"Hello? Excuse me, is this Soma-san's residence?"
Mitsuri Kanroji stood in the doorway, tilting her head with open curiosity as she asked the question.
"Yes, it is," Soma replied, stepping forward with a warm smile. "I'm Soma."
Mitsuri lifted her gaze to the tall, handsome man before her, and her heart immediately began to race again. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady the wild pounding that feltas though it was about to leap right out of her breast.
She had never understood why this kept happening to her. It was the same whenever she saw something kind or beautiful—like the adorable way Gyomei Himejima cradled a kitten in his strong arms, or the quiet moment she had once caught the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, feeding a stray puppy. Any glimpse of something good and pure made her heart flutter uncontrollably.
Lately, trying to keep these constant palpitations in check had left her utterly exhausted.
"You must be Mitsuri Kanroji, right?" Soma asked, his smile gentle.
"Yes. Soma-san actually knows me?" Mitsuri replied, one hand still resting lightly over her heart, eyes sparkling with surprise.
"I've heard a lot about you. You're quite impressive," Soma said sincerely.
"Oh, not at all!" Mitsuri waved her hands in embarrassment, cheeks flushing a soft pink.
"Please, come inside."
Soma gestured invitingly, and the girl scratched the back of her head shyly before stepping in after him.
Nezuko and Kanao paused their sparring at that moment, both breathing hard as they came to a stop. Soma walked over, picked up a clean towel, and gently wiped the sweat from the two girls' faces with careful, affectionate strokes.
"Soma-san is so kind!" Mitsuri exclaimed as she took a seat inside the room. She clasped her hands over her chest, eyes sparkling like stars while she watched the tender scene unfold.
Her gaze then drifted to Giyu Tomioka standing nearby.
Giyu Tomioka's expression remained cool and impassive. Hearing Mitsuri's comment, he answered in his usual flat tone, "Soma-san has always been like this."
"Your face looks so cool!" Mitsuri said, pressing both hands to her heart once more.
Giyu Tomioka turned his head away, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He felt that this girl was a little strange, completely different from other girls.
The group arrived in the room, including Himura Kenshin, who had come over afterward. Sioma sat down cross-legged, while the others all sat formally on their knees.
"How have things been going lately?" Soma asked, taking a sip of tea as he looked toward Kenshin.
"I have been learning Breathing Styles together with everyone, while also improving Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu," Kenshin replied. "But as for how effective it truly is, that will still depend on the results."
After all, Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu was a sword art meant for cutting down people, striving to kill the enemy with a single decisive strike, and there were many ways to deliver a fatal blow to a human, such as piercing the heart or driving the sword through the forehead and into the brain.
But demons were different. These vital points that were fatal to humans were not truly fatal to demons. To kill a demon, one could only use a Nichirin Sword to sever its head.
Therefore, Himura Kenshin needed to shift the other fatal attacks within Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu toward the act of cutting through the neck.
At present, there had already been considerable progress, but it had not yet been tested in true practice, and they still needed to hunt demons to see exactly how effective it would be.
After roughly understanding all this, Soma was also very pleased.
"This time, Kenshin will have a chance to put it into practice."
"Are we going demon hunting?" Kenshin's eyes lit up with unmistakable excitement.
"Yes. This time, Kiriya has asked me to take charge of the encirclement and hunt of Upper Rank Two, the Ice Demon, Doma."
Himura Kenshin also knew of Kiriya Ubuyashiki, who was currently the head of the Demon Slayer Corps and could be considered the person in charge of the Corps now.
At the mention of hunting an Upper Rank, Giyu's hand tightened subtly around the hilt of his Nichirin Sword, and Mitsuri's heart began racing once more.
Hearing that they were going to hunt Upper Rank Two, Giyu Tomioka's hand tightened slightly around the hilt of his sword, while Mitsuri Kanroji's heart began to beat faster once again.
Since the Demon Slayer Corps had been founded, the number of times they had truly encircled and hunted the Upper Rank demons of the Twelve Kizuki could be counted on one hand. Even now, the Upper Rank killed by the Demon Slayer Corps was probably still only Upper Rank Four, Hantengu, who had been slain not long ago by the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
And as for the Hashira who had been killed by Upper Rank demons, there were far too many.
"Let me explain the situation this time to everyone."
Soma briefly explained the circumstances. For this encirclement and hunt of Upper Rank Two, all of the Hashira still remaining in the Demon Slayer Corps would participate. Aside from them, there would probably also be quite a few Kinoe-ranked swordsmen, as well as some people he had personally invited, such as Mitsuri Kanroji, Himura Kenshin, Giyu Tomioka, and the others.
Of course, the most important part was still explaining Upper Rank Two's Blood Demon Art.
