Readers, I'm so sorry.

I just cannot get dates right. Over the last few chapters, I've been saying the month is April, when we're in May.

I've gone back and fixed them now, and if you notice any other mistakes I make across any chapters, feel free to write a review and correct me. After all, we learn from mistakes, don't we?

Anyways, as always, enjoy!


Stop…poking…me…

"Tamaki, wake up!" Mitsuri's index finger was prodding his left cheek.

"Stop," he grumbled sleepily, swatting her hand away weakly.

She was sitting on top of him, in a kneeling position with her knees and shins on the bed sheets.

"Get up," she said again. "We're going to my house today, right?"

Her kimono suddenly slid down from her shoulders, falling around her waist and exposing her bare chest. "Oops." She made no effort to fix it, simply continuing to poke Tamaki.

Tamaki sprang up, face bright red. He grabbed her kimono and pulled it back in place, covering her breasts. "Stop it! When this happens, close it immediately!"

Mitsuri tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

He sighed. How many times have I tried to tell her? "Never mind."

She got up, her kimono falling down again. Tamaki winced and hurriedly averted his eyes. "Just go change into your uniform or something!"

"Okay." She began to strip in front of him, following his order to change, but not getting the implied meaning of "by yourself".

At this point, Tamaki's face was already as red as it could go, and Mitsuri's nude body wasn't really anything new to him, as she had already exposed herself to him many times. Getting out of bed, Tamaki walked past Mitsuri and slid the door open, stepping out into the courtyard.

Mitsuri stumbled after him like a dog following its master. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Put some clothes on!" he said, quickly shoving her back into the cover of his room and shutting the door behind her.

A few moments later, she came out dressed in her uniform. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Alright. I don't know where you live, so you'll have to lead me."

"Put on your uniform please."

Huh? That was an unexpected comment. "Why?"

"So that we can match!" She waved her arms excitedly, twirling around to display her uniform.

"Oh. Okay." Tamaki stepped back into his room to change. When done, he came out to see an empty courtyard. Where did Mitsuri go?

He walked outside, and finally found her. Stuck midway through a wooden fence, she was squirming to get free. Her hips and legs were through one way while her chest, arms, and head were through the other way.

"Tamaki! Help me!"

"How did you even get stuck there?"

"I was just…doing something, and then I ended up here!"

Sighing, Tamaki approached her and tried to think of something. Which way do I pull her out from? One way is obscured by her breasts, while the other is blocked by her butt. So how did she even get in here in the first place?

"Tamaki, hurry!" she cried, squirming furiously.

"I know, I know! Just let me think!" So the best option is…

He took hold of the top of the fence, which was pressed against her back, and tore it upwards, ripping the wood and freeing Mitsuri.

She stumbled backwards into him. "Oh, thank you, Tamaki! I don't know what I would have done without you!" She flung her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.

Tamaki patted her on the back reassuringly. "It's okay, you're out now."

She pulled away. "Let's go then!" She pointed in a direction. "My house is that way."

After a brief walk, they arrived at the Kanroji house. Tamaki waited outside while Mitsuri went in to tell everyone that she was bringing a guest.

Something hit Tamaki in the side of the face, and he spun around so fast that he startled the thrower. It had been a rock, and the thrower was a young boy, about Zenitsu's age, with jet-black hair and a face similar to Mitsuri's.

"What was that for?" asked Tamaki.

"Who are you?" asked the boy rudely. "Why are you outside of my house?"

At that moment, Mitsuri came back outside. "Tamaki, you can come in now!"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Is this another man you're being arranged to marry, oneechan?"

She blushed. "Maybe…sometime in the future…"

The boy threw another rock. "Get out of here. None of my oneechan's arranged marriages don't work. I know you're just marrying her because your parents want you to."

Tamaki wanted to throttle the boy, but he kept silent, knowing that it would be disrespectful to talk back. I'll let Mitsuri handle this.

"No, no, that's not the case," said Mitsuri. "We're not being arranged to marry, I genuinely love him!"

"That's what you say about all of them," countered the boy, "and they always leave you."

He stepped in front of Tamaki. "You. Are you too illiterate to speak?"

