"Y-yes…"
Mitsuri flinched at Shuya's sudden reaction.
She knew it was over.
He had definitely heard the rumors about her, just like everyone else.
This blind date was doomed—ninety-nine percent chance of crashing and burning.
After all, what normal guy would want to marry a girl who ate like a horse and could bench-press a grown man?
Mitsuri kept her head down, pale-green eyes filled with disappointment. "I-I'm sorry… I'll leave right now."
"Wait—you misunderstood something, didn't you?"
Shuya quickly stopped her.
At first he had only thought she looked familiar, but the second she said her name it clicked.
Kanroji Mitsuri—the Love Hashira from Demon Slayer.
He wasn't sure if she counted as a main girl or a side character since the series wasn't a harem show, but either way, she was an absolute gem of a girl.
The only difference was her hair. In his memory it was that iconic pink-to-green gradient because she ate too many sakura mochi. Here it was still natural black—probably hadn't hit critical sakura-mochi mass yet.
Still, the whole blind-date-failure backstory tracked perfectly with canon.
She'd joined the Demon Slayer Corps after one too many failed matchmaking attempts.
Did she dye it black to hide? Or has she just not eaten enough mochi yet?
Shuya smiled gently. "I just thought your name sounded really nice—it reminded me of a friend, that's all. I'm not judging you or anything."
"R-really…?"
Mitsuri looked up, still timid.
Shuya nodded.
"That's… wonderful."
For a split second her face lit up with pure joy—then she immediately felt guilty for feeling happy that he didn't know her reputation.
What a terrible person I am… getting excited because someone doesn't know how much I eat.
But she couldn't help stealing another glance at him.
What if… what if this handsome, kind man is actually my destined one?
Am I really going to let him slip away?
"My name's Shuya," he introduced himself once she sat back down. "Is it okay if I call you Mitsuri-san?"
"Y-yes, of course…"
Her answer was still adorably shy.
Shuya suddenly asked, "By the way, Mitsuri-san… have you been on any blind dates before?"
Mitsuri thought he was about to reject her for having "experience" and shook her head frantically. "N-no! Today is my first time! Because—"
She stopped herself.
Shuya could guess the rest.
Probably too many rejections.
That much was obvious from the way the chubby matchmaker had flagged him down on the street like a desperate last resort.
"Mitsuri-san, you don't have to be so nervous. This is actually my first blind date too."
He tried to ease the tension with a warm smile. "So we're both new at this."
"I-is that so…?"
From her tone, it clearly hadn't worked yet.
But Shuya didn't give up. He kept the conversation light, dropping jokes and stories from his old world every now and then.
Slowly, under his gentle barrage of words, Mitsuri's guard dropped. She started smiling—actually laughing out loud at some of his lines.
Until a loud guuuu~ rumble echoed from her stomach.
Mitsuri instantly turned back into a tomato. "I-I'm so sorry!"
She clutched her belly, face burning crimson.
She had eaten a sakura mochi before leaving the house to tide her over. How could she still be this hungry?
"Perfect timing—I'm actually hungry too," Shuya said casually, glancing at her. "I'm new to this shop. Any recommendations, Mitsuri-san?"
So gentle… so understanding…
Mitsuri stared at him, heart fluttering.
For a moment it felt like warm sunlight had poured straight into her chest.
If I could marry someone this kind and handsome… that would be perfect.
"Mitsuri-san?"
Shuya waved a hand in front of her face when she zoned out.
"Ah! Y-yes!" She snapped back. "The fried pork cutlet here is amazing—the meat is super tender and juicy, and their special sauce is—"
The second food came up, Mitsuri's whole face lit up like a different person. Her eyes practically sparkled.
"I-I'm sorry," she apologized again, bowing. "I got carried away…"
"Not at all." Shuya shook his head with a soft laugh. "Actually, I think that version of you is really cute."
"C-cute?!"
Her face turned an even deeper shade of red—like a perfectly ripe apple you just wanted to take a bite out of.
Shuya didn't push it any further. He raised a hand and called the waitress over.
"Two orders of your signature fried pork cutlet, two bowls of the house ramen, and two of your specialty drinks, please."
The food arrived quickly.
"Please, help yourself, Mitsuri-san." Shuya politely slid one set in front of her.
Mitsuri picked up her chopsticks and began eating in tiny, careful bites.
Before long, both of them had finished their portions.
Shuya raised his hand again. "Same order—two more of everything."
"N-no need! I'm already full!" Mitsuri quickly wiped her mouth, trying (and failing) to sound convincing.
She was nowhere near full yet, but this was her first blind date with someone this amazing. She wanted to make a good impression.
"Don't listen to her—same order again, two of each."
Shuya waved the waitress off before Mitsuri could argue, then turned back to her with a completely serious face.
"Mitsuri-san, did you know? The doctor who checked me recently said my stomach isn't very good."
"Eh…?"
Mitsuri blinked, totally confused.
She had no idea why he was bringing this up now.