2. The Encounter

"Hmm… That's perfect! You look handsome, Kotaro. If I were younger, I would have married you."

Aiko nodded after taking a glance at Kotaro. He was dressed in light traditional clothes, which complemented him well.

"Please, spare me."

She meant it as a joke, but Kotaro couldn't help but imagine it after her words and then shivered in fear. Marriage, and that too with Aunt Aiko… It's hell.

"You're thinking something bad, aren't you?"

"N-No! You are wrong. And why are you wasting time now, Aunt Aiko? Let's go! I can't wait to meet the girl!"

"Weren't you protesting against this date? And now you're eager to meet the girl?"

"That was in the past. Now I am excited about it."

"Well, if you say so."

She stared with her wide eyes for a while but then agreed, believing his words.

Sigh!

Kotaro breathed a sigh of relief at successfully fooling her. If she caught him, she wouldn't spare him. But still, he couldn't believe that he wasn't able to argue with her. Wasn't he a modern person? How could he lose to someone when it comes to arguments?

'People of ancient times are incredible.'

…

"No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it."

Kotaro stood underneath the fully ripened blossom tree and was amazed by the sight. No matter how many times he looks at it, he never gets tired of it.

"Still… When will my date come?"

Kotaro's patience was reaching its limit. That old woman… Aunt Aiko made him wait under the tree with the premise that the encounter with his supposed date would be romantic.

Obviously, he didn't want to follow it, but she coerced him into it.

"Heh~ Let me tell you, old woman. You are picking a fight with a man of the modern age. Do you think I would fall for it? Still, it was commendable of you to think of such an idea."

Kotaro smirked at Aunt Aiko's intentions. This type of encounter under the cherry blossom tree… He has seen it in many films, dramas, and anime. How could he be surprised?

So, he stood with all confidence. But time ticked away, yet there was no sign of his supposed date.

"Did she scam me? No, it can't happen."

Thinking of that woman taking so much pride in her work, he doubted that she would do that. After all, he has known her for a long time. And he has an idea of who she is.

She is annoying and gets involved in all matters, but despite all that, she is reliable in serious matters. If not, how could she lead the female cliques in the town?

In some aspects, she gets more respect even than him, a teacher.

"Ano*…"

[A/N: Ano* - It is a Japanese filler word. I believe you must have heard it in multiple anime. Instead of English, I used it because I felt it would be cuter this way.]

That's when he heard a soft, girly voice calling him out.

'Sigh… Is she finally here?'

Whoosh~

As he turned, the wind rushed in. At that moment, the place was completely pink. The wind carried the pink petals and rained them above them.

"This…"

The petals slowly fell, and Kotaro's eyes widened as he caught sight of the girl standing amidst the falling petals.

Thump! Thump!

'My heartbeat, it is rising!'

There she was, standing in her white colored yukata with pink cherry blossom patterns on it. Her eyelids were flapping fast, closing and opening her green eyes. There were two beauty marks beneath her eyes, enhancing her looks to another level.

She was smiling, trying a bit too hard, making it easy to distinguish that she was nervous. Yet, that didn't avert him but drew him more.

All Kotaro could see was a girl trying too hard to please someone. And that action of hers was too cute.

But unlike her face, which was filled with cuteness, her body screamed something else. What she had was not cute but a fully equipped rifle that could take down any man.

That curvaceous body…

Not going to lie, even he, Kotaro Kenshin, the man who swore to enjoy youth, wanted to become a husband!

She is the perfect wife material, a combination of cuteness and sexiness.

But… He wasn't going to fall that easily.

"Cough!"

'Finally, I came back to my senses. What just happened now?!'

One look and he was so entranced by her. If there was a reason why he came to his senses, that would be her hair, which was black.

To Kotaro, it felt alien. This girl, she shouldn't have black hair. It didn't suit her. That black hair was a piece that didn't fit well in the puzzle.

But still, it doesn't erase the fact that he was attracted to her.

"Sorry, I was a bit entranced by the sight."

His compliment made the girl shy, which made her even cuter. Damn, did she make my heart rate spike again?

"My name is Kotaro Kenshin. You are…"

"Y-Yes. My name is Mitsuri Kanroji. Nice to meet you, Kotaro-sama."

'Mitsuri Kanroji?! Why does this name feel so familiar?'

Kotaro zoned out a bit, trying his best to remember where he had heard this name. His silence made Mitsuri a bit nervous, making her wonder if she made a mistake and angered him.

She was nervous, yet she called out to him, asking if everything was alright.

"K-Kotaro-sama? A-Are you alright?!"

"Sorry! I was a bit zoned out. I just felt that I had heard your name before but couldn't remember when. Maybe it was when Aunt Aiko told me about you."

Not finding the answer, Kotaro just shut down his remembrance process and decided to put his full attention on the date. If he didn't even give attention to it, it would be rude to the other party, especially when they are earnest about it.

"And to answer your question, I am alright. Thanks for caring about me."

Kotaro didn't know, but his actions and his sincere smile made a thump in the opposite as well. Mitsuri flushed because of it and lowered her head to not show it. Then she muttered in a small voice.

"It's nothing worth thanking me for."

It was small, but Kotaro heard it.

"Why not? I am happy that you cared about it."

Boom! Damage x2!

One more blow, and Mitsuri's face became redder. Her behavior now made Kotaro worried about her.

"Are you alright, Mitsuri? Should we cancel the date?"

Cancel? How can it be canceled? To Mitsuri, marriage is very important, especially now that she has found a possible suitor who is kind and gentle. She doesn't want to lose this chance!

"No! I don't want it to be canceled!"

For the first time in this conversation, Mitsuri spoke aloud without stuttering her words. Her face was red, yet she spoke with a lot of conviction.

Her sudden outburst made Kotaro silent for a bit.

"…"

And that's when Mitsuri realized what she did.

'Waaa… I shouted aloud. I am so embarrassed! Is Kotaro-sama angry? He must be! Is he going to reject me? I don't want that to happen!'

In that second, numerous thoughts ran through Mitsuri's head, all of them negative. She nervously looked at Kotaro, wanting to see his expression.

"Is that so? Then, what are you waiting for?!"

There was no anger. All that was present was a carefree smile and a hand stretched towards her. She looked at his palm, inviting her to the date.

In that moment, she wasn't filled with joy but doubt. She questioned herself.

'Am I suitable for Kotaro-sama?'

===

A/N:

I always thought it was too weird for the reincarnator to be able to guess the character with just one look or name. So, I wrote Kotaro as simply feeling familiar instead of being able to recognize Mitsuri right away just from her name. Additionally, Mitsuri is in disguise, hiding her iconic pink hair, so I think this approach makes more sense.

What do you all think?