The moment she ducked her head around the corner Kuronue's gaze was back on Youo. Although his eyes were curious the firm tilt of his mouth spoke of a begrudged anger that had Youko eager to forget his earlier jests.
"It's not what you think," he said hurriedly, his pride causing him to eye the grip on his ears.
Kuronue let go without further objections, his eyebrows furrowed and mouth quirked down. "I think that you have brought one of your admiring whores to our sanctuary."
"As I said, it is not what you think."
Tired of being prostrate, Youko rose gracefully to his feet. The sun was still low in the sky, though the light was more than enough for his eyes to discern that his friend had come unarmed and uninjured. The tension in his shoulders waned and Youko hurried to explain himself. "She is why I will win the bet against my mother."
Kuronue scoffed. "That wisp of a girl?"
"That wisp is going to be talked about for centuries…" he chuckled, "With the right guidance, of course."
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