22. Now, It Starts...
"Kotaro-sama."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Today, Kiyo-san invited me to her house."
"Oh! I know about it. She came to inform me about it."
Kotaro remembered how she had asked him to lend his wife to her. She probably invited her to a ladies' gathering, which would help her become familiar with the regulars of the town. It might be good for Mitsuri, so Kotaro didn't see any problem with it.
"But you should come before it gets too dark."
"Yes!"
"And…"
Kotaro then looked around, finding no children nearby. He moved closer to Mitsuri and whispered to her.
"And we will do it at night."
"Umm."
Mitsuri blushed, understanding Kotaro's intentions, and nodded with a flushed face. Though she didn't show it, she too was looking forward to it.
Soon, lunchtime ended. If there was something that surprised him, it was the speed at which Mitsuri ate—so fast that he couldn't even see when she finished. It was quite a sight. The children gathered, marveling at her speed, and praised her for eating so much.
Mitsuri simply replied, "Is that so? I've eaten a bit less than usual."
Kotaro almost fainted after hearing her line.
Soon, classes resumed, and time passed. The classes ended, and the sun began to set.
"Kotaro-sama, I am leaving to meet Kiyo-san."
Dressed in a pink kimono that suited her hair, Mitsuri was all ready to leave. Kotaro looked at her and couldn't resist.
"Hmm…"
Kotaro came over, took her in his arms, and kissed her lips. The atmosphere soon turned pink. His hands slid from her face downwards, slowly grasping her different parts, making Mitsuri moan.
"K-Kotaro-sama, I have to go—"
"Hmm… Just a second."
Chu~ Hnngh~
What was supposed to be just a second turned into several seconds, and Kotaro had yet to release her from his embrace. But then…
"Oh! The beast!"
Cough! Cough!
The nickname brought him back to reality. Kotaro looked at Aunt Aiko, who stood near the door. In the midst of their kissing, she had entered and was now observing them.
"Why are you here?! And don't call me by that name!"
While Kotaro was irritated, Mitsuri was embarrassed to be caught red-handed by Aiko.
"I didn't know Mitsuri was that bold."
"Aiko-san!"
Mitsuri blushed and shouted in embarrassment, which made Aiko smile.
"Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore. I came here to take Mitsuri to our meeting."
"Why are you here? Wasn't Kiyo-san supposed to be conducting it?"
"You idiot! How could there be a meeting without me?"
Though she spoke with a lot of haughtiness, she was somewhat right. Kotaro sighed, lamenting the loss of their romantic moment.
But the fact that he would get to do it tonight brought him some joy. It would be better if he prepared for tomorrow's torture.
Sigh. To him, it had become such a contradictory thing. He loves it and wants to do it, but afterwards, he suffers like a— Sigh, he can't even describe that hellish feeling.
"Alright, you can take Mitsuri."
Chu~
Kotaro kissed her forehead and finally released her from his arms.
"Take care."
"Hmm."
Mitsuri blushed, then turned, opened the door, and flashed a smile before leaving the house.
"I'm leaving, Kotaro-sama."
"Hmm, come back as soon as you can, understand?"
"Yes!"
"And Aunt Aiko, take care of her."
"You don't need to tell me that!"
Kotaro smiled and watched them leave together. Without much worry, he went back inside to check some of the tests he had given to the children, forgetting that the sun had set and night had arrived.
And night was no longer the time for humans.
Perhaps it was the overly pleasant atmosphere that led Kotaro to forget that the night in the world he lives in is not ruled by humans but by demons.
The constant happiness made him overlook the dangers of demons, to the point where he had even started to forget that his wife is a future Hashira.
Whether it was his fate or not, it was clear that Mitsuri's destiny was intertwined with the demons.
…
The shrine.
This is the same shrine, located a bit higher up, where Mitsuri and Kotaro had walked the stairs to witness the fireworks, returning from midway due to Mitsuri's injury.
Who knows whose luck it was, but they indeed got saved because…
"I'm hungry! Humans! Where are the humans?! Why they aren't coming anymore!"
A hungry demon was raging inside, waiting to feast on some humans. Knowing that the festival occurred during this time period, the demon had cleverly come to the shrine and waited for humans to arrive at night. Many couples came, and the demon ate them, finding a good and secure place to get food.
But for some reason, this time no one came. The demon waited… and waited… Hearing footsteps climbing the stairs made him excited, but then they stopped.
This made him furious!
He wanted to hunt them down, but out of fear of the demon slayers—whom he had nearly died at the hands of once—he didn't dare to come out. But now, after so many days, his instincts could no longer wait.
He had to eat, and this time his hunger surpassed his fear of the demon slayers, causing him to climb down the stairs as night fell. The night was his time, and today he would hunt.
"Hehehe… This time I will have my fill."
…
The night came.
Kotaro looked over the tests, assessing and evaluating the papers with sheer concentration. After half an hour, the work was done, and he stretched his body to loosen it after sitting in one place for so long.
"Huh? Is Mitsuri not home yet?"
He assumed the meeting must have dragged on. Aiko was attending it too, so considering her personality, it was no surprise. But as more time passed, worry began to set in.
When someone gets worried, they often assume the worst. Kotaro did the same, thinking of the worst possible scenario. That's when he remembered what kind of world he was in.
"Don't tell me… Did Mitsuri encounter a demon?!"
===
A/N:
Finally, a demon encounter! This is the beginning, and now we can see the couple moving towards the path of demon slayers.
In the next chapters, Kotaro will reveal his cheat too!
So, stay tuned!
For faster updates and additional chapters, visit: (patreon.com/cherryblooming)