Chapter 31: Out of the Blue |
At dawn the following day, Mitsuri rose early.
To be precise, she had barely slept a wink all night, yet she felt surprisingly refreshed that morning thanks to her extraordinary constitution.
Having risen ahead of schedule, the young woman threw herself into preparations for the blind date planned for that day.
This time, she was determined to prevent a repeat of past disasters at all costs!
First, Mitsuri selected a dress she considered perfectly ordinary. Then, she headed into town to dye her pink-and-green hair a conventional black.
Throughout the process, she constantly reminded herself to eat like a normal person and never, under any circumstances, reveal her superhuman strength during the date.
Beyond her own resolutions, her parents had showered her with advice and instructions.
"You can do it, Big Sister!" her siblings cheered, offering their support.
This time, everything was going to go perfectly!
Following her parents' suggestion, she left home well in advance to ensure she arrived at the designated meeting spot exactly on time.
The meeting place was a large, ancient pine tree on the eastern outskirts of town.
She set off thirty minutes early, wanting to arrive ahead of schedule so as not to make a poor first impression.
While arriving early didn't guarantee a positive reaction, it was at least a sign of proper etiquette.
Courtesy was a virtue valued even in remote, modest towns like this one.
However...
Mitsuri skidded to a halt near the great pine. There, standing with his back to her, was a man in a simple kimono with short-cropped hair.
It looked as though he had been waiting for a long while.
'Could it be... Is that him? Is it really him?!'
'He arrived early, and he has such a handsome back... but wait, why so early? Oh, this is so embarrassing... if I’d known, I would have come even earlier!'
Mitsuri lacked confidence when it came to the opposite sex. Despite her seemingly extensive history of blind dates, she felt completely out of her element.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally took a shy step forward, heading straight toward the massive pine.
The man didn't seem to notice her approach; in her nervousness, the girl moved as quietly as a cat, making no sound at all.
Realizing it was rude to sneak up on someone, she deliberately stepped on a dry twig a few meters away from the tree.
Hearing the sharp snap, the man slowly turned around...
Mitsuri froze, trying to compose herself. She mentally reviewed all the advice she had been given, searching for the proper way to greet him.
"Hello, well, I... uh..." Her courage failed after the first word. Her mind went completely blank.
"Oh, it's you?" The man beneath the pine seemed slightly surprised, but nothing more. A gentle, serene smile graced his face.
It was Yeruashi.
Since the previous day, he had begun to suspect that Mitsuri would be the one he'd meet here.
He remembered considering a glimpse into the future then, but he had dismissed the idea. He decided it wasn't worth the trouble to spoil a perfectly good game halfway through over such a trifle.
Thus, Yeruashi hadn't known for certain what would happen today, and he was genuinely a bit surprised to actually see Mitsuri standing there.
He sighed inwardly, 'I'm not sure if she's lucky or...'
"We haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Miyagami Yeru. And yours?" Yeruashi asked with a carefree smile, watching Mitsuri’s internal struggle.
"Mitsuri... Mitsuri Kanroji... This is our first time meeting... No... wait... I mean..." The girl clutched the hem of her dress and lowered her head in embarrassment. She was so nervous she didn't dare look him in the eye.
"Are you this nervous because this isn't actually our first meeting? Don't worry, I don't hold a grudge over that incident in the street," Yeruashi joked with a reassuring smile, considering his next move.
It would be incredibly easy to reject Mitsuri right now, just as every other man had done before him. Everything would immediately return to its natural order.
However, such an act would be completely out of character for Dr. Miyagami, the persona Yeruashi was currently inhabiting. To abandon the role now would be akin to sabotaging his own path.
Over the course of more than a hundred thousand lives, he had never once quit halfway through, and he certainly wasn't about to start now.
"Ah, Dr. Miyagami, you remember... I was just distracted..." Mitsuri stammered, turning even redder than a ripe tomato. Her gaze remained glued to the ground, a hint of panic coloring her voice.
"Hm? What happened to your hair? Did you dye it?" Yeruashi asked, changing the subject as he looked her over, his tone devoid of mockery.
Naturally, he had weighed the question before asking. It seemed like just the thing to help her relax.
"Well, you see... it was so strange before, so I dyed it..." Mitsuri finally calmed down a fraction, though her shyness was as palpable as ever.
"I don't know, it looked fine to me," Yeruashi remarked casually. He added, "But I understand. I had to dye my own hair black as well. My hair is naturally white, and I didn't think a young doctor with white hair would inspire much confidence in his patients, so I decided to change it."
"Wait, your hair is actually white?" Mitsuri asked in surprise, finally daring to look up at him—or rather, at his hair.
Within seconds, her imagination conjured a detailed image of the dark-haired young man before her with snow-white locks.
She imagined he would look even more handsome with white hair, like a true nobleman, but she agreed it wouldn't fit the image of a physician.
'I'm not the only one forced to adapt to my surroundings...'
The thought made her feel a sudden kinship with Yeruashi, as if the distance between them had shrunk. Her previous awkwardness began to evaporate. "Well, the black hair looks very nice on you too..."
"I only dye it because I don't really care what color it is. You shouldn't force yourself to change, either. For what it's worth, I actually quite liked your original hair color," Yeruashi replied with a smile as he began to walk down the path. "Shall we take a stroll around the area? If you don't mind, of course."
"Mhm..." Mitsuri nodded, falling into step beside him.