Chapter 126: The Night King's Daily Life - 2 -
Morning in the Infinity Castle begins not with the rays of the sun, but with the sound of Nakime's biwa; however, Akira's morning began with a certain weight.
“Ugh… Heavy…”
Akira tried to open his eyes but groaned under the pressure constricting his entire body.
He was currently lying on a top-tier king-sized bed, but he was in a state where he couldn't move his body even a single millimeter.
On his right, Kiyohime was sleeping with her legs wrapped around him like a snake, exhaling hot breaths.
“Mmm… Master… You mustn't lie to me… I'll burn you up…”
It was impossible to tell if her sleep talk was a confession of love or a murder threat, but her body heat was as scorching as lava.
On his left, Tamamo-no-Mae was covering Akira's body like a blanket with her abundant tail fur.
“Mikon… Master, I thought you might be cold, so I did a bit of tail-molting… It’s warm, isn’t it?”
Her fox ears twitched as she rubbed her face against Akira's chest.
And right on his solar plexus—the exact spot most likely to hinder breathing—Nezuko was splayed out in a 'starfish' position, fast asleep and oblivious to the world.
“Zzz… Phyuu…”
Nezuko sleeping on top of him was quite cute.
“Well, I suppose this is what happiness is.”
But after about 30 minutes passed.
“Wake up, you lot! The sun is up! Actually, Nakime turned on the lights!”
As Akira shouted with effort, the women's eyes all snapped open at the same time.
“Good morning, Master~”
“Good morning, Master!”
Akira's morning greeting was finalized by receiving a shower of cheek kisses.
Of course, Nezuko substituted her greeting by nibbling on Akira's nose.
Leaving the room for breakfast, they moved to the dining area.
The grand dining hall of the Infinity Castle was of a scale reminiscent of an imperial banquet hall.
The various tables were set with a feast prepared by the culinary team led by Benienma.
“I hate bell peppers. Why do I have to eat something called a carrot? I cannot understand this.”
Constant chirping could be heard from a corner of the dining room. Zohakuten was grumbling as she pushed her meal tray away.
Originally an incarnation of hatred, she was full of complaints about everything, true to her Hantengu roots. Perhaps everyone was slowly getting used to it.
When Zohakuten started banging her drums in rebellion, Ushigozen, who was standing nearby, approached with a chilling gaze.
Today, dressed in a maid outfit befitting Akira's Servant, she was the disciplinary officer in charge of dining etiquette.
“Zohakuten. Leaving food is a waste of resources and an insult to the farmers. If you do not put it in your mouth within three seconds, I shall sear you with lightning until you taste like a lump of charcoal.”
“Ugh, must a weakling like me suffer such unreasonable agony?”
Zohakuten chewed and swallowed the bell peppers against her will. Meanwhile, Nezuko, sitting on Akira's lap, was munching on her exclusive menu of special blood dishes.
“Ah~ Nezuko. Don’t spill it.”
As Akira wiped the corner of Nezuko’s mouth with a handkerchief, Shinobu, sitting across from him, poked her grilled fish with a chopstick and muttered.
“Must be nice~ Does she have no hands? No feet? A grown woman just sitting there being fed.”
“Shinobu, do you want me to feed you too?”
When Akira asked mischievously, Shinobu's face turned bright red.
“W-who said they wanted that? …But if you insist, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse… Ahh~.”
In the end, Shinobu opened her mouth, and beside her, Kanao quietly opened hers and waited as well.
Akira’s mealtime consisted more of feeding others like baby swallows than actually eating his own food.
Kanae, Mitsuri, and Daki slipping in as well was just a bonus.
After the meal, a languid afternoon arrived.
It was the time when most had left the Infinity Castle for work.
The cleaning duty team began to clean the residential area.
Ushigozen held a feather duster, and Kumohime picked up a broom to clean the corridors.
“Kumohime. Clear those cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling. Are you not cleaning them just because you made them yourself?”
At Ushigozen’s nagging, Kumohime let out a long yawn.
She was wearing a maid uniform, but she looked like she had zero motivation.
“Aww~ Ushigozen-sama. Cobwebs are natural interior decor. What’s the harm in leaving them? It’ll be nice if a fly gets caught later.”