He explained some of the characteristics of Doma's Blood Demon Art, such as how he could turn his own frozen blood into mist-like ice crystals and then spread them out with his fans. Once human skin came into contact with those ice crystals, it would be frozen, and if the ice crystals were inhaled into the lungs, it would make breathing difficult, eventually causing the lungs to necrotize from the act of breathing itself.
These were all points that needed attention.
Soma explained it in great detail, and everyone listened very seriously, because this concerned life and death, and no one would dare treat it carelessly.
...
At noon, Kamado Kie prepared a lavish meal for Mitsuri Kanroji, who had come from afar.
Kamado Kie's cooking was very good, and every dish was extremely delicious. Just smelling the aroma was enough to make one's appetite stir, and for Mitsuri Kanroji, who had always eaten a great deal, it was even more irresistibly attractive. She even could not help swallowing, wishing that she could immediately have a proper feast.
Although she wanted it very much, and although she really wanted to eat, Mitsuri Kanroji still endured it, because she could not forget what had happened during her first matchmaking meeting back then, that terrible scene where she had been looked down upon because she had eaten too much.
Even now, she still could not forget the words that person had said, and even recalling them at this moment still made her feel a wave of embarrassment.
"The only ones capable of marrying someone like you are probably bears, wild boars, or cows. And with that weird hair color of yours… just imagining it being passed on to our children makes my skin crawl. Let's cancel this matchmaking. We won't be seeing each other again."
In her memory, the words spoken by that man from the matchmaking meeting sounded beside her ears once more, making Mitsuri Kanroji suppress the appetite in her heart.
"Everyone, please dig in," Soma said with a bright smile, inviting them all to start.
Everyone liked the food Kamado Kie had made very much, and they all ate with great enjoyment.
Mitsuri Kanroji restrained her own appetite and ate the food in small bites, not wanting to appear different from everyone else.
Swordsmen generally had larger appetites than ordinary people, but fortunately, Kamado Kie had prepared a lot. In addition, because Soma had specially instructed her beforehand, the amount of food today far exceeded what was usually made.
Before long, everyone had finished eating.
Seeing that everyone had put down their chopsticks, Mitsuri Kanroji also immediately put down her own. Although she was far from full, and to her, it could even only be considered having eaten a little, while she could still feel the hunger in her stomach, she did not want to leave everyone with a bad impression the first time they met, so she endured the hunger.
"Miss Mitsuri, are you full?" Soma asked, taking a sip of sake as he looked at her in mild surprise.
"Mm-hmm," Mitsuri nodded. When she spoke, she forced herself not to look at the food on the table. Today's food was especially delicious, and she really wanted to eat more, but she forcibly suppressed the urge.
But the feeling of having an empty stomach was so uncomfortable that Mitsuri Kanroji could not help placing her small hand over her abdomen, feeling as though her little stomach was constantly protesting.
"You only ate that little and you're already full?" Soma sounded genuinely puzzled.
Mitsuri Kanroji's small face turned a little red. She truly had not eaten her fill, but since everyone else had already put down their chopsticks, she felt too embarrassed to continue eating. Letting everyone see just how large her appetite was would feel far too shameful.
"Shinobu once mentioned you to me. She said your muscle density far exceeds that of ordinary people, and because of that, the amount of food you need to take in is also far beyond that of most people. After eating only this much, it shouldn't be enough to satisfy you, should it?"
Soma looked at Mitsuri Kanroji and spoke seriously. "If you don't eat until you're full, your body won't be able to absorb enough energy, and a person will grow weaker because of it. Since heaven has blessed Miss Mitsuri with such extraordinary strength, how could Miss Mitsuri allow that strength to gradually weaken?"
Mitsuri Kanroji's face became somewhat embarrassed. In truth, she really did not want everyone to see how much she could eat, because she felt that it was a very humiliating thing.
"Actually, everyone here does not care about Miss Mitsuri's appetite. If we were the kind of people who minded such things, then Miss Mitsuri would have no need to associate with us at all."
Soma spoke earnestly.
Mitsuri Kanroji lightly bit her lip. Kanae Kocho had once said something similar to her before, and had also told her that if anyone objected to her large appetite, she should just beat them up.
"Eat some more. Miss Mitsuri has come all this way, and if you don't even eat until you're full, others will say I failed to receive my guest properly."
Soma pushed a plate of food in front of Mitsuri Kanroji.
Smelling the fragrance coming from the food before her, Mitsuri Kanroji unconsciously swallowed.
She wanted to eat so badly.
The young girl placed a hand over her lower abdomen, soothing her still-hungry stomach, and looked around.
Everyone was looking at her, but there seemed to be no disgust toward the fact that she wanted to continue eating. Instead, they seemed somewhat expectant, as though they hoped she would eat even more.