That's enough. Tamaki stood up, glaring down at the boy. "Mind your own business, brat." He took one of the rocks that the boy had thrown at his face earlier and crushed it in his fist, letting the small chunks of stone drop to the ground. "Don't throw another one of these at me."

Mitsuri clung to his arm nervously. "Umm, why don't we go inside now?" she suggested.

"Okay." Tamaki followed her in. It was a nice and spacious house, the courtyard bigger than the one in his own house.

A man and a woman, probably in their late thirties or early forties, were standing in the middle of the courtyard. A small baby was in the woman's arms.

"You must be Tamaki-san! Oh, Mitsuri goes on and on about you!" The woman smiled at Tamaki. Mitsuri blushed and hid her face with her sleeves.

Tamaki got on the ground and bowed. "Thank you for inviting me to your home today!"

"You don't need to do that," said the man. "From what we've heard, you cared for Mitsuri when she was injured, sad, or scared. It should be us that should be bowing."

"It was only my duty to, sir."

"Why don't you come and have dinner with us?" said the woman.

"Yes ma'am," said Tamaki politely.

Mitsuri's parents went to set up the table, and Tamaki finally relaxed.

"You did it!" exclaimed Mitsuri happily. "I think my parents like you!"

It's not over yet, thought Tamaki. It's not over until I step out of this house. Anything I say or do could trigger them to dislike me or even kick me out.

Due to the nocturnal schedule of demon slayers, for Tamaki and Mitsuri this was breakfast, but for Mitsuri's family it was dinner.

The boy from earlier was the first of Mitsuri's siblings to arrive at the table, glaring suspiciously at Tamaki.

"Hey," whispered Mitsuri, "did you see my new baby brother? He was born just a couple of months ago, isn't he cute?"

Tamaki nodded. "So now you have five siblings, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then where are the other three?"

"Probably doing after-school activities. My sisters are in eighth and eleventh grade, and my brother is in ninth."

"So you're the oldest," Tamaki put together.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yep."

Mitsuri's mom came in with a large pot. "Dinner's ready!" She set the pot down in the middle of the table.

As they ate, Tamaki glanced around to see if anyone was eating as fast as Mitsuri. Nope. She's the only one here who eats like that. But I haven't met three of her siblings yet, so I'm not sure how they eat.

"I'm done!" said Mitsuri, placing her empty bowl on the table.

"Mitsuri, try not to eat so fast," her father scolded her.

"But the food's so good!"

"I'm putting the baby to bed," said Mitsuri's mother. "I'll be right back."

She left the kitchen. Tamaki finished his food, setting the bowl down.

"Tamaki-san, would you mind coming with me?" asked Mitsuri's father.

"Oh, sure," he said, getting up.

They left the kitchen, Tamaki's heart pounding nervously. Is he planning on telling me I can't date Mitsuri anymore?

They stood in the courtyard, next to a sakura tree. "Tamaki-san," began Mitsuri's father, "as you may already know, Mitsuri is a bit…sensitive, and really cares about what other people think of her."

Tamaki nodded, this information not new to him.

"So," continued Mitsuri's father, "she tends to get really upset when people hurt her. She's been through a lot of arranged marriages, but none of them work out because the guy usually ends up leaving her because they find her…weird."

"I don't find her weird, sir," said Tamaki. "I think her personality is unique and I love her very much."

Mitsuri's father smiled. "I can tell you both love each other very much. So please, promise me you won't ever hurt her."

"I will never hurt her," swore Tamaki. After all, when we first met I did promise to protect her with my life. I never took that promise back.

"Good. From what I've heard, you seem like a wonderful man, Tamaki-san. I'm glad I can rely on you to take care of my daughter." He bowed, and Tamaki bowed back respectfully.


"Oneechan, are you sure he's the one?"

Mitsuri sat at the table, alone with her brother. What's dad saying to Tamaki right now? She fidgeted nervously.

"Oneechan?" Her brother's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure that man is the one you'll marry?"

"Of course," said Mitsuri. "I have no doubts about it."

"Oneechan, I'm worried about you. What if he leaves you and makes you sad like all the others?"