“There are no flies in the Infinity Castle. How is it that the more time passes, the more you resemble that Shuten wench? Do you wish to be decapitated? And you, why are you sweeping like that? Put some strength into your waist!”
Just as Ushigozen was about to demonstrate, Kumohime slickly sprayed her threads.
“Eh, it's too much trouble. We can just do it like this.”
Swish-swish-swish!
Kumohime’s spider silk wrapped around the broom, and with a flick of her finger, the broom began to move on its own, sweeping the floor.
“See? This is the smart way to clean.”
Kumohime made a hammock out of spider silk in mid-air and hopped right in to lie down.
“Haa. Now, where did I leave my sword…”
“Wait, it’s a joke! I was just kidding!? I thought we’d gotten somewhat close, wait—you actually drew a real sword!”
From WWE straight to UFC.
Ultimately, cleaning time degenerated into a game of tag between the two women.
Having finished his daily routine, Akira headed to the grand bath on the lowest floor of the Infinity Castle to relieve his fatigue. It was an open-air bath where hot spring water poured out in abundance.
“Haa… As I thought, hot water is the best.”
Just as Akira placed a towel on his head and was about to close his eyes.
Splash! Plop!
With a spray of water, women burst into the bath.
“Oh, Master! I’ll scrub your back for you!”
“Master, let’s bathe together! My tail is softer than any towel!”
“You’re in here again? Give me some warning. And you brought Nezuko along too.”
As Tamamo approached with a sly smile, Nezuko also swam over.
“Hmm!!”
Nezuko seemed to think of Akira as a floatation device, clinging to his back and splashing her legs in the water.
“We’ll join you too~”
Before he knew it, even Shinobu and Kanao had entered, wrapped in only a single towel.
Shinobu began to massage Akira’s shoulders, and Kanao started to lather shampoo in Akira’s hair.
“Is it service the moment you arrive? I suppose everyone is coming in.”
Akira resigned himself. However, the warm water, soft touches, and bustling sounds of laughter gradually seemed to melt away his physical fatigue.
It wasn't merely mixed bathing; it was a heartwarming family bath time.
“Akira-san~ I’m here too!”
Soon after, Mitsuri entered without even wrapping herself in a towel.
Following her, the other women began to file in. Nobunaga and Cat jumped into the hot spring as if entering a swimming pool, prompting Okita to reprimand Nobunaga by hitting her on the neck with a hand-chop.
“Nezuko-chan is here too~ As expected, you're so cute!”
“Hmm!”
In an instant, Mitsuri braided Nezuko’s hair just like her own hairstyle.
With the different colored highlights at the ends of their hair, if one looked closely, Mitsuri and Nezuko really did look like sisters or relatives.
Thus, everyone eventually gathered in the bath, and after a noisy communal dinner, late night fell.
After all the commotion had ended and the women had either returned to their rooms or fallen asleep.
Akira quietly took two bottles of liquor and visited Nakime’s room, the central control room of the Infinity Castle.
As always, she was sitting on a high platform, managing every corner of the Infinity Castle.
“You’ve worked hard, Nakime. Isn’t it tough cleaning up after those noisy ones all day?”
As Akira approached and handed her a cup, a faint smile was visible through Nakime’s long hair.
“……No. I have grown accustomed to it.”
“Here, have a drink. It’s high-grade sake.”
Nakime set down her biwa and accepted the drink Akira poured for her.
Because she was always silent and moved like a shadow, Akira took extra care to look after her.
Ting~♪
As Nakime plucked her biwa once as a sign of gratitude, the structure of the room changed, and the ceiling became transparent.
The moon from the night sky poured into the Infinity Castle.
“Oh, moon viewing? You certainly have a sense of refinement.”
The two of them gazed at the moon in silence, sipping their drinks.
It was a quiet and peaceful time that made the daytime clamor feel like a lie.
“Akira-sama….”
“Yes?”
“I…… like this time the best.”
At Nakime’s shy confession, Akira chuckled and stroked her hair.
“Me too. It’s nice to enjoy this elegance with just the two of us.”
The night in the Infinity Castle deepened.
A man called the heartless Demon King by the Demon Slayer Corps, and the unique women who loved him.
Their daily lives were like a constant war, but that battlefield was a warmer paradise than anywhere else in the world.
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