"Then… Mitsuri… will start eating." Mitsuri Kanroji placed both hands over her chest and spoke carefully.
"You have to eat properly, Miss Mitsuri." Nezuko revealed a gentle smile at this moment.
"That's right, Miss Mitsuri. Don't mind other people. Actually, no one here cares about that at all."
...
Soma smiled as well. "Actually, I think girls who eat a lot are rather cute. In my eyes, being able to eat plenty is not a bad thing."
"How could a girl who eats that much possibly be cute?" Mitsuri murmured under her breath. That was exactly why her matchmaking partner had rejected her—mocking her by saying she belonged with pigs, bears, and oxen.
Soma picked up a plate of food and set it in front of himself. "If you don't believe me, I'll eat right alongside you, Mitsuri. Whatever you eat, I'll match it."
"My appetite… is actually really big," Mitsuri said quietly, head slightly lowered as her fingers fidgeted with her sleeve.
"So is mine," Soma replied with a grin, already starting to eat.
Seeing Soma begin, and noticing that the others were looking at her with nothing but support, Mitsuri's cheeks flushed deeper. She finally picked up her chopsticks and began eating in earnest.
The moment the food touched her tongue and filled her empty stomach, the relief was immense. It felt wonderful after holding back for so long.
She polished off an entire large plate, then glanced around cautiously. Everyone was still watching her, smiling happily as she ate more. There was none of the revulsion she had seen on her matchmaking partner's face.
She turned to look at Soma. This tall, gentle man had kept eating just so she wouldn't feel awkward about her "flaw." He had already consumed quite a lot by now, far more than an average person would.
She even worried that he might be forcing himself just to make her comfortable.
"Soma-san, you don't have to eat so much. Eating too much can be uncomfortable too," Mitsuri said, trying to stop him.
"Haha…" Soma laughed lightly and patted his stomach. "You're underestimating me, Miss Mitsuri. My appetite is pretty big too."
"Why don't we have a little competition to see who can eat more? After all, it would be a shame to let all this delicious food go to waste."
As he spoke, Soma pointed at the food on the table. Today, he had specially asked Kamado Kie to prepare a great amount of food, and even now, there was still a great deal left on the table.
Only at this moment did Mitsuri Kanroji notice the remaining food on the table, and this made her certain that Soma probably already knew about her large appetite, which was why he had specially prepared so much food. In order not to make her feel embarrassed, he was even competing with her.
"Thank you," Mitsuri Kanroji spoke softly.
"What are you saying? Actually, I really do quite like girls who eat a lot. I truly think they're very cute." Soma said with a sincere smile.
Mitsuri lowered her head shyly, cheeks burning.
"Let's start the contest, then," Soma said, picked up more food and began eating again.
Seeing Soma act this way, Mitsuri Kanroji slowly relaxed as well, then picked up the food and began eating.
The young girl's stomach capacity was far greater than one would imagine. She continued eating for a long time before finally patting her slightly bulging little stomach in satisfaction, having eaten almost enough for more than a dozen people all by herself.
Such a large appetite was truly shocking, and it was no wonder that Mitsuri's matchmaking partner had refused her and even mocked her. With an appetite like this, an ordinary person might not even be able to support her.
"Oh… can't eat anymore, Miss Mitsuri?" Soma picked up another plate of food and looked at Mitsuri Kanroji, who had stopped, his tone carrying a trace of surprise.
Mitsuri Kanroji wanted to keep eating, but her stomach was truly full, and she could not eat even another bite.
"From the looks of it, my appetite is still bigger." Soma smiled, then continued eating the food on his plate.
Mitsuri Kanroji could not help raising her head and looking at Soma in shock. At first, she had thought Soma was deliberately forcing himself to keep eating so that she would not feel too embarrassed eating alone.
Only now did she realize that his appetite was genuinely very large.
"In the future, if anyone mocks Miss Mitsuri's big appetite again, then Mitsuri can just think of me. After all, my appetite is even bigger than Miss Mitsuri's."
Soma smiled, his eyes looking at Mitsuri Kanroji.
The moment Mitsuri Kanroji raised her head, her gaze met Soma's eyes. She only felt that his eyes were sincere and bright, without even the slightest trace of any strange judgment, and to Mitsuri Kanroji, that gaze was truly as precious as a treasure.
In her mind, she could not help thinking of the reason she had joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
Was it not because she wanted to find a boy who would truly accept her as she was? Was it not because she wanted to find a good husband here, someone stronger than herself, someone who could protect her?
And the tall, gentle man before her eyes, did he not perfectly match everything she had ever imagined?
At this moment, Mitsuri Kanroji felt her heartbeat quicken as never before.
...
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