"Don't worry, he won't. He's proven this to me many times already." Tamaki has constantly risked his life to help me and take care of me.

Her brother blinked. "Okay, I'll trust you. But if he makes you sad then come talk to me. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves."

Mitsuri smiled. "You're a good brother." She patted him on the head.

She stood up, wanting a hug from Tamaki. Walking into the courtyard, she saw him staring up at the stars. The moonlight shone down on his handsome face, giving it a pale appearance.

Mitsuri placed her arms around him, and pressed against him comfortably. "Can I have a hug?"

"Okay," he said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest. Warm. Comfy. I love this spot.

"Hey, remember the second day we met?" he murmured. "That night, we saw stars just as beautiful as these."

"I don't remember if it was the second day we met," said Mitsuri, thinking back. "But yeah, I remember looking at the stars with you."

He chuckled. "I think I find you more beautiful than the stars."

She glanced up at him. "Really?"

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Yeah."

Mitsuri felt herself beginning to lean forwards. Closing her eyes, her lips met Tamaki's. His kisses are always the same, they always make my heart race.

He pulled away after a few moments. "We shouldn't do this here."

She nodded, but on the inside she was a little disappointed.

"It's getting late," said Tamaki. "We shouldn't take up any more of your parents' time."

"Wait," said Mitsuri. "I wanted to show you my honey farm and my room!"

"Oh. Alright."

He doesn't seem that interested. "Or we could just go home."

"No, I'd like to see. You raise bees for honey?"

Mitsuri nodded. "You can try some."


Mitsuri led Tamaki to the backyard, where there was a row of honeycomb propped up on some wood. "Welcome to my very own bee farm!"

Huh, interesting. Tamaki watched the bees flying around and making honey. Several jars were placed on a wooden table near the bee farm. Mitsuri took one of the jars and opened it. "Here, you can try some."

Tamaki stuck a finger into the jar and tasted the honey. It was sweet and delicious. "Mmm."

"Do you like it?" asked Mitsuri.

"Yeah, it's good."

She giggled. "Thanks! I made it myself!"

Next, she led him to her room. She slid open the door, and they both stepped inside. It was plain, with a simple bed and a small table to the side of it, similar to the way Tamaki's room was arranged. On the table, there was a framed picture of himself and Mitsuri, and Tamaki recognized it as the picture they had taken at the restaurant using the camera that Mitsuri had taken from a demon.

There was a small rabbit in the corner of the room. "Is that supposed to be there?" asked Tamaki, pointing to the rabbit.

"Oh, that's my pet rabbit. Isn't he so cute?"

Go figure. Mitsuri has a pet rabbit.


"Thank you for coming!" Mitsuri's parents waved to them on the way out.

Tamaki bowed again. "Thanks for inviting me."

They were leaving now, as it was pretty late. Mitsuri skipped happily ahead of Tamaki. "So, that was my home. What did you think of it?"

"It was nice," said Tamaki. "Your parents are really kind people. I can see why you're so kind as well."

"Oh, Tamaki, don't flatter me too much," swooned Mitsuri.

That was actually a nice experience. I was expecting her parents to be a bit more strict and doubtful of me, but they welcomed me and accepted me.

"So are we going home now?" asked Mitsuri.

"Yeah."

As they arrived back at Tamaki's house, they saw Hana and Misaki about to leave somewhere. They were both dressed in red kimonos with their hair done.

"Where are you guys going?" asked Mitsuri.

"There's a festival in the city," explained Hana. "You can go with us if you want."

A festival? Before Tamaki could think any further, Mitsuri was already tugging on his sleeve. "Can we go to the festival? Please?"

"Alright, alright. I think I have some red kimonos somewhere…"

"Uhh, Tamaki-kun," cut in Hana, "I already have spare kimonos that fit you and Mitsuri-san. I kinda anticipated that you would be dragged into going by her."

Of course. That's Hana for you.

Mitsuri was jumping up and down with excitement. "Yay! Festival! This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Come on," said Tamaki, entering his house. "We better get changed."


To be continued…

Next chapter releasing 5/28/23