The sun was high in the sky. Outside the gates of the Kanroji estate.
The naturally beautiful, black-haired girl with three thick braids stood quietly by the gate, waiting as still as a statue for her beloved to arrive.
A hint of anxiety and anticipation colored her face. She occasionally stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to see further down the road.
It wasn't until a man's silhouette appeared in the distance that a look of irrepressible joy finally blossomed on her face.
"Su Yan!"
The girl eagerly waved at the figure walking toward her.
She then broke into a brisk jog, hurrying over to him.
With a face full of excitement, she asked the man, "Hey, hey, Su Yan, where are we going for our date today?"
This black-haired girl was, of course, the future Love Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Mitsuri Kanroji, who had gone on a blind date with Su Yan a few days prior.
Mitsuri had never experienced anything so wonderful before.
To have an outstanding man she liked, who didn't mind her immense physical strength or her massive appetite.
He didn't look at her with the weird, judgmental stares that others gave her.
He was even willing to accompany her every day to go on dates and eat together.
In the past, this was something she wouldn't have even dared to dream of.
Mitsuri swore that these past few days with Su Yan were absolutely the happiest time of her entire life.
She couldn't wait to start today's date with him.
Su Yan spoke calmly, "Little Mitsuri, I'm actually here today to say goodbye."
"Ah? W-Why?"
Mitsuri felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
It was as if her soul had been sucked out of her body. Her entire being seemed to turn gray, as if the whole world had lost its color in that single moment.
Her legs went weak, nearly causing her to collapse onto the ground. Forcing herself to stay upright, she murmured, "H-How could this happen? I finally found a boy I like..."
Only then did the girl, whose eyes had previously only held Su Yan, notice a petite, beautiful girl standing a short distance away.
The other girl's gaze shifted back and forth between her and Su Yan, clearly waiting for him.
A sudden realization hit Mitsuri.
*'That makes sense,'* she thought. *'The girl over there is not only gorgeous, but she definitely isn't a freakishly strong glutton like me.'*
It was only natural that Su Yan would prefer a girl like that.
"Su Yan, I wish you both happiness!" Mitsuri said to him, her tone resolute despite the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Little Mitsuri, did you misunderstand something?"
Su Yan reached out and lightly tapped his index finger against her forehead.
It was the first time he realized that Mitsuri was prone to such dramatic inner monologues.
She had been like this during their blind date, too.
She always loved to overthink and imagine all sorts of ridiculous scenarios.
He couldn't help but find it both exasperating and amusing.
The beautiful girl waiting for him nearby was naturally the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Shinobu Kocho.
In reality, only a few hours had passed since his encounter with the Demon Slayers.
Su Yan had indeed promised Giyu Tomioka that he would go meet the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Beyond meeting the Master, he also needed to visit the Butterfly Mansion and the residence of the former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki.
He might even make a trip to Mt. Fujikasane, the site of the Demon Slayer Final Selection, to kill the Hand Demon that specifically hunted down practitioners of Water Breathing.
On top of all that, he still needed to find Lady Tamayo...
With all these tasks lined up one after another, it would take at least half a month to complete them.
If he left without saying a proper goodbye to Mitsuri, wouldn't that make him a scumbag who just flirted and ran away?
Therefore, Su Yan had arranged for Busujima Saeko to accompany the Kamado family and Giyu Tomioka to the Demon Slayer headquarters to meet their Master first.
Meanwhile, he stayed behind with Shinobu Kocho.
He came back first to bid a brief farewell to Mitsuri.
Afterward, Shinobu would guide him to the Demon Slayer headquarters to regroup with the others.
If possible, Su Yan didn't want his dates with Mitsuri to end just yet either.
Although they hadn't done anything particularly special over the past few days—mostly just strolling around town and eating—for Su Yan, it was still quite a novel and enjoyable experience.
"Eh?"
Mitsuri blinked, looking at Su Yan with eyes full of confusion.
"I'm just leaving for a few days. I never said I didn't want you anymore. What are you panicking for?" Su Yan explained.
"Really?"
Hearing this, Mitsuri's eyes widened as she stared at him, desperate for a definitive answer.
Su Yan reached out and gently stroked her silky hair, chuckling softly. "Of course it's true. After all, Little Mitsuri is so cute. How could I ever not want you?"
"Hehe, cute..."
Mitsuri giggled foolishly, clasping her hands together as she replied with a bashful squirm, "I'm not that cute..."
However, her eyes kept darting toward Su Yan, as if asking: *'Am I really that cute to you?'*
Su Yan didn't answer verbally; he simply continued to gently stroke her hair.
But to the girl, that was already the best possible answer.
Completely satisfied, Mitsuri then asked, "When are you leaving? How long will you be gone? You will come back, right?"
"It will probably take anywhere from half a month to a month."
Su Yan thought for a moment before saying softly, "So, when I come back next time, I hope to see the real Mitsuri Kanroji. Is that okay?"
"H-How did you know?"
Mitsuri froze.
Feeling the warmth of Su Yan's palm as he stroked her hair, she immediately realized what he meant.
Her hair wasn't naturally black. Before every date with Su Yan, she had used a very expensive dye to specifically color it black.
She never expected Su Yan to have noticed.
A wave of anxiety washed over her as she stammered, "B-But, my real hair color is really ugly."
"No, you're wrong."
Su Yan countered, "Because Little Mitsuri is cute, no matter what color your hair is, you will always be my cute Little Mitsuri. That fact will never change."
"But..."
The strange looks she had endured from others for so long had left Mitsuri with extreme insecurities about her hair color.
Even after hearing Su Yan's reassurance, she couldn't change her deep-seated beliefs so easily.
Seeing this, Su Yan didn't hesitate any longer. He gently pinched her chin and slowly leaned in.
*'Eh?!'*
*'What is Su Yan doing?'*
*'C-Could it be?!'*
Mitsuri quickly squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look at his face.
But she could feel the heat drawing closer and closer to her.
*'We're... we're going to kiss!!!'*
The moment their lips touched, Mitsuri's mind went completely blank.
Her body felt as if it had been electrocuted, sending an indescribable, tingling numbness coursing through her.
"Su... Su Yan... we kissed..."
By the time they parted, Mitsuri's face was as red as an apple. She opened her eyes to look at him, babbling incoherently.
Su Yan asked, "You should believe me now, right, Little Mitsuri?"
"Mhm."
Mitsuri's gaze drifted aimlessly.
She only felt steam rising from her head, completely failing to process what Su Yan had just said.
She was just subconsciously responding to his words.
"Alright, I should get going."
Su Yan glanced at Shinobu Kocho standing a short distance away. Noticing the faint look of impatience on her face, he said, "Don't forget, when I come back next time, I want to see Little Mitsuri's truest self."
"O-Okay," Mitsuri replied in a daze.
"Shinobu, let's go."
After bidding farewell to Mitsuri, Su Yan walked over to Shinobu and spoke calmly.
"Say, is this exactly how you tricked my sister back then? Mr. Scumbag?"
Watching Su Yan approach, Shinobu couldn't hold back a deadpan, venomous remark.
She had seen everything that just transpired between Su Yan and Mitsuri clear as day.
And this only further cemented Shinobu's conviction that the man before her was, without a doubt, a total scumbag.
Regrettably, if he had treated her sister the same way in the past, given her sister's gentle nature, she probably would have found it very difficult to resist this man's advances.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]