Shuya didn't even need to see her face. The soft, heavy, and very familiar weight pressing against him told him exactly who it was.
Mitsuri Kanroji.
"Thank goodness, I finally stopped," Mitsuri said, letting out a relieved breath. She blinked a few times, clearly used to her own chest throwing off her balance whenever she ran.
She looked around, green eyes wide with confusion. "Huh? Where'd Shuya-san go? Shuya-san? Shuya-san, where are you?"
She cupped her hands around her mouth like a little megaphone and called out, sounding genuinely worried.
Shuya, currently buried face-first in said chest, let out a muffled sound.
Mitsuri tilted her head. "Itchy~"
She finally looked down and realized exactly where Shuya's head was. Her face went bright red as she quickly pulled back.
"Ah! Shuya-san, why are you hiding down there?!"
"Hiding?" Shuya repeated, deadpan.
Mitsuri didn't notice his expression at all. She puffed her cheeks and gave him a light push. "Jeez~ Shuya-san, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Shuya didn't bother correcting her. "You came looking for me. Something important?"
Mitsuri was the cheerful, airheaded type. Not quiet and spacey like Nezuko, and not lazy like Shizuka. Her brand of airheadedness came with endless energy and zero filter. She said whatever popped into her head, usually right when she thought it.
She lit up the second he asked. "Oh! Right! I remembered why I came!"
She clenched her fists excitedly. "Shuya-san! I did it! I mastered Full Concentration Breathing — Constant!"
Shuya blinked. Constant was the real mark of a Hashira-level swordsman. Keeping the breathing rhythm going twenty-four hours a day, even while sleeping. It was a big deal.
And she'd only been training for a little over a month.
"You already mastered it?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
Mitsuri nodded so hard her pink-and-green hair bounced. "I did! I really did! If you don't believe me, I'll go grab a gourd and blow it up right now to prove it!"
She spun around to run back inside, but Shuya caught her wrist on instinct.
He forgot, for one second, just how absurdly strong she was.
The next thing he knew, Mitsuri's full weight crashed into him again.
She blinked down at him, dazed. "Huh? This feels familiar…"
She looked at his face, still half-buried, and brightened. "Ah! Shuya-san, you hid there again! You're so good at that!"
Shuya sighed and gently pushed her back before she could repeat herself. "I believe you. I can see it with my own eyes."
He used Gyo and confirmed the thin layer of aura wrapped around her body. She really had achieved Constant.
Mitsuri's eyes sparkled with pure admiration. "Wow… Shuya-san already knew?"
She didn't dwell on it. Her expression turned serious, almost nervous. She fidgeted with her fingers, cheeks pink.
"Um… Shuya-san… about that promise we made…"
Shuya pretended not to remember, just to watch her squirm. "Promise?"
Mitsuri's shoulders slumped instantly. The light in her eyes dimmed. She looked like a kicked puppy.
"…Never mind. You're busy. I won't bother you anymore."
Shuya felt a little guilty. He pulled her in by the waist before she could walk away, pressing her against him. He flicked her nose lightly.
"I was teasing. I didn't forget, Mitsuri. I've been watching how hard you've been working."
Her head snapped up so fast he was surprised she didn't get whiplash. Hope exploded across her face.
"Really?!"
Shuya didn't answer with words. He manifested the contract scroll and held it out to her.
"Mitsuri. Do you want to walk through life with me?"
Her face went scarlet. She covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide and shimmering.
For a second she just stared at him, breathing fast. Then she nodded so hard it looked like her head might fall off.
"I do!!"
Shuya smiled and placed the scroll in her hands. He leaned in close, lips brushing her ear.
"Good. Then tonight… don't lock your door, okay? I'll come give you your reward."
Mitsuri's ears turned bright red. She could feel the heat spreading down her neck.
Her voice came out small and shaky, but full of emotion.
"Mom… Dad… Can you see me?"
She smiled, eyes glistening.
"Your daughter Mitsuri… finally made it. I'm really going to give myself to him."