Mitsuri seized the opportunity, her fingers locking firmly onto the Hawk Demon's talons—which, in effect, were his legs.
The moment he felt her grip, the Hawk Demon was plunged into a state of sheer terror. He thrashed his legs wildly while beating his wings with desperate ferocity, straining every muscle to haul himself back into the safety of the sky.
But what happened next nearly scared the soul right out of his body.
This woman—this seemingly soft, pink-haired girl—possessed strength that dwarfed his own!
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't wrench his legs free from her grasp. He had been flapping with all his might for what felt like an eternity, yet he hadn't moved an inch upward.
The Hawk Demon, still trying to flee, was filled with utter disbelief.
Is this woman a monster? How can a human have this much power?!
However, the event that would truly shatter his understanding of the world was only just beginning.
Holding his talons in a death grip to prevent his escape, Mitsuri felt the demon's persistent upward pull and knit her brows in slight annoyance.
"I went through all the trouble to catch you," she murmured, "so how could I possibly let you run away? Take this!"
As the words left her lips, Mitsuri's strength exploded. She twisted her body, and with a force the bird-man couldn't hope to resist, she slammed him directly into the forest floor.
BOOM!
The heavy impact echoed through the woods. The Hawk Demon hit the dirt so hard his vision blurred and stars danced before his eyes. His entire world spun into a chaotic mess.
But she wasn't finished. Before he could even register the pain, Mitsuri pivoted, swinging the demon through the air like a ragdoll and slamming him into the ground on the opposite side.
CRASH!
The second impact was even more brutal. The Hawk Demon felt his internal organs scream in agony; he nearly coughed up a lungful of blood.
Then came the third slam. The fourth. The fifth… and then a count he quickly lost track of.
Like someone thrashing a tattered sack, Mitsuri swung him back and forth with rhythmic, devastating violence. For a visual reference, one need look no further than the Hulk's infamous treatment of Loki.
Watching from his perch on a nearby branch, Horitake felt his jaw tighten and his lip twitch.
This… is actually a little terrifying.
It… feels like Mitsuri has some pent-up frustration she's letting out.
Wait… is that frustration aimed at me?
A cold sweat broke out on Horitake's forehead as he watched the carnage. Sometimes, having a girlfriend this powerful was a daunting prospect.
Finally, after an untold number of impacts, the Hawk Demon lay in a daze, teetering on the edge of death. His legs were snapped at odd angles, his wings were shattered, and his feathers were scattered across the clearing like snow. He looked less like a fearsome demon and more like a half-plucked turkey.
His condition was beyond miserable; the trauma was immense.
However, he was still a demon, and his regenerative abilities were formidable. As soon as Mitsuri stopped the pummeling and tossed him aside, the various wounds across his body began to knit themselves back together.
Naturally, she wasn't about to wait for him to recover.
With a sudden return to her serious, duty-bound demeanor, Mitsuri drew her Nichirin Sword. With a swift shink, she swung, beheading the demon in a single, fluid motion.
The Hawk Demon's head rolled onto the dirt, his eyes wide with a mix of resentment and lingering shock. He died without even understanding what had truly happened to him.
Death was a force the demon could not resist. His mouth twitched a few times, his headless torso gave a final, pathetic shudder, and he finally lay still—a cold corpse. Within seconds, the body began to crumble, turning into ash that scattered on the mountain breeze.
Sheathing her sword, Mitsuri turned toward the tree where Horitake was hiding, her face instantly lighting up with a radiant, flower-like smile.
Her aura shifted instantly back to her usual gentle, slightly clumsy, and endearingly lively self. With a slight blush on her cheeks, she looked at Horitake with eyes full of anticipation and joy.
"Horitake-kun! It's been so long!"
Seeing the massive contrast between this Mitsuri and the one who had just played "Hulk" with a demon, Horitake silently wiped the cold sweat from the back of his neck.
"It hasn't been that long," he said with a helpless smile. "We just saw each other a month or two ago."
That was the truth of the matter. Throughout the past year, Horitake hadn't forgotten his past bonds.
While he spent most of his time working alongside Shinobu, he frequently missed Mitsuri. He would use the excuse of missions or free time to visit her as often as possible, spending a few days with her whenever he could to maintain their relationship.
And it had worked. Their feelings hadn't faded in the slightest. If anything, the forced separation of a long-distance relationship had only made their bond deeper.
Mitsuri spent her idle time thinking of Horitake, and Horitake spent his thinking of her. With mutual affection and no dramatic "third parties" to get in the way, their love had only flourished.
Horitake drifted down from the tree as light as a feather and walked to her side.
Mitsuri couldn't help herself. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. She breathed in his scent, holding him with a level of intensity that bordered on obsessive.
"Horitake-kun! I… I missed you so much!"
Horitake returned the embrace, holding her tenderly. "I missed you too, Mitsuri."
If anyone wondered just how much Mitsuri relied on him, they only needed to look at her now. Since the moment they touched, she had been trying to burrow deeper into his arms, squeezing him as if she wanted to physically merge with him, desperately soaking in his presence.
Horitake smiled, stroking her hair as he held her tight.
There, in the middle of the dark, ancient forest, the two shared their hearts. They didn't talk about anything grand—just the quiet ache of missing one another and the mundane details of what they had been doing during their time apart.
They basked in each other's company for a long time, lost in their own little world.
Eventually, the initial rush of the reunion settled. Mitsuri, her face still flushed, reluctantly pulled back from his chest.
Even though they weren't hugging anymore, they stayed glued to each other's side, shoulders touching, arms linked, and hands entwined.
As they continued to whisper to each other, the conversation drifted toward an unavoidable topic.
Mitsuri leaned her head onto Horitake's shoulder, looking up at him with sparkling, hopeful eyes.
"Horitake-kun, since we're together now… can you stay here with me for a few days?"
By "here," she meant the region she oversaw as the Love Hashira.
After a moment's thought, Horitake nodded with a smile. "Sure. Things at Headquarters aren't too busy right now. I can stay for a few days. It just means Shinobu will have to cover a bit of my workload, but she won't mind."
"That's wonderful!" Mitsuri cheered, a mischievous, triumphant glint in her eyes. "I've been saying forever that I wanted you to meet my family—to meet my parents—but we never had enough time. This time, since you're staying, we finally have enough time! You can finally come home with me! My parents and siblings will be so happy to see you!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Horitake's expression did a complete 180. His entire body went stiff.
It's over! I have to meet the father-in-law and mother-in-law!
This is really it! I'm doomed!
Horitake suddenly felt as though his future had been plunged into total darkness.
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