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Chapter 78: The Doctor Said I Have a Bad Stomach
"Y-Yes."
Startled by Suyan's sudden reaction, Mitsuri Kanroji trembled.
She knew it. It was over. This man, just like all the others, must have heard the rumors about her. This blind date was going to crash and burn, ninety-nine times out of a hundred. After all, what normal man would ever want to marry a coarse, unrefined woman who ate like a monster and had freakish strength?
Mitsuri kept her head down, her light green eyes pooling with deep disappointment. "I-I'm sorry. I'll leave right now."
"Hold on, did you misunderstand something?" Suyan quickly stopped her.
At first, Suyan had thought she looked a bit familiar, but without her giving her name, he honestly wouldn't have recognized her.
Mitsuri Kanroji. If his memory served him right, that was the name of the Love Hashira from the Demon Slayer anime. Since Demon Slayer wasn't a harem anime, it was hard to strictly classify the Love Hashira as a main heroine or a supporting character, but regardless of labels, Mitsuri Kanroji was absolutely a top-tier girl.
The only issue was that the Mitsuri in his memories didn't have black hair. She had long, sakura-pink hair that faded into green at the tips—a mutation caused by eating too much sakura mochi.
But her history with blind dates matched perfectly. The Love Hashira in the anime had joined the Demon Slayer Corps precisely because of her string of failed blind dates.
So, did she use hair dye to color it black? Or is her hair naturally black right now because she hasn't eaten enough sakura mochi to trigger the color change yet?
Suyan continued smoothly, "I just thought your name sounded beautiful. It reminds me of a friend's name, that's all. I certainly wasn't disgusted by you."
Mitsuri timidly looked up. "R-Really?"
Suyan nodded.
"Thank goodness," she breathed out, a genuine smile breaking across her face.
But almost immediately, a wave of guilt washed over her, replacing her joy with sorrow. She suddenly realized how despicable she was being. How could she feel happy just because he was ignorant of her true nature? Lying by omission was wrong.
But… Mitsuri peeked up at Suyan again.
What if? What if this handsome man sitting across from her is my destined soulmate?
Was she really supposed to just let him slip away?
"I'm Suyan," he introduced himself. "Is it alright if I call you Miss Mitsuri?"
"I-It's fine," her reply was as bashful as ever.
Suyan suddenly asked, "By the way, Miss Mitsuri, have you ever been on a blind date before?"
Assuming he disliked girls with a history of failed dates, she frantically shook her head in denial. "No! Today is my very first blind date. After all—"
She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Suyan could easily guess the ending. Probably because she was constantly rejected before she even made it to the date stage. The fact that the plump matchmaker had been reduced to randomly pulling a stranger off the street was proof enough.
"Miss Mitsuri, there's no need to be so tense. Actually, this is my first blind date too," Suyan smiled, attempting to ease her nerves. "Looks like we're both first-timers."
"I-Is that so?"
Unfortunately, judging by her stiff response, his words didn't have much of a relaxing effect. But Suyan wasn't discouraged. He continued chatting with her, casually dropping jokes and memes from the modern era into the conversation.
Under his relentless barrage of charm, Mitsuri's defenses slowly crumbled. She began to lower her guard, giggling frequently at his witty remarks.
That is, until a sudden, loud rumble broke the silence.
Mitsuri froze, instantly reverting to her flustered, blushing state.
"I-I'm so sorry!" she stammered, clutching her stomach, her face flushed beet red.
She couldn't believe her stomach chose this exact moment to betray her with a hunger rumble. She had even eaten a piece of sakura mochi right before leaving the house just to pad her stomach!
"It's perfect timing, actually. I'm getting quite hungry myself. Why don't we order some food?" Suyan glanced at the deeply embarrassed girl. "It's my first time at this place. Do you have any recommendations, Miss Mitsuri?"
He's… he's so gentle. So considerate.
Mitsuri stared blankly at his handsome face. In that moment, it felt as if a warm, radiant light had pierced straight through her anxieties and illuminated her heart.
She couldn't help but dream.
If… if I could marry a gentle, handsome man like him, that would be wonderful.
"Miss Mitsuri?" Suyan waved a hand in front of her face when she spaced out.
"Ah! Oh, right!" Mitsuri snapped out of her daze. "The tonkatsu here is incredibly delicious! The meat is so tender and juicy, and when you pair it with the shop's special sauce, it's just—"
The moment food was brought up, Mitsuri came alive. To put it simply, her eyes were practically sparkling with passion.
"I-I'm sorry!" she bowed her head apologetically again. "I got carried away talking to myself."
"Not at all." Suyan shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Actually, I think seeing you like this is quite adorable."
"A-Adorable?!" Her face burned an even deeper shade of red. She looked like a perfectly ripe apple, practically begging to be bitten.
Knowing better than to push it too far and trigger the opposite reaction, Suyan raised his hand to summon a waiter. "We'll have two of your signature pork cutlets, two of the signature ramen, and two of your recommended drinks, please."
Soon enough, the piping hot food arrived.
"Please, go ahead, Miss Mitsuri," Suyan gestured gracefully, pushing one of the servings toward her.
With his permission, Mitsuri picked up her chopsticks and began to eat, taking small, painfully deliberate bites. Before long, both of them had polished off their respective meals.
Suyan raised his hand again. "I'd like another order of the same for both of us, please."
"No, there's no need! I'm completely full!" Mitsuri quickly tried to stop him, speaking completely against her heart.
Even though that small meal hadn't even made a dent in her true appetite, it was her first blind date with such a wonderful man. She desperately wanted to maintain an elegant, ladylike image.
"Don't listen to her. Just bring out two more of the same," Suyan instructed, shooing the waiter away.
He then turned to Mitsuri, his expression entirely serious. "Miss Mitsuri, did you know? The doctor who recently checked my body told me that my stomach is quite bad."
"Huh?"
Mitsuri blinked, utterly confused as to why he was bringing this up now.
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