Hearing Mitsuri's question, Horitake's body stiffened instantly.
He whispered to her, "No way, right? We were pretty restrained last night. The noise wasn't that loud."
Mitsuri shot him a coy, exasperated glance. "Were we really restrained? Was the noise really that small?"
Horitake was at a loss for words. "Uh… but I calculated it!
"Our room is far from the girls' rooms. Even if we'd let loose, the sound shouldn't have reached them—especially since we were holding back."
Mitsuri's face flushed deeper. "That's true, but…
"I'm not worried about the girls. I'm worried about Shinobu-nee!
"As a Pillar, her senses are sharp. It's normal for her to pick up faint sounds from far away.
"I'm afraid we might have disturbed her."
"Hiss… that's actually not impossible," Horitake admitted.
He shoveled down the last bite of rice and stood. "I'm done. I'll head out."
With a reassuring look to Mitsuri, Horitake went to find Shinobu.
The round-eyed trio piped up with their innocent chatter: "He said he didn't care, but Horitake-sama looks pretty nervous."
"Yeah, yeah, Horitake-sama's not great at handling girls."
"Is this what they call saying one thing but meaning another?"
Mitsuri and Aoi exchanged wry smiles.
Meanwhile, Horitake searched until he found Shinobu—on the roof.
With a light hop, he floated up and landed beside her.
Seeing Shinobu's icy expression and recalling Mitsuri's guess, Horitake instinctively shrank back, feeling a bit guilty.
He scratched his head, deciding an apology was the best start. "Uh… sorry, Shinobu-nee. Last night, Mitsuri and I might've been too loud and disturbed you. We'll be more careful—really careful—from now on!"
Shinobu's temper flared instantly. "Who's talking about that, you idiot!"
Fuming, her forehead practically pulsing with anger, she kicked Horitake right off the roof.
Aoi, washing dishes in the kitchen, caught sight of Horitake plummeting headfirst.
Her lips twitched, but she decided to pretend she saw nothing.
Rubbing his head, Horitake leapt back onto the roof, utterly baffled. "If it's not about that, then what's this about?
"I haven't done anything to upset you lately—except maybe the noise last night.
"Even if you're in a bad mood because your 'relative' is visiting, you can't just take it out on me for no reason.
"But wait, I'm pretty sure your 'relative' isn't due yet."
Shinobu's anger crackled like a bonfire. She whipped out her Nichirin Blade and lunged at Horitake!
The earlier kick had landed because Horitake let it happen, giving her a chance to vent. But this was different—he wasn't about to stand there and let her stab him.
Shinobu struck swiftly; Horitake dodged nimbly. The two danced across the Butterfly Mansion's roof—she lunged, he evaded.
Horitake, dodging with ease, was still clueless. "What did I do to upset you, Shinobu-nee? At least let me die knowing why!"
Unable to land a hit, Shinobu gave up, sheathing her blade. She fixed Horitake with a cold glare, her scowl carrying an oddly captivating edge. "Horitake, are you telling me you haven't noticed the rumors going around headquarters?"
"What rumors?" Horitake was genuinely stumped. "I've been holed up in the Butterfly Mansion. I haven't gone anywhere. What's the talk at headquarters?"
Shinobu sighed, utterly exasperated.
After the big battle, this guy had gone full salted fish, ignoring the outside world, spending all his time cozying up with Mitsuri. It was practically scandalous, tarnishing the Corps' reputation!
No wonder he was oblivious to the rumors about himself.
Taking a deep breath to quell her anger, Shinobu explained, "Since you're clueless, let me fill you in.
"There's a rumor spreading like wildfire at headquarters.
"They're saying you and Mitsuri didn't just take shelter at my Butterfly Mansion—you've taken over.
"They claim the Heavenly Pillar, in all his heroic glory, has claimed both the Insect Pillar and the Love Pillar, living it up with both in the Butterfly Mansion, basking in the bliss of having it all!
"And some say…" Shinobu's face reddened, unable to continue. "The rest is too shameless to repeat!
"In short, these vile rumors are running rampant at headquarters.
"As the biggest beneficiary of this gossip, you, Horitake, the great Heavenly Pillar, don't you think you owe an explanation?
"My reputation as Shinobu Kocho has been ruined because of you. Don't you think you should clear things up?"
Shinobu's fiery accusations left Horitake stunned.
He muttered to himself, "So that's what this is about.
"Hmm… as they say, three people make a tiger, and rumors can melt gold. Gossip like this can't be ignored.
"I don't know how these rumors started, but I swear, Shinobu-nee, I didn't spread them.
"You know I've been at the Butterfly Mansion this whole time."
Shinobu nodded. "Fine, I'll believe that for now.
"Even if you didn't start the rumors, you still need to deal with them.
"My reputation as a woman has been trashed because of you! How do you plan to fix this?"
"Fixing it… that's easy!" Horitake clapped his right fist into his left palm. "Just turn the rumors into reality! Make it fact, and we're good!"
Shinobu's jaw dropped. How thick-skinned did you have to be to say something so shameless?
She drew her Nichirin Blade again, lunging at Horitake with Insect Breathing this time!
But Horitake's strength was leagues beyond before. He calmly caught her blade with his hand, stopping her cold, the tip hovering before his face.
He looked at her intently, his voice steady and earnest. "Shinobu-nee, I'm not joking, and I'm not spouting nonsense.
"I'm seriously discussing this with you.
"Why not make the rumors true?
"Would you, Shinobu-nee, be willing to officially accept me?
"Don't worry about Mitsuri—I can handle her. She's pretty open-minded about this sort of thing.
"The real question is what you think.
"Don't rush to reject me.
"We've known each other for a while now, and I can tell you have feelings for me.
"I'm not perfect, but I'm not half-bad either. Overall, I'm someone worth entrusting your life to. So, Shinobu-nee, why not consider me seriously?"
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