Some time passed—maybe seconds, maybe minutes. In a place like that, the clock didn't matter.
When Makomo finally got her senses back, she realized she had completely melted into Marcus's arms.
He was holding her tightly around the waist, pulling her so close that her feet had lifted off the ground.
"Mmm~ Mmm~"
She tried to say something, anything, but it was impossible. Her words got lost before they were even born, sealed away by the contact that kept her trapped in a world where only the two of them existed.
After what felt like an eternity, Marcus finally let her go, leaving Makomo gasping for air, her heart pounding a mile a minute and her face burning.
She stared at him fixedly, but there wasn't a trace of real anger in her eyes. It was more of a playful, almost flirty kind of reproach.
"Y-You went too far..."
"How exactly did I go too far?"
"You didn't even warn me..."
"And do you think it would've tasted that good if I'd warned you?"
"Y-You!"
Faking indignation, Makomo stomped her foot against the ground.
But the second she finished, she was already being pulled back toward him, caught in an embrace even tighter than before.
"I like you, Makomo."
She shivered from head to toe. She lifted her gaze and looked him straight in the eyes, realizing that Marcus was being completely serious.
"You hit me right in the heart from the very first moment I saw you."
Makomo's tears welled up again, but this time they came with a radiant smile.
"Marcus-kun..."
"Tell me."
"I... I like you too..."
Marcus leaned down and gently kissed the trail of her tears. "Then... don't you think we should do something we'd both like?"
?
At first, Makomo didn't catch it. But a second later, when the idea finally landed in her head, her face flushed crimson.
"Y-You... you...! There are... there are people here!"
Marcus glanced around.
People were walking back and forth and the bustle was constant, but he just smirked arrogantly.
"This is my dream, Makomo. These people aren't real."
"T-That doesn't matter… it's still not okay... I-I'd be so embarrassed..." she murmured, hiding her face.
Seeing that she wasn't rejecting him and was just being shy, Marcus felt his cock throb with anticipation.
"... Then let's change the scenery."
Carefully setting her down, he took her hand again, and with a single blink, the surroundings changed in an instant, leaving Makomo's mouth hanging open.
Out of nowhere, a huge building rose right behind them.
It had vibrant pink lights, a sign screaming for attention, and a look that, though luxurious, gave off an air... not quite decent.
Makomo stood there reading the sign word by word with total innocence.
"Love... wine... what kind of place is this?"
Looking at the sign, Marcus smiled. "Like I said, it's a place for us to have fun."
And before she could process the answer, he had already swept her up like a princess.
"M-Marcus!"
"Don't be scared."
Carrying her firmly, Marcus walked her toward the hotel while whispering: "I'm here, you're safe with me."
"Mm…"
Makomo buried her face in his chest, not daring to lift her gaze and, above all, not putting up the slightest resistance.
The big red doors closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the city.
After a few seconds, Makomo cracked one eye open on the sly and was left stunned.
The room was packed with things she would never have imagined, even in her wildest dreams.
There was an enormous round bed, pink lights bathing everything in a strange atmosphere, and a bathroom with transparent walls at the far end. On the wall hung strange objects she couldn't quite identify, but something told her they weren't meant for anything "good."
"... w-what... what is all this...?"
"Good things."
Setting her down carefully on the bed, Marcus loomed over her. His hands rested on either side of her, narrowing the world down to that small corner under his shadow.
"What's coming next might be a little weird for you."
"... how weird?" she whispered, her heart pounding fast.
"Very weird."
Makomo stayed silent for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm the trembling in her hands. Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut.
"T-Then... please, be gentle..."
"Just leave it all to me..."
Leaning in closer, Marcus brushed his breath against the lobe of Makomo's ear, sending a shiver running through her.
With torturous slowness, he began to untie the sash of her pink kimono.
"Marcus-kun... it feels... strange..."
"This is just the beginning," he murmured, as the fabric slid to the sides, leaving her exposed.
The kimono fell onto the silk sheets like a withered petal. Before him, Makomo's body was revealed with a fragility that made him hard as a rock.
She was petite, with such a delicate build she seemed carved out of fine porcelain. Her shoulders were small and rounded, and her skin, of an almost lunar paleness, glowed under the pink hue of the room.
Although her appearance still held a certain innocence, her curves were subtle but well-defined.
Her breasts, small and firm, rose and fell with agitated breathing that gave away just how nervous she was under his blazing gaze.
She had a waist so narrow that Marcus could already picture himself gripping it with both hands. A delicate line that descended toward surprisingly wide and well-shaped hips.
Her slim legs kept the elegance of a dancer.
Makomo instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands, but Marcus gently pushed them aside, forcing her to expose herself completely.
"You're beautiful...," he whispered, devouring with his gaze every inch of that skin which was now breaking out in goosebumps.
"M-Marcus... I'm s-so embarrassed when you look at me like that..."
"Embarrassed? You should be happy, soon we're going to be one."
Lowering his head, Marcus began kissing the curve of her neck, descending down her chest until he circled one of her nipples with his tongue.
Each kiss was possessive, loaded with all the desire he had held back while she had been nothing but a voice in his head.
"Ahh~! M-Marcus, it feels... w-weird... ♥️~"
Arching her back, Makomo unconsciously offered herself up more to him. Her fingers tangled in Marcus's hair as she felt him exploring her belly with hot hands, going down toward "that" place.
