Tengen Uzui's residence.
Kanzaki Kumo sat before the mirror, looking at his handsome face, successfully restored to its original appearance, and nodded in satisfaction.
Only then did he turn toward the three ladies waiting respectfully beside him.
"So, why are you three the ones removing my disguise? Where's Tengen Uzui?"
"Lord Tengen is... mmph!"
Before Suma could finish, Makio and Hinatsuru covered her mouth together.
After signaling for Suma to keep quiet with her eyes, Makio turned back and picked up where Suma had left off. "Lord Tengen is resting in the bedroom. He said this mission was too exhausting... You should get some proper rest too, Lord Kanzaki. You were fighting an Upper Rank, after all. Even someone as powerful as you must get tired, right?"
"Yes, I really do need a good rest."
Kanzaki Kumo looked at the somewhat apprehensive trio, then glanced at the extremely faint shadow that had appeared around the corner outside the doorway. He deliberately raised his voice. "I'll request a few days off for him so he can recuperate at home. He was injured in the fight against Upper Rank Six, after all."
"Huh? Lord Tengen was injured? That can't be right. He clearly..."
Having just escaped Hinatsuru's clutches, Suma immediately tried to object.
As his wives, how could they possibly not know whether their husband was injured? They had checked him over earlier, when Tengen Uzui and Kanzaki Kumo had first returned.
"Our opponent was an Upper Rank, after all. It's perfectly normal to get hurt. Don't worry, they're only minor injuries. He'll recover after three to five days of rest. It's nothing serious. I'll handle his patrol duties for the next few days, as a small apology for failing to protect him."
Kanzaki Kumo cut Suma off and went on speaking.