Rengoku replied with an expression of absolute sincerity. "I don't listen with my eyes!"
"…"
That logic was so crushing that Tanjiro couldn't even argue against it.
Defeated, he redirected his attention to the other side.
"What are you staring at so much, senpai?"
Without moving his head a single inch, Marcus murmured: "Makomo."
"…"
A vein bulged on Tanjiro's forehead.
WHAT A BAD HABIT BOTH OF THEM HAD OF TALKING WITHOUT LOOKING AT PEOPLE!
Gritting his teeth, he replied: "I know that's Makomo. What I'm asking is why you're sitting there gawking at her like that."
This time, Marcus raised his head and gave him a strange smile, "Do you really want to know?"
"There's a reason I'm asking…"
Without waiting for him to finish, Marcus had already untied Makomo from his waist and, with the sheath, pressed it against the back of Tanjiro's hand. He looked at him full of doubts, but right when he was about to open his mouth to question him…
'Tanjiro?'
A voice rang out in his head, leaving him paralyzed.
With his eyes wide open like saucers, he locked his gaze on the sword that was touching his skin.
"You… you…"
'It's me, Makomo! You don't have to talk out loud, just thinking it is enough.' The voice clearly sounded amused. 'It's been so long! You've grown a ton!'
Tanjiro opened his mouth, but quickly closed it to try to focus on his thoughts.
'Ma… Makomo? Makomo-neesan!? Y-You can talk now!?'
'Mm… it was just a nap…' she replied in a somewhat shy tone. 'But it dragged on a bit…'
Tanjiro grabbed the sheath, trembling with emotion.
He looked at the sword and then at Marcus, who was leaning back in his seat with a mocking smile, enjoying his reaction.
"S-Senpai… Makomo-neesan…"
"Call her sister-in-law."
"…"
Tanjiro slowly lowered his eyes to the sword in his hand.
'Y-You've already married Marcus!?'
'N-No! Not at all! He's talking nonsense!'
With that answer, Tanjiro sighed and fell silent again.
Marcus is still as unreliable as ever.
But Makomo…
Even though Marcus had already told him that she was inside the sword, up until that moment, everything had been like a distant dream, an idea he clung to without proof.
Now, hearing her voice… A lump formed in his throat and he felt an immediate sting in his nose.
"Thank god…" he barely whispered. "You're still here… thank god…"
'Tanjiro…' Makomo's tone softened. 'Thank you… thank you for taking care of Marcus-kun.'
'I-It's nothing,' he blushed a little. 'In reality, he's the one who's always taking care of me.'
'But you've always put up with his whims, haven't you?'
Glancing over at the Marcus in front of him, who had a half-mocking smile, Tanjiro blushed even more.
"Tanjiro, what are you mumbling about?" Zenitsu came over right away, his face full of suspicion.
Letting go of the sheath quickly, he shook his head. "Nothing."
"If it's nothing, why is your face so red?"
"My face isn't red."
"Your face is super red!"
"It's the heat. It's your fault, both of you keep insisting on cramming up against me."
"You're lying!"
"Believe whatever you want!"
Ignoring him, Tanjiro looked at Marcus again with a complicated expression. He only gave him a smile back without offering any explanations, leaning back in his seat to continue talking with Makomo.
'Marcus-kun…'
'Yes?'
'You just said that I'm your wife…'
'That's right.'
'…but I haven't accepted yet…'
Marcus smiled, looking up at the ceiling.
'Do you accept?'
'I…'
'If you don't accept, I'm putting you in the bed.'
'Y-You!'
'Do you accept or not?'
"…"
Makomo stayed silent for a long while.
'…Marcus-kun, I'm only a spirit. I'm destined not to be able to accompany you the way Tamayo-san does… For me, this is more than enough…'
Hearing that voice that was faking a strength it didn't have, Marcus's brow furrowed.
According to what she had just explained to him, her next nap would be even deeper. When she woke up the next time, she should be able to fuse completely with the sword. By then, as a spirit, she would be able to physically manifest before his eyes.
But that… that would be nothing more than a tangible illusion.
No matter how hard she tried, she'd only be able to interact with the outside world in a limited way, just like when she and Sabito trained Tanjiro…
However, her senses would remain trapped in nothingness; she'd exist to be seen, but would remain isolated from any physical sensation.
Marcus wouldn't be able to feel her warmth… and she would never feel his.
Click!
Just when he was searching for the right words to console her, the door of the car was yanked open, breaking the moment.
A man, not very old, came in. He had a dull look about him and very pronounced bags under his eyes.
He was wearing the conductor's uniform and was holding the metal inspection clippers, advancing with a wandering step, swaying from side to side.
"I'm going… to check… your tickets…"
!!!
When he heard him, Marcus immediately knew how to console Makomo.
Swish
Without the slightest hesitation, he snatched the tickets away from Rengoku and the trio, who had barely just finished pulling them out.
Immediately, an intense blue luminescence burst from his wrists and neck, and he disappeared from the spot.
The door of the adjacent car flew open violently.
There, a young man with a melancholy look felt the pressure in the palm of his hand fade away, left dumbfounded as he looked at his suddenly empty hands.
A second later, Marcus reappeared in his original car and, with a happy smile, planted himself next to the conductor, who was looking at him in absolute bewilderment.
No one knew how, but Marcus had somehow gotten a hold of a piece of hemp rope, and there it was: one end tied firmly around his own wrist and the other tied carefully to Makomo's hilt.
Wrapping an arm around the conductor's shoulders, he held the five tickets up to his face. "Didn't you want to check the tickets? Punch them!"
__________
Throw your stones, drop them ALL! 💎
And don't forget to comment, I wanna know if you liked the chapter 👀
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And if PS aren't your thing but you still want more chapters...
P-a-t-r-e-o-n → Athome790