"Mmmh~♥️... I-I'm... I'm trembling... Ahh~♥️!"
"That's because you're alive," he growled against her small nipple, while he firmly spread her thighs apart, revealing a wetness that was already starting to drip between her legs.
"Marcus♥️!"
Covering her face with her hands, Makomo gave herself over completely to lust.
Time in the dream world became an irrelevant concept.
It didn't matter if hours or days had gone by. The only real thing was their heat.
They had turned that artificial paradise into their own sexual playground, devouring each other in every corner that Marcus's mind was capable of projecting.
They started with the hotel, going through every room. They lost themselves on the round bed, experienced the unsteady sway of the water bed, and watched themselves from every possible angle in the room of mirrors.
But soon, the hotel wasn't enough.
In the sterility of a hospital, on top of a cold gurney.
In an empty classroom, he sat her on the teacher's desk to spread her legs wide open, and in an office, the wet sounds mixed with shattering moans.
They even dared to push further: on park benches, under the sun of deserted beaches, or right in the middle of the street, surrounded by a crowd of people who were nothing more than extras in their fantasy of unrestrained sex.
After initially being shy, Makomo adapted and eventually became proactive.
She learned to devour his mouth eagerly, to wrap her legs around his neck to beg for more, and to whisper into his ear the dirtiest obscenities she could come up with, enjoying the power her words held over him.
She even dared to jerk him off under the table in public places, looking Marcus in the eye with a smile while her hands moved rhythmically.
She learned every position she had never seen, thought of, or even heard about.
"Marcus... are we overdoing it?"
"Not at all."
"But it's just... it feels..."
"Don't talk!"
"G-ghck…♥️!"
After a stretch of time they no longer knew how to measure, the two of them ended up sprawled on an endless meadow.
Above them stretched a flawless blue sky dotted with white clouds, while the scent of flowers and the singing of birds wrapped the air in absolute peace.
Makomo rested her head on Marcus's arm, tracing lazy circles on his chest with her finger.
"Marcus, you pervert."
"Me?!"
"You don't admit it?"
"I don't admit it!"
"Doctor, my heart isn't feeling well~"
"..."
"Professor, I don't understand this problem, can you help me?~"
"..."
"Boss, I want to take the day off, what do I have to do?~"
"..."
"Daddy—"
"Okay, enough! I'm a pervert!" Marcus covered her mouth.
Makomo licked the palm of his hand mischievously. "Hehe~ I am too~!"
Seeing that smile, Marcus let out a long sigh, somewhere between defeated and amused.
It takes an eternity to learn the good stuff, but how little time it takes to learn the bad…
Still, seeing her this happy, Marcus felt that every second had been worth it.
What did it matter if she ended up turning into a pervert sword in the future. At least she'd be the happiest sword in the whole world.
…
Meanwhile, in the real world, things inside the Mugen Train had turned into pure hell.
Since his plan had been sabotaged and he hadn't managed to drag everyone into sleep like he wanted, Enmu had lost his cool way earlier than expected.
A desperate battle was unfolding on the train. The group was fighting tooth and nail to protect the passengers and, above all, to look after Marcus.
Faced with the tide of flesh, eyes, and bloody tentacles that suddenly sprouted from the walls and floors of the cars, the hunters were forced to take a defensive stance.
They couldn't just attack. They had hundreds of lives to save from the jaws of the train.
At the front of the locomotive, the young man in the tuxedo now had his face completely twisted by hatred.
"Damn it! Why...? Why did only one fall into the trap!?" he shouted, the veins on his forehead about to burst.
He had planned everything to perfection. The conductor was supposed to punch the tickets, all of them were supposed to sink into their deepest desires, and his slaves were supposed to enter their dreams to tear apart their spiritual cores.
The result?
A disaster.
Out of the five hunters, only two had fallen, and even then, one of them was still fighting in his sleep!
He didn't get it. How could a simple human predict his moves with that kind of precision? Why!?
Despite his bewilderment, he knew there was no turning back now. He had to speed up the fusion.
If he could fully merge with the train, he'd be able to control it.
"Once I become the train...!" His eyes lit up with madness. "All these bastards are going to have to die!"
…
Inside the dream.
Marcus and Makomo had just walked through the exit doors of the movie theater.
On the marquee, in bright letters, read: Avengers: Endgame.
But despite what a hell of a movie it had been, Makomo's face was flushed red, and she was clearly having trouble walking.
"S-Shouldn't we head back already?"
"What's the rush?"
"But... there's a real fight going on outside, right? Marcus-kun, I'm worried…"
"... Let them fight a little longer."
"But..."
"Don't worry, Rengoku's with them."
Makomo wanted to say something else, but the ground shook violently.
And it wasn't a natural earthquake.
Marcus frowned.
"That asshole got impatient already?" He glanced down at Makomo and softened his tone, though the urgency was already showing in his voice. "Looks like we'll have to leave it here... for now."
Makomo's face darkened for a fraction of a second, but she quickly got her sweet smile back.
"It's okay, Marcus-kun." Standing on her tiptoes, she planted a tender kiss on his lips. "These days have been more than enough for me to remember for the rest of my life."
Seeing that forced smile, Marcus shook his head.
"Don't get sad. I said 'for now', not that there wouldn't be an after."
"W-What do you mean?"
Marcus looked up at the sky, a furious fire kindling in his eyes.
"I'm gonna go out there and tie him up!"
"EEH!?"