บท 8: 8. I Have to Tell Her
The voice attracted both Kotaro and especially Mitsuri. Kotaro, intrigued by the voice, turned his head to look at the source, finding it calling Mitsuri with such familiarity. It was an older man, gruff and rough-looking but with a gentle smile that softened his appearance.
Mitsuri's eyes widened the moment she saw the man. She frantically looked around the restaurant, realizing why it felt so familiar. This restaurant was where she used to come with her parents during her childhood. The place had been renovated a bit, making it unrecognizable at first glance.
When the waiter handed the bill, the owner was a bit shocked to see such a high amount. He came out from the staff room to check if the diners were frauds.
Who knew if they would dine and dash? The couple who had ordered all those dishes caught his attention, and he found the girl very familiar.
It clicked—this girl was none other than Mitsuri, the small girl who used to come to his newly opened restaurant with her parents. Her wholesome eating always warmed up the whole place, making it one of the most memorable times for him. So, the moment he recognized her, there was no way he could just ignore and leave her alone.
The fact that someone had ordered so many dishes didn't surprise him; after all, he knew how much this girl could eat. Because of her, he had to shut down his all-you-can-eat buffets so many times. But looking back, those were good times.
"Were you the one who ate all those dishes? Haha! You were always such a big eater from childhood. But why are you dyeing your hair black?"
All was good except that last sentence. The last secret Mitsuri kept to herself, to avoid being remembered by Kotaro as a freak, was now out in the open.
"Dyeing hair black?"
Kotaro looked at Mitsuri's black hair, asking again to understand the situation well. The old man didn't think too much before answering his question.
"Didn't you know? Mitsuri has pink hair. She ate too much sakuramochi, making her hair pink unlike others."
"Pink... hair?"
Gears turned in Kotaro's head. He became silent. The word "pink hair" made something click in his mind. That's when all the familiar things started to connect with each other.
Pink hair. Big eater. Bubbly personality. Low self-esteem. Desperate for marriage. Curvaceous body. Green eyes.
And the name... Kanroji Mitsuri!
"D-Don't tell me...!"
All of them connected, and in that instant, goosebumps covered his body. Kotaro felt he had discovered the truth of the world he had lived in for years.
But he had to confirm it. Kotaro suddenly turned to look at Mitsuri. He replaced her black hair with pink and green hair in his mind, matching her with the girl from his memories.
And... voila!
There she was. She matched the one in his memories—the strongest female character, one of the pinnacles of the Demon Slayer Squad, Kanroji Mitsuri, the Love Hashira!
"Y-You..."
The shock was too much! It was too much information to swallow in such a short time. The fact that Kanroji Mitsuri existed meant that...
'I am in the Demon Slayer world.'
Kotaro couldn't help but cover his mouth in shock and fear. Ignorance is a blessing. This moment, which revealed the secret of this world, changed Kotaro's whole life. But all his thoughts stopped. Why?
Sniff...
Because he heard the sound of someone crying. He removed his hand from his mouth and looked at her—the one with tears, Mitsuri. Kotaro's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.
'Shit!'
"Mitsuri, w-wait—"
"I-I am sorry for deceiving you, Kotaro-sama!"
With a sobbing apology, Mitsuri turned around and ran out of the restaurant. Damn! He quickly took out his wallet and asked the old man for the charges.
"Old man, how much is it?"
"It's—"
"Here, these bills should be sufficient!"
He handed over the bills to the old man and left without taking back the change. He didn't have time to count the leftover money right now! He ran out, all to find Mitsuri.
"No wonder I felt so much familiarity from her! I have to tell her. I have to tell her the truth. Or else..."
The moment Mitsuri's identity was revealed, Kotaro understood everything about her. After all, he knew all about her. Before, he was speculating based on his observations.
But now, with his previous life's memories, he knew everything about Mitsuri—her past, her desperation for marriage, and her actions of hiding and disguising herself.
"Damn! I should have guessed it from the time she ate a lot of food! No, I should have known it from the time we met. How could I forget her name?!"
Just her name should have been enough for him to uncover her identity. How could he be so careless? Was it because of the time?
"I shouldn't have acted that way in that moment."
His shock and fear must have made Mitsuri misunderstand. He wasn't shocked by her hair being pink, but by her existence. Because her existence made him realize that he was in a dangerous world secretly inhabited by human-eating creatures!
To someone who had lived in ease until this point, it was too much of a shock! How could he be calm at that revelation?
"I have to tell her that I am not afraid of her."
The sight of her sobbing loudly as she ran made a huge ache in his heart. Kotaro couldn't help but slap himself several times to punish himself.
What had he done? He made the girl he loved cry.
"I have to tell her that I am not disgusted by her."
Hadn't he wanted to reject her so she could stay happy after marrying someone more responsible in the future?
But now, he knew the future. He knew she would stay unmarried and, in the end, die at the hands of the demon king.
And knowing that, how could he let it be?
"I have to tell her that she is beautiful the way she is."
He ran faster, heading towards the girl whose smile was etched into his mind.
"I have to tell her that I, Kotaro Kenshin, love Kanroji Mitsuri!"
==
A/N:
Did it feel a bit rushed?
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง