End of vacation

[Seiji's POV]

(1 month later)

"Seiji!!!"

Mitsuri called out while she ran up to me with the smilest smile on her face. Her eyes met mine but I didn't meet hers.

Instead, my eyes were locked on something else.

Ever heard of jiggle physics? Well, that shit was even more magnificent in an anime world. My eyes could not focus anywhere else.

God, I love gravity.

But you know what's even better? When it was in slow motion.

God, I love my eyes.

She reached me after a few seconds because I refused to move from my spot. Forget running up to her, I had to resist the urge to create distance so that I could enjoy the sight a little longer.

"Did I keep you waiting for long?" she was able to ask without missing a breath even after running up to me.

"Nope, you are right on time. As always."

I said and she tilted her head to the side before pushing out her chest, making them jiggle again and appear bigger.

I think she knew I liked them.

There she stood in front of me, Mitsuri Kanroji, in all her glory. Without a mask, without a lie. It took a month but at last, I got to meet her.

And she was beautiful.

She wore a long black skirt with a white top and a haori over her dress. She was dressed in a very modern fashion, which was a trend these days in cities like Tokyo. But she wore it because it was easier to move compared to a kimono and it felt more comfortable.

Her hair was bright exotic pink with green ends that seemed to shine alongside the sun. Coupled with her bubbly attitude and her dress, she attracted many eyes. But she did not shrink under those gazes and only smiled at mine.

"What are we going to do today Seiji?" she asked with excitement in her eyes.

We have been going on many dates this month to get to know each other better so there was not much that we haven't done. Be it going to parks, trying out different restaurants or riding a train, we've done most of the things that could be done in the city.

So today, I thought of something unique.

"We are going to the mountains," I said and Mitsuri blinked her emerald eyes, unsure if that was exciting or not.

In the end, she seemed to come to the conclusion that anything with me would be fun so she grinned. "Let's go then!!"

She said before pulling me forward and leading me somewhere as if she knew where we would be going. I kept myself from telling her that we were going in the opposite direction.

In the bustling city of Tokyo, Mitsuri led me through the streets for a while until she eventually stopped and turned back with a blushing face.

"Um...the mountain is this way...right?"

I chuckled which only made her more embarrassed.

...

We left the city of Tokyo and went to the mountains. I have been there before and I cleared a small path through the forest when I planned this date.

The only problem was the hiking which was not really a problem for us with our superior physique. We didn't even break a sweat.

I led her to beautiful places in the forest like a flower garden, a small pond or places with beautiful sceneries. All of which I knew because I liked beautiful places.

It was a great experience for Mitsuri who was a city girl and spent her life in urban areas. We even encountered a few animals while we hiked up the mountain; a friendly deer, timid rabbits and a cute little fox.

She was enjoying the date. The only time I saw her smile wider was when we were on a food tour where we tried every bakery in the city of Tokyo.

We spent the entire afternoon in the mountains, enjoying the isolation and peace that the city could not provide. It was just the two of us, and Mitsuri seemed to be very conscious about that considering she blushed a lot today than other days.

In the end, we finally reached the peak of the highest mountain where a picnic basket awaited us. There were food and other things that I left yesterday and were protected by yours truly Raven from other animals while I was away.

Then Mitsuri proceeded to flex her cooking skills by making food with the items and ingredients. As someone who liked eating, she was great at making food.

We sat down in a comfortable spot and enjoyed our time while eating. We stayed like that for nearly an hour before the sun finally began to set. It was the end of the day and the beginning of my favourite time.

Sunset.

We enjoyed the sunset together. The sun sank into the horizon, giving the last warmth of sunshine in the colour of thick honey and the promise of rising once more.

The sun which had shone so brightly finally rested behind the mountains, signifying the end of another day which can never be reclaimed.

Darkness descended to the world but only for a moment as countless stars took the place of the sun in the sky. They glittered like gems in the sky, finally getting the time to shine after being outshined by the sun.

They seemed to be competing for the spotlight as they spread infinitely in the endless expanse above. The moon hung in the air, its gentle ray replacing the sun's.

The transition between day and night, the blue sky and the black sky, was an incredible scene that I never got tired of witnessing.

"It's beautiful," Mitsuri said, her green eyes were able to reflect the beauty of the sky.

"it is." I agreed.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

I smiled. She was always so grateful for every good thing that happened to her. It was one of her greatest traits.

We peacefully sat under the night until Raven suddenly flew towards me and sat on my head. I was surprised since she had not done this ever since I was on vacation.

But then what she told me shifted my entire mood in an instant.

'Demon.' 

...

"Seiji?" Mitsuri instantly called my name when she felt the sudden shift in my mood but I did not respond.

My eyes started glowing purple as I turned my neck to look in the direction where the demon was coming from. My eyes pierced through the thick jungle and skipped the distance before locking on the body of the disgusting creature.

The demon did not know why but he flinched when my eyes landed on him. A foreboding emerged in his vile heart but he was too stupid to heed the warning his instincts were no doubt giving him.

He continued making his way towards us.

"Seiji? What happened?" she asked while nudging my shoulder, "You're making me scared."

She was a very emphatic girl so even though she did not know what was happening, she could feel it through me.

"It's nothing, don't worry," I said and got up from the blanket on the floor. Then I made my way to a tree and grabbed my sword which was propped against it.

I knew something like this could happen so I left my sword here yesterday.

I felt more complete when I had the sword in my hand than when I did not. By then Mitsuri had come up to me so I told her to stay behind me.

Even before a minute passed, the demon reached us. He walked out of the forest and came to the clearing.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the demon said while licking his lips.

The demon was around 7 feet tall with a very muscular body. His eyes were completely red and demonic and he had three horns on his head.

I could tell at a glance that he was stronger than ordinary demons. If I had to guess, he was the demon that ruled over the territory of Tokyo. Strong demons had their own hunting grounds and territories after all, just like top predators.

"If it is not a couple having a romantic time in the mountains alone..." the demon said in evil amusement, "..not knowing that they just served themselves on a silver platter."

"Seiji.."Mitsuri whispered, her body trembled and she lightly tugged at my haori. "...what is that?"

She was scared and understandably so. She had never seen a demon in her life and the one before us was especially intimidating with his hulking stature.

"That's a demon." I said, "Don't worry, it won't hurt you while I'm here."

Her body stopped trembling and I could see her heart calming down after my words. Whatever it was that stood before us, my words were enough to comfort her.

That was incredibly adorable. I thought in my mind and I couldn't help but smile.

I never smiled genuinely in the presence of a demon before. She always made me do the most shocking things with no effort whatsoever.

"Oh~ you know about demons. That makes me wonder.." he started and his voice got incredibly low. I could see the vibration, "...why you are not running away?'

Silence hung in the air after his words fell. A chilling breeze blew upon us.

Then I broke the silence, "I pity you."

"Huh?" he mumbled, confused.

Then I grabbed the hilt of my sword and stepped one foot forward to get into a stance. I did not explain my sentence but I thought in my mind, how unfortunate he was to encounter a Hashira while he was on vacation.

He truly had bad luck. But I suppose that's karma.

"Wait, that sword.." he said and his eyes shook with rage and veins popped around his eyes, "Are you a demon slayer?!"

I took a breath as insane volumes of air filled my lungs. Then I exhaled in a pattern that was unlike any singular style of the five major breathing styles that I have learned.

The pattern was a mix between two breathing styles.

My body cut through the air, faster than the speed of sound. My attack had no sound because it could not catch up to me. I was too fast for the demon to notice me.

Wind Breahting and Thunder Breathing were the fastest breathing styles. When mixed together, I was able to attain speed, unlike anything the demon had ever seen. I was easily faster than even the Sound Hashira.

My blade swung at an even faster speed. Discarding air resistance, my blade bit into the demon before it could even think.

In the next instant, I was behind the demon and time resumed like normal.

A loud explosion of sound followed but the sound was so high-pitched that it was impossible to hear with the human ears. But the animals living in the mountain all reacted to the sound.

The demon's face split into three before his entire head slid off his neck. Soon after, his body also started falling apart as it was cut into a hundred pieces by the wind blades.

It was the speed of Thunder Breathing First Form : Thunderclap and Flash mixed with the violent waves of Wind Breathing Seventh Form : Gale, Sudden wave.

The result was a catastrophe that happened in less than a second.

"Haaaa...." I released a sigh and sheathed my sword after the demon was reduced to dust.

It has been three months since I took the vacation after my 16th birthday. I guess this was the universe's way of telling me that I needed to return.

It's time to end my vacation.

And...

"I guess I have a little explaining to do." I said and turned to Mitsuri who was....not terrified at all. Her cheeks were flushed red and her breath was haggard and she was..excited?

But most importantly...

'Why is she looking at me like that?'

..

..

..

[IMAGE